Spring dreamin' on such a winter's day

Photos today in Tompkins Square Park by Bobby Williams.

[Headline H/T John Phillips and Michelle Phillips]

Week in Grieview

[EV sunrise yesterday via @brianspitzer]

The fate of the Blarney Cove sign (Friday)

Bye bye to the Birdman of First Avenue (Thursday)

This guy apparently swindled a bunch of apartment hunters (Tuesday)

Children's Magical Garden members sue developer (Tuesday)

Opening report for the Halal Guys on East 14th Street (Wednesday)

Black Hound New York closes (Sunday)

More support for a protected bike lane on Fourth Avenue/Lafayette (Monday)

Bloodsucking landlord boots custom fang makers (Tuesday)

The first all-natural halal meat store in Manhattan is opening on East 9th Street (Monday)

Out and About with Eric Danville Part 2 (Wednesday)

Your very own duplex with a garage door overlooking East 14th Street! (Wednesday)

Condo conversion for 61 4th Ave.? (Friday)

Schnitz happened (Friday)

Rent life in 1988 (Tuesday)

Con Ed talks stray voltage (Wednesday)

Tompkins Square Park this morning

Just 2 more nights of celebrating left!

drunk girl with shamrock sticker on her face vomiting between parked cars. it has begun. #eastvillage #nyc

— jdx (@xjdx) March 15, 2014

Noted

Someone just chalked the 9th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park… Photo via Dave on 7th…

A reminder not to drive on Avenue A next weekend

You probably noticed the arrival of these yesterday at strategic points along Avenue A (and assorted side streets) … We were hopeful that they'd display some sort of welcome sign (use your creativity!)…



But they are a notice about a closure...



Next Saturday AND Sunday, Avenue A will be closed between East Fourth Street and East Seventh Street from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. So, "Use alternative route."

We heard something about Con Ed installing new transformers at the substation between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Reader report: 'my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas' scam guy arrested

You recall the "my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas" scam guy who has been made the rounds in the neighborhood, right?

A quick flashback to a reader report last month:

He's the white guy who approaches folks on the street and his M.O. is usually something about his wife and kids being locked out of their car. He says he'll give you his driver's license or car keys or cell phone (probably all stolen items) for you to hold as collateral to prove that he's honest and will pay you back. Then he asks for anywhere from $10 to $50 or more.

Anyway, we hear that the man was arrested last Friday at Penn Station. The story is that he was posing as "an Orthodox Jew and needed to get home before Sabbath" … and he was short on cash to accomplish this, of course…

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village grifter alert: Beware the broken vodka-bottle scam!

East Village grifter alert: Beware the man with the sob story who offers you a wedding ring as collateral

Snowy afternoon grifter alert

Find PIECE tonight on the LES

From the EVG inbox...

Bridging the gap between works on the street and works on canvas, paper sketches are often relegated to dusty scrap books and old shoeboxes. PIECE will allow viewers into the minds of select New York City artists as they demonstrate how each piece is the creative product of an inspiration, vision, message or trial. Whether it is sketching, drawing, or working out ideas, a final piece starts here: on paper.

We are inviting a select group of artists to come hang and draw at the new shny space in the LES beginning Monday March 10. All works will be on display and for sale at the opening reception (Saturday March 15th 7 pm-10 pm). The work will be on view through the end of the March.

shny 116 Suffolk St. (between Rivington and Delancey)

The original info didn't include the name of the artists. Found this on Facebook:

Contributing Artists:

2esae, Abuse, Astrodub, Beau, Cern , ChrisRWK, Chuck Berrett, Col, Dave Ortiz, Donald Gajadhar, EKG, Elle StreetArt, Elton Leonard, Erasmo, Foxxfaces, Fresh, Greg Moncada, Ičy Stencils, Sot Stencils, Ivan-o-rama, Jacob Henderson, John Perry, Justin Carty, Marthalicia Matarrita, Justo, Jerry Rid, Kwote, Lady K Fever, Leah Weber, Leo Uzai, Lorenzo Masnah, Matt Siren, Matthew Denton Burrows, Michael DiNicola, Missy Caz, N. Carlos Jay, Nemo Librizzi, Nicole Salgar, OCMC, Phatbenetar, Phil, Rage Johnson, Rambo, Ricks, Rubin, Russell King, Choice Royce, Sam Woolley, See One, Set, Ski, Take7, Touch, Werds, Yuri Velez, Yves, Elton Leonard, John Paul O'Grodnick and more...

Curated By:

Robert Aloia, Hughbert Burckhardt, GiGi Campos, Frankie Cedeño, Jon Handel, Jonathan Neville and David Ziegler

Clash city rockers

From 1977, four songs by The Clash. Which is what you listen to when your site is down half the day.

Car on East 4th Street celebrates 84th year of violating alternate-side parking rules

Oh! EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted this 1930 Buick on East Fourth Street last night...







Not sure what might be filming now ... or maybe there's just a 1930 Buick parked here for no good reason. Anyone?

The Blarney Cove sign is down! The Blarney Cove sign is down!

[June 2013]

Just yesterday we pointed out that the sidewalk bridge arrived ahead of the demolition of the single-level buildings along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

We wondered what would/will become of the Blarney Cove sign... The neighborhood bar closed for good last June to make way for the new retail-residential complex.

And, OMG, here it is yesterday afternoon just lying there on the sidewalk, apparently discarded by construction workers ...



… and a short time later… Little Town Shoes sent along these photos…



…gutted and tagged!



But that's not how this story ends.

EVG regular Dave on 7th happened to be walking by yesterday afternoon… and he saw the sign still intact on the building. He asked the workers if they would take it down for him.

They did.

From there it wasn't easy to remove the two sides of the Barney Cove Bar sign from the frame. First, there were a million rusty screws. Then there was the matter of navigating two 7-foot by 2-foot (!) pieces of Blarney Cove sign home.

Along the way, someone offered Dave on 7th $200 for the signs. He declined.

Eventually, one of the signs split it two. But! As of this moment, the two signs (now in three pieces) are in good hands. Repeat, the two signs (now in three pieces) are in good hands.

"I wish I could have left the whole thing intact, but that just wasn't in the cards," said Dave on 7th, who has the signs in his building. "I started to wipe the dust off the back, and it turns out that's what made it white. Either super old paint or a fluorescent powder to make it glow brighter.

"Man, I worked my ass off taking it apart."

Now if we can only find the Blarney Cove cooling and refreshening system…


[Photo from May 2011 by the long-lost (sob) Intern of EV Grieve]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here is the future of East 14th Street and Avenue A: 7 stories of residential and retail

City OKs permits to demolish the empty storefronts along this section of East 14th Street

The Blarney Cove closes for good after tomorrow night

Condo conversion one possibility for 61 4th Avenue, now on the market for $15.5 million

There's a new listing for 61 Fourth Ave. via Massey Knakal.

Let's take a look at the pitch:

Located on the east side of 4th Avenue between East 9th and East 10th Streets, this six story mixed-use building will be delivered vacant. This is an excellent condominium conversion opportunity or a live-investment given its centrally located between the East Village and Greenwich Village. Although the current C of O is a mix of office and art studio space, the building could be converted to residential as-of-right. The building is across the street from Facebook’s new office at 770 Broadway and one block from 51 Astor Place which will soon be the headquarters of IBM Watson and 1stdibs.

Asking price: $15.5 million.

And apparently the push continues to expand "Midtown South" into a neighborhood that already enjoys several names ... the accompanying marketing materials show that 61 Fourth Ave. is aka 61 Park Ave. South ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village — the new Midtown?

Facebook is moving into the neighborhood; Midtown South expands its boundaries, apparently

Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's

[EVG file photo via Goggla]

At some point in the past, say, nine months, Mary Ann's began morphing into Dahlia's on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street. On Tuesday, workers finally painted over the Mary Ann's on the front of the building…



The sidewalk awning still says Mary Ann's … As far as I can tell, the menus with Mexican fare are almost identical? Can anyone confirm this? (And the Mary Ann's in Tribeca is now also Dahlia's? So many questions????)



And I realized that I hadn't been to Mary Ann's in about 18 years…

Schnitz happens starting tomorrow

The folks from Schnitz passed along word to us that they will be opening to the public starting tomorrow at 177 First Ave. at East 11th Street.

As we first reported last October, this is the first restaurant for Schnitz, which serves old-fashioned schnitzel sandwiches with unconventional toppings at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg and Dumbo.

Schnitz will serve sandwiches, soups and salads from its East Village location. (You can find their menu here.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Smorgasburg favorites Schnitz planning restaurant at former Something Sweet on First Avenue

City temporary closes This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

The city has temporarily closed the roast beef shop at 149 First Ave. "for operating without a permit," according to the two signs on the quick-serve restaurant near East Ninth Street…



The signs are dated Wednesday … no word on what the infraction might be for…

A celebration of Mike Bakaty's life tomorrow night at the Bowery Electric

Mike Bakaty, owner of the city's longest-running tattoo parlor, died on Jan. 29 after a battle with cancer. He was 77.

Tomorrow night from 6-9, his friends and family will hold a celebration of his life at the Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery.

Bakaty opened Fineline Tattoos on First Avenue near East Second Street in 1997 after the city lifted the 30-plus year ban on tattooing. He started his business during the tattoo prohibition from his Bowery loft in 1976.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Mike Bakaty

Out and About in the East Village, Feb. 2013

H/T East Village Radio

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Tompkins Square Park the other day via Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C]

The Small-Business-Saving Squad of the East Village (Off the Grid)

Concerns of a fire hazard at Sweet Chick, opening in the former Max Fish space (BoweryBoogie)

Katz's suing 'Katz & Dogz' food truck (New York Post)

Remembering The Sin Club on 2nd and C (Flaming Pablum)

No 'Beastie Boys Square' for the LES (The Lo-Down)

Iggy and New Order do Joy Division (Dangerous Minds)

'7 Beautiful Things About New York City That Are Threatened by Gentrification' (PolicyMic)

History of the Mayfair billboard in Times Square (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar reopens today after renovations (Gothamist)

The Stranglers on 40 years of fights, drugs, UFOs and 'doing all the wrong things' (The Guardian UK)

And while on the topic of The Stranglers... from 1982...

While you're waiting for the light to change...

East 12th Street and Avenue A this morning via M on Avenue B.

Maybe the wind blew it up there?

Sidewalk bridge arrives for start of demolition on East 14th Street; last chance for Blarney Cove sign

Workers began erecting the sidewalk shed along the doomed section of East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B yesterday. Demolition of these one-level empty storefronts should commence soon enough.

As previously reported, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. (excluding No. 520) were leased for a retail-resident complex that might look like this ...


[500 E. 14th St.]

... and this...


[524 E. 14th St.]

Workers still need to finished putting up the sidewalk bridge to the east...



To date, we haven't spotted any plans on file with the city for the new buildings.

Meanwhile, it's really last call for that Blarney Cove sign...





[H/T @cgashcraft]

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 14th Street exodus continues

The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

East 14th Street corridor now nearly business-free ahead of new development

Here is the future of East 14th Street and Avenue A: 7 stories of residential and retail

City OKs permits to demolish the empty storefronts along this section of East 14th Street

Here is the next new section of East 14th Street

More about the impending closure of Rainbow Music on First Avenue

As we first reported on Monday, Rainbow Music at 130 First Ave. will be closing later this year. The shop's eccentric owner, known only as the Birdman, is currently on a month-to-month lease … with plans to be out by the end of the year.

Filmmaker Jessie Auritt, who interviewed the Birdman for an engaging documentary short, stopped by the store yesterday. The Birdman said that he is on good terms with the landlord and is planning to stay open until at least September for now.

Which is almost enough time to sift through every stack in Rainbow Music.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Birdman of the East Village

Watch the Birdman of the East Village

Reader report: The fabulous Rainbow Music is closing this year in the East Village