EV Grieve

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Citi Bike testing new ways to boost memberships

EVG reader Dave from 2nd Ave. spotted this enhancement to the Citi Bikes docking station this morning on East 11th Street and Second Avenue.

Tenants claim: Kushner and Westminster want to destroy this building's beautiful garden

We've been keeping an eye on the renovations at 170-174 E. Second St., two walk-ups that Jared Kushner picked up earlier this year for his East Village collection.

There has been a lot of drama here — gut renovations, tenants taking buyouts, tenants not taking buyouts. We'll address some of this in another post.

A more pressing matter at the moment: The impending destruction of the garden behind No. 174.

"It was built by tenants, is maintained by tenants, and we love it very much," one tenant told us.

Tenants say that Westminster Management, a division of Kushner Companies, is expected to gut the garden this week. Remaining tenants say that they have taken legal action, but Westminster might be moving too fast for the group to stop them.

Said a resident:

"To destroy the garden would be of no benefit to Westminster, and to the tenants it would be a tragedy. Our garden is not just a decorative tableau, but a part of our daily lives: during the day, it is a place to do our professional work, and to make use of the carefully constructed space dedicated to meditation. In the evenings, it has long been a place for neighbors to meet one another. We reject the notion that a community garden is not a valuable resource. In fact, we believe that it is this use of our garden — as a place to foster community — which is the reason why it has been targeted."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Inside a classic East Village tenement before the whole building is renovated

Jared Kushner not done buying every walk-up in the East Village

Two East 2nd St. buildings sell for $17.5 million; will new owner still honor Allen Ginsburg?

Insomnia Cookies opening an East Village outpost

Well, we just noticed this the other day: Small signs for Insomnia Cookies above Plump Dumpling (or whatever it is now) on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and East 11th Street...

Insomnia confirmed that they are opening a location in the East Village ... though didn't specify where exactly. (There is an empty storefront behind Plump Dumpling.) They are also hiring here now.

Oh, and what are Insomnia Cookies? Here is their description via Facebook:

Insomnia Cookies was born out of the dislike of heavy meals late at night, love of food delivery, and the realization that by the time you get hungry at night, nothing is open.

Insomnia Cookies serves fresh, oven baked cookies in an assortment of flavors and offers delivery until 3AM! Popular flavors include Chocolate Chunk, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and the S'mores Deluxe. Insomnia Cookies also offers brownies, cookie cakes and ice cream with toppings such as Mint Chocolate, Cookie Dough and Snickers. The requisite pint of cold milk is available with any order. Insomnia Cookies…baked right, late night!

While primarily serving college students and the late-night crowd, we also offer nationwide gifting options and a catering menu for businesses, parties and other events.

Insomnia Cookies has more than 40 locations in the United States... with six storefronts in NYC.

Fake 'artisanal bacon' shop will actually be an artisanal ice cream shop

A few weeks ago, an EVG reader spotted a new sign over at 75 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery for a new business called Pigskin™ …

[March 31]

Per the sign on the door:

"Fresh, artisanal bacon from all over the world."

"Bacon for bacon lovers."

Turns out that the former FAB Café space will be the second outpost of the Williamsburg-based OddFellows, which specializes in "small-batch, locally sourced ice cream," as Grub Street first reported yesterday.

Although OddFellows boasts 116 flavors (Buttermilk Blueberry Honey and Chorizo Caramel Swirl, among 114 others), the East Fourth Street shop will have eight flavors on rotation and a small counter suitable for up to five people.

The shop is expected to open on May 1.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will we finally be getting that 'fresh, artisanal bacon' shop in the East Village?

189 Avenue C is for sale

Units at the new dormy rental building at 189 Avenue C hit the market just about three years ago…

Now the whole building can be yours. Per the new Massey Knakal listing:

The building consists of a 2,225 SF (approx.) commercial unit on the ground floor, a 627 SF (approx.) community facility unit on the ground floor towards the East 12th Street entrance and 35 luxury apartments on the upper floors consisting of 37,310 SF (approx). Of the 35 apartments, 5 are studios, 13 are 1-bedrooms, 9 are 2-bedrooms and 8 are 3-bedrooms of which 2 have terraces. The building benefits from 2 elevators, a usable rooftop for the tenants, a fully functioning gym, 24/7 security and washer/dryer units in each apartment.

The building has a temporary certificate of 421-a. Therefore the units are all Rent Stabilized and renting at less than 70% of market. The building’s gross annual income is approximately $1,580,000 with a Net Operating Income of approximately $1,285,000. Ownership is currently appealing the current taxes considering the NYC Department of Finance is billing based on the building being 55,000 SF. The department should provide clarity by late May.

Price: $33 million.

The commercial space is currently on the market.

Today in ghost signage

[April 1]

Jeez, how did we miss this? (Please don't answer the question. We're very sensitive.) Two weeks back Molly at the International told us about the ghost signage that workers found (and subsequently dropped) at the Golden Food Market on First Avenue and East Seventh Street.

Apparently, workers found another old sign … this was preserved … and is now hanging up on the market's south-facing wall…

So the East 7th Deli came after the Warsaw Bakery… anyone remember the place?

Thanks to newly deputized EVG Ghost Signage Correspondent ~evilsugar for this tip.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Warsaw Bakery sign makes a brief reappearance on First Avenue

How was your lunar eclipse?

Bobby Williams caught some of the lunar eclipse late last night/early this morning from his East Village perch.

The first two photos are from 1:30 a.m. …

… and the last shot was at 2:30 a.m.

As we cut-n-paste from CNN:

In a total lunar eclipse, the full moon turns a coppery red as it passes into Earth's shadow. During the process, the moon's bright glow dims, taking on a red hue because of shimmers of sunlight and sunsets seeping through the Earth's atmosphere.

Apparently clouds obscured the blood moon part of it on the East Coast … otherwise, this would have been the projection…

[Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images]

Joey Ramone died on this date in 2001

Born: May 19, 1951
Died: April 15, 2001

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mickey Leigh on his brother Joey Ramone's 'New York City' video

Monday, April 14, 2014

The changing of the bulb above the Eat Me sign

Outside Crif Dogs on St. Mark's Place late this afternoon…

Finding Happiness in Tompkins Square Park

Spotted earlier today by EVG contributor Derek Berg ... difficult to make out in the photo ... but the case is marked "Happiness."

Unfortunately, given the condition of the tape (and the fact the we haven't had a working VCR in years), we'll never know if this was the Todd Solondz film ... or maybe something homemade.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Palm Sunday outside St. George's by Fallopia Tuba]

Debaters debate the pros and cons of gentrification (The New York Times)

One ugly hotel heading to 50 Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

A visit to Parmys Persian Fusion on First Avenue (The New York Times)

Not wasting any time boarding up Rizzoli's 57th Street Bookstore (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

More about the Wash House, the laundro-grilled cheese combo place on East 1st Street (Zagat via NY1)

A spring scene in Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

Alex is unhappy about Shakespeare & Co. closing (Flaming Pablum)

The proposed highway to run through Washington Square Park — in the 1950s (Ephemeral New York)

The Hester Street Fair returns in two weeks (The Lo-Down)

You can buy nachos in a helmet at Yankee Stadium for $20 (Gothamist)

... and via @slicksean ... A photo of the installation against gun violence in the cemetery of St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery yesterday...

Report: July 4 fireworks returning to the East River

[The spirit of America!]

You will apparently no longer have to rekindle that friendship every July with those people you really don't like who live on the west side and have a rooftop view of the Hudson ...

According to The Observer, Mayor de Blasio is expected today to announce that the July 4 fireworks will return to the East River where God wanted them to be.

In his former job as public advocate, Mr. de Blasio, a Brooklynite who campaigned as a champion of the outer boroughs, called on Macy’s, the event’s sponsor, to move the show back from the Hudson River so it could be seen by residents in Queens and Brooklyn. The display was moved to the Hudson, between Manhattan and New Jersey, in 2009.

And now a look back at the July 4 fireworks from an EVG friend's roof in the East Village in 2009 ... feel free to ohh! and ahh!

This year's Howl! Festival has been postponed

[Photo from 2013 by ~Joan]

Word went out last night that the annual Howl! Festival has been postponed… here's the message from the Howl! website …

And that's all we have about it at the moment…

Updated 4/14:

Bob Holman had this to say about the situation last evening on his Tumblr …

Steve Cannon will continue as Poet laureate and will rule at the next HOWL, whenever that is. It’s Tompkins Sq Park bureaucracy, IMHO — HOWL has never been supported like the Treasure that it is.

Another flyer campaign to 'stop the rooftop noise' at 84 E. 10th St.

These signs are up along East 10th Street between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue … (we also spotted some on Third Avenue…) …

Here's a look at the recently remodeled 84 E. 10th St. …

And the helpful arrow points out where the roof likely is…

Seriously, though … there have been complaints about rooftop noise here dating back to June 2010 … before the building got the makeover…

According to a listing that we spotted for No. 84 in March 2013, there is only one residential unit here … (the 2-bedroom space was asking $7,500). The amenities included "a huge private roof deck."

Yoo's Convenience Store — home of New York's 'best coffee' — going out of business on 2nd Avenue

The time for Yoo's is coming to an end at 50 Second Ave. …

The owner (is it Mr. Yoo?) said that the landlord is doubling his rent. "How can they do this?" he said while shaking his head. "But what are you going to do."

We'll miss the handwritten notes here boasting having the best coffee in the city…

Exchange Alley has not been open lately

The New Orleans-themed Exchange Alley has not been open for the past week or so here at 424 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

There aren't any signs up to note a temporary closure … and there's nothing on their website or Facebook page to indicate anything is amiss. Calls to the restaurant go unanswered. However, the well-regarded restaurant is no longer listed on Open Table. We reached out to chef Paul Gerard, formerly of the SoHo House kitchen, to see what was happening here.

Exchange Alley, which opened in August 2012, was the latest to give this space a try … where Olivia, Sintir and Zi' Pep all closed in fairly quick succession ...

The restaurant enjoyed some high-profile press ahead of its opening, including a write-up on Vogue.com

There's a really steep fine for jumping on this sidewalk gate outside Bedlam

Spotted these stickers the other day in front of Bedlam at 40 Avenue C…

Not sure who enforces this fine… and gets to keep the money. And how are we expected to pay?

DOUBLE ghost signage discovered at 88 3rd Ave.

Earlier last month, EVG reader Dave from 14th Street noted the above ghost signage that workers uncovered while converting the former Amici Pizza into (heh) a Funkiberry Premium Frozen Yogurt shop.

NOW!

EVG regular ~evilsugar notes that there was ghost signage under the Lawrence & Paul's Pizza & Restaurant ghost signage…