Plans underway for a Tommy Ramone memorial

Drummer and producer Tommy Ramone (aka Thomas Erdelyi), the last surviving original member of the Ramones, died last Friday at age 65.

Tim Hayes and the remaining members of the CBGB family are finalizing details for a formal event in Tommy's memory.

The evening will include intimate and personal stories from many of the people who were the closest to him. Tickets will be $5 with 100 percent of the money going to a cancer charity. (Tommy died of bile duct cancer.)

"It should be a very special and beautiful night," said Hayes. "Tommy had a sweet soul and he changed music and NYC forever."

We'll have more memorial details as soon as they're available.

Citi Bike: A Reluctant Love Affair

An EVG reader, who asked to remain anonymous, submitted the following...

As an avid biker/alternative-transportation-seeker in New York City, the past few years have been a neverending whirlwind of emotions. The city has done a great job building bike lines, bike racks, hosting bike parking at events, and much more to encourage two wheeled riders.

The East Village is as busy of a neighborhood as any for bikers, with hundreds of delivery bikes roaming the streets alongside the commuters up and down First and Second and the casual neighborhood riders around Tompkins.

One issue remains, which I was reminded of in this post; bike theft seems to be as big of an issue as ever. I bought my first NYC bike about 2.5 years ago, and it was stolen within a month of owning it, despite it being locked up to an Equinox (improperly, but still, locked). I luckily got insurance money back for it, but the new bike I purchased has hardly seen the light of day during the week. When I lock up my bike outside a restaurant, I spend the entire meal EXPECTING it to get stolen. I can be 6 feet away from my bike on a patio eating, and I'll still stare at my bike to be sure it hasn't been taken.

Meanwhile, I signed up for Citi Bike before it had even launched. It was a godsend to my anxiety; I would never have to fear getting my bike stolen again, I had 3 docks within an avenue of my apartment, and I could bike anywhere south of 59th Street without worrying about taking the same bike home if I had an extra drink or two.

But Citi Bike is far, far from perfect. The app tells me there are 3 bikes, and none of them work. I show up to a dock with 5 spaces, none of them work. There are no bikes in the morning, and no docks at night. One of the best things about biking to work is the consistency in how long it will take, no matter how bad traffic is...and this is providing an opposite experience.

But it's $95/a year. Even if they jack it up to $200/year, it still feels cheap. Who am I to complain?

The bigger issue remains bike theft. If I didn't have to worry about my personal bike getting stolen, I would use it more often, I would use Citibike only when I really need to, and I would have less anxiety in general. So I have some questions for you, community:

a) How many of you both have a Citi Bike AND a personal bike? If you do, what's your split on usage between the two?
b) What could the city do to prevent bike theft? Is it even their responsibility to do something or should we be the ones spending extra money on extra/fancier locks?
c) Do you think Citi Bike is going to improve its service and reliability in the next year, or is the increasing popularity just going to make it more frustrating?

And we're off...

Gabay's Outlet settling into new Avenue A home

After 45 years at 225 First Ave., Gabay's Outlet moved earlier this month to 195 Avenue A near East 12th Street.



We checked in with proprietor Joey Gabay, the third generation of the family to run the business, to see how they were settling in their new home.

"We are still in liquidation mode of all of our excess inventory," said Gabay, noting that they are selling designer items at $10 a hanger. "Once the store is empty we will renovate to make a great designer boutique outlet. We are really looking forward to the fall when we will be able to put our best foot forward."

Gabay's first opened in the neighborhood at 1 St. Mark's Place in 1940. Increased rents forced them to move away from First Avenue.

As Gabay told us last month: "We are thrilled that we are staying in the East Village."

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 45 years on 1st Avenue, Gabay's Outlet is on the move

Apartment 13 will not be reopening on Avenue C

Apartment 13 at 115 Avenue C between East Seventh Street and East Eighth Street temporarily closed during the July 4 weekend. Signs on the door pointed diners and reservation holders to its sister restaurant Dinner on Ludlow.

However, a message on Apartment 13's Facebook page now notes that they will not be reopening:

It is with tremendous regret that I tell you all that Apartment 13 has closed its doors indefinitely. We would like to first and foremost express our eternal gratitude to all of you who took a leap of faith and decided to support and join us on what we fondly consider one of the most invaluable experiences of our adult lives.

Thank you all so very much for your unconditional support and unwavering patronage. It is truly humbling the way in which you greeted us with open arms and welcomed us whole-heartedly into what we consider one of the last remaining authentic “communities” in NYC.

Without burdening you all too much with the uglier side of business I'll explain it like this. Similar to a marriage, or divorce rather, our child (Apt 13), became collateral damage and fell through the cracks of a faulty foundation due to no fault of its own. Partnerships, be it business or personal, demands all parties involved to play for the same team at all times. When this fundamental law of business is tampered with, or worse disregarded, the potential for loss exponentially increases until destruction is an inevitability.

There is a P.S.

We look forward to seeing you all in the near future at the opening of our next venture and invite you all to continue the journey with us as we embark upon Chapter 2.

The restaurant, the first for chef John Keller (the executive chef at Dinner on Ludlow), opened last July 25. Apartment 13 featured food that they described as "Modern American interpretations with Japanese and Caribbean influences."

Looking at a studio with a 'loft style' bedroom

We looked at a "micro loft" for sale yesterday on East Second Street. Today, let's check out what you might call a "micro studio" rental with a "loft style" bedroom at 105 E. 10th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.



Per the Village Living Rentals listing, this studio features:

Oak strip flooring, high ceilings and crown molding.
Apartment has large, full separate bathroom.
Kitchen is also separate from the living space.
Bedroom is loft style!
There is a decorative fireplace!

There does not appear to be much headroom coming into the bedroom/living room/fireplace area… (tenants may need a "watch your head" sign…)



Asking price: $1,700.

Reminders tonight: See 'Fast Times in Ridgemont High' in Tompkins Square Park

[Debbie and Damone]

In case you missed our post yesterday … the Films in Tompkins series returns tonight with a free screening of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," which needs no introduction.

And this trailer for the movie sucks.



Sadly, I am not allowed to go. I have seen the movie so many times, I can't help but blurt out lines right before the character does.

This is U.S. History, I see the globe right there!

Hope you had a hell of a piss, Arnold!

"Now, the lady will have the linguini and white clam sauce, and a Coke with no ice."

Sorry! Go! Enjoy! The film starts at sundown. (The gates open at 6.)

How you can help Punjabi Grocery & Deli stay in business

Jeremiah first reported on this campaign yesterday at Vanishing New York.

Given the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project, the folks at Punjabi Grocery & Deli on East First Street near Avenue A/East Houston are struggling to stay in business. The storefront, which arguably serves the best inexpensive vegetarian food in the neighborhood, is losing a big chunk of its audience: cab drivers.

The construction site has taken up all the parking spaces for cab drivers, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal. (Those who do stop face a getting a ticket.)

So Punjabi is petitioning the city to bring a taxi relief stand to the front of the deli, "a place where taxis can park for an hour so drivers can get a meal, use the rest room, and relax before getting back behind the wheel."

Here's more from the petition:

Though the City and state government collect taxes for each trip from commuters in the form of surcharge through hard working of drivers, they do not create or give much facility and respect to taxi drivers. Since last many years this particular area is under major road and other repairs.

On the top of that construction companies using this area as their personal storage and stocking facility. Due to that in this all area you only see no parking signs. Parking to use the facility become more and more difficult and drivers get parking violation tickets. But the city government official do not think about creating facility but they are only interested in creating more hardship to their hardworking community.

[East First Street disaster construction zone]

You can find the petition here.

This is exactly the kind of business that we need around here. As it stands, the inexpensive, quick-serve restaurants are disappearing (Bereket ... Cafe Rakka on Avenue B ... First Avenue Pierogi and Deli ... and soon, Snack Dragon, to name a few).

As for the East Houston Reconstruction Project, it is now scheduled (PDF!) to be completed by mid-2016, according to the latest city estimates. It doesn't seem possible that Punjabi Grocery & Deli can last two more years at this rate.

Actually, the new rent for the Snack Dragon space is $4,495

[Image via]

Late last week Snack Dragon proprietor Josephine Jansen told us that her tiny taco stand at 199 E. Third St. will have to close for good on July 31. The reason: Landlord Steve Croman wants to triple the rent to $3,900.

Turns out the rent for the next tenant will somehow even be higher. In a follow-up article on Monday, DNAinfo's Lisha Arino noted that the rent on the 9300 Realty website for No. 199 is $4,495.

Small, vented restaurant available for 1 August move in on East 3rd St, steps from Ave B. Good dining corridor - Fonda, Root & Bone, Ethiopia Meskel, Café Cortadito, Poco NYC and others.

The COO of 9300 Realty told DANinfo that Jansen was the one who wouldn't negotiate a new lease and only offered to pay $200 more a month for the "way under market rate" space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty

Cromanated: The East Village Snack Dragon Taco Shack is closing

Meanwhile near City Hall....

Oh no! Someone doesn't like NYC? But we love you!

And what about our teeth? And why take it out on a Metro box?

Tonight's sunset

Photo by Bobby Williams

The animal extras of Judd Apatow's comedy 'Trainwreck,' which filmed in the East Village today

Not much is apparently known about the movie, which filmed in part today on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... Bobby Williams spotted a few of the extras...





The human co-stars in the comedy are reported to be Daniel Radcliffe, Tilda Swinton, Marisa Tomei, Brie Larson, Bill Hader and Amy Schumer, who wrote the script, among others.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Outlaw Bobby Steele photographed on 1st Avenue by jdx]

Here's the family behind Mimi Cheng's Dumplings, now open on Second Avenue (Fork in the Road)

Sports bar taking over for Sutra, where there have been 659 311 complaints — most allegedly for any bar in the city (BoweryBoogie)

A visit to the Tompkins Square Dog Run (Curbed)

Photos from Brian Rose's book "Metamorphosis: Meatpacking 1985 & 2013" now only display at the Dillon Gallery (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

A look at The New Museum's latest exhibition (The Lo-Down)

Those darn hawks! (Gog in NYC)

Inside the Cooper Union Building Clock (Untapped Cities)

Top 5 punk drummers of all time (LA Weekly)

And congrats to the Brooklyn bloggers who are coming together to create a hyperlocal network (The New York Times)

... and Derek Berg spotted a new mural by Mark Samsonovich on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and East Seventh Street ...

Films in Tompkins series returns tomorrow night with 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High'

As we noted a few weeks ago, the Films in Tompkins series would return this summer, though sligtly later than usual.

The organizers have just released the roster, starting with "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" tomorrow night...


[Click on image for more details]

The series ends Aug. 14 with "Midnight Cowboy."

We originally heard that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" would be on the bill. Unfortunately, the organizers were unable to secure a copy of the film from the distributor, we heard.

Anyway! Gates open at 6 p.m. and the films will start at sundown.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Alex Shamuelov
Occupation: Barber and student
Location: Ace of Cuts, 518 E. 6th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B
Date: 9 a.m., July 9

I’m from Uzbekistan, but my background goes back to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Because of the Soviet Union, it was really tough there but it was a little bit easier in the southern part, so that’s why my ancestors moved down there. So I was born in Uzbekistan and I came to New York when I was 3 years old.

I never thought I’d be a hairdresser. My dad has been a hairdresser for a long time, but when he was young he was a mechanic. His father’s a hairdresser, his brother’s a hairdresser, his mom used to be a hairdresser, and his sister’s a hairdresser. Everybody in my family from both sides — everybody’s a hairdresser. That’s how it was from the old country. Everybody was a hairdresser.

My father always said, ‘You know, listen — it’s better for you to learn a talent than it is for you to hop from one job to another.’ He said, ‘This is something that you’re going to have and something that you’re never going to lose. You never know what could happen in life. Let’s say one day, God forbid, you lose your job, then you have something to turn to. Hair always grows. Everybody always needs haircuts.’

So I took those words into consideration. I was only 15 years old. Imagine when you’re 15 years old, for six months for almost two summers after school, standing next to a barber and not making anything, whereas I wanted to go become a counselor or something, you know. I wanted to make some money. No, my father kept pushing me toward it and I’m happy for that. This is something that I like to do, and not to brag, but I’m good at it. I’ve won competitions and stuff like that. I like to draw and I’m artistic, so this helps me sculpt a person, sculpt a head. So everything worked out well.

I’m 20 years old now and I just opened my own barber shop with my father. [July 9] is actually a month since we opened. Everybody is shocked about that. It’s not easy trying to succeed in this life right now. I have the support of my family. We’re all together. We live next to each other, in a two-block radius in Queens.

The landlord of this building is my previous customer from Long Island. He currently goes to my uncle, because that was my uncle’s barbershop, so he told my uncle about it. So I came one day with my parents and uncle and I loved the place, and now we’re here. I love the East Village. Everybody’s very neighborhoody; everybody’s very friendly. Say if you go to Midtown, neighbors don’t know each other. Here everybody knows each other and they say hi to each other. It’s the same thing where I live Queens — in Rego Park.

You know how landlords are — they want their rent on the spot, so we had to do it quick. I renovated this whole place in about three weeks. I did it for my father mostly. I don’t want him to work for somebody all his life. I wanted him to become his own boss, so that’s why I’m here now. I’m on break from school. I’m helping him out. I’m in the middle of the street so it’s really hard to advertise. You have to be patient. I went from cutting 35 to 40 people a day to cutting five people a day. Psychologically that hurts you.

In Park Slope I used to cut 40 people a day. We were right next to Mayor de Blasio’s house. I’ve cut his hair. I used to see him every day; every day he walked by. It was shocking because you see somebody, you take care of somebody, and then all of a sudden, boom — he’s an icon of New York. Over there you need speed and you need technique, and you need a sense of style. Imagine in 12 hours cutting 40 people. That means about 100 to 150 people come in every day. They used to call me Ferrari because I used to be very quick.

Obviously I’m not going to be the same here because I don’t have that competition going on. That’s why I made this barbershop like this, you know. I have Jameson. I have vodka. I have beer. I have everything for someone to come in and relax. I have a 65-inch TV. People come in, they watch TV. I charge $15. So yeah, hopefully I’ll make it. I was trying to go for a different image for someone to come and relax.

I am also currently in school at LIU, Long Island University, in downtown Brooklyn. I’m trying to get into the pharmacy program out there. It was a challenge for me to pick my profession that I wanted to go for, that I wanted to succeed in. My dream is now opening a pharmacy and having a barber chair, to build a barber shop in the pharmacy, so while you wait for your medicine you get your hair cut real quick. Cause you know how everybody in New York is trying to get things done quick.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Reader mailbag: Where do I get a flat tire fixed in the neighborhood?

[Random flat tire photo from the Internet]

From the EVG reader mailbag:

What happened to all the auto tire repair/flats fixed places? Are there any left? I need a tire repaired.

Let's see. Downtown Auto & Tire left the Bowery two years ago. The BP station on Second Avenue is gone now.

Um. I thought there was one on East Houston between Clinton and Attorney. Nope! The Mobil station on East Houston and Avenue C? Nope! No tire service.

So anyone know where you get a flat tire fixed around here? Seemed as if there were several around here not that long ago...

-------------

We often get reader queries ... asking for help with, say, donating clothes or books ... or finding an East Village-based caterer... If you have a question for the masses, then try the EV Grieve email...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe (45 comments)

Reader mailbag: What do I do about my new neighbors who smoke pot all the time? (52 comments)

Reader mailbag: Where is a good place to get a cup of coffee in the East Village before 6 a.m.? (25 comments)

Reader mailbag: What has happened to the Cooper Station Post Office? (41 comments)

Reader mailbag: Can the landlord 'drill' the lock to gain access to my apartment for simple repairs? (15 comments)

Reader mailbag: Should we receive a rent abatement for having sporadic heat and hot water?

Reader mailbag: How often does your mail get delivered?

Options for this lovely East 7th Street townhouse include demolition

[Image via Massey Knakal]

There's a new listing for 253 E. Seventh St., a townhouse between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Let's check out the listing over at Massey Knakal:

The subject property is a 4-story vacant townhouse located on the north side of East 7th Street, between Avenues C & D. There are 4 floor-through units including a garden and parlor floor. The building is in an R8B zone with a residential FAR of 4.0 which would allow for a total buildable square footage of approximately 9,312 SF. The existing building is approximately 3,860 SF with an additional 5,451 SF of available air-rights. Therefore, the buyer could keep the existing structure and add floor area. Alternatively, the buyer could demolish the existing and structure and build a new ground-up development.

Whatever the option, this address will likely get much taller in the future.

Asking price: $4.25 million.

What a nice East Village 'micro loft' is going for these days

This unit at 186 E. Second St. caught our eye… a listing for an "East Village micro loft."

Here are the details via Douglas Elliman:

This affordable space has high ceilings, large windows, exposed brick, hardwood floors and a large kitchen in excellent condition. Everything you could want in a loft at a fraction of the price! Conveniently located in the heart of the East Village with amazing restaurants and nightlife at your doorstep. 186 is a boutique building that’s well managed and has an incredible sense of community.

Here are more photos and the floor plan …



… looks like the bed is tucked away under the floor of the raised living room…





So less than 400 square feet of living space here between Avenue A and Avenue B ... the price is $300,000. (Streeteasy estimated the monthly payment at $2,173 — that's with 20 percent down.)

Looks like a cool enough space, though is a single step really considered a loft?

Boulton & Watt is now open for lunch

[Image via]

And here is part of the official announcement about lunch service via the EVG inbox yesterday…

Besides the Boulton & Watt’s signature mason jar pickles (in seasonal varieties such as pineapple with habanero, mint and basil and beets with peppercorns and red wine vinegar — $5 each or three jars for $13) and modern classics such as Boulton and Watt mac and cheese (white cheddar persillade bread crumbs, $10) and “The Burger” (house-made blend on brioche bun and fries — $14 and up), new items include a refreshing baby arugula, date and orange salad with lime vinaigrette, toasted pistachio and ricotta salata ($12), soft scrambled eggs (with a side of avocado toast and watercress — $10), an heirloom tomato sandwich that is sure to be a summer favorite (baby arugula, charred red onion, basil, roasted garlic mayo on seven grain toast — $10 or $12 with bacon) and the intriguing “Hangover” (two fried eggs, cheddar, avocado, bacon, chipotle aioli on seven grain bread - $12), the perfect pick-me-up after a late East Village night.

You can find the full lunch menu here.

The restaurant at 5 Avenue A at East First Street/Houston opened in January 2013.

Listen to a wide-ranging interview with Richard Hell

[March 2013 Richard Hell photo for EV Grieve by James Maher]

In the latest RiYL podcast at BoingBoing, Brian Heater interviews novelist-poet-artist-musician Richard Hell about a whole lot of everything, from becoming a writer to living in NYC today.

The interview took place at Hell's longtime East 12th Street apartment. "It has good light, it's quiet and it's cheap."

Hell's book "I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp" recently came out in paperback.

July 15

'Tis definitely the season over on East Fifth Street near Cooper Square! Goggla spotted this beauty today.

Not sure if the owner is discarding it or just letting nature water it...