Friday, July 18, 2014

Oh no! Here come the sketchy blue boxes!



Well, just as the city was removing those illegal sketchy pink boxes that recently arrived around the neighborhood … here comes a sketchy blue box on Second Avenue near East First Street where the BP station was.

The MO is the same: Organizations place the boxes near or on vacated properties, making it less likely that the owners would call the city for removal. The number on the box goes to a full voice-mail box at Viltex, the for-profit New Jersey-based company who resells the donated goods to other clothing vendors as well as to companies that use the materials to make rags, as DNAinfo reported.

Here's the Times from July 6 with more on the uptick of these boxes all over NYC.

City law bans such bins from being placed on sidewalks and streets; they are legal on private property with the consent of the owner. Once found by Sanitation Department enforcement officers or reported by residents to the city’s 311 help line, an illegal bin is tagged and the owner has 30 days to remove it. Summonses are not issued, a department spokeswoman explained, based on the theory that those distributing the bins have factored any fines into the cost of doing business.

And one downside to the proliferation of the for-profit boxes.

A similar pattern has emerged nationally, according to officials at leading charities. They are alarmed by the misleading competition, which, they maintain, is undermining their own efforts.

“These dark-of-night property violators have proliferated nationwide,” said Jim Gibbons, the president and chief executive of Goodwill Industries International Inc. “They use a charitable veneer then extract the value for their business, versus the Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul, where the value is distributed in a more thoughtful way throughout the community.”

You can report the boxes to the city here. And did anyone happen to see any other of the blue donation boxes around…?

Previously on EV Grieve:
About those new sketchy pink boxes around the East Village

The sketchy pink boxes are going away

Epilogue from the Cadillac with the Tiger in it


[Photo from June 7]

Sadly, as you know, the 1978 Cadillac Sedan Deville — aka, the Cadillac with the Tiger in it — has left its 22-year-home on East Second Street. Ernest, who works nearby as a custodian, is the proud new owner of the car and has it in a different borough.

Several readers/residents have asked about the status of the Cadillac with the Tiger. Here you go.


Hello and thanks to all of you who attended our farewell gathering on June 7 and/or have inquired about our well-being.

The Tiger and I are in the capable hands of Ernest. He's young and filled with inspiration. He reveres and respects us.


[Via Kevin Wick Photography]

During the last month the Tiger and I have had a chance to rest and reflect on the 22 years we spent in the neighborhood and ponder the question: What did we mean to you all?

Were we a nuisance? Was I a rusty, pock-marked eyesore whose noisy engine and fumes were out of step with the "new" East Village? Or were we old friends who welcomed you each day and made you smile and evoked in you a sense of wonder?



Truth be told, one's actions and thoughts reflect a lot about themselves. Those in the nuisance camp are probably the same self-entitled folks who don't say "thank you" when you hold the door open for them or who run the red lights on their Citi Bikes and nearly mow down the pedestrians who have the right of way. The Tiger and I actually feel sorry for those in the nuisance camp.

But the announcing of our farewell showed us that we had many more friends than foes.

Like the Second Avenue gas station manager from Ghana who said that he grew up and became a man during the years he knew me — as he ponders his next job because his gas station closed down recently and yet another high rise will take its place.

Or the Egyptian deli worker who told my owner to keep me because I would be a valued antique car in his country —which he may soon have to return to when his deli's 30-year lease ends next year.

Or the car repair shop owner on Attorney Street who said that I was a classic car and it was a damn shame my owner couldn't keep me in the neighborhood. That same shop owner pisses off the real-estate speculators (who hound him daily to sell his building) when he tells them to get lost — that he loves his work and is loyal to his older workers and no amount of money will persuade him to sell his building and close down his shop. (Quite a rare, remarkable guy he is don't you think?)

Nor do we have to look further than our own block to find our good friend Camille — she yelled at the frat boys who shoved a table under me that tore off my exhaust system a couple of years back.

Her landlord took her to court to remove her from the apartment she shared with her 93-year-old mother for over six decades until her mother died last year. Camille fought valiantly to keep the apartment — until two malignant tumors where discovered in her brain in March. Weakened by chemotherapy and stressed out by her housing court case she has decided to give up her lifelong home and move in with her boyfriend in Pennsylvania.

I don't begrudge her decision. The Tiger and I stayed as long as we could but we decided to move on, too.

We were tired and had been having trouble keeping up. The rapidity with which the East Village is changing exceeds the cruise limit on my speedometer. The greedy developers and the city are turning the neighborhood into a giant shopping and entertainment complex.

When they're done, they will have succeeded in turning every block from Delancey to 14th Street into a soulless glut of high-rise luxury condos and mega-stores making it indistinguishable from any other such Manhattan block.

But ultimately it will be their loss. No amount of dollars will buy them the rich, cultural and multi-ethnic heritage of the Lower East Side.

Parting thoughts from me and the tiger?

We — the former and current residents of the neighborhood — are outnumbered. We might win some battles but we're going to lose the war.

We're losing as many old time Mom & Pop stores in the East Village each month as the country is losing World War II veterans.

But never let the interlopers crush your spirit. Stay as long as you can. Like Pete and Sandy did. Like Camille did. Like the Tiger and I did. Remind them that you're still here. It will annoy the hell out of them. And maybe some good will come out of it. Maybe some in the nuisance camp will grow up and say "thank you" when someone holds the door for them and appreciate what the old neighborhood has to offer before it disappears. And you should all say "thank you for sticking around as long as you did" to the small business owners who are closing up shop.
And if and when you decide to leave, try to do it on your own terms

The Tiger and I saw and were moved by the spirit of all of our friends and well-wishers on EV Grieve and those who came to say farewell over the last few weeks. And in return we hope that even if you don't believe in magic maybe for a brief moment in the midst of all this mayhem, an old rusting car and a stuffed animal brought something magical into your life on East 2nd Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
That Cadillac that we've long admired on East 2nd St. now has a stuffed tiger on the front seat

And now, stories from the Cadillac with the Tiger in it on East 2nd Street

And now, another story from the Cadillac with the Tiger in it on East 2nd Street

Alas, the end is near for the Cadillac with the Tiger in it on East 2nd Street

Everything that you wanted to know about the Cadillac with the Tiger in it

Also! The Cadillac with the Tiger in it now has its on website. Find that here.

Imitators already lining up to become the next Cadillac with the Tiger in it


Oh, nice try.



For the record, we flat-out rejected this proposed series: The Audi R8 V10 With a Tiger in It.

Sample passage:

"Italian White Alba truffles again for dinner. Sigh."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today (last night) in photos of cars with starting costs of $114k on East 4th Street

And now, stories from the Cadillac with the Tiger in it on East 2nd Street

Celebrate 25 years of Paul's Da Burger Joint tomorrow


[Image via the Paul's website]

The restaurant here at 131 Second Ave. near St. Mark's Place first opened as Paul's Palace.

Anyway, 25 years later, the burgers here — starting at $5.40 for an 8-ounce belly bomber — remain a bargain. (Matt Wardrop, the cousin of original owner Paul Koval, is now running the show.)

For the anniversary tomorrow, Paul's will be rolling back the prices to 1989 levels. (1989?! Remind me to pull out my copy of "Disintegration.")

And as the flyer shows, they'll be some other things happening throughout the day, such as free samples and live music...

Thursday, July 17, 2014

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?

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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.