Checking in on the line this afternoon for National Pancake Day outside IHOP

[Photo via @JenniferKellow]

There have been lines here on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue (IHOP Way) pretty much all day.

Why?

Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP restaurants have raised almost $16 million to support charities in the communities in which they operate. On March 3, 2015, guests from around the country will celebrate a "Decade of Giving" with the tenth annual National Pancake Day at IHOP restaurants and enjoy a free short stack of Buttermilk pancakes. In return for the free pancakes, guests will be asked to consider leaving a donation for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals© or other designated local charities.

Previously

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Avenue A and East 7th Street this morning by EVG]

The Mosaic Man suffers a head injury in scooter accident (BoweryBoogie)

Toxic dust lawsuit on Stanton Street (The Lo-Down)

The East Village Polish community is coming together to help a paralyzed man return to his native Poland for treatment (Fundly)

Visiting all the dog-and-papaya places left in Manhattan (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

The line outside IHOP on East 14th Street for National Pancake Day (Eater)

The LES locations from the 1948 film noir classic "The Naked City" (Scouting NY)

Christo and Dora are [redacted] but where is their nest? (Gog in NYC)

A previously unpublished interview with Allen Ginsburg from 1977 (Dangerous Minds)

Bobby Hellen, chef of GG's on East Fifth Street, discusses the pizza that inspired him as a kid on Staten Island (NY1)

The final days of LES natives and convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (Ephemeral New York)

LES murals from 1984 (Flaming Pablum)

The forthcoming Mumford & Sons record has a song titled "Tompkins Square Park," described as "a vaguely Strokes-y breakup song" (Rolling Stone)


[Drawing by Regina Bartkoff]

... and the opening for Inner Cities is tomorrow evening from 7-9 at 292 Gallery ... the exhibit features photos by Romy Ashby, drawings by Regina Bartkoff and paintings by Charles Schick. The gallery is at 292 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. The show runs through March 28. Gallery hours are 2-5 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. Tomorrow night's opening includes music by Felice Rosser from Faith.

Former funeral home on 2nd Avenue begins afterlife as rentals with furnished roof deck

[EVG photo from September]

The rentals for the former Sigmund Schwartz Gramercy Park Chapel arrived on the market yesterday.

The folks at neighborhood favorites Icon Reality are behind the newly six-story structure at 152 Second Ave. between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street. Seems like a long time coming for the building: The demolition work here started back in April 2012.

Streeteasy has 12 listings, ranging from the one-bedroom jobbie for $3,500 to five-bedroom duplexes asking $9,500.

Here's more about the building via the Icon site:

Grand Opening of 152 2nd Avenue. Brand New Luxury Apartments Designed by Paris Forino

All apartments have access to the building's Large Landscaped and Furnished Roof Deck!

All apartments in this Brand New Designer Boutique Building Feature:

Whitewashed Oak Floors
Limed Brick Walls
Private Balconies
Intricate Mosaic Tilework
Oversized Windows
Queen Sized Bedrooms
Central Air
Washer/Dryers in every unit
Bicycle Storage
Free Storage Lockers

(Not mentioned in the amenities: Being directly across the street from the 13th Step.)

Will be interesting to see how the roof deck goes over with neighbors. The roof deck at Icon's 205 Avenue A is well-known to the NYPD, who, according to one resident, come by "almost every weekend" during Rooftop Rager Season.

Oh, and here are some photos of the units and rooftop via the Icon site...











Meanwhile, the retail space at 152 Second Ave. remains on the market.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former funeral home looks to double in size with help from 'the controversial penthouse king of the East Village'

Redeveloped funeral home looking for a few live retail tenants

The walls come tumbling down at 154 Second Avenue

Friday night's rooftop party at Icon Realty's 205 Avenue A (49 comments)

At 205 Avenue A, where the NYPD stops by 'almost every weekend'

Here's how 152 Second Ave. looked in the summer of 2011…

[Via Off the Grid]

Here's what the address looked like in the 1940s, via Vanishing New York...

The East Luxe is 70% rented; Petco confirmed for retail space

People apparently want to live in The East Luxe, Ben Shaoul's new 20-unit rental building at 31-33 Second Ave.

According to a release via reps from brokerage firm Platinum Properties, 70 percent of The East Luxe between East First Street and East Second Street has been rented "in just 8 weeks on the market."

Here is more info from the release:

Two of three four-bedroom rental units were just released starting at $6988 (this is net effective pricing after one free month) and the building will be offering a third four-bedroom unit onto the market in mid-March for April occupancy. Renters will have the opportunity to select from 3 different 4-bedroom layouts; 2 out of 3 of the units have 14-ft. ceilings.

And!

Completely renovated and redesigned by developer Ben Shaoul, the elevator building has landscaped roof deck with views of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and the Manhattan Bridge. Each unit is appointed with condo finishes offering washer and dryer units in each apartment, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and marble bathrooms.

And here are a few interior shots via Platinum…







In addition, Platinum announced the previously reported news that Petco has signed on to be the retail tenant in the building's 3,500-square-foot storefront.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ben Shaoul planning a 3-story addition at 31-33 Second Ave.

Bracing for 3 new floors at 31-33 Second Ave.

Checking in on the work in progress at 31-33 2nd Ave., where Ben Shaoul is adding 3 new floors

Ben Shaoul's bland new 2nd Avenue building is called The East Luxe

More about The East Luxe, Ben Shaoul's new 20-unit rental on 2nd Avenue

[Photo of 31-33 2nd Ave. from 2009 by LuciaM via Panoramio]

Proto's Pizza has closed on 2nd Avenue

We're sorry to see that the pizzeria here at 50 Second Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street has closed. We liked the pizza served up by Brooklyn native Rob Proto.

Now for rent signs are hanging in the window. The space that belonged to Yoo's Convenience Store — home of New York's "best coffee" — remains vacant next door.

Proto's opened in May 2012.

Taqueria St. Mark's set to open Thursday

The former Taqueria Lower East Side is ready to start life anew as Taqueria St. Mark's at 79 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue.

Taqueria Lower East Side had to find a new home after developer Ben Shaoul bought up the corner of Orchard and East Houston for a new luxury development. BoweryBoogie reported that the 4-year-old Taqueria closed at 198 Orchard St. after business on Sunday.

Here's more on them via Fork in the Road: "Taqueria, an offshoot of a Jersey City restaurant, amassed a stable of neighborhood regulars during its run here, thanks to its cheap fare, solid margaritas, and excellent tacos. For our money, it makes some of the best carnitas in town."

Fork in the Road said that you can expect "the same line-up of tacos, tortas, and platters plus margaritas and Mexican beer" on St. Mark's Place.

With this opening, will the neighborhood finally have enough taco/taqueria options?

After the Typhoon Lounge closed at 79 St. Mark's Place in May 2012, the space has been home to the quick succession of Saints Tavern and Kamikaze & Co.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Taqueria Lower East Side relocating to St. Mark's Place

Looking for a Serious Decent Character

Boarding Room flyer of the day/week… spotted the other day on Avenue C and East Second Street…

Noted

A reader shared this from along First Avenue between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street… What should we do with this information? Turn around?

Survey: East Village residents are spending 56% of their incomes on market-rate apartments

A new Streeteasy survey suggests that NYC could be nicknamed the Big Rent Burden. Per the survey on market-rate rentals:

As a classic rule of thumb, a rent-to-income ratio of 30 percent or lower is considered “affordable,” meaning that renters spend 30 percent or less of their monthly income on rent – freeing up the majority of their income for other costs of living and savings. Even when considering that residents of large cities will typically spend more of their incomes on rent than in less amenity-rich areas, New York is in a league of its own. The median asking rent in New York City is expected to reach $2,700 in 2015, amounting to a staggering 58 percent of median income in the city according to StreetEasy estimates. High rent prices are only half of the picture, though. Stagnant income growth, short supply of rental units, and rapidly increasing rents is making New York City one of the most expensive and challenging rental markets in the country. According to census data, New York City rent prices grew at almost twice the pace of income between 2000 and 2013, meaning that over time rent has taken up a much larger piece of New Yorkers’ incomes.

Streeteasy's interactive map shows you the percentage of income residents are paying in rent by neighborhood. In the East Village, it's 56 percent ... with the Lower East Side checking in at 81 percent. As The Wall Street Journal notes, "The report offers a glimpse into one aspect of the much-studied question of affordability in the city, looking at the median income of people who live here compared with the more than 140,000 listings that StreetEasy analyzed from its site." You can read the whole survey here.

DumplingGo is a go on 2nd Avenue

On Thursday, a reader told us that workers were putting up the signage at DumplingGo, the new, um, dumpling place opening on Second Avenue at East 12th Street…

...and the place was open for the weekend...



DumplingGo is part of the NYVA Restaurant Group — "an owner, operator, and proud franchisee for multiple brands."

Per the the DumplingGo website:

The DumplingGo franchise is conceived from a mix of Asian and Western business and culinary experiences. The Restaurant concept reflects the eclectic flavors and multicultural pallets of an interconnected global society.

With 20 years of business experience in the New York tri-state area, the founding partners have isolated a niche market in the fast-casual dining space. Our market research suggests that Dumplings are a growing market in metropolitan cities around the world and present a unique opportunity for a franchisor.

Perhaps their market research would have noted that there are already two choices for dumplings on this block. Mimi Cheng's Dumplings opened up right across the Avenue last July. And there's Plump Dumpling down on Second Avenue and East 11th Street.

Anyway, you can find the DumplingGo menu here. There's now another location on West Third Street with two more on the way in Manhattan.

The previous tenant here, Shima, abruptly closed in January 2014.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How about some more dumplings?

Juice Press on East 10th Street (the one near Avenue A) closes for renovations

And this is a legit closed for renovations, not one of those "closed for renovations" tactics (examples here and here and here) …

Not sure exactly what is being renovated here. (We thought it might also serve as a JP test kitchen.)

One tipster on the block heard that the JP was expanding into the vacant storefront next door… but that rumor hasn't been confirmed.



There are approved work permits on file with the city for "interior renovation with partition and plumbing works" on the first floor.

This Juice Press location opened in June 2011.

Former space housing 1st bar for pregnant women returns to market on Avenue A

[EVG photo from September]

The corner retail space on Avenue A and East Fifth Street served as an advertising repository last October for some bar-finding app disguised as Gestations — "NYC's first bar for pregnant women."

The storefront has sat empty since East Village Pharmacy moved from here to 41 Avenue A in early 2011.

And now there's a new broker for the space…





So far, we haven't spotted the listing online at the Tower Brokerage website. And is the space next door that housed Twist for lease as well?

In any event, this is a good block for independent retail here between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street … you have a coffee shop/cafe (Croissanteria), a housewares shop (Lancelotti), a used bookstore (Mast), a magazine shop (Ink on A), a gift shop (Alphabets), a dry cleaners … not to mention the lottery place and the liquor store.

Previously on EV Grieve:
No, 'NYC's first bar for pregnant women' isn't opening on Avenue A

People behind Gestations still pretending to be opening a bar for pregnant women on Avenue A

The Nite Owl opens for night owls and probably other people

North River's transformation into the Nite Owl looks complete at 166 First Ave. near East 10th Street.

Several EVG readers told us that The Nite Owl was open for business on Saturday evening...



Said one reader: "Not a single table and chair left. All high tops with stools and the bar. So much for a restaurant."

The Nite Owl is serving food. Here's a look at the menu on display outside… featuring bar-food items like chicken nuggets, smoked deviled eggs, burgers and tacos…





We first noticed North River closed after service on Feb. 21… a sign on the door said there "there are changes afoot at North River." North River, which served American-style comfort food from chef Adam Starowicz, opened in December 2013.

[Updated] To date, March seeming a lot like February

[2nd Avenue and St Mark's, via Derek Berg]

How has your March been so far? Here are a few scenes from this fine day...


[2nd Avenue via Derek Berg]

And in Tompkins Square Park ... via Bobby Williams...





Updated 8:40 p.m.

Still feeling like February! And January! Some photos here via EVG reader John Iz... East Seventh Street and Avenue B... and around Tompkins Square Park...

Checking in on the Tompkins Square Park igloo quinzhee

Still standing! And likely will be through like May...

Photo by Grant Shaffer

Week in Grieview

[Photo from Friday on East 10th by Michael Sean Edwards]

Arrest made in the shooting death of a man outside the Lillian Wald Houses (Monday)

Rosie Mendez co-sponsors proposed new city legislation cracking down on Airbnb (Friday)

Benny's to-go closes on Avenue A (Friday, 29 comments)

Condos now for former Mary Help of Christians property (Thursday)

Hummus Place not reopening on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Black Seed owners reiterate commitment to preserving the former DeRobertis space (Friday)

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks opens on East Second Street (Tuesday)

East Village Cheese hopes to move somewhere else in the East Village (Wednesday)

Out and About part 2 with Sheila Rothenberg (Wednesday)

West Village-based jeweler Lori McLean relocating to East 11th Street (Tuesday)

Buildings on East Ninth Street getting taller (Tuesday)

NYPD searching for knife-wielding suspect wanted for six store robberies, including on East Seventh Street (Wednesday)

Verdigreen vintage furnishings boutique coming to East Seventh Street (Monday)

Construction watch: 76 E. Houston St. (Monday)

A penthouse for "50 Shades of Grey" fans? (Tuesday)

Met Foods space is now for rent on Third Avenue in Gramercy Park (Wednesday)

Why the subway is late and crowded a lot (Tuesday, 35 comments)

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches hasn't been open lately on East Second Street (Monday)

After just 2 months, Matty's is closed for now on Avenue B (Wednesday)

Expanded lobby on the way at Eleventh and Third (Monday)

About the "equipment malfunction" at the Con Ed plant (Tuesday)

A few details about the Tompkins Square Park igloo quinzhee (Monday)

Transformation of Louis 649 to Mace continues on East Ninth Street (Thursday)

… and people are pretty much giving up on spring already…


[9th and A this morning via William Klayer]

Reward for Sugar is now $10,000, thanks to NBA all-star David Lee

The plight of Sugar, the Amstaff/pit bull mix that went missing this past Monday, has attracted the attention of David Lee, a former Knicks star who is now with the Golden State Warriors.

Yesterday, Lee offered to double the reward for Sugar to $10,000. Lee posted this on his Instagram:



And here is an update this morning from the Find Sugar Facebook page:

We appreciate your support so much, here are a few updates on our efforts:

We are using Pets Detectives. The police are aware, on the lookout, and even have several retired NYPD officers who have volunteered their time to help us. We are procuring/reviewing any surveillance video we can get our hands on. We are checking every imaginable place, and speaking with every imaginable delivery guy, doorman, courier, street vendor, taxi driver, etc… in NYC. Thank you so much for your suggestions.

Sugar's owner, Morgan Bogle, is an East Village resident who was away on business at the time of the disappearance. Bogle told Bedford + Bowery on Wednesday that her dog-sitter of three years was "found with PCP dust on him and in him and taken by the police to Bellevue Hospital psych ward where he’s being held incoherent and not allowed any visitors."

Thank you to all who have contributed, passed out, printed, posted and gave suggestions to #FindSugarNYC campaign. 💛 pic.twitter.com/x51evVKS1c

— FindSugarNYC (@FindSugarNYC) March 1, 2015

There's also now a "FindSugarNYC" billboard on 26th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More about Sugar, the missing pit bull mix with a $5k reward (55 comments)

Reader report: Man dies after fall from East 5th Street roof

Police are on the scene in the courtyard behind 536 E. Fifth St., where residents awoke this morning to news that a young man either fell or jumped to his death from the roof of the 6th-floor building.

Detectives in the building told a resident that the victim was "stripping off his clothing as he went up to the roof, and that he was most likely high" at the time, estimated at 5:15 a.m. Police have not said if the young man intentionally jumped or fell.

According to the building resident, the victim was a recent college graduate who did not live at the address here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

"Not sure what exactly he was doing here, but the kids in the building often have parties — though we didn’t hear anything last night," the resident told us. "It's really sad."

Cafe life

Outside the soon-to-be-demolished Mobil station on Avenue C and East Houston…

Hey, it's the first sunrise of March

Photo by Caz Lulu via Facebook

At least it's not going to snow today or anything, haha — right?