Week in Grieview

[Zoltar's fortunes; and the Bruins lost to the Flyers this night. Photo by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

So long to the Sock Man on St. Mark's Place (Friday)

20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold (Thursday)

Empire Biscuit reduces business hours for the month of January (Thursday)

Out and About with Spike Polite (Wednesday)

Guayoyo has been closed now for one year on First Avenue (Wednesday)

The former New York Macaroni Co. space is for rent on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Fontana's closing this spring on Eldridge Street (Thursday)

More about the Mamoun's Falafel move on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Ruffian is now open on East Seventh Street (Tuesday)

This block of Avenue A is awfully quiet, and why is Lucy's closed? (Tuesday)

Rite Aid relocates ahead of new development on Avenue D (Monday) ... and the demo permits are now on file (Thursday)

The L train was fun while it lasted (Thursday)

Empellón al Pastor divides the bar and tacos on Avenue A (Tuesday)

Boutique office building on East Houston and Lafayette at BP site a go (Monday)

The Sweet Generation storefront turns 1 (Monday)

At the opening-night celebration for Punk Magazine (Friday)

Former Gothic Cabinet Craft space for rent (Wednesday)

Would you be surprised to learn that the East Houston Reconstruction Project is further delayed? (Friday)

Rainbows! DOUBLE rainbows! (Sunday)

... and RIP David Bowie (Monday)


[Mural in First Park by @hektad._official & @pictoform]


[Mural outside the 2nd Avenue F by @hektad._official]

What other photos of squirrels eating things can we post?

From the Post today:

Thanks to unseasonably warm winter weather, squirrels are fatter than normal this year, says evolutionary ecologist Dr. Andrew G. ­McAdam. Lack of snow makes it easier for them to sniff out food, and they have to expend less energy to keep warm. While they normally might be hunkered in a den this time of year, instead they just keep eating.

Other media outlets noted this trend earlier (here and here).

Anyway, this is a flimsy excuse to repost these photos from Jan. 5, 2014...







These photos in Tompkins Square Park came courtesy of EVG official Squirrel-Pizza Correspondent Goggla.

Your move, Pizza Rat (who may be a fake).

Updated 1:44 p.m.

EVG correspondent Steven is questioning the "squirrels-gaining-weight-this-winter" story... as evidenced by this photo from Tompkins Square Park from the fall showing a husky-size squirrel ...



Updated 1/18

EVG reader Mr. Baggs shared these photos from Thursday... unsure if the squirrel is simply carving the pumpkin...



... or eating it...

Morning from Tompkins Square Park

Photo by John Greally

...and a close-up via Derek Berg...



Rejected headlines:
Searching for Bear-y Fischer

Reader report: What happened to the Pak Punjab Deli and Grocery?

An EVG reader says that the 24/7 store hasn't been open lately... the place does look a little lifeless at the moment. And the phone is not in service. There's also nothing on file with the DOB to note a storefront renovation here on Second Avenue at East Third Street.

The place sells homemade Pakistani-Punjabi food at the counter that the Voice has said is "not the best Punjabi in the city, but the friendly vibe and low prices are hard to beat."

Updated: Per the comments, this appears to just be a temporary closure for some renovations.

Report: Avenue C gunshot victim tries to leave in cab, refuses to cooperate with police

[Photo from Friday morning]

Just after midnight on Thursday, an EVG reader told us that there were three shots fired in front of 193 Avenue C at East 12th Street. The NYPD, the reader said, had taped off the scene... and recovered spent 9mm shell casings.

The Post today has more information in its Daily Blotter. According to police officials, a 23-year-old man had been shot in the left leg. He was spotted trying to leave the scene in a cab. "Cops said the man was uncooperative and refused to give them a description of the suspect."

The man was treated at Bellevue for non-life-threatening injuries.

Another Wi-Fi hub arrives on 3rd Avenue

Another Wi-Fi hub was unveiled this past week on Third Avenue... right at East 14th Street (and a block from the Wi-Fi hub that debuted on Dec. 28).

Soon, you will be able to send and receive faxes, charge your pager or hop on the Information Superhighway from right here.



Actually, these payphone-replacing Wi-Fi kiosks will offer free gigabit Internet ... and a charging station for tablets and smartphones, among other things.

This one is also offering free pizza for a limited time only...



You can read more background about the LinkNYC project here.

The David Bowie memorial on East 4th Street, now with Little Debbie Peanut Butter Crunch bars

Outside the New York Theatre Workshop on East Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery... where the David Bowie-created "Lazarus" is ending its already-extended (and sold out) run on Wednesday... (though $1,000 and $2,500 seats remain for the closing-night benefit)...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

Meantime, the Post speculates whether "Lazarus" might be headed to Broadway...

Hunger games

Maybe London's Yak will be back around these parts in the New Year (the trio was here for CMJ shows back in the fall)... they have a newish EP out... though this single, "Hungry Heart," is from early last year.

The Sock Man extends his last day to tomorrow (Saturday!)

[Image via Twitter]

In case you wanted to make one last stop at the Sock Man on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... he extended his last day to tomorrow afternoon...

A photo posted by The Sock Man (@thesockmannyc) on Jan 15, 2016 at 10:04am PST

We first reported on Jan. 7 that the nearly 33-year-old shop would be closing. Owner Marty Rosen is apparently facing an unmanageable rent hike from new landlord Raphael Toledano.

At the opening-night celebration for Punk Magazine

The 40th anniversary of the Punk Magazine exhibit opened last night at the Howl! Happening gallery space on East First Street ... The exhibition showcases work by founding editor John Holmstrom, who created cover No. 1 featuring Lou Reed, as well as some of the artists and illustrators who contributed to the magazine during its three-plus year run, including Robert Romagnoli and Ken Weiner.



EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by early for a few photos...


[John Holmstrom]






[Ramones contact sheet via Roberta Bayley]


[The Sex Pistols puppets from the cover of Punk No. 14]


[Artist Robert Romagnoli and wife Patrice Donnell]


["Ugly Portraits" artist Ken Weiner]


[Raven, sax player for Murphy's Law, Bobby Zou, creative director of the exhibit, and artist Alexander Pernhorst]

The exhibit continues through Jan. 30 at the Howl! Happening gallery space. Visit Howlarts.org for updates and a full schedule of events.

Details:
Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
All events are free
Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project, 6 E. First St. between the Bowery and Second Avenue

I interviewed Holmstrom this morning on East Village Radio. EVR will re-stream the show tomorrow (Saturday) at noon ET. You may listen in via dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with John Holmstrom, founding editor of Punk Magazine

John Holmstrom on the CBGB movie and the East Village of 2013

Would you be surprised to learn that the East Houston Reconstruction Project is further delayed?

[What lies beneath East Houston]

Anytime that you've tried to cross East Houston from Avenue A west to the Bowery these past, oh, six years, you've probably wondered, When, dear [____], will this construction ever end?

To answer that very broadly — sometime this year. Probably!

Various reps for the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project appeared before CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee on Tuesday night. BoweryBoogie was there and learned that — ding! ding! — there will likely be another delay in completing the project.

Per BoweryBoogie:

Not only is the project delayed three years, but the September 2016 completion date previously provided was stretched again by another month. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s easily the third revised end date in recent memory. Blame more of the “utility interference” that contractors encounter each time the roadway is torn asunder (i.e. encountering issues with different agency wiring that needs attention).

Oh, and here are some photos of the Greenstreets pedestrian plaza outside Punjabi Deli from the fall... the work was finished around that time, but the final planting inside of the planters and bench installation likely won't happen now until the fall...





As, as previously posted, here's how the new Greenstreets and street configurations at Avenue A and Houston will look ...



And here are some general highlights from the city's latest East Houston Street Reconstruction Project newsletter (PDF!):

Proposed Work Schedule Winter 2016
1.Continue excavating and install 36” trunk water main at the Bowery and East Houston Street
2.Continue excavating and install trunk water main on East Houston Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery
3.Continue installing new catch basin and chute connection at 2nd Avenue
4.Begin excavating and install new center median planters

The DDC is reconstructing/replacing combined sewers, trunk main, water mains, catch basins, fire hydrants, sidewalks, etc., etc., along East Houston Street, from the Bowery to the FDR Drive. This work phase started in June 2010, when the Lakers beat the Celtics to win their 16th NBA Championship and "Jonah Hex" was playing in theaters.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to East Houston: Construction, hell, rodent control stations

Long-threatened East Houston reconstruction starting this month

East Houston Street construction will be a living hell for an extra year

How you can help Punjabi Grocery & Deli stay in business

Never-ending construction continues to hurt Punjabi Grocery & Deli

Taxi Relief Stand arrives on Avenue A; Punjabi Grocery & Deli relieved

FedEx Ground takes on a new meaning on East Houston

An EVG reader shares the following...

Is the reason FedEx Ground is called FedEx Ground because this is a service that involves your packages being left standing on the GROUND on Houston Street?

We have noticed this ourselves... it appears that FedEx is using the former check cashing storefront in the Shoppes at Red Square between Avenue A and Avenue B as a storage space. That's all fine.

Except, as the EVG reader noted, there are piles of boxes on the sidewalk here on a daily basis — often without much adult supervision.





Back to the reader, who travels this route on a daily basis...

Surely this can’t be a good idea. Do things go missing? Do dogs pee on the boxes? One day we saw a set of three car wheels among the boxes.

We wondered what had happened to the fourth wheel. Stolen?

3 East Village restaurants that are expanding into new neighborhoods

[Image via]

1) Whitmans at 406 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue is opening its second NYC location ... in the Hudson Yards development on 10th Avenue between East 29th Street and East 30th Street, per DNAinfo. Co-owner Larry Kramer said that he hoped to be serving their style of burgers by the end of the summer or early fall.

2) Flinders Lane at 162 Avenue A between East 10th Street and East 11th Street is bringing their Australian cuisine down to West Broadway in Tribeca. CB1 gave them the OK for a liquor license this week, per the Tribeca Citizen.

3) Two Boots, with its flagship location on Avenue A at East Third Street, already has a fairly large pizzeria footprint ... and now they are adding to that. For starters, the 2 Boots in Grand Central is shutting down at the end of the month, as Eater first reported. Founder-owner Phil Hartman is moving nearby to 337 Lexington in the beginning of March. In addition, Eater notes that Hartman and his son Leon are adding locations in Jersey City, Stamford, Conn., Washington, D.C. and in the Financial District. This will up the 2 Boots total to nearly 20 in the United States.

Soothsayer is open at 171 Avenue A

Soothsayer started service this past week at 171 Avenue A near East 11th Street.

Here's the restaurant's description via its website:

Soothsayer offers a unique blend of authentic and contemporary Vietnamese food, which is complimented by exceptional and accessible craft beers, creative cocktails, and wines. Owned and operated by Stephan Brezinsky and his family, Soothsayer endeavors to create meaningful experiences through warm hospitality, high-quality food, and inspired drinks — all with an emphasis on local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients.

Soothsayer is located on Avenue A between 10th and 11th, in the heart of New York City’s East Village neighborhood, where the Brezinsky family has lived and worked for 40+ years

You can find their menu here.

And the space is hardly recognizable from its previous tenant, B.A.D. Burger, which closed in early 2015.

Kitchen counter dining. #restaurant #vietnamesefood #nyc #alphabetcity #eastvillage #openkitchen

A photo posted by Soothsayer NYC (@soothsayer_nyc) on Jan 12, 2016 at 4:16pm PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
Incoming restaurant on Avenue A asking residents to rally for their liquor license and back patio (42 comments)

How much to rent the Long Bay (who?) space on East Sixth Street?

[EVG photo from August]

After just five weeks in business, Long Bay, the reasonably priced Vietnamese restaurant, shut its doors last spring at 503 E. Sixth St. just east of Avenue A. Homemade for rent signs arrived later in the summer... and the space remains on the market.

We just noticed the listing pop up at the real-estate firm of Voda Bauer. Here's the listing:

Nestled in the heart of the East Village off Avenue A, this space is near near restaurants, bars, retail stores and Residential buildings. New construction around the corner will provide a captive audience to any business! Full basement included with a second bathroom. Handicap Bathroom in place on the ground floor and outdoor space available upon request.

The asking rent: $7,000. (There's 1,600 square feet of space.)

And a bonus photo of the interior...



Place looks as if it has been empty a longer than just seven months.

The rats apparently tried to eat The Do Not Feed the Pigeons sign in Tompkins Square Park

The rats will need bigger holes to complete the job. (Maybe they are using the wood for their fireplace?)

Photo today by Bobby Williams.

Report: Fontana's packing it in on the LES

The owners of Fontana's will be closing their bar and performance venue at 105 Eldridge St. this spring, The Lo-Down reports today.

Proprietors Holly Ferrari, Mary Finn and Deannie Wheeler told The Lo-Down that "it has become increasingly hard to be an independent business in New York city without compromising your vision." With a new lease, their monthly rent in the space between Broome and Grand would have exceeded $30,000.

They haven't set a closing date just yet.

20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

[Image via LoopNet]

For months now we've been hearing that 20 St. Mark's Place was in the process of being sold.

And now details on the sale of the historic building between Second Avenue and Third Avenue are public. Real Estate Weekly noted last week that Klosed Properties is the new owner. There wasn't any mention of the price. According to public records, it appears that Klosed Properties paid about $5.6 million for the building, which includes a 2nd-floor co-op that also served as an art studio.

We don't know too much about this real-estate company. Among their newer properties in their vast portfolio: 837 Second Ave., which was home until last spring to the original, 90-year-old Palm Restaurant. As several news outlets reported, workers wiped away the Palm's iconic murals and magazine covers that lined the walls last August. Klosed principal Steven Kachanian told The Real Deal the following about the Palm space in August: "We're working with some high-end tenants looking to do some major work to the property."

So what does the sale mean for the lone tenant at No. 20 — the 40-year-plus old Grassroots Tavern? They are staying put. The bar's majority owner, Jim Stratton, also owned the building. According to a source with some background of the deal, the bar has a lease for the next five years... with an option after that for renewal.


[An early morning look at the Grassroots from last month]

The other retail tenant in the building, Sounds, closed in October after 36 years in business. (Sounds owner Brian Fair died in early December after a short stint in the hospital.)

20 St. Mark's Place, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971... and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. (Find more history of the Greek Revival house here.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
The last record store on St. Mark's Place is closing

So long Sounds

RIP Brian Fair, owner of Sounds

A celebration of Punk Magazine starts tonight; plus EVG on EVR

The first issue of Punk Magazine debuted on Jan. 15, 1976... on this occasion, Howl! Happening is presenting an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first issue, which featured cover-boy Lou Reed as drawn by founding editor John Holmstrom.

The exhibition showcases work by Holmstrom, an East Village resident, as well as some of the artists and illustrators who contributed to the magazine during its three-plus year run, including Robert Romagnoli (who replaced Robert Crumb at The Village Voice) and Ken Weiner, who will be drawing "Ugly Portraits" during the opening tonight. There will also be artifacts from the magazine, including the Sex Pistols Puppets featured on the cover of Punk No. 14.

The exhibition continues through Jan. 30 at the Howl! Happening gallery space on East First Street. The opening reception is tonight from 6-8. Visit Howlarts.org for updates and a full schedule of events during the exhibition.

Details:
Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
All events are free
Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project, 6 E. First St. between the Bowery and Second Avenue

Meanwhile!

Tomorrow morning (Friday, Jan. 15!) from 10-noon, I'll be talking with Holmstrom and some other Punk alum for an interview airing on East Village Radio. Listen in via dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.

The show will be rebroadcast at some point during the weekend. (I will update with the time...)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with John Holmstrom, founding editor of Punk Magazine

John Holmstrom on the CBGB movie and the East Village of 2013

Empire Biscuit is taking time for housekeeping this month; will open for limited hours

[Reader photo from last week]

As a follow-up to our post from yesterday, Empire Biscuit owner Jonathan Price (he recently bought out his partner Yonadav Tsuna, who moved to the West Coast) assured us in an email yesterday that the quick-serve restaurant at 198 Avenue A is just taking a break for parts of this month.

"It's a slow time of year," he said. "We're doing some housekeeping. We refinished the floors in the kitchen Tuesday, for example. It's been over two years and there's just a lot of maintenance to do."

The restaurant has posted two "closed for brief winter break" signs on the front door so far this month.

Starting tonight, EB will be open Thursday night through Sunday night during January here between East 12th Street and East 13th Street.

As for the Empire Biscuit website that was offline, the domain issue is being resolved and they should be back live soon... online and behind the counter.

Previously on EV Grieve:
What's going on at Empire Biscuit?