After a long, 10-year-battle with cancer, Richard Kopperdahl died on Sunday afternoon a little after 4.
He was 83 and had managed to keep the cancer in remission for several years with the help of his oncologist, Dr. Hai Sun Park. ("Hi, Sunshine," Richard liked to call her.)
He was generally in good humor about it, and always managed to make it up the hundred stairs to his home. He had lived in the same sixth-floor apartment since 1976.
He went once, even twice a day to the Odessa on Avenue A — all the waitresses loved him. Yesterday morning I went to tell the waitress there he'd passed, and she said she had visited him when he was in Beth Israel last week. When she came into his room, he saw her, recognized her, and said, "Oh, I don't need anything else."
Earlier this month, we reported that The Edge, the 29-year-old bar at 95 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, was closing for good at the end of August.
Our 1st #NYC location at Union Square opens THURSDAY, August 25, FREE lunch! https://t.co/wufVvJ06uw @UnionSquareNY pic.twitter.com/kmI4SXoWOL
— Cava Grill (@CavaGrill) August 20, 2016
“We want customers to have the ability to choose ingredients that fit their nutritional needs or dietary attributes,” said Cava Grill’s chief executive and co-founder Brett Schulman, adding that the average cost for lunch is about $10.
For its New York location, Cava Grill is hoping to keep things as local as possible, getting produce from Hudson Valley, Long Island and New Jersey farms.
In February 2017, the New Museum will open a major exhibition focusing on the work of Raymond Pettibon. For over thirty years, Pettibon has been chronicling the history, mythology, and culture of America with a prodigious and distinctive voice. Through his drawings’ signature interplay between image and text, he moves between historical reflection, emotional longing, poetic wit, and strident critique.
Although Pettibon is unquestionably a pivotal figure of American art since the 1990s, he has never before had a major museum survey exhibition in New York. “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” at the New Museum will be the largest presentation of Pettibon’s work to date, featuring more than 700 drawings from the 1960s to the present. It will also include a number of his early self-produced zines and artist’s books, as well as several videos made in collaboration with fellow artists and his musician friends. This unique collection of objects and distinctly immersive installation will provide insight into the mind of one of the most influential and visionary living American artists.
Occupying the three main floors of the New Museum, “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” will be on view from February 8 to April 16, 2017.
Fire on Ave B, right near 7B (but doesn't look like 7B building) cc @evgrieve @chelsa 🔥🚒 pic.twitter.com/X4WRvFPhYJ
— Dennis Crowley (@dens) August 24, 2016
Name: Craig
Occupation: Musician/Graphic Designer
Location: 9th Street
Time: 4:15 on Monday, Aug 22
I was born in Queens, but I’ve been here in this neighborhood since 1976. A lot of my friends lived here, and it was the East Village. It was a lot different than this. People didn’t east go beyond First or Second Avenue.
It was like not living in the city, because it was so desolate. It was very empty, because a lot of stuff beyond Avenue B was all abandoned. It was like a quiet neighborhood with hardly any people. I thought it was nice. The occasional gunshot; that was it.
I’ve lived in at least eight or nine different places in this neighborhood, uptown, on the west side. I’ve been all over the place, but mainly here. I mostly lived in storefronts because I liked having a backyard, but it wasn’t cheap so much. It was cheaper than other places, but it wasn’t exactly cheap. I think right about then, you could get a walkthrough for $75 a month before 1975, but then all of a sudden the prices just went up.
There were so many little clubs around here, especially the Puerto Rican social clubs, but they’re all gone now. There were so many of them, little bars... There was all sorts of little stuff around here. Sometimes they were open for a week; sometimes they were open for a couple months, but that was it.
I was a graphic designer, artist, musician — stuff like that. I started out in publishing. I was a graphic designer and then after about 10 years I went into advertising and then stayed in that for 10 to 15 years, but I didn’t really like that. So now I’m just hanging around. I had always been a musician since high school. I went to school for music. I play guitar and I used to play violin but I haven’t played that in years. I played in miscellaneous bands.
I don’t think anyone actually thought anything important was happening around here. We were just trying to survive and have fun. There was all sorts of stuff going on at the time, and I think people didn’t really have to stick to one thing to make a living. Now it’s just suburban. Once I saw all these people having kids here, I knew the neighborhood was gone. I guess that was around 1988 or 1991.
Convive is a new retail store in the East Village of New York City that believes the process of buying wine should be easy and enjoyable. We build strong relationships with clients because we enjoy engaging with them: we create and seek out shared experiences. Additionally, we provide our clients with excellent customers services, rare/allocated wines and vast expertise.
The New York City Emergency Management Department, Manhattan Community Board 3 and the Village Alliance will host a preparedness fair in the East Village on Wednesday, August 24. [Ed note: Tomorrow!]
NYC Emergency Management staff members, along with representatives from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), FDNY, Con Ed, Small Business Services (SBS), and local community organizations, will be on hand to share emergency preparedness tips ranging from how to beat the heat to gas safety. Residents can also learn basic CPR skills and participate in rock climbing.
NYC Emergency Management staff members will also distribute a range of emergency preparedness materials and show New Yorkers how to prepare for their unique needs. Representatives from the Health Department will distribute information about the Zika virus, DEP will discuss water safety, and FDNY staffers will share information on how New Yorkers can become one of New York’s bravest. FDNY EMS will teach residents basic CPR skills.
New Yorkers are encouraged to stop by to learn how to be prepared for any emergency, including steps to make a plan, gather supplies, and stay informed. Residents will also learn how to join their local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program consisting of more than 2,000 volunteers dedicated to helping their communities during emergencies.
Where: Astor Place plaza
When: Wednesday, August 24, 11 AM – 2 PM
Sadly, we lost an East Village original. Stephen Konzen, affectionately called "East Village Magic Man," was not able to pull one more rabbit out of his hat. He succumbed to his illness on Aug. 11, 2016.
Magic Man spent his entire adult life on 9th Street near First Avenue. In addition to his magic, he loved to cook for people. Every holiday he provided tons of food to friends and strangers at The International Bar on First Avenue.
A great many of his friends saw him off on his final journey this past Friday at the crematorium, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Though he's gone now, he leaves behind many happy memories and will live on in our thoughts. Thanks for all your kindness and generosity, Magic Man. The world is a sadder place without you in it.
Fish Cheeks — High-end Thai seafood by the owners of the Obao restaurants will move into the former Le Philosophe space in a few months: 55 Bond Street (Bowery).
“It is totally hypocritical and inexplicable that the mayor would allow good housing to be demolished for a totally unnecessary hotel no one wants or needs,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
The betrayal is analogous to the deed-lifting scandal associated with nearby Rivington House, in which city officials allowed a nursing home to be turned into luxury condos, depriving the city of tens of millions of dollars and a much-needed facility, Berman said.
“This is another example of the mayor selling out this neighborhood and his principles,” Berman complained.
The protestors were joined by state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who is also demanding de Blasio himself take action to thwart the demolition, arguing the supposed failure by the LPC falls under his leadership.
“It’s his administration, and I am very disappointed at the LPC,” said Hoylman. “That is their mission. I think they have clearly failed, in this case, to respond to concerns of preservationists and offer an explanation as to why they are no longer protecting the buildings or even considering to protect them.”
The man — known to neighbors as the “box man” — was often seen toting at least five boxes into his apartment each day, but witnesses said none ever came back out.
Neighbors described the man as polite but said he rarely interacted with anyone else in the building beyond the occasional “hello” and “goodbye.”
“He was very quiet,” said a neighbor named Melissa, who declined to give her last name. “I would always offer to help hold the door for him when he came in with his boxes.”
Police said the man’s body showed no signs of trauma, though the medical examiner has yet to determine a cause of death. The NYPD could not immediately confirm any details about the apartment's condition.
Are you as angry as we are that the City is allowing five "landmark-eligible" 19th century buildings at 112-120 East 11th Street, which formerly contained long-term tenants and affordable housing, to be demolished to make way for a 300-room hotel geared towards globe-trotting millennials?
Are you as appalled as we are at the hypocrisy of the administration for refusing to save these buildings, which are being developed by a donor to and political appointee of the Mayor?
Are you disgusted by what this will mean for this block and this neighborhood?
Then join us on Monday, August 22 at 12:30 in front of 112-120 East 11th Street (3rd/4th Avenues) to protest the development and the City’s negligence and hypocrisy...
