That rather nondescript building on 12th Street houses an 'East Village beauty'

I've walked by the residential building at 407 E. 12th St. on my way to and from Academy Records between Avenue A and First Avenue so many times ... and I never thought much of it.

But apparently it's pretty nice on the inside, based on a new listing for this two-bedroom condo. Bond New York has the listing, which describes the home as an "East Village beauty":

Not–to-be-missed gorgeous two bedroom, two bath, condo beauty in the heart of the East Village. This home is a must-see embodying all that a hip, cool, understatedly elegant apartment has to offer, not to mention EXTREMELY LOW MONTHLY CHARGES!!

Leave the hustle bustle of the vibrant East Village behind as you enter this pin-drop quiet home. The unit boasts a comfortable and spacious living room with an open kitchen and gracious dining area perfect for entertaining or just cozy, quiet nights at home. The entire apartment is outfitted with remote controlled ceiling fans and air conditioners in every room for perfect room temperature preference.

The kitchen has been newly appointed with custom made touches that lend a homey country feel with built-in shelving for your favorite cookbooks and nick knacks. The butcher block counter is a wide planked, two toned, deconstructed Cherry wood kitchen island with extra deep, quiet-close drawers. A washer/dryer is included for convenience.

There's also shared space out back and on the roof...





Asking price: $1.75 million. There's an Open House Sunday from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Images via Bond New York

A debut exhibition for the Modern Love Club on 1st Avenue

[Image via Facebook]

In recent weeks the storefront at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street has been transformed into the Modern Love Club.

The space is the work of Amy Van Doran, who has operated a longtime matchmaking service. (You can read an interview about all this here.)

During the day, Van Doran and her business partner, Emily Lesser, run the matchmaking company from the space. And on the weekends, it moonlights as the Love Museum.

And tomorrow (Saturday!), Van Doran is hosting the Love Museum's first exhibition, titled "Girls I Love." Per the Facebook invite:

It's a show featuring the work of some of my most favorite ladies, and we can't wait to share space and the love with you.

Offical opening Oct. 8 5-9 pm
Show ongoing until Nov. 5.

There will be paintings, performance art by Bode, tarot readings by Sarah Moran, Pornkus by: Margaret Meehan, champs, DJ's AndrewAndrew, Featuring the work by: Kirsten Bode, Jenna Gribbon, Loretta Mae Hirsch, Sarah Moran, Carly Silverman, and Sera Sloane
Curation by: Marina Press and Amy Van Doran

In an email, Van Doren said that the Modern Love Club "bridges my East Village dreams, love of durational performance art, community, weirdness, chaos, and the obsession for connection."

You can read more about the storefront here.

The address was previously home to a different club — the Deep End Club, which closed in July after a three-year run as a pop-up shop of sorts.

[Updated] Have a heart: A surprising find outside the Riis Houses

A man found what may be a human heart in the trash this morning outside the Riis Houses on the FDR Drive and Sixth Street, according to published reports.

As DNAinfo reported, the man reached into the trash to retrieve a discarded potted plant and found the organ inside a pink box.

Per the Daily News, who first reported on the discovery:

The heart appeared to be human, but police brought the item to the city Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm.

Updated 10/13

Likely a pig's heart, per DNAinfo.

Tats Cru getting fresh on 2nd Street

Tats Cru created a new mural today on the wall on Second Street at Avenue A... it's an ad for GrowNYC’s Healthy Exchange Project ... specifically the local Greenmarkets that accept SNAP/EBT...



There's more space reserved for the mural specialists ...



The members of Tats Cru have created several murals here in recent years, including one of Jeremy Lin... this wall has also seen at least two marriage proposals. Here and here.

Thanks to @billspector for letting us know about the new mural!

Report: EMT subdues knife-wielding man on 14th Street and Avenue B

JUST IN: EMT squad spots, disarms knife-wielding attacker while responding to unrelated call in East Village https://t.co/K3kkjrcuIu pic.twitter.com/zUzc7m6XZB

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) October 6, 2016

Oh yeah. The Daily News reports that two EMTs were responding to a 911 call on 14th Street and Avenue B last night around 9 ... when, unrelated to their call, EMT Bruce Fonseca and his partner "heard loud screams for help."

Per the News:

The duo ran to the source of blood-curdling screams and found two men in a fight — one of them armed with a very large knife.

Fonseca radioed for help while his partner took on the angry assailant.

The EMT was able to get the weapon away from the attacker while Fonseca subdued him.

The article doesn't mention what the two men were fighting about... or what the original 911 call was about...

Report of a fire at the 1st Avenue L stop

A reader shared this from 14th Street and First Avenue... there was a report of a fire on the tracks... service is currently suspended after Lorimer and in Manhattan...

#ServiceChange
Due to FDNY activity at 1 Av, there is no [L] train service between Bedford Av and 8 Av in both... https://t.co/EL7hKN7BJc

— L Train NYC (@mtanowl) October 6, 2016

Gothamist has more here.

Updated 2:45 p.m.

#ServiceAlert: b/d there are no L trains b/t Bedford Av & 8 Av, due to FDNY activity at Bedford Av. Details at https://t.co/vhZQ2kZ2vb

— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) October 6, 2016

Mysterious blue picket fence on St. Mark's Place can now be yours (see Jeff)

A section of blue picket fence mysteriously arrived Tuesday evening on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place... outside the former Chase branch.

A reader heard a man at the scene say that he was going to erect a fence there to keep the travelers/crusties from sleeping out front. (Seems as if the fence would only encourage people to camp there....)

Anyway! There were reports that the fence moved to Second Avenue and Seventh Street. Then back to St Mark's Place. And more sections arrived.

Anyway! (Again.) The whole thing can be yours now... it is for sale...



Just look for Jeff between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Who's Jeff? He looks like this...

That 12th Street 'Kate Spade' townhouse now with $4 million shaved off the top

Back in June, we noted that this fine single-family townhouse at 215 E. 12th St. was on the market for $16 million. (The place is owned by a founder of the Kate Spade brand.)

Well, it's a good thing that you waited before pouncing on this property. According to The Real Deal, the price of the home — dubbed the "Kate Spade House" by the publication — between Second Avenue and Third Avenue has been reduced by 25 percent to $12 million. (Woo!)

Public records show that the home last changed hands for $4.3 million in 2007. Sloane Square NYC has the listing.

On the CB3-SLA docket this month: Applicants for the former Cock space on 2nd Avenue

There are a few items of interest to note on CB3's SLA committee docket this month.

Among them: There are applicants seeking a new liquor license for 29 Second Ave. between First Street and Second Street. This is the former home of The Cock until the crew moved to the Lit Lounge space back in December.

There are not a lot of details on the questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website.

The document shows proposed hours for the unnamed establishment as 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday-Friday, and noon to 4 a.m. on the weekend. Occupancy includes 18 tables that will seat 40 people... there's a menu that will feature specialty sandwiches.

While the applicants have not been licensed previously to sell liquor, the applicants have restaurant experience (Cafe Select in Soho, Toro in Chelsea, among them). One of the applicants is Maxx Starr, a co-owner of Fun City Tattoo, which opened at 94 St. Mark's Place back in 1989.

The October SLA committee meeting is Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.

Hey, the 14th Street IHOP is back in pancake biz

Just closing the IHOP-renovation loop ... the restaurant is back open (actually as of Monday afternoon, per an employee) here on 14th Street near Second Avenue (aka, IHOP Way).

The five-year-old IHOP closed for a makeover on Sept. 18.

Having never been inside the pre-makeover IHOP, I can't tell you how the place is any different. Anyone?

Target's plan to be your one-stop shop on 14th Street and Avenue A (and Tribeca)

[Photo on Avenue A from last week]

The so-called flexible-format Target store opened yesterday in Tribeca.

I mention this because this is the model for the specialty Target that is set to open on 14th Street and Avenue A in, oh, 2018... the store will anchor Extell's 7-story retail-residential complex...


[Photo from yesterday]

Follow the arrow to the Target...



Here's more on Target's new concept via an article yesterday in USA Today:

The new smaller-format stores are a way of reaching customers who might otherwise have trouble becoming Target stalwarts. Of the 15 new stores Target is opening this year, 14 will be the smaller, more curated models.

The Tribeca store features several hallmarks of Target’s overall strategy to become a one-stop shop for customers, including a section where shoppers can buy fresh, organic groceries, and an emphasis on merchandise categories such as wellness and fashion.

But each of the smaller stores also is designed to cater to the tastes and needs of the specific neighborhood where it is located. The walls of the Tribeca store are decorated with a graffiti-like mural that was drawn with a felt-tip marker.

In a dense section of Manhattan where people rely on the subway and taxis to get around, there is no automotive section, unlike many of Target’s larger suburban locations. (Lack of parking, in fact, is one of the store's bigger challenges.) And in a neighborhood full of professionals and young couples with babies, there are plenty of baby strollers, and smaller furniture that would better fit into tiny apartments.

As previously reported, Target is leasing 27,306 square feet at Extell Development's development. According to a report at the Commercial Observer back in August:

The lease — for 9,500 square feet at grade and 17,806 square feet below ground — is for 30 years, at which time Target could extend it for another 10 years, according to the source and the memorandum of lease. ... The asking rent was $2.5 million per year...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Breaking (pretty much!): Target is coming to 14th Street and Avenue A (54 comments)

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Bobby Williams

7B train closed for repairs

If you depend on the 7B train, then you may need to find an alternative means of transportation tonight.

Eh, crews for the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will be filming here on Seventh Street and Avenue B tonight ... and inside 7B/Vazac's/Horseshoe Bar... (the bar is closed this evening, will return tomorrow at noon).

This marks the second night of filming around here for the 1950s-era drama

H/T Dave on 7th

That '50s show on St. Mark's Place

[Photo via @robindun]

If you walked down St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue in the past, oh, 24 hours, then you likely noticed the 1950s TV transformation for Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

First! A recap of the pilot via Deadline:

Set in the 1950s, the project centers on Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Brosnahan), who had her life mapped out for herself: go to college, find a husband, have 2.5 kids and throw the best Yom Kippur dinners in her elegant Manhattan apartment. But when her life takes an unexpected turn, Midge will have to decide quickly what else she’s good at. Going from uptown housewife to a stand-up comic in a grungy club in the Village is an appalling choice to everyone but Midge.

Tony Shalhoub and Michael Zegen (Bugsy Siegel on "Boardwalk Empire") are also in the drama's cast.

EVG Vintage Car Correspondent Derek Berg checked out the working props...











Thankfully there's a tire repair place now on the block for all these cars...





Crews were also spotted filming a scene at Josie's last night on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Signs say that crews will be filming this afternoon into the early morning hours (4 a.m.) on St. Mark's Place.

News of the filming apparently annoyed some residents (or visitors!) of 94-96 St. Mark's Place. Page Six noted that people defaced the flyer about the shoot inside the building's entrance.

“Fuck off,” one person wrote, while another added to the bottom, “You better hope I have nowhere to be during this, or your fucking ‘scene’ is ruined!”

The line for free coffee at Luke's Diner this morning on 1st Avenue

[Photo from 7 a.m. by Steven]

The East Village locations of the Bean, including the one on First Avenue at Ninth Street, are taking part in a one-day anniversary promo for "Gilmore Girls."

Today apparently marks the 16th anniversary of the show's first episode.

Per USA Today:

Netflix is turning more than 200 coffeehouses nationwide into Luke's Diners, ahead of its "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" premiere on Nov. 25. Each temporary Luke's will include décor from the show, such as Luke's signs, Luke's aprons, Luke's backwards caps and Luke's coffee cups covered in Gilmore Girls quotes.

The series ran for seven seasons, ending its run in May 2007. Luke's was the show's popular dining spot.

Out and About in the East Village

In this ongoing 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: Jamey Poole and Rusty James
Occupation: “Being a New Yorker”
Location: 6th Street and 1st Avenue
Time: 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1

I’m from Texas originally. I’ve been in the East Village for 20 years. Art school brought me here. I went to Parsons. I went to school for photography and I work for a photographer now. And life in the city was so intoxicating that I couldn’t leave. I came directly here. It was the only neighborhood I would ever want to live in when I moved here in 1996. It was the history of the place, the creativity, the kind of people it attracted, the whole environment – all of it. There was no question about it.

It was all of downtown. It was very vibrant. Everybody you wanted to know or make friends with or do any kind of creative projects with lived between 23rd Street and Canal and river to river basically. You’d walk outside your door and meet all kinds of cool people, start a band, start a magazine, start a gallery, do an art collective — whatever. It was very concentrated.

Even though I love visiting all my friends in Bushwick or in Jersey or in Astoria, it’s like the creative nucleus has really been blown apart. So it’s hard, you know. If you’re like 22 and you move to the city now, you start a band and your keyboardist lives in Sunset Park, your singer’s in Jersey City, the drummer lives up in Washington Heights. So it’s really hard to have that creative community. I miss that. I’m not [complaining] but I do miss that. I miss having the creative concentration of everybody in one general area. It’s not too easy to go over and have dinner. It’s a whole production.

I mean it’s not like it’s not happening. It is happening. The drag scene in Bushwick is off the chain. It’s really amazing. There’s tons of cool stuff around Bushwick, but that shit is fucking far from where I live. My friend lives in Bushwick and it takes me an hour and a half to get there.

It’s just that the East Village had more time to really blossom. Williamsburg, that whole thing happened within a decade. The immigrants, the artists, the students, the money, that wave happened so quickly — 10 or 15 years in Williamsburg. So nothing took root that well, whereas in the East Village there were decades and decades for that kind of creative spirit, and so you could feel it. You could feel the character of the place, and you don’t feel that in Williamsburg. The artistic time that happened there came and went like that. I still love it. I have tons of friends who live over there and I love hanging out in Williamsburg, but it doesn’t have the deep roots.

I’m going to Asbury Park to the Zombie Walk. I love Asbury Park. The Zombie Walk is really cool. It’s been going on for around 10 years. I went last year for the first time. They start at the convention center, walk down the boardwalk, then on Main Street, and there are all these parties. Asbury Park is where it’s at. It seems a little early to dress up but whatever.

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

At the grand opening of Rose and Basil

Back in July, Rose and Basil opened at 104 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The cafe, which serves coffee and a variety of homemade desserts, is owned by Ioana Holt, who launched the business with her college friend William Wang.

The two had their grand opening this past Friday... EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by...


[Wang and Holt]











Holt shared more about her background and how this storefront came about:

I come from a humble family in Romania and have always been passionate about food. I moved to the U.S. after a driven academic career in Romania and Austria to study at NYU. I sustained myself all my life by working in the food industry. Almost a year ago I left NYU in order to pursue ... Rose and Basil.

Rose and Basil was born in a little apartment in Soho. I worked from home doing special orders and fulfilling the ones on the Rose and Basil website.

That was until this March when I reconnected with William Wang, whom I was friends with in college. William comes from China and studies economics at NYU. He’s always had a mind for business and heart for food.

I brought him some chocolates and told him about my dream of opening a cafe.

Suddenly we were looking for rents in East Village and buying fridges and chia seeds online.

About 'Merica NYC

[Photo by Vinny & O from last Thursday]

There was some confusion about what exactly 'MericaNYC is going to be at 320 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Is it an actual restaurant? Is it just a pop-up creation for the last legs of Election 2016? Is someone just trolling neighbors?

As we understand it, 'America NYC is a venture between the owner of the previous restaurant in this space, Zerza, and his neighbors a few doors away at the Tim Burton-themed Beetle House. (The Beetle House owners, Zach Neil and Brian Link, also operate Stay Classy, the bar for Will Ferrell fans on Rivington Street.)



Zerza owner Radouane Eljaouhari left a lengthy comment about 'Merica NYC, and how it came about, on the EVG post from Friday. He mentioned that Neil would come in from Beetle House for a meal, and that they engaged in wide-ranging conversations on a variety of topics.

Yes I am a restaurateur but I have great interests in other things as well and like many of you, I enjoy debates and politics.

And being an American Muslim from Morocco, I found myself on many occasions to be a link to explain a few questions about my culture and religion, and so many times and to my delight, I find great pleasure in clarifying a few false clichés.

Some readers were turned off by the 'Merica NYC menu items, such as The Kanye, "Fried breast of chicken tossed in a creamy rich Alfredo sause served over mashed potatoes, then drizzled with a balsamic glaze. This meal will make you into a famous rapper and a narcissistic asshole. Ask the public to loan you the money for it."

The menu items have since been removed from 'Merica NYC's Facebook page. At this point we don't know if they are actual menu items or just someone's idea of humor leading up to the grand opening.

In any event, back to Eljaouhari's comment:

At the end of the day, it is going to be a restaurant that will sell two main items: Food and Beverages. It is going to be a business that will provide a few job opportunities to a few students and a few kitchen staff, like us, individuals with families that have obligations to pay their bills. We are all looking forward to succeeding.

Please be patient and give it a chance before you give your verdicts and most importantly wish us luck.

The restaurant is expected to open soon.

Here are some of Neil's Instagram posts from August promoting the new establishment... (Updated 10 a.m.: The posts have been removed the account is now private...)

A little taste of what's coming! #mericanyc #merica #cominginseptember #baldeagle #chucknorris #starsandbars

A photo posted by Zach Neil (@therealzachneil) on Aug 14, 2016 at 9:19am PDT

#mericanyc #merica #caitlynjenner #cominginseptember #makingfunofamerica #celebratemerica #america #barsofnewyork #restaurantseastvillage

A photo posted by Zach Neil (@therealzachneil) on Aug 15, 2016 at 11:07am PDT

#mericanyc #cominginseptember #makefunofeverything #stephencolbert #fauxnews #clintonnewsnetwork #merica #freedom #nascar #guns #rednecks #war #celebrities

A photo posted by Zach Neil (@therealzachneil) on Aug 13, 2016 at 3:28pm PDT

#mericanyc #cominginseptember #merica #celebratemerica 🇺🇸

A photo posted by Zach Neil (@therealzachneil) on Aug 13, 2016 at 12:21pm PDT

Oh, and no one really seems to know who Hamad is from those Friday comments.

Previously on EV Grieve:
USA today: 'Merica NYC signage arrives

Zerza has closed on 6th Street; Merica NYC coming soon?

Noted

Blue picket fence alert this evening on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place... outside the former Chase ... soon to be the Swiss Institute.

Photo by Lola Sáenz

Lines ahoy!: Trader Joe's coming to Essex Crossing on the Lower East Side

ICYMI: The announcement came this morning that Trader Joe's is coming to site 5 of the sprawling Essex Crossing complex on the Lower East Side. The TJ's is slated for a large retail space at 145 Clinton St. at Grand.

The 15-story building will include a 22,000-square-foot Planet Fitness on the second floor when construction wraps in 2018. You can head to The Lo-Down for more details on this development.

A TJ's recently opened in Kip's Bay. And maybe one will still open at 500 E. 14th St. That incoming CityTarget is only expected to take half of the retail space at 14th Street and Avenue A.