Paloma Rocket looking to land in the East Village

[Photo Friday by @RatedRuwan]

Several EVG readers noted the recent arrival of for rent signs on the Paloma Rocket storefront, 7 Clinton St. just south of Houston on the Lower East Side.

The self-serve craft beer bar — there's a price-per-ounce-pour — opened in April 2016. Are they closing? Moving?

In an email, team Paloma Rocket (the owner is East Village resident Graham Winton) said that they are very close to signing a lease to move to a new location in the East Village.

"Our landlord is facilitating the process by offering us other locations and incentives to move. For us it will enable us to hopefully move to a larger location and expand our tap offerings to include spirits and mixed drinks as well as have space for birthdays, etc."

I mentioned that some people thought they might be closing.

"We have carefully run this business with an eye on longevity and we are now secure that both the concept and system are valid and strong and reliable, thus our comfort level in moving forward. It also helps that our original lease in retrospect is aiding in the process and we are guided by some very knowledgeable and experienced operators whose wisdom has been indispensable in navigating the horribly treacherous real-estate terrain ... greed hath no fury like an NYC landlord and being able to stay in business now more than ever is solely about rent. We have chosen not to be shortsighted and sell what is left of our soul ... by running a messy operation for short-term gain."

Meanwhile, Paloma Rocket remains open here on Clinton Street... here are their hours...

ICYMI, July 4 holiday edition

[Stress of getting to the BBQ on time when you have the grill]

In case you were away or not online much during this long holiday break... a look at some EVG posts from Friday night on...

Christo needs a larger bird bath (Tuesday)

Body found in the East River north of the Williamsburg Bridge (Tuesday)

Details on the "New York in the 70s" series starting this week at the Film Forum (Monday)

Reader report: Rooftop fire on 12th Street (Monday)

Cab strikes and kills 87-year-old man on Cooper Square (Monday)

There was a street fair (Sunday)

Why it would be a bad idea to take this discarded carpet on Second Avenue (Sunday)

Fake severed head discovered in Tompkins Square Park (Sunday)

Your July 1 rainbow action (Saturday)

"Sesame Street" filmed on Sixth Street, starring Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird (Saturday)

The Tompkins Square Park sinkhole remains in sinking form (Saturday)

The Victor Gallery closes on Third Street (Saturday)

Gigi wants to know where the Yasso S’mores frozen Greek yogurt bars are at Key (Friday)

... and yesterday, Derek Berg spotted this pretty rare 1965 Ford Cobra on Seventh Street at First Avenue ... which attracted some attention...

Today, we celebrate our Independence Day and street closures

[Screengrab via Macy's]

Last week, Macy's reportedly changed the location of the barges for tonight's fireworks... something to keep in mind in case you had plans for watching from, say, the South Street Seaport or Brooklyn Heights. You won't have a view like you did last July 4. The five barges will be located in the East River between 24th Street and 41st Street.

This map via Macy's has a rundown of viewing spots.

The fireworks will also impact driving/parking around here. Gothamist has a full list of closures, including:

• East Houston Street between Baruch Place and FDR Drive
• Avenue C between 13th Street and Avenue C Entrance Ramp to FDR
• Avenue C Entrance Ramps
• East 6th Street between Avenue D and FDR Drive
• East 10th Street between Avenue D and FDR Drive
• 14th Street between Avenue C and Avenue B

These roadways will be closed roughly from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. The fireworks are from 9:20 to 9:50 p.m. And you still have time to memorize President Whitmore's "Independence Day" speech.

Christo makes the case for a larger bird bath in Tompkins Square Park

Just a few red-tailed hawk photos from the last few days... first with Christo cooling off and wondering where the deep end is in a bird bath ... photos by EVG reader Cheyenne ...





...and here's Christo and Dora's summer of 2017 offspring, who has a variety of names (Fledgling #1, Ten, Manhattan, BioTen) photographed by Steven...







No word yet what the hawks have planned for July 4.

[Updated] Body found in the East River north of the Williamsburg Bridge

The NYPD and other emergency responders are in East River Park this morning. There are reports of a body in the East River near Sixth Street and the FDR.

Dave on 7th shared these photos...



NYPD officials said that it wasn't immediately known whether the body was male or female, per NBC New York.

Updated 10:45 a.m.

The Daily News reports that the recovered body is a male, who appears to be in his 40s. "His body bore no signs of trauma, police said."


[Photo via EVG reader @Section215]

Reader report: Rooftop fire on 12th Street last night

[Photo from around 8:20 last night by Charles]

EVG reader Charles shares this from last night — a report of a fire at 519 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Shortly after 8, Charles looked out his window to see "flames shooting up the rooftop of the three-story apartment building at 519. I called 911 immediately. Thankfully, at least one other witness had also called in a report prior to me because no sooner had I hung up when three firetrucks roared onto the block."

Here's more via Charles:

The fire was very quickly extinguished with minimal damage to the top-floor apartment.

According to what I gleaned from eyewitnesses, the fire had been going on for several minutes. One resident of the building behind 519 said that he had smelled smoke at least 20 minutes before looking out and seeing flames that were as high as 15 feet and climbing the side of the adjacent building at 517. He called 911 at 8:07. The fire marshal at the scene couldn't ascertain the fire's cause but he did note the presence of candles atop a picnic table on the rooftop.

We were very lucky the fire was spotted early and quickly put out. But as we head toward the 4th and the prospect of several weeks of summertime gatherings, I hope all East Village residents will exercise proper caution and vigilance.

That 70s show at the Film Forum

Not East Village-related but of possible interest... the "New York in the 70s" series starts Wednesday at the Film Forum with "Midnight Cowboy." (Cheating! This movie is from 1969!)

In total there are 44 films in the 23-day series, including some expected classics like "Dog Day Afternoon," "Serpico," "Manhattan" and "The Warriors" as well as more lesser-known titles like "Across 110th Street" and "A New Leaf."

Find the full schedule here. The Film Forum is at 209 W. Houston St., west of Sixth Avenue.

Report: Cab strikes and kills man on Cooper Square

A yellow cab going southbound struck and killed a man last night on Cooper Square at Fifth Street, according to published reports.

The collision between the cab, an SUV, and the man happened around 9 p.m. The Associated Press article in the Daily News lists the victim as 87. The Post puts his age at 70. EMTs took the man to Bellevue, where he died from his injuries. Authorities did not release the man's name pending notification of his family.

The driver, 45, remained at the scene and has not been charged. Both news reports say the investigation is ongoing. Neither report offers up other details, such as if the cab driver ran a light or if the pedestrian was crossing at a crosswalk.

Updated 9:30 a.m.

Per DNAinfo:

The man was crossing east to west near East Fifth Street when he was hit by the yellow cab about 9 p.m., the NYPD said.

He was in the crosswalk but did not have the light, police said.

Week in Grieview

[Photo of accordionist at Cooper Union by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Driver charged in collision that killed cyclist Kelly Hurley on 1st Avenue and 9th Street (Thursday)

A five-alarm fire at 60 E. 9th St. (Wednesday)

Rent Guidelines Board approve increases between 1.25 and 2 percent (Wednesday)

Push-in robbery on Avenue B was actually a drug deal gone bad: NYPD (Thursday)

Out and About with Sierra Gilboe Zamarripa (Wednesday)

A new lease for Three of Cups (Wednesday)

A new home for S'MAC on 1st Avenue and 12th Street (Monday)

The Marshal seizes Mamani Pizza on Avenue A (Thursday)

Fledgling No. 1 (Wednesday)

More dessert choices for Avenue A as Eggloo opens this weekend (Thursday)

City pools open; and a reminder to have a swimsuit to enter the pool area (Thursday)

The Black Rose looks to be moving into the former Benny's Burritos space on Avenue A (Friday)

A call to expand the boundaries of the proposed special business district in the East Village (Tuesday)

Saltwater NYC bringing Australian coffee to 12th Street (Tuesday)

Economy Candy's 80th anniversary retro signage (Friday)

Mancora now open in new First Avenue home (Monday)

Thoughts on the 9/11 mural on 9th and A (Tuesday)


[The musical bags of 11th Street via Derek Berg]

Your ideas wanted on improving McKinley Playground (Tuesday)

Sushi Lounge emerges from a crowded combo of brands at 31 St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Wasan East Village has apparently closed on 4th Street (Friday)

DOT looking for feedback about the Village Plaza (Monday)

First look at the Other Music documentary (Tuesday)

Looking at the Allegro Coffee Roasters coming to Whole Foods Market® Bowery (Monday)

Bluemercury rising on 3rd Avenue (Friday)

The New Stand coming to Patricia Field’s former storefront on the Bowery (Tuesday)

55 Third Ave. sells for $57 million — AGAIN (Monday)

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In case you were thinking of taking this carpet back home

Second Avenue and Fifth Street this morning... a discarded carpet with a PSA... discovered by EVG reader Sam Teichman ...

"This is not one of those cool furniture street finds. To be clear it's a carpet riddled with dog poop & vomit. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS unless you particularly enjoy those scents, which to be clear, you shouldn't.

Also, the carpet was really ugly & in shit shape. Godspeed! X"

Street fair! Street fair! Street fair!

This one is called Pride on Astor... taking place on Astor Place from Lafayette to Broadway.

Here's a description via the Facebook event page:

Experience the 20+ Authentic food booths, Browse the 50+ merchandise booths that sell a huge variety of goods that range from handmade metal statues to African baskets to the year's hottest trends in jewelry & fashion accessories and much more.

There's also a variety of butter for the corn...

Noted

Spotted at the Avenue A and Ninth Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park this morning...

Your July 1 rainbow action

[Click to go big]

The top photo by Tall Betty is from Seventh Street between A and B...

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A shot via East Village-based photographers James and Karla Murray...



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And on Second Avenue via Regina Shvartsman...



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And one more reader-submitted photo...

'Sesame Street' on 6th Street; Oscar the Grouch brings some cheer (and there's Big Bird)

Crews were (are?) out on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue today ... filming something with Oscar the Grouch ... Vinny & O shared these photos...



Oscar doesn't have a nose, as you may have noticed these past 48 years, and we can reveal that he also doesn't have legs...



And Oscar can never be far from his pal Big Bird, who was also spotted being filmed... (not in character yet here..)





Just about the entire "Sesame Street" cast was in Tompkins Square Park last month to film a commercial for the Chrysler brand of automobiles.

What the devil? Vector Gallery closes on 3rd Street

That's it for the Vector Gallery, dubbed the Official Art Gallery of Satan by its founder, on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... workers cleared out the space yesterday...



And a for rent sign via Steve Croman's 9300 Realty is now at the small storefront.

In April, the city inspected the space over complaints that the gallery was "illegally used for religious assembly." Then in March, an event/performance described as "a Vectorian Mass dedicated to the 'Israeli-Palestinian Conflict'" drew a heavy FDNY response after a report of a small fire inside the space. (Any fire was related to the Mass.)

The Gallery didn't appear to be a hit with all neighbors, as someone scrawled "Yuppie scum paying $3,900 to create unoriginal shit" on the front window.

The gallery opened last August.

And this likely won't be the last time you'll see the Gallery, which has had stints on Clinton Street, East Broadway ... and in Los Angeles.

According to its website, "VECTOR Gallery seceded from the United States, making it the newest (and smallest) independent country in the world." Not sure what the asking rent will be for the smallest country in the world. But the 325-square-foot space (with basement) is on the market for $3,250 a month, per the listing.

Previously this space housed Snack Dragon, which closed in October 2014 after being Cromanated.

H/T EVG reader Jennifer!

Checking in on the Tompkins Square Park sinkhole

The one at the Eighth Street/Avenue B entrance... now in its third smash week...



We weren't able to measure the sinkhole's circumference to see if it is expanding, and if surrounding properties, such as St. Brigid's, are in danger of being swallowed...

Gigi leaves a request for Key Food; weekend ruined?

Gigi wants to know where the Yasso S’mores frozen Greek yogurt bars are... Key's frozen dessert section doesn't have them ... and she left some Post-it® Notes about it on the freezer doors here on Avenue A...

H/T Stacie Joy

'Cleveland' rocks

An audio-only clip of "Cleveland," a track from the new record that Algiers released last week.

The band will be at Baby's All Right on July 22.

Headline H/T

[Updated] The Black Rose looks to be moving into the former Benny's Burritos space on Avenue A

Updated: This item is no longer on the July SLA docket.

The Black Rose, the bar that recently lost its space at 117 Avenue A, is looking to move a block to the south and reopen in the former corner home of Benny's Burritos, according to paperwork filed ahead of next month's CB3-SLA committee meeting.



In late April, the Marshal took possession of the bar space between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place on behalf of landlord Steve Croman. There were accusation that Croman forced the bar out, even removing the boiler.

As for Benny's, the restaurant closed on Nov. 29, 2014. The corner space at Sixth Street has sat empty since then. The Benny's awning remains up...


[Photo from yesterday]

Benny's owner Mark Merker said that they were having trouble staying afloat, as costs and rents rose while competition increased from Chipotle and other restaurants that served burritos. Benny's limped along for a few months with a smaller, mostly to-go spot next door. They closed in February 2015. This space became a 99¢ pizza place called 99¢ Pizza, which seems to do brisk business.

There's not much more information about the new Black Rose at this month. The full questionnaire isn't online yet. (Updated: The PDF of the questionnaire is here.) And it will be somewhat new given that much of the bar's interior ended up on the corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street, where Jerry launched the short-lived Tompkins Square Park Art Bar.

The July CB3-SLA committee meeting is July 17 at 6:30 p.m. at a rather strange venue — Ian Schrager's luxury Public Hotel, 215 Chrystie St.

Mango Mango bringing more dessert to St. Mark's Place

Signage has arrived upstairs at 19-21 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for Mango Mango, a dessert shop with multiple locations that launched in Chinatown in 2013.

Here's more about them via their website:

The aspect of our business is to serve traditional Hong Kong style sweet soup dessert to modern fusion sweets. We use the finest ingredients and a sophisticated method of cooking to create innovative handmade desserts to serve our customers. Most of our desserts are made with mango from the soup base to the pastries and drinks that we cater to our customers. Mangos are liked by all ages because of the sweetness that it brings and provides 100% of vitamin C.

The space adjacent to the Chipotle and above St. Mark's Market was previously home to Beyond Vape, which went up in smoke closed in January.