Photo on Second Avenue at Seventh Street by Derek Berg...
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Today in warnings about bed bugs
Derek Berg spotted this on the curb along Seventh Street... a couch ensemble with the warning "Bed Bugs Do Not Touch" ... probably could have used larger paper or smaller letters so the touch isn't so squished...
Anyway, this was before today's noon-time downour, so maybe the bed bugs floated away or drowned.
Tompkins Square Park sinkhole no longer sinking
Workers have made the broken-pipe repairs here at the Eighth Street/Avenue B entrance to the Park, and are filling in the hole, as the above photo by EVG Sinkhole Correspondent Steven shows.
And from yesterday...
And a flashback to June 18, when it all began [sob]...
5 years of Out and About in the East Village
On Aug. 1, 2012, we introduced a new weekly feature by East Village-based photographer James Maher called Out and About in The East Village. The ongoing feature takes a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.
Anyway, here we are five years (and a day) later. The first subject worked for Mama's Food Shop on Third Street at Avenue B. (Before our interview was published, Mama's announced its closure. That seems like a lot longer than five years ago.) Other Year One alum included Derek Berg, today a valued EVG contributor.
Many thanks to James for continuing to provide us with these features. And thank you to everyone who has shared their stories. You can find them all at the links below...
Recaps by year:
• 2012 here
• 2013 here
• 2014 here
• 2015 here
• 2016 here
• 2017 here
The Great Jones Cafe will reopen starting tonight
The Great Jones Café will live on. The restaurant posted on its website and Facebook page last evening that they will reopen tonight at 5 after a one-week break.
Early last week, members of the waitstaff told diners that the 34-year-old Cajun favorite on Great Jones near the Bowery was closing for good. The story changed later on Wednesday, on what was said to be their last day. An employee told the Daily News that the Great Jones would close for a week of clean-up, and decide then whether or not to reopen. The employee said a permanent closure was a possibility, "but nothing has been decided yet." Another employee that night told DNAnfo that they could be closed for up to a year.
Perhaps the robust turnout last Wednesday evening helped the Cafe make a decision.
Updated noon:
Gothamist spoke to Great Jones owner Jim Moffett.
Some excerpts of the interview.
What happened is I got pretty badly hurt a week ago Saturday and went to the hospital. [Editor's note: Moffett said he was hospitalized for a "severe injury" but declined to elaborate.] In my absence we were forced to close for a short period of time but it was never my intention that the news should get out that we're closing period. It was a temporary closing until I got out of the hospital — which I did yesterday.
And...
We have some time left on the lease, not a lot of time. We've always been on a relatively short lease, I don't know why. This landlord, and the previous landlord, it's always been three to five year leases. I'd rather not get into the exact details, however, despite the fact that I owe the landlord some back rent—I'll be up front about that—he has told me that he wants us to stay as long as possible. There are no indications from him that he wants us out; quite to the contrary. We have a good relationship, he's a good guy. I don't foresee any trouble on that front.
Meanwhile, as Grub Street noted today, "Maybe it was the response [to the closing] that ensured the reopening."
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Great Jones Café is now closed, permanently or not
Here's the sidewalk bridge-free corner of 9th Street and 1st Avenue — and the 122 Community Center
[Photos by Steven]
The northeast corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street is finally free of the sidewalk bridge. Workers finished removing it yesterday.
The gut renovation — including the addition of an elevator, new stairwells and full ADA compliance — started in February 2013 at the 122 Community Center.
The Department of Cultural Affairs owns the building, and Deborah Berke Partners designed the overhaul of the former public school to better house four arts groups and one community-service organization.
I'm not sure now when everyone, such as PS122, are expected to return to the building. PS122 has been presenting performances from other venues the past four years; its temporary offices are in Greenpoint. (PS122 opened in the space in 1980.)
Eventually, this is what the final product will look like...
[Deborah Berke Partners]
Previously on EV Grieve:
Come along on a tour of the under-renovation 122 Community Center on 1st Avenue
Sales underway for Rite Aid-adjacent condoplex on 1st Avenue
Sales began yesterday for 75 First Ave., the current foundation in the ground next to the Rite Aid at Fifth Street.
One day, it will be an 8-floor, 22-unit building like the rendering above.
Here's the official blurbage about the address:
Introducing 75 First Avenue, the brain-child of Italian design impresario and Peter Marino protégé Stefano Pasqualetti, and Starchitect Thomas O’Hara. The glass façade of this luxury condominium rises and cantilevers over the heart of the East Village. Amenities include a full-time doorman, a landscaped rooftop deck with panoramic city views, a fitness center, bicycle storage, and a private lounge with a yellow travertine fireplace, pool table, and wet bar for parties and events. 75 First Avenue is located only a few blocks from SoHo, the Lower East Side and the Bowery, and surrounded by an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, cafes, theaters, shops, and grocery stores. Nearby subway lines include the F and 6.
There are currently five units for sale via Nest Seekers International ... from $995,000 to $2.25 million.
Here are some renderings via Nest Seekers...
Plans here have evolved through the past 10 years here with various developers and architects.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Developer: A shorter building in the works now for 75 First Avenue
High-rise for 75 First Avenue back in play
Long-stalled First Avenue site now has a brand-new rendering
Report: Long-dormant 1st Avenue development site changes hands
Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos)
244-46 E. 7th St. has a new owner
According to The Real Deal, Slate paid $11.9 million for the property, previously owned by East Noho Corp. It last changed hands in 1975 for an undisclosed price.
Per TRD: "Ten of the units ... are rent regulated, down from 14 in 2010."
Slate made headlines in 2015 for buying the Rivington House for condo conversion while the deed restriction was still in place.
Today in Citi Bike, noosa yoghurt combo freebies
Citi Bike will be free to all in New York City on August 2 [ed note: today!], thanks to an innovative partnership between noosa yoghurt, a thick and velvety combination of tart and sweet unlike any other yoghurt brand, and Citi Bike.
Riders can beat the summer heat and power up in between rides at noosa yoghurt sampling events and breakfast bars located throughout Manhattan.
The free ride day is the marquee event in a summer-long partnership between noosa yoghurt and Citi Bike. noosa installed its branding at 40 Citi Bike stations throughout the system in June, which will remain through September 3 to bring its delicious, farm fresh yoghurt from the Colorado mountains to the streets of New York City.
New Yorkers and visitors who want to take advantage of the free ride day can sign up through the Citi Bike app, where they will receive a free code to use at any dock in the service area for a half-hour at a time. The noosa Free Day Pass in the app will expire at 11:59 pm on August 2nd.
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Tuesday's parting shot
EVG reader Dave Adler spotted this special romantic seating in East River Park this evening...
Noted
Tenants of 10 Stanton St. say they have been shocked to witness unwanted peep shows when they look out their windows at the back of Ian Schrager’s Public Hotel, claiming that the hotel's guests have been getting frisky in plain sight.
“People are seeing people having sex — they don’t even close their blinds,” said Debbie Gonzalez of the 10 Stanton Tenants Association at a recent association meeting. “There are 44 apartments in that back, and these people are subjected to noise, nudity, smoking — it’s ridiculous.”
The Public (Pubic?) Hotel opened in June on Chrystie Street just below Houston.
Golden Food Market closes on 1st Avenue and 7th Street
[Photo by Rainer Turim]
The deli on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street closed last night after nearly 35 years in business.
Workers began dismantling the market on Sunday evening...
[Photo by Steven]
[Photo by Steven]
An LLC with a West 11th Street address bought the building at 118 First Ave. back in the spring for $5.8 million, according to public records.
According to a reader who spoke with the Golden Food Market (aka Ali's) staff, the lease was up for renewal and the new landlord wanted an increase that was more than the store could manage.
Ali Fardos, whose family owned Golden Food Market, also runs East Village Organic a few storefronts to the north on First Avenue.
An EVG reader shared this upon learning the news yesterday: "Ali and staff are the nicest people around. The prices were fair, but most memorably, they stayed open all during and after Sandy. I think I remember that they were lit by hanging kerosene lanterns. They will be missed and fondly remembered."
[Photo by Rainer Turim —— click pic to go big]
[Updated — cancelled] A 'Dirt Bags for Dirtbags' march
Updated 8 p.m.
Cancelled! Officials at the Cooper Square Committee have instead decided to concentrate all efforts on a press conference now slated to take place on the steps of City Hall on Aug. 9 at 11 a.m.
Via the EVG inbox...from the Cooper Square Committee...
Join us [tomorrow] to march on the offices of two of the City’s most aggressive landlords to deliver symbolic “dirt bags” to them as a reminder of the dust, debris, and misery they subjected their tenants to during construction in their buildings.
These bad actors seem to have forgotten the power of a city of renters standing in solidarity, so it’s time to pay them a visit and demand that construction-as-harassment becomes a thing of the past!
We’ll also be advocating for the passage of 12 bills proposed by the Stand for Tenant Safety (STS) coalition that are currently making their way through City Council. This legislation will work to reform the DOB and crack down on landlords who use construction to harass and displace tenants.
We’re also going to be accompanied by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, a radical marching band, who will make some noise to support the cause!
Participants are gathering tomorrow at the Cube at Astor Place. Start time is listed as 10:45 a.m.
Organizers from the Cooper Square Committee will name the two landlords closer to the time of the march. (The names won't come as a surprise.)
Lucy's is currently on the usual summer hiatus
[Photo by Steven]
There is usually some cause for concern when people notice that Lucy's hasn't been open of late on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.
Lucy usually takes off for a few weeks this time of year to visit family in Poland. (In 2016 for instance, the bar was dark from July 22 through Aug. 5.)
She has randomly closed for a short period of time without any explanation (here and here).
Anyway, the note on the front door this time around states "We will open soon."
Express Thali has not been open lately on 2nd Avenue
An EVG reader notes that Express Thali, which serves vegetarian Indian cuisine, has not been open of late here at 82 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
As you can see in the reader's photo above, there's a bunch of kitchen equipment and supplies boxed up in the dining room.
The restaurant just opened in early March. This has been a tough spot in recent years for restaurants. The casualties include Golden Crepes and 7 Spices.
A South Carolina-based investor bought No. 82 from Icon Realty for $10.9 million in late 2015.
Today is the National Night Out Against Crime at the 9th Precinct
The 9th Precinct is hosting the annual Night Out Against Crime community event today on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue from 3-7 p.m.
The flyer mentions a bounce house... but no word of the officer on stilts (who, as I recall, was MIA last year).
[Photo from 2013 by Slum Goddess]
Monday, July 31, 2017
Noted
.@nineinchnails tonight. pic.twitter.com/opqJox7v2O
— Webster Hall (@WebsterHall) July 31, 2017
As you may have heard this morning, Nine Inch Nails announced a last-minute show for tonight at the closing-soon Webster Hall on 11th Street.
As of 4:30, tickets were going for as high as $545 on StubHub...
A price drop from earlier...
To the people selling tickets for tonight's @nineinchnails show at Webster Hall on StubHub for $735: FUCK YOU.
— Stu Horvath (@StuHorvath) July 31, 2017
'Before we got Starfucked' — an exhibit on Avenue A tomorrow evening
Jen Fisher, who has operated the book stand on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place the past four years, is hosting an exhibit of East Village history at the space tomorrow evening.
Here are some details via the EVG info box...
Before we got Starfucked
A personal archive from the late 1980s to early 1990s of photographs, newspaper cuts, flyers and B&W Xerox books will be displayed on Tuesday, August 1 from 5:30-8 p.m.
The archive is based on 1980s and 1990s events such as The Tent City in Tompkins Square Park, the annual Stations of the Cross, Father George Kuhn, and the fight against gentrification as it was recorded and put together by a resident of the Lower East Side. Seen in the light of today's ongoing destruction of our neighborhood, we believe that this archive has acquired historical relevance as a record of the Lower East Side and the life it once contained.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for Avenue A
SobaKoh has closed on 5th Street
SobaKoh, a soba restaurant on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, has closed.
A sign appeared on the gate this past weekend noting the closure...
[Photo by EVG reader Natalie Walshe]
Said one neighbor: "This is a real heartbreaker. The restaurant was so good. The owner made his noodles in the window."
We have not heard an official reason for the closure of SobaKoh, which opened in early 2005. On Facebook, the restaurant noted that the owner "will be returning to Japan after his retirement."
The (unofficial) word on the block is that it didn't have to do with a lack of business or a rent increase, but rather an unscrupulous contractor who bilked Hiromi Takahashi, the restaurant’s chef and owner, over repair work. A neighbor said that he decided to throw in the towel rather than incur more expenses.
Signage arrives for Ahimsa on 10th Street
[Photo by EVG reader Cheyenne]
Signage is up for Ahimsa, the new vegetarian Indian restaurant opening at 265 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
The restaurant's Thompson Street location boasts an $11.95 buffet lunch special. (You can find the Ahimsa menu here.)
The previous tenant here, Moustache, the reliable Middle-Eastern restaurant, closed back in May.
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