Another LinkNYC kiosk, which may be guiding autonomous vehicles one day

Yesterday saw the arrival of another LinkNYC kiosk... as crews installed one on First Avenue near 14th Street... in proximity to two other LinkNYC kiosks right around the corner on 14th Street...



Not sure about the placement of these. There are four LinkNYCs on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ... yet they did keep a pay phone on the block...



Look for another kiosk soon on First Avenue at Fourth Street, among other locations ...



Meanwhile, there are grand plans for the LinkNYC network. MIT Technology Review had an article on the company behind Link a few weeks ago...

Link is poised to be far more than an advertising and Wi-Fi network, however. Intersection, the company that manages the Link projects in London and New York, is considering upgrading them to support everything from augmented reality to autonomous vehicles. “Phase One was about making sure we’re offering robust services to people,” says Intersection’s chief innovation officer, Colin O’Donnell. “Now we’re figuring out how we can leverage all the different data sets we have access to and make [this technology] as dynamic and responsive as it can be.”

Intersection’s ambitions bear attention because it is one of the few private firms that large cities have partnered with on high-profile public-information projects—and its digital technology is likely to spread to other major U.S. cities, such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle, where it holds multiyear municipal and transit advertising contracts.

According to the article, there are currently 900 active kiosks in the city ... with plans for up to 7,500.

Remembering Erin O’Connor

[Photo by Steven]

Erin O’Connor, a longtime East Village resident, died on July 25. She was 50. (The cause of death was not disclosed.)

The Villager published a feature obituary in this week's edition:

Erin was a poet, an artist and a humanitarian. She was also a natural gifted dancer. She was humble and her passions were raising her son and advocating for social-justice issues in her local community. She gave thousands of volunteer hours to the Catholic Worker’s Mary House, on E. Third St., the Holy Name Center for homeless men, at 10 Bleecker St., and Judson Memorial Church.

Friends and loved ones are coming together tomorrow afternoon for a memorial in her honor at El Jardin del Paraiso, the community garden on Fifth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. The memorial starts at 3.

There's an online memorial here.

Report: No charges for driver who struck and killed East Village cyclist

The NYPD has declined to charge the garbage truck driver who struck and killed Neftaly Ramirez (pictured), an East Village resident biking home from his job at Paulie Gee's in Brooklyn early on July 22.

Per DNAinfo:

While the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said they are still investigating the deadly July 22 crash, no criminality is suspected, an NYPD spokesman said.

Detectives based their conclusion on the unidentified driver's behavior after the crash.

"He continued to pick up the garbage from his route," NYPD spokesman Ahmed Nasser said. The person, based on the speed of the vehicle, where the vehicle was the whole time, indicated that this person probably didn't realize he had hit the victim."

The driver worked for Action Carting. According to published reports, the private trash hauling company has been responsible for five (three pedestrians, two cyclists) deaths since 2008.

Per Streetsblog:

In the last 24 months, Action Carting drivers were involved in seven crashes involving pedestrians, resulting in eight injuries, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records. In that same period, the FMCSA says 44 percent of Action vehicles were taken out of service due to safety violations — more than twice the national average.

The company has five standing contracts with city agencies — three with DOT adding up to about $2 million and two with the Department of Environmental Protection worth about $35 million apiece. All but one of those — an $800,000 contract with DOT — were signed during the de Blasio administration.

Paulie Gee's proprietor Paul Giannone told Gothamist yesterday: "I'm very upset right now ... Because nothing is going to happen to this guy [the driver]. The guy said he didn't know, I think he's full of it ... I think he's a liar, and I hope he rots in hell."

Minty fresh vibes in Tompkins Square Park

A scene from Tompkins Square Park yesterday... where a rat was enjoying the remains of an ice cream/gelato cup ... it was not immediately clear if the flavor was, say, mint chocolate chip or perhaps pistachio ... (if it was mint, then this may be more proof that the flavor isn't a rat deterrent ...)

Thanks to EVG regular Cheyenne for the photos...





Alternate headlines:
I scurry, you scurry, we all scurry for ice cream

'Ocean's 8' means Veselka will open late

Film crews are at Veselka today for an "Ocean's 8" shoot... The restaurant on Second Avenue at Ninth Street will be open for service today at 4.

This spin-off of the Ocean's Trilogy has an ensemble cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Mindy Kalig, Awkwafina, Dakota Fanning, among others.

Past "Ocean's 8" shooting locales include Blue & Gold on Seventh Street and Papaya Dog on 14th Street at First Avenue.

The film has a June 8, 2018, release date.

Updated 9 p.m.

The Daily Mail has more on the shoot and a lot of photos of Bullock and Blanchett.

Some free jazz tonight in the Green Oasis Community Garden on 8th Street

Via the EVG inbox...

The Eric Paulin Ensemble (commonly heard playing beautiful jazz in Tompkins Square Park) will be performing tonight from 6-8 at the Green Oasis Community Garden on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Find more info here. The show is free. (And read more about Eric Paulin here.)

You would even say it Glows

Death Valley Girls are one of many bands on the bill at next month's Seaport Music Festival at the South Street Seaport ... the video here is for "Glow in The Dark."

Afternoon stuffed pizza rats break

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Goggla...

Previously

EV Grieve Etc.: Appreciating Sen. Squadron's service; visiting Flower Power Herbs & Roots

[A Fine morning the other day on Avenue C]

Remembering State Sen. Daniel Squadron's service to the neighborhood as he leaves office (The Lo-Down) Who will fill his seat? (Town & Village)

Singer-songwriter Dave Deporis, who performed at the Sidewalk on Avenue A, was killed during a robbery in Oakland (SPIN)

A visit to Flower Power Herbs & Roots on Ninth Street (Off the Grid ... previously)

The juvenile red-tailed hawks haven't left home (Tompkins Square Park) just yet (Laura Goggin Photography)

Club Cumming will open on Sixth Street on Sept. 15 (Tasting Table)

Local ice cream shop owner discuss the rigors of the business (Grub Street)


[Another Croman-Rikers tag appears on 6th Street]

Sun Bakery on Essex Street appears to have closed (BoweryBoogie)

Two screenings of 1963's "Greenwich Village Story" this weekend (Anthology Film Archives)

Blue Apron had the most disappointing IPO of the decade (Grub Street)

"Rogue" bikeshare company to unleash cycles in the city on Monday (New York Post)

The story of Keith Haring's Berlin Wall mural (Dangerous Minds)

What's next at the French Roast space on Sixth Avenue? (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

... and on Sunday afternoon at 3, take in the latest installment of "Music Under the Willow" at the Creative Little Garden on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. Details here.


[Creative Little Garden pic via Facebook]

New City Council legislation aims to protect tenants from construction as harassment

[Photo Wednesday via @RosieMendez]

On Wednesday, City Council passed comprehensive legislation as part of the “Stand for Tenant Safety” package that aims to provide greater tenant protection.

Per DNAinfo: "The bills range from increased fines for landlords, requiring a 'Safe Construction Bill of Rights,' stricter preventative measures to address construction as harassment, and the creation of an Office of the Tenant Advocate inside the Department of Buildings."

City Council member Rosie Mendez introduced the "Safe Construction Bill of Rights" legislation, which requires landlords to notify tenants before undertaking significant renovation projects.

Mendez shared this statement:

For far too long some of the city’s worst property owners have used devious, despicable tactics, as well as construction renovations to harass and intimidate tenants. Tenants living in buildings that are undergoing substantial construction usually do not know where to turn.

Therefore, the passage of the “Safe Construction Bill of Rights” legislation would require landlords to provide tenants prior notice of significant construction projects and periodic updates about the status of such construction projects. I believe this is common sense legislation and its passage will demonstrate that New York City will ensure that construction is safe with tenants in place and that tenants will be informed. The overall impact of this legislative package is that New York City will be the best and safest place to live.

Read more about the legislation in the City Council press room here.

A little more about Limited to One, a new collectible record store on 10th Street

Limited to One opened its doors on 10th Street back on July 29.

I asked the store's founders, Kristian Sorge and Nichole Porges (a couple outside the store as well) a few basic questions about Limited to One.

Why open a record shop?

It definitely started out as a passion project for both of us. One day we looked at our life and realized that our day jobs weren't something that we built on our own, and that was really important for us, to make our mark.

We also realized that there was a "hole" in the record market, so to speak, for records we were buying and interested in. After a few months of careful planning and asking all of our friends/other record nerdz what they wanted in their dream shop, we decided Brick-and-mortar was the way to go verses an online store. Kristian has lived in the East Village for over a decade, so the East Village was the perfect spot for us to open our shop.





What can people expect at the shop?

People can definitely expect a friendly, clean, and organized environment. We also love chatting with everyone who comes in!

Our store focuses on rare/limited/out-of-print records in the following genres: Punk, Rock, Indie, Alternative, Emo, Metal, as well as Hip-Hop. A few of our favorite titles in the shop right now are: an original Stooges pressing of their self-titled record from 1969, an original pressing of Saetia, The XX - self titled special edition limited to 500 copies with hand-signed prints, a 1977 original Ramones "Rocket to Russia," an original pressing of Dr Dre "The Chronic"... Just to name a few!

What about pricing?

While most of our records are collectible, that doesn't mean they are always expensive. Some of our favorite bands have records that are in the $10-$30 range. We are record collectors ourselves and know what it feels like to be over charged for records. We really strive to make sure our records are reasonably priced.



The store is located at 221 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. You can find them on Instagram here. They are also part of the RecordNerdz podcast.

Reminders: Summer Streets return tomorrow (Saturday!)

[Photo of Lafayette and Great Jones from last Saturday at 1 p.m.]

The second Saturday of Summer Streets takes place tomorrow (Saturday!) from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Around here, the vehicle-free zone includes Lafayette, Astor Place and Fourth Avenue.

In addition, there are all sorts of activities at the Citi Rest Stop in Astor Place, including Smellmapping Astor Place:

DOT Art and the Village Alliance have partnered with designer Kate McLean to produce a Smellmap of the Astor Place neighborhood. Three smellwalks were hosted over the past few months with local residents and stakeholders to gather smell data/information. Participants were asked to explore the environment strictly through their sense of smell by smell catching (receiving smell info), smell hunting (searching for smell info) and lastly free smelling (a mini smell research project). Mclean has collected all the smell data and visualized the findings as a colorful smellmap. McLean will be on-site to lead two walks at 9 am and 11 am to continue building on this research and invites participants to incorporate their findings into a large-scale smellmap available on-site.

What does Zoltar smell like anyway?

Some #NYC #smells to #sniff if you're joining @NYC_DOT @AstorPlaceNYC #smellwalks this weekend #CitiSummerStreets pic.twitter.com/V0gEE86fo8

— Kate McLean (@katemclean) August 2, 2017

Visit the Summer Streets site for more details.

Let's talk about rats (some more)

Via the EVG inbox...

Neighborhood rat reduction plan

A public info session with Q-&-A

Aug. 15, 6:30 pm
East Village Community School at 610 E. 12th St., between Avenues B and C.

Join senior officials and experts from the Health, Sanitation, Parks Departments and NYCHA to learn about:
-New state of the art trash cans in your community
-New investments in NYCHA developments to prevent rats
-More frequent trash pickup
-Better Waste Management Practices for Landlords or Enforcement of rat-related violations by landlords

Co-sponsored by: Borough President Gale A. Brewer, U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, State Senator Brad Hoylman, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, Council Member Rosie Mendez, Council Member Margaret S. Chin, and Community Board 3.

A Starbucks sneak peek on St Mark's and Avenue A

A look inside the plywood on St. Mark's Place at Avenue A...



Back in July, DNAinfo reported on what to expect from this location:

A Starbucks spokesman said the company was designing the new store to reflect the unique character of the “Lower East Village.”

“We are proud to bring a new Starbucks store to the Lower East Village later this summer,” said the spokesman, who would identify himself only as Jonathan. “In addition to offering employment to more than 20 partners (employees), this store will provide a gathering place for the community and will be designed to reflect the uniqueness of the neighborhood.”

The spokesman added that the company’s partners are “involved in community service” and that the store donates all leftovers through its FoodShare program in partnership with Feeding American and City Harvest.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for Avenue A

At the 'Not Another Starbucks Rally'

Thursday's parting shot

Still waiting, though not sinking. Eighth Street and Avenue B entrance to Tompkins Square Park...

...previously here ... and here.

Today in sidewalk sales

If you are on Second Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery this afternoon... EVG reader Daniel shared these photos from a sidewalk sale...



...to help someone move on with his or her life...

Today in books returned after 38 years

Via @tompkins_square_library:

This book was casually returned today — only 38 years late! 😄 The book, "The Woman in the White House" by Marianne Means, describes the contributions of 12 First Ladies.

Report: LPC signs off on expansion for the Anthology Film Archives

On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission OK'd the long-time-coming expansion of the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and Second Street.

DNAinfo's Allegra Hobbs was at the hearing. She has more background on the expansion, which has been in the works for years:

The landmarked structure operated as a courthouse until 1979, when Anthology Film Archives bought it to renovate and convert into a theater and archive space. Anthology moved into the building from its original Wooster Street location and reopened there in 1988.

But the renovation carried out by renowned architect Raimund Abraham remained incomplete for decades, said [co-founder Jonas] Mekas and architect Kevin Bone, who said at the hearing there had been many proposals for the completed project before the final one.

"We did all we could to get the Anthology doing what the Anthology did best, which is to start showing the great art works of the independent cinema," he said of the initial renovation, which he undertook as an architect with Abraham. "So here we are, now 35 years later."

The design from Bone/Levine Architects includes an additional story that will house the Anthology's library as well as a cafe on the ground floor, archival storage space and an elevator.

To help pay for the $6 million expansion, the Anthology staged a fundraising auction back in March featuring donated works by Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank and Chuck Close, among others. In addition, as artnet reported, Maja Hoffmann’s LUMA Foundation pledged $3 million toward the library.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Checking in on the 'completion project' at the Anthology Film Archives

The Living Gallery Outpost is a new exhibition and event space on 4th Street

[Image via Facebook]

The empty storefront at 246 E. Fourth St. (on the ground-level of the colorful tenement on the corner of Avenue B) has been transformed into a community/gallery space.

The Living Gallery Outpost is an offshoot of the Living Gallery, the Bushwick-based event and exhibit space. Here's more about the Living Gallery and what to expect on Fourth Street (via the Living Gallery website):

The Living Gallery BK was founded in 2012 by artist Nyssa Frank as a welcoming place where artists and creators could manifest their dreams into reality. Since then the venue has hosted art shows, film screenings, spoken word nights, concerts, community events and much more. It was there that the now married couple Joseph Meloy and Alexandria Hodgkins first met. It was their dream to someday open a similar space but they assumed it would have to be someplace outside the city and when they were older and had more financial stability.

The Outpost will have a similar model to the original Bushwick location but with a slant for intimate and special events.

The first event is Sunday with an event called B.Y.O. Art!



Other ongoing events include a vinyl listening party the third Tuesday of every month... plus...



Find more info on the Outpost here. The small space is also available to rent for pop-up shops, exhibits and workshops. Details here.

New photo exhibit celebrates the neighborhood's storefronts

[Click for a better view]

East Village-based photographers James and Karla Murray are curating a new exhibit at the Theater For The New City Gallery starting on Monday evening.

Per the Murrays, whose books include "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" — "The purpose of the exhibition is to act as an artistic intervention helping draw attention to and raise awareness of the importance of preserving the small shops whose existence is essential to the unique and colorful atmosphere of the city’s streets."

Here's a short summary of the workshops and exhibition:

Experience activism and community through the lens of 30 photographers, as they display their work from two free 2017 workshops with photographers and award-winning authors Karla and James Murray. In two sessions at the Neighborhood Preservation Center, the duo taught participants how to use photography and oral history to raise public awareness, build community, and encourage advocacy. Participants learned to create their own powerful photographs of neighborhood storefronts and to connect with the proprietors through personal interviews.

Also, we would like to note that two of the storefronts that participants photographed for the workshop, and were chosen by us to be printed for the exhibition are now closed — Cup & Saucer on Canal Street and the Golden Food Market on First Avenue at East 7th Street. So in the short time that we held the 2 two free workshops (between April and June of this year) and began printing the photographs participants took, we have lost 2 small businesses, both affordable eating establishments. We hope that after people see the photos and read the interview excerpts, that they will help support these small mom-and-pop businesses by actively dining and shopping at them.

The opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. on Monday at the Theater For The New City Gallery, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. The exhibit will be up through Sept. 18.