It's 1958 (still) on St. Mark's Place — not to mention Christmas

It's like Santa's Workshop on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... where crews have been busy prepping for shooting the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" ... the dramedy is set in 1958. And apparently around Christmas, as these photos via Scuba Diva show...







Some of the storefronts have been redressed to look like old-timey businesses...


[You in the Iron Maiden shirt — move to another decade!]

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Meanwhile!

The block is full of some old-timey automobiles as well, as Derek Berg discovered...









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Looks like a big shoot... as of early this morning, there wasn't any parking allowed on parts of Avenue A from St. Mark's Place to Sixth Street, and on a few of the side streets...



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Updated 8 p.m.



Here's a look at Physical Graffitea on St. Mark's Place this evening... dressed up as Quality Shoe Repair for the shoot, but open for business right now...



Photos by Steven...

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: Felix Velazquez
Occupation: Social Worker
Location: 6th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A
Time: 3:50 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I came here when I was 13 years old — I’m going to be 70. I came to this neighborhood right after I got out of the Navy. I’d been in Vietnam and I came back to this neighborhood around 1969 or 1970. This was free love, drop out, lots of upheaval throughout the United States against the Vietnam War.

This was a neighborhood where my first rent was $73 a month. Basically when I came here, this was a slum. The demarcation line was Avenue A. There was a lot of abandonment in the early 1970s. The other side of First Avenue was, not very expensive, but the difference was major. Even the other side of First Avenue on St. Mark's was pretty much abandoned. Second Avenue was blithe.

This was a marginal community, but there was also a community of immigrants. You had a lot of Polish, Russian, Latinos, Puerto Ricans. There were hardly any Dominicans at that time – they came later. Since it was an immigrant neighborhood, you had lots and lots of churches, and you still have a lot of churches. The city was pretty rough, and I think the only places that didn’t change were probably Park Avenue, 5th Avenue, but most of the other neighborhoods went through some heavy-duty stuff.

I’ve been working in the neighborhood for a long time. I graduated from social work school in 1979, and most of my social work has been in this neighborhood. There was a lot of organizing in this neighborhood. I did some organizing for housing, because of the gentrification going on. I became a member of the Community Board for awhile – I was vice chairman and I was chairman of the Housing Committee for Community Board 3 for a long time. This was a fighting community; it still is a fighting community, but it had been slowly changing with gentrification. Organizing is still going on. There are still a lot of people doing it. It’s always been kind of a leftist community.

On a day-to-day basis, I lived in the neighborhood and I survived. It was fun, and it’s always been a neighborhood where you have lots of live music, art, poetry. The Nuyorican Poets Café was formed at that time in the 1970s. In the Latino community, in the Puerto Rican community, you had El Teatro, El CoCo que Habla, which was a group of young kids who were involved in theater, and Miguel Piñero came out of there. So there was a lot of activity and a lot of fun. You were young.

And there were a lot of drugs — a lot of easy access to just about any kind of drug you wanted, so it was always a struggle to not get caught up in that kind of thing. As a social worker I helped a lot of people get out of drugs. I worked for St. Mark's Place Institute for Metal Health for many years.

I love New York and I love this neighborhood. It’s a 24-hour neighborhood — 24-hour supermarkets, delis. If you like witchcraft, you can find it down here. If you like stand-up comedy, you find it down here ... live music, rock and roll, salsa, whatever you like, you got it. You’ve got lots and lots of clubs with live music. If you’re into music, this is the place – outdoor concerts, jazz festivals. It’s a great neighborhood – I love it.

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

Capturing lightning on a building

EVG reader Eben Hall shared this photo from last night ... a composite of the lightning strikes on One World Trade Center, as viewed from Avenue C. Captured between 11 p.m and midnight.

[Updated] Woman pushed onto F train tracks at 2nd Avenue in unprovoked attack; victim in stable condition

A 49-year-old woman was pushed onto the northbound F train tracks at Second Avenue during an unprovoked attack last night around 9, according to published reports.

There wasn't a train approaching the station at the time. Several people jumped onto the tracks and helped the woman back up to the platform. Police said that she left the station under her own power and was taken to Bellevue, where she is in stable condition with a head injury.

Per NBC 4: "Police [said] that the suspect told the woman 'I'm going to push you' and the suspect then shoved the woman."

Police described the suspect as a black male in his 20s wearing dark clothing. He remained at large this morning.

Here's a video clip of the NYPD statement via Andy Mai of the Daily News...

Capt. Hsiao Loo of Manhattan South Detective Bureau briefing reporters on a 49 yo female push on tracks at 2nd Ave F train station #NYC pic.twitter.com/gQ2Xt271sZ

— Andy Mai (@MaiAndy) August 23, 2017

Updated 11:30 a.m.

The Daily News spoke with the shove victim, Kamala Shrestha, a mother of three, at Bellevue.

“He said something I don’t understand, he said ‘Do you want to die with me?’” or something. I didn’t understand what it was.”

He was skinny but strong and he shoved her hard, she said.

“I didn’t want to die. I yelled for someone, and somebody came, two guys,” she explained. They pulled her up, but the man escaped.

There's a free screening of 'Florence Foster Jenkins' in Tompkins Square Park Friday night

The city's "Movies Under the Stars" series comes to Tompkins Square Park Friday evening for a free screening of "Florence Foster Jenkins," the 2015 biopic that saw Meryl Streep earn her 20th Oscar nomination.

Here's the consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: "'Florence Foster Jenkins' makes poignant, crowd-pleasing dramedy out of its stranger-than-fiction tale — and does its subject justice with a reliably terrific turn from star Meryl Streep."



A few details via the NYC Parks website:

You should arrive by 7:30 p.m. to get your spot. Feel free to bring a blanket to sit on; there will be a limited supply of chairs available. Bottled water is OK, but no glass. Reservations are not taken; space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. All are welcome!

The movie starts at dusk (8 p.m.-ish) at the multi-purpose fields off of Avenue A and 10th Street.

Space Mabi sets Sept. 19 opening date on 1st Avenue

Several readers have noted the opening-soon sign at 67 First Avenue at Fourth Street ... where Space Mabi has set a Sept. 19 opening date...



Here's more about the concept from the questionnaire for a liquor license here (CB3 approved this last month):

Our team is planning on making the space ... an intimate but stylish restaurant/bar which seeks to gather people of all backgrounds to share in a Korean dining experience with tapas influences. Exploring traditional flavors and dishes while utilizing modern cooking techniques and ingredients, artful plating and portion sizes, we hope that the authenticity of the food and the enjoyment of the dining experience will invite patrons for generations to come. It is our goal to realize something appropriate that addresses our aspirations and priorities.

We also want to provide the space to the community in the mornings and afternoons so that they can have utilize the space for working, studying, having group discussions, catching up with others, etc.

Dishes on the sample menu include a fried tofu ball, avocado salad and soy rice cake to start, and a variety of kimchi dishes, among others.

The proprietors were previously behind a similar venture on Fifth Avenue at 30th Street called Space Nabi, which closed in the spring. (It was a cafe in the morning hours, with food and drinks later in the day.)

The previous tenant, the Venezuelan restaurant Guayoyo, never reopened after an early-morning basement fire on Jan. 13, 2015.

H/T Vinny & O!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Guayoyo has been closed now for 1 year

Gastropub — 'Your new playground' — slated for former Guayoyo space on 1st Avenue

An updated look at that Moxy hotel for 11th Street

On Monday, we noted the foundation work was underway for the Moxy hotel coming to 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

To date, only one preliminary rendering had been making the rounds.

Now, though, New York Yimby got the first full one via Stonehill & Taylor Architects...



Per Yimby: "[T]he building will be substantially more attractive than most new hotels in Manhattan, with industrial-style casement windows that lack the PTAC units that proliferate across so many low-budget developments."

The hotel geared toward millennial travelers will feature 311 rooms and a variety of eating-drinking options with an optimistic opening date of late 2018.

...and after the party, IT'S THE AFTER PARTY. #atthemoxy

A post shared by Moxy Hotels (@moxyhotels) on Aug 9, 2017 at 4:45am PDT

Previously.

Meanwhile, on the most humid day of summer, Christmas comes to St. Mark's Place

Film crews for the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" beat the Astor Place Kmart to setting up a Christmas display... crews are on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue prepping for scenes for the dramedy set in 1958.

The scene provided a WTF moment for EVG regular Jose Garcia, who shared these photos...

Report: The Village Voice is ending its print edition

After more than 60 years, The Village Voice is ending its print edition.

Said publisher Peter Barbey, who bought the weekly in 2015, via The Hollywood Reporter:

"For more than 60 years, The Village Voice brand has played an outsized role in American journalism, politics, and culture," Barbey said in a prepared statement. "It has been a beacon for progress and a literal voice for thousands of people whose identities, opinions, and ideas might otherwise have been unheard. I expect it to continue to be that and much, much more.”

The paper left Cooper Square, its home since 1991, in 2013 for a move to Maiden Lane in the Financial District.

More tributes TK...

The Village Voice is ending its weekly print edition. End of a journalism era in New York City.

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) August 22, 2017

Here's more via Poynter, which called the announcement "a symbolic blow for alternative weeklies across the United States, which have endured successive cuts and closures in recent years as print advertising revenue has dried up."

Updated

Here are thoughts via the Columbia Journalism Review.

EVG Etc.: Commercial rent tax battle; wedding on an M14D

[At the former Golden Market on 1st Avenue at 7th Street]

Police have arrested the Uber driver accused of raping an East Village resident after she fell asleep in his car (New York Post)

The East Village Queer Film Festival is underway at the Wild Project on Third Street (Official site)

A proposal to declaw Manhattan’s commercial rent tax has pitted de Blasio against his own party (The Real Deal)

Couple gets married on a 14D bus (B+B)

East Village man arrested, accused of taking peeping-Tom photos of neighbor (Daily News)

City Hall reported 70 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists through July, and 8,074 injured, compared to 80 deaths and 8,502 injuries in the first seven months of 2016. (Streetsblog)

Pier 36 becomes party boat, cruise ship destination (The Lo-Down)

Celebrating the longstanding and ongoing ties between boxing and cinema (Anthology Film Archives)

Invasion of the outlet malls in NYC? (Gothamist)

Diversions: Andy Kauffman's 1979 show at Carnegie Hall (Dangerous Minds)

On Target for a summer 2018 opening on 14th Street and Avenue A

Last week, workers removed the sidewalk bridge and scaffolding at 500 E. 14th St. at Avenue A... providing a good look at the storefront that will house the Target small-format store...



According to the Target news room, the store in the base of Extell's 7-floor residential complex will open next summer. A few details via Target:

Approx. 27,000 sq. ft. over two levels.
Merchandise includes men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, home, food (with grab-and-go selection spanning sandwiches, salads, beverages and more), health and beauty and electronics assortment.
Services offered: Target Mobile and Order Pickup.

Checking in on the former Other Music space, soon to be a health-focused restaurant

Renovations continue behind the papered-over storefront at 15 E. Fourth St. between Lafayette and Broadway, the former home of Other Music.

The incoming establishment is called Broken Coconut, a quick-serve healthy restaurant serving items such as quinoa parfaits and coconut chia.

BoweryBoogie first reported on this last month, with Eater getting further details, including that the venture is via Scott Sartiano, the nightlife impresario who was one of the founders of both 1Oak and Butter.

You can see the progress from a gap in the papered windows...



Broken Coconut is currently hiring. The Craigslist ad doesn't have many details about the venture: "Full and part time jobs available for new quick service concept serving healthy, delicious meals on the go. We value hard working employees with a great attitude over experience. Competitive hourly wage plus tips."

Other Music closed in June 2016 after 20-plus years in business. The store's owners cited rising rents and the changing face of the music industry as reasons behind the closure.

The filmmakers behind the documentary on Other Music successfully raised the necessary funds last month to complete the project.

We made our goal! Thanks to our backers & to @mollydneuman & everyone at @kickstarter. We're so humbled & can't wait to show you the film. #othermusicforever

A post shared by Other Music Documentary (@othermusicdoc) on Jul 27, 2017 at 12:14am PDT

Just For Fen bringing rice noodles to 1st Avenue

Signage is up at 229 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street... where Just For Fen is coming soon (H/T EVG regular Pinch!).

In this case, Fen meaning a type of Chinese noodle made from rice ...



Don't know anything else about the operation at the moment.

In three years, three quick-serve restaurants have come and gone at this location — Bago ... Hibachi Dumpling Express ... and 2 Bros.

[Updated] Starbucks signage arrives at incoming Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

The sign arrived yesterday...


[Photo by Fenton Lawless]

Still no word on an official opening date. Looks close to being ready, though.

Updated 11:30 a.m.

The rest of the signage has arrived this morning...



Above photo by Daniel Weiss

Previously

Watts up with the bright lights inside Key Food?

If you still have a pair of solar eclipse glasses, then you may want to bring them along the next time that you shop at Key Food on Avenue A... the grocery's new lights, as I discovered this morning, provide the ambiance of an interrogation room...



... perhaps this is an attempt to get people in and out of the store more quickly...



Anyway!

This is just the latest new development here ... joining the new Key logo that arrived in late July...


[Photo by EVG reader Steph]


[Photo from Aug. 1]

Key is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year...

This has nothing to do with a new LinkNYC kiosk

That toppled telephone booth is just a film prop... Crews are dressing up the front of 94 St. Mark's Place this afternoon... the filming here (and elsewhere) is for the Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," a dramedy written and directed by "Gilmore Girls" creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino.

The show stars "House of Cards" alum Rachel Brosnahan as a 1958 New York City housewife "who, through a series of events, winds up exploring the world of stand-up comedy."

Scenes for the pilot episode were filmed last fall at 7B/Vazac's/Horseshoe Bar.

Solar eclipse in the Park (and elsewhere)

Photos in Tompkins Square Park by Steven...







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Felton Davis was set up in his usual spot on Third Street and Second Avenue...



Photos by Frank Franca...

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On St. Mark's Place via @cybergal99 ...

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Peter Brownscombe shared these from 11th Street...





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and the moment inspired some eclipse 'ku...

a crowd in the park

she shares her eclipse glasses

with a tall stranger

after the eclipse

a garbage can overflows

with pin-hole boxes

•

Jeffrey Rabkin

[Updated] Report: Landlord makes eviction case against tenant with the Confederate flags

The drama continues over the flags on Eighth Street and Avenue D. DNAinfo reports that the landlord has filed a lawsuit against the tenant and is seeking to have him evicted.

Per DNAinfo:

William Green's glowing display of two Confederate battle flags in the windows of his top-floor apartment at 403 E. Eighth St. have posed a "clear and present danger" to the building and the surrounding community by sparking violence and mayhem, says the complaint filed Saturday by property owner 113 Avenue D, LLC in New York State Supreme Court.

Green, a rent-stabilized tenant with a lease dating back to 1996, is in violation of both the "Objectionable Conduct" clause of his lease and the Rent Stabilization Code because the flags are a nuisance burdening other tenants in the building and he should be evicted as a result, the lawsuit states.

Green has reportedly been out of town.

He said that he "found the sudden anger about the flags 'suspicious,'" according to emails included in the court papers.

Previous reports noted that Green was one of three non-market-rate tenants left in the building. According to Streeteasy, there are 23 units in the building. The previous listings show an average monthly rent of $2,395. Streeteasy does show any active rentals right now.

Per the listing:

This east village walk up building features beautifully renovated units and live-in super. The M14D bus stops right outside, and there is a citibike station across the street. Easy walking distance to the L, J, F, and M trains. There is a convenient dry cleaner downstairs as well as many bars and restaurants on Avenue C just a block away.

Public records show that No. 403 is managed by Yassky Properties. The building last changed hands for $865,000 in September 2000.

Updated 1:40 p.m.

Here's more from the Daily News:

Yassky’s attorney, Robert Gumenick, said he was not currently seeking Green’s eviction.

“Once the tenant realizes the extent of the problem, we’re hopeful the tenant will cooperate,” he said.

One longtime resident of the building, who did not wish to give her name, said the controversy was complicated by the fact that Green may be mentally ill.

“Obviously I don't want to live in a building with Confederate flags in the window,” the resident said. “(But) I don't know if he understands what that flag represents.”

Updated 8/22

The Post reports that the landlord has withdrawn the case.

“At this point, he feels it would be better to work it out with the tenant,” said Robert Gumenick, the lawyer for building owner Charles Yassky.

Gumenick declined to comment further except to say that Yassky no longer wanted to pursue the matter in court.

Updated 8/23

The Daily News has a short interview with Green.

“Absolutely not,” a defiant William Green told the Daily News on Tuesday when asked if he would classify himself as a racist.

The 43-year-old said the association of the rebel flag with secession and slavery is just a tale being told by select media outlets.

“That’s a fad, something that’s being created by MSNBC,” he told The News.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Anger over Confederate flags on 8th Street and Avenue D

[Updated] Workers place tarp over flags on 8th Street and Avenue D

[Updated] Flags — and tarp — have been removed from building at 8th Street and Avenue D

Foundation work starts on Moxy hotel as plywood rendering arrives

As I mentioned last week, the city has approved permits for the construction of the 13-story hotel coming to 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

The foundation work is underway....





... and a look at the hotel for Marriott's Moxy brand is now on the plywood...





That lines up with the only rendering that I've seen in circulation...


[Rendering via Flintlock Construction]

Work permits on file with the city show that the hotel will be 78,361 square feet — about 250 square feet per room. In addition, the permits show a lounge in the hotel's basement along with an "eating and drinking establishment with accessory terrace." The application also shows a lounge and another eating and drinking establishment on the first floor/lobby (not sure if these are connected) ... as well as a "grab n go" food and drink space. There's also another bar-restaurant planned for the top floor.

The Moxy website shows that the 11th Street hotel is expected to open in late 2018. All the background is at the links below...

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

Protest reminder about 112-120 E. 11th St.; plus concerns over asbestos removal

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Report: 300-room hotel planned for East 11th Street

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall

There will be several eating-drinking choices at the incoming Moxy hotel on 11th Street

Chipping away 112-120 E. 11th St. to make way for a Moxy hotel

Thaimee Box brings Thailand's Khao Kang eating culture to 13th Street

[Reader-submitted photo]

Thaimee Box is now up and running at 244 E. 13th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (This is the former Zabb City space.)

Here's their about via Facebook:

Fast-casual Thai by Chef Hong Thaimee inspired by Thailand's Khao Kang (curry over rice) eating culture.

Thaimee is also the chef at Ngam, the well-regarded Thai restaurant at 99 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. (The Village Voice named Ngam NYC's No. 1 Thai restaurant in 2013.)

You can find the Thaimee Box menu here ... and Thaimee's bio here. They are open daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

And a look inside Thaimee Box ...

A post shared by Ngam NYC (@ngamnyc) on Aug 15, 2017 at 5:21pm PDT