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 or Lower East Side.



By James Maher

Name: Holly DeRito and Tulip
Occupation: Owner, Waggytail Rescue
Location: Avenue B between 10th and 11th
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 28

I’m originally from the sticks of Pennsylvania. I grew up with horses on a small farm next to Allentown. I came here for the music scene. One of my friends was a roadie for a band, and I started seeing shows. I just became addicted to New York. I’ve been here for 24 years. I was into hardcore punk, alternative. The first show that I drove up to myself was Bad Brains at the Wetlands.

I was bold but I probably should have been more scared than I was. I was always a little bit fearless. I’ve always been a little bit shy but then I’ve been bold. I like challenges — so one of my friends dared me to go into one of those S&M places and try out to be a dominatrix.

I was going to school and working two jobs. I just did it for shits and giggles, and they were like, ‘Oh, you’re blond, you’re hired.’ So I ended up doing that and that’s how I put myself through college with no debt. And then I did a dominatrix workout program that was on HBO and VH1 Real Sex — it was called Slaversize.

I got really sick with Lyme disease, so I didn’t start that again, but I adopted my dog Taco, and he was just magical. The day that I adopted him, two of my friends died in a murder-suicide, and I just remember he was so scared and I just clung to him. He was my soulmate dog.

Then I fostered a dog for another group, and the second that dog was adopted, Taco just looked so sad. So I road my bike up to the city pound to jailbreak him a friend. There I ran into a girl I had worked with as a dominatrix. She was running a pug rescue.

She pulled me into the back to where all of the dogs were on death row that the public didn’t see. She was like, ‘These are the ones that aren’t going to get out, who can you take? Can you help me?’ And I went home with seven dogs that night. I couldn’t leave any of them. So I went home and called my friends and said, ‘Hey can you watch a dog for a few days?’

I had no idea what I was doing — and that’s kind of how I started. It became like — I can save more. I was so passionate, and it was a challenge. I officially formed a rescue in 2004 and it’s just grown from there. The city has changed a lot in that there are almost no small dogs or family friendly dogs in the city shelters, which is great because people have started spaying and neutering. They have started taking better care of their pets. The city has become really pro-dog and dog friendly in comparison to what it used to be. Here for dogs to breed and have puppies, you almost have to make a conscious effort. They have to be in heat and find each other down the hallway and down the stairs. In Los Angeles, Dallas, and elsewhere in the south, they don’t spay/neuter and the dogs are just running in yards. They’re just completely overwhelmed with dogs.

We had a waiting list of people who wanted to adopt dogs. I went to Los Angeles to dogsit for one of my friends and saw the shelters there. I decided to form a program called One-by-One. We supply the carriers, we pay for the ticket for the dog as well as the leashes, the harnesses — everything. We drop off the dog at the airport, pick it up on the other side and a person just flies with the dog. Everybody said it couldn’t be done, and it seemed like it was impossible, but people love it. Everybody who’s done it has done it again. We’ve gotten about 500 dogs that way — one by one.

I have a little bit more faith in humanity. We get adoption donations. The dogs that are coming in tonight on American Airlines are from the highest kill shelter in Dallas, and then all the fosters are going to pick them up. I’m going to microchip them myself. I have my own little branch in Los Angeles with my system and my setup with the shelters and the veterinarians and we also partner up with a few groups. We take in dogs about every two weeks. I formed a buddy system where people who have fostered help the new [dog owners].

I really like anything hands-on. My mom was a nurse and my grandmother was a lab tech. I grew up going into the lab, visiting my grandmother and being fascinated by tumors when I was 6 years old. That stuff is kind of normal to me. I grew up next to a wildlife sanctuary, and because my mom is a nurse, we used to take in all types of orphaned animals and birds with broken wings. It’s an addiction, and it’s also a little bit of a gamble because I agree to a certain amount of dogs. If I don’t find fosters, then I’m out on the street with the dog. Hasn’t happened yet but I’m at the max amount allowed in my building – so yeah, I’d be sleeping at Remedy diner.

If people want to help we have a little fostering section on Waggytailrescue.org. For support we have trainers who we work with. A lot of the fosters end up adopting. A lot of people are considering adopting a dog and they’re not sure it’s the right time, so they’ll foster for a week or two and see if they’re ready for the commitment. If they’re not ready, they’ll maybe foster again until the right time or the right dog, so it’s a good system.

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

A campaign to #SitOutSantaCon

SantaCon is scheduled for Saturday... ahead of that, DiMassimo Goldstein, an NYC-based ad agency, along with Crew Cuts, a broadcasting and media production company, launched a #SitOutSantaCon campaign. (The website notes that the campaign is also brought to you by "Decent People Everywhere.")

And there's a video, described this way:

This year, tens of thousands of people will flood the streets for SantaCon in cities across America. Like every year, adults will see overserved Santas, inebriated elves and reckless Rudolphs.

But what will the children see?

The #SitOutSantaCon website features a variety of posters and GIFs to share...



Not taking part in SantaCon is one thing. It's a choice. One problem with SantaCon, depending on where you are, is that you don't have much of a choice of being surrounded by it if you decide to venture outdoors.

As Jason Gilbert wrote for the Times in 2013 (in calling for a ban):

Perhaps most distressing about SantaCon is its size and the way that it shuts down and befouls dozens of blocks. Any East Villager (I am one) can tell you that the event makes doing absolutely anything beyond one’s front stoop an impossibility, unless you own swamp waders and a riot shield.

And...

For a New York City event of its size, however, SantaCon is distinctive, and arguably impressive, in that it contributes absolutely zero value — cultural, artistic, aesthetic, diversionary, culinary or political — to its host neighborhood. Quite simply, SantaCon is a parasite.

As for SantaCon 2017, organizers have yet to divulge what neighborhoods they'll congregate in this year.

Hot Pot Central closes on 2nd Avenue

[Photo via @jcastro_nyc]

After nearly a year in business, Hot Pot Central has closed on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street. They closed after service on Sunday night. No word on why they shut down.

This was the third attempt by the owners here since March 2015 ... following DumplingGuo and, previously, Dumpling Go.

Shima had a good run on the corner here until January 2014. After Shima, the asking rent for the prime corner location had been $25,400 per month.

Stereo exchange: Bright Audio moves on Avenue A

This past weekend, Bright Audio moved out of its storefront of five years at 202 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street ... heading across the Avenue to No. 207...




[Photo by Lola Sāenz]

Owner Kerry Bright, a general contractor specializing in home theaters, first created custom audio and video systems in the basement of 205 Avenue A in the early 2000s. (Sales were by appointment only.)

Bright then opened the storefront selling high-end headphones, amplifiers, turntables, etc., at No. 202 in 2012. (Read more about his business here.)

Now it appears he's moving back to the pre-storefront era. Bright Audio has an online shop and offers custom installation.

H/T Lola Sāenz!

The former Venus Body Arts space is for rent on Avenue A

Venus Body Arts recently cleared out of its 4-year-old home at 31 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street.

And the listing for the storefront owned by the NYCHA arrived on the market yesterday. (The photo in the listing shows the wrong space.) Asking rent is $90 a square foot.

As for Venus Body Arts, owner Maria Tash, whose clients have included Scarlett Johansson, Beyoncé and FKA Twigs, first got her start in a Fourth Street studio in 1992. She moved the jewelry, tattoo and clothing boutique to this storefront in 2013. The locations on Broadway and in London remain open.

Get well soon, Dora!

[Photo last week by Ryan John Lee]

Last week, several residents reported a red-tailed hawk in some sort of distress on Ninth Street at Avenue C. Someone called the NYPD...


[Photo last week by Ryan John Lee]

...and eventually the hawk, believed to be Dora, one of the resident hawks in Tompkins Square Park, flew off into La Plaza Cultural.

In the following days, none of the Park's hawk watchers had seen Dora... raising some concerns about her health.

Goggla provided an update tonight: Turns out that Dora has an injured wing. She was picked up last night by the NYPD on Avenue C between 9th Street and 10th Street and was taken to Animal Medical Center. Her wing is not broken, but she is unable to fly.

You can head over to Goggla's site for more details.

Come home soon, Dora ...


[Photo by Steven]

You Gotti be kidding me: Mobster biopic pulled 10 days before release

[Photo in February by Daniel]

Back in February, crews were out on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue filming scenes for "Gotti," the biopic starring John Travolta, seen above, in the title role.

"Gotti," directed by "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly, was set to open on Dec. 15.

Not anymore. The Tracking Board reports that Lionsgate dropped the film from its schedule and sold it back to its producers. There isn't any word on why Lionsgate decided to drop "Gotti."

Insiders say that "Gotti" would have given 10th Street its meatiest role since "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" filmed between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in 2005.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mob scene on 10th Street as 'Gotti' crew and John Travolta hold forth

Today in sad-looking bears propped up by a tree on 1st Street

RIP Magdalena Wassiltschuk

Several readers have shared the news that Magdalena (Maggie) Wassiltschuk, a longtime resident on Ninth Street, died early last week.

I don't have any biographical information at the moment. A reader who lives on the same block between Avenue A and First Avenue said that she had cancer.

According to the reader, she lived for at least two decades at 415 E. Ninth St. and prior to that on Avenue B. She came to the city some years ago from Gettysburg, Pa., where she was a registered nurse.

Per the reader:

She was a huge animal lover and daily would sit on the stoop at 415, talking to everyone who passed by (well, primarily if they had a dog with them). She was a great neighbor. She was the first person who introduced herself to me when I moved to the East Village. Then, in typical fashion, she told me I should get a cat — and pointed at Ollie’s, that cat adoption place across Ninth street. When I finally did get a dog, it took her about two days to tell me the dog needed a friend and that I should adopt another!

She had very little, if any, family.

A neighbor created a small memorial, which has grown in recent days, on her building's entryway with a sign reading "Queen of the Stoop."

65 E. 2nd St. now with a little off the ask

Back in July 2016, we wrote about 65 E. Second St., the charming townhouse for sale between First Avenue and Second Avenue across from the New York City Marble Cemetery.

At the time, the asking price was $5.75 million.

Leslie J.. Garfield still has the listing... the ask is now $5.2 million. Here's the listing to refresh your memory (pay attention to Apt. 3!):

[T]his 4,600 square foot townhouse has been fully gut renovated into three gracious apartments overlooking the Marble Cemetery, the oldest public cemetery in New York City.

Originally built c. 1834 as a Greek Revival-style row house with cast-iron stoop posts and hand-railings, basket-style iron fire escape, rope moldings and historic wood casement windows and transoms.

65 East 2nd Street is located in the prime East Village, on the cusp of NoHo and the Lower East Side, surrounded by new condominium developments, cafes, boutique shops, and trendy restaurants. This turnkey townhouse is suitable for both end-users and investors alike, with the ability to move into the owner’s duplex with incredibly low annual expenses (Tax Class 2B and tenant paid utilities), while offering longterm upside in a rapidly developing neighborhood.

APT 1: Currently configured as a three-bedroom, three bath garden duplex featuring Central Air-Conditioning, custom chef ’s kitchen and cabinetry, high-end finishes, washer/dryer and two private outdoor spaces. Current tenant pays $8,750 per month. Lease Expires August 2018.

APT 2: Currently configured as a fully renovated three bedroom, two bath apartment featuring central air conditioning, gut renovated kitchen and bathrooms, 11’ ceiling heights, and unobstructed, sunlit views north. Current tenant pays $6,600 per month. Lease Expires July 2018.

APT 3: Occupied by a life-tenancy, this apartment is currently configured as a fully renovated three bedroom, two bath apartment featuring central air conditioning, gut renovated kitchen and bathrooms, 9.5’ ceiling heights, and unobstructed, sunlit views north. Tenant pays $500 per month in perpetuity.

... and two interior shots and the front view...

No trespassing (or hunting or fishing) at the former Cafe Orlin

In recent weeks several readers have noted that some travelers/crusties have been camped out overnight at the former Cafe Orlin outdoor space on St. Mark's Place east of Second Avenue... which prompted the arrival of no trespassing signs that someone (the landlord?) posted ... these particular signs include hunting and fishing along with the no trespassing for good measure ...



News broke in early September that the restaurant was closing after service on Oct. 15.

Grub Street reported at the time that "a new restaurant will open in its place." There haven't been any updates on that just yet, including with construction permits filed at the DOB.

Cafe Orlin opened in March 1981.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Orlin will close next month after 36 years in business (34 comments)

A milestone for 'Stomp'

[Photo of the new marquee from last week]

Today, "Stomp" celebrates 10,000 performances at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

"Stomp" — created in 1991 by Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell in England — began its run at the Orpheum in February 1994.

People magazine noted the number of props the cast of the dance/percussion show has used at the Orpheum:

• 19,000 wood-handled brooms (glued, coated with marine epoxy, and covered with nylon strapping tape).
• 5,900 metal trash bins (three varieties of bins are used in the show — two imported from the UK, the third manufactured in the U.S.).
• 2,100 sheets of Masonite
• 600 wooden poles

For awhile, it looked as if "Stomp" wouldn't be holding any milestones here. In April 2015, the owners of the Orpheum were suing the producers of "Stomp" to prevent them from leaving the theater. However, a Manhattan judge ruled that the production was allowed to discontinue its contract and move on to a new theater in Midtown.

But! An arbitrator later ruled that the show must stay put after it tried to relocate to a competing playhouse uptown.

Here's some history of the Orpheum Theatre via Cinema Treasures:

The site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City.

A 1904 NY Times article describes a visit to the Orpheum as an evening which began with entertainment from a Hungarian orchestra, continued with dinner in the 7 o'clock hour, and concluded with a three-hour stage show by a Viennese theatre company.

The theatre was part of the exploding Second Avenue Yiddish theatre scene in the early decades of the 20th century but was exhibiting motion pictures by at least 1921. By 1926 it was operated by the Meyer & Schneider circuit. Additional references indicate that it continued to do so through the mid-1950s.

Police seeking this grand larceny suspect on 11th Street

The NYPD is looking for a suspect who reportedly broke into a vehicle on 11th Street and stole nearly $2,500 worth of clothes and electronics.

According to Town & Village, the theft took place last Wednesday outside 526 E. 11th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's surveillance video via Patch:



Police described the suspect as "Hispanic, around 35 years old, 5-5 and 155 lbs. with a medium complexion." He was last seen wearing a green hat, black sneakers, black jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

East Village launch pad

Photo today by Grant Shaffer...

[Updated] New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

An applicant is expected to appear before the CB3-SLA committee this month for a new liquor license for the Grassroots Tavern at 20 St. Mark's Place.

According to the questionnaire (PDF here) posted for the public on the CB3 website, the applicant is Richard Precious. The paperwork describes this as "a sale of assets."

Precious started a mini chain of bars called the Ginger Man in Texas in 1985 (named after the J.P. Donleavy novel). He opened a Ginger Man on East 36th Street near Fifth Avenue in 1996. (He sold the Texas bars in 2000. There are also Ginger Man bars in Greenwich and Norwalk, Conn.)

The questionnaire does not specify if the basement-level Grassroots space would be renamed or renovated. There's a mention of food ("casual restaurant fare"). The proposed hours remain roughly the same (4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday through Friday instead of the current 3 p.m. to 4 a.m.), but with an earlier start on Saturday and Sunday (1 p.m.). The live jazz performances on Sunday evening will continue, per the questionnaire. (And it looks as if the lone TV will remain.)


[EVG file photo]

No word yet when — or if — the change in ownership will occur and what type of modifications may occur at the Grassroots, which opened here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in 1975.

As for what might be in store, here's an overview of the NYC Ginger Man via New York magazine:

As much a pub as a Mercedes SUV is a jeep, the Ginger Man feels like Euro Disney's vision of the classic Irish watering hole. Nothing is done in half measures, whether it's the mind-boggling selection of beers and single malts or the JFK, Jr.-look-alike bartenders. And while the clientele is all business during the day, this vision of J. Press heaven loosens its tie and kicks off its heels at night. On a recent visit, suit-and-tie singles, post-MSG sports fans and an impromptu wrap party for an off-Broadway play co-existed peacefully, with more than enough wandering room and cozy corners for all.

A change in the GR status quo isn't a big surprise. In January 2016, Klosed Properties bought the landmarked 20 St. Mark's Place from Jim Stratton, who is also the majority owner of the Grassroots. At that time, a source with some background of the deal said that the bar had a lease for the next five years, with an option after that for renewal.

However, there have been unsubstantiated-to-date rumors in circulation that the current incarnation of the Grassroots would close before the end of its current lease.

Meanwhile, several applicants had been looking at opening a bar-restaurant in the upstairs space that previously housed Sounds. However, those plans never materialized.

The December CB3-SLA committee meeting is Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Updated 12/7

The bar's Facebook page announced tonight that the Grassroots will close after service on New Year's Eve. More to come...

Previously on EV Grieve:
20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

Your chance to live in this historic home above the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

Pourt has closed on Cooper Square

Pourt, the cafe-work space combo at 35 Cooper Square, shut down after service on Friday.

There's a message on the bottom of the Pourt website noting that they "are unfortunately no longer operating. Thank you to all of our customers."



It seemed like a good idea on paper: a mixture of coffeehouse and workspace. People could rent a desk with speedy fiber optics by the hour ($7) and order bottomless coffee ($2.99). There was also access to printers, phone chargers, Skype facilities, etc., as well as a larger conference room for small groups.

The New York Business Journal wrote about the space back in March:

Pourt is striving to create a new hybrid, a mixture of coffeehouse and workspace, emphasizing short-term stays. Whether there are enough freelancers and small businesses that can pay those fees is yet to be determined.

It‘s located on Cooper Square, strategically situated near Cooper Union, NYU, Manhattan Marymount College dorms and the Standard Hotel in the bustling East Village. The combined space measures 2,000 square feet.

Founders Matt Tervooren, 28, and 27-year-old Mike Kruszewski, lived in the East Village (Tervooren recently moved to Williamsburg) and met as economics majors at the University of Michigan. When they freelanced, they were “consistently frustrated by the lack of good Wifi, lack of available seating, or having the barista frowning at you if you don’t order more food,” Tervooren noted.

Pourt, he said, “combines the two concepts, a coffee shop with a comfortable work space.” And what differentiates Pourt from other co-working spaces such as WeWork and Regus is customers “don’t have to make long-term commitments. If you’re looking for a permanent office, we’re not right,” he admitted.

So what happened? One local who frequented the space offered this analysis:

Their rent was very high and they had a lot of square footage. They took so much space because they originally thought they could have space in the back where people would pay to work during the day. Their rent required that the work space generate substantial revenue. But nobody wanted to pay $10+/hour to work in the back when there are so many other options nearby. So they tried a bunch of other business models over the past year, trying to figure out how to generate enough revenue to pay crazy East Village rents on a large space that a coffee shop model alone couldn’t support. They were nice guys and worked hard ... it’s a shame.

Pourt opened back in January in the base of the Marymount Manhattan College dormitory here at Sixth Street.

The owners were unsuccessful in their bid for a full liquor license in July.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Pourt softly opens on Cooper Square

Pourt signage arrives at Cooper Square dorm retail space

Looking at Mani in Pasta on 14th Street

Mani in Pasta looks ready to start serving at 245 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ... (EVG regular Pinch saw some customers inside in what was likely a friends-family test run...)



This is the second location for the Italian restaurant. (The other spot is on 37th Street between Fifth and Madison.) Here's more about what they serve via Facebook:

The best Roman Style Pizza "Pizza al Taglio" but also Southern Italian Appetizers, Handmade Panini, Signature Pastas, Salads, Coffees, Pastries and Gelato...

[Image via Facebook]

You can find their menu and hours here.

Meanwhile, the letter spacing between the P and the A in PASTA has been corrected...


[Photo from September]

In recent years, the address was home to Mimi's Hummus, Wicked Wolf BBQ and Joey Pepperoni's.

Garden expression

[Photo by Steven]

There's a message — Garden Here — on the eastern wall facing the empty lots where 119-123 Second Ave. used to stand at Seventh Street.

Likely wishful thinking. Late this past spring, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for 119 and 121 Second Ave. at Seventh Street. To date, there haven't been any new building permits filed with the city.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

You can now press your face against the windows of the incoming Target store on 14th and A

If you should want to. The sidewalk bridge, barriers, fencing, etc., have recently been removed here on 14th Street at Avenue A at Extell's new retail-residential development ...



The retail, of course, is the small-format Target store with an expected July 2018 opening date.



Previously

Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge opens for the month in the former No Malice Palace space

The former No Malice Palace space on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now home to a pop-up holiday bar called Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge. They opened on Friday, and will close on Jan. 1

Via the bar's website:

We've decked the halls with pop-up magic and stuffed your stockings with craft cocktails and mulled wine. Fire places, grandma's quilts and xmas decorations galore... a visit to this heard's house party will make your Insta-Story lit.... we're not kidding, there are a ton of lights. Don't forget to grab a photo-op in front of the custom "Reindeer Playing Poker" mural in the back yard! Whether you have a last minute holiday party to plan or just need to get your yule-tide on, Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge is your home away from holiday ho-ho-ho... you get it.

The cocktails ($13) include Zuzu's Petals, Elf Nog and (seriously) Nog-Gonna Make to Work Tomorrow.

A feature on the bar in Metro notes, "The decor inside the East Village bar looks as if all the twinkle lights wrapped around the trees and houses in suburbia had been brought inside instead; let’s call it Enthusiastic Dad."

This is the second pop-up holiday bar to open in the East Village this season. Mace, the cocktail bar on Ninth Street near Avenue C, goes by Miracle on Ninth Street during this time of year. (Same bar, just with Christmas decorations.)

No Malice Palace never reopened after the death of its owner, Phil Sherman, in November 2016.