Tuesday, March 6, 2018

More Flower Power to you


The shop selling medicinal plants, tinctures, salves and essential oils, among other things (they also offer workshops), is celebrating 24 years in business this month.

Seems like a good time to revisit our post from 2014 featuring Lata Chettri-Kennedy, the shop's founder and owner.

Flower Power Herbs & Roots, Inc. is at 406 E. Ninth St. between between Avenue A and First Avenue. They are open daily from noon to 7 p.m.

Making room for Mount Sinai's new EV hospital; CB3 hosting forum on the downsizing of Beth Israel



Demolition continues at 321 E. 13th St., a 14-floor building between Second Avenue and First Avenue.

The building previously housed training physicians and staff of the nearby New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

This photo via EVG reader KT shows crews chipping away at the upper floors...



As previously reported, the Mount Sinai Health System is in the process of rebuilding Mount Sinai Beth Israel, transitioning to a network of smaller facilities throughout lower Manhattan and selling off their campus on First Avenue and 16th Street.

The plans include an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue ... and using part of the lot where No. 321 stands now. (Find a Mount Sinai FAQ here.)

A few weeks ago, The Villager reported that Mount Sinai officials are considering adding four extra floors to this new building. (Previously, hospital officials had said that the additional floors atop the new East Village mini-hospital could be added later, if needed.)

Here's part of a Mount Sinai statement to the paper:

“As we have stated from the start, we are continuing to evaluate all of our options, including possibly building the extra four floors as part of the initial build.

“We have always committed to an open and transparent process, and after listening to the concerns from local leaders and constituents, as well as our internal advisers and leaders, we are currently leaning toward building the extra four floors for programmatic use, not beds.

“We still believe that 220 beds will best meet the needs of the community. However, if we see a dramatic change in the future, we will be better prepared and have greater flexibility to address that issue with these additional floors already built. We will continue to update the community as our progress continues.”

Here's a schematic of the new facility ...



Meanwhile, on Thursday night, CB3 is hosting a forum on the downsizing of Beth Israel.

Via the EVG inbox...

What medical services must be available locally?

Beth Israel Hospital has already closed its labor and delivery department. Other medical services are also being moved uptown. In a few years, the full-service hospital at First Avenue and 16th Street will be completely closed.

What medical services does Mount Sinai need to continue to provide in our community?

We need to tell Mount Sinai now. CB3 needs community input to understand your needs as we work in influence the restructuring plans of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Come tell CB3 what is important for your family and friends.

The forum is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Sirovich Senior Center, 331 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Scaffolding arrives as demolition nears for Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building

Permits filed to demolish Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building

Bravo Supermarkets coming to Avenue D



The build-out continues at 119 Avenue D between Eighth Street and Ninth Street ... and it's starting to look a lot like a grocery store...



The work permits on file with the city list Bravo Supermarkets as the incoming tenant. The New York-based Bravo has more than 70 locations in the northeast (with nearly a dozen in Brooklyn and Queens) as well as in Florida.

Per the Bravo website:

Bravo Supermarkets are neighborhood grocery stores that your family can depend on! Because all of our stores are independently owned and operated, we have the unique ability to truly cater to the needs of our communities, which is why no two Bravo Supermarkets are exactly alike! At Bravo you'll find the products that are meant for the people who live in the neighborhood- stocked with a large assortment of specialty and international products, fresh meat, seafood, produce and so much more!

No word on an opening date just yet.

Avenue D is currently served by Uncle Johnny Grocery and Compare Foods as well as several delis.

The previous tenant at No. 119, the All in One Value Center, closed last fall.

Mohan's Tattoo Inn arrives on 14th Street



Mohan Gurung, a Nepali tattoo artist, is opening an outpost of Mohan's Tattoo Inn on the north side of 14th Street near Second Avenue.

The signage just arrived, per this photo via Pinch.

Gurung opened his first shop in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2000. He moved to Queens in early 2015, eventually debuting Mohan's Tattoo Inn in Jackson Heights. (You can read more about him here.)


[Photo by KT]

The storefront (No. 309) has been vacant in recent years. Parks Upholstery was the last tenant.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Noted



Steven shared these photos from this afternoon... showing a man wearing, presumably, a Google Street View Trekker... I've read about these, but can't recall seeing one out in the wild... and the guy looks to be eating, presumably, an Oreo or Hydrox...

Third Street Music School Settlement alum 1st person ever to achieve a double EGOT

Last night, Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Remember Me" from "Coco."

As you may (or may not!) know, Lopez is a former student at the Third Street Music School Settlement on 11th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The school gave him a shout-out on Instagram...


Lopez is also the first person who has ever achieved a double EGOT. According to published reports, there are currently 12 individuals who have won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (Mel Brooks, Rita Moreno and Whoopi Goldberg, among others). Lopez, a composer who co-created "The Book of Mormon" and "Avenue Q," has won at least two of each. Lopez won an Oscar a few years back for original song with "Let It Go" from "Frozen."

Tree down on Avenue B at 7th Street



EVG regular Lola Sฤenz shares these photos from outside Tompkins Square Park on Avenue B at Seventh Street... the Chinese elm tree is down...





Two witnesses said that a "big truck" struck the tree, causing the fall. It's not clear what, if anything, the driver did after the collision.

Here's a look at the tree from last September via Google Street View...



This is the second tree lost in the Park since Saturday.

Updated 5 p.m.



Several witnesses said that this Bartlett Dairy truck was the culprit... the driver was spotted assessing the damage. It's not known if he did anything else about the damaged tree.

Thanks to Daniel Root for the photo.

March 5



First Avenue and First Street today. The reader who shared the photo wasn't sure if the tree was discarded or just waiting for the M15.

About the ongoing issues with the NYCHA


[Avenue D and 10th Street]

On Friday, embattled NYCHA Chair Shola Olatoye shared a letter with residents of the city's public housing. The letter, marking her fourth anniversary as chair, noted some progress at the agency as well as addressed failures in lead paint inspections and heating outages.

The NYCHA posted Olatoye's letter on Twitter Friday evening...


Olatoye and the NYCHA continue to make headlines in recent months. Per the Daily News on Saturday:

Olatoye has faced relentless calls to resign after it emerged that she falsely told the City Council in December that properly certified workers had inspected some 4,200 apartments for lead paint. A Department of Investigation probe found the inspections were in fact done by workers who lacked the required training.

Meanwhile, last month, Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, launched an investigation into the recurring heat and lead paint problems at NYCHA properties throughout the five boroughs, including in the East Village and Lower East Side.

At the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D, one resident said that she has just gotten used to the lack of heat, even telling ABC 7 last month that she knows better than to complain.

"Some of us that do have the heat, if we complained then there's no heat for the rest of the winter," Cynthia Martin told the station.

Martin also said that she has peeling paint in her apartment, "which she fears is lead paint. Not to mention mold, which she blames for her kids' asthma."

This past Tuesday, the Citywide Council of Presidents, a group of tenant leaders chosen by residents, asked a judge to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the NYCHA "because it has failed to provide heat and hot water, keep residents safe from lead, involve tenants in policymaking and hire residents, as required by federal regulations," per published reports.

Here's more background from The New York Times last week:

Three authority officials, including the general manager, Michael P. Kelly, have resigned, and one was demoted. There are persistent calls for the authority chairwoman, Shola Olatoye, to resign or be removed, though Mayor Bill de Blasio has remained supportive of her.

“Lots of different of organizations have sued Nycha, but this is a first,” Nicholas Dagen Bloom, an associate professor of social science at New York Institute of Technology and the author of “Public Housing That Worked: New York in the 20th Century,” said about the lawsuit. “It does show a mounting, spreading activist spirit. Generally speaking, that council was a rubber stamp and it has been widely criticized for decades, though not always fairly.”

At the Daily News yesterday, author Ben Austen weighed in with an opinion piece titled "NYCHA at the crossroads."

From that piece:

New York City is at a crossroads. If its public housing is allowed to deteriorate further, the buildings will soon seem too dilapidated to save. They will become more dangerous, the cost of repairs ever-more insurmountable.

Some terrible harm to residents will come to define NYCHA's cruelty, and the value of the real estate on which the buildings sit will emerge as an irresistible lure. By then, demolition will be hailed as the only solution.

But for hundreds of thousands NYCHA residents who live and work in the five boroughs, there is no other viable alternative. The city already operates by far the largest Section 8 voucher program in the country. With de Blasio pressing his plans to add 300,000 units of affordable housing, generally above the public housing income threshold, it just doesn't make sense to let this major share of the city's low-income portfolio fall into ruin.

For his part, Mayor de Blasio still reportedly has Olatoye's back, saying in late January that when assessing the totality of what the agency has accomplished during her tenure, she has made "tremendous progress."

"When Shola took office, the Housing Authority was literally teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. She righted the ship. So I want to give her a lot of credit," the mayor said at an unrelated press conference in the Bronx in January, as reported by the Post. "I continue to have great faith in her."

Other elected officials don't share that sentiment. Gov. Cuomo told WNYC last week that the NYCHA's numerous problems stem from poor management, not underfunding.

"When they tell you it takes us three to four years to spend money they get today, that is a problem," Cuomo said. "People can’t wait three to four years to turn on the heat. Lead paint is a problem today. And, that's what the residents are complaining about and I think they’re right."

The Mayor, in response, said that Cuomo was being ridiculous.

For further reading:
Why Can’t de Blasio’s Housing Authority Keep the Heat On? (The Village Voice)

City Seeks Proposals For Large New Residential Project at La Guardia Houses (The Lo-Down)

Cows, pigs and chickens now adorn the walls at the former vegan favorite Angelica Kitchen


[Photo Saturday by Laura K.]

As reported in November, a Chinese restaurant is taking over the former Angelica Kitchen on 12th Street near Second Avenue.



The signage went up last week for Dunhuang East Village, the latest location for the restaurant serving northwestern Chinese cuisine ... featuring a variety of hand-pulled noodles. (You can find their menu here.)

The walls of the under-renovation space are adorned with cows, pigs and chickens ...



Angelica Kitchen, which first opened on St. Mark's Place in 1976, shut down after service in April 2017. Owner Leslie McEachern said that "making the numbers work week in and week out is just not viable for us anymore."

The restaurant moved to 12th Street in 1987.

And while we're at it... here's a look at the incoming neighbor on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street — Lumos Kitchen ... you can read the previous post on this venture here.



Thanks to Shiv for also sending photos of the Dunhuang East Village signage!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Angelica Kitchen closing on April 7; friends raising money to pay off expenses (61 comments)

Former Angelica Kitchen space will yield to a Chinese noodle shop on 12th Street

The for-real Target signage has arrived at EVGB



A tipster shared the above photo from Friday at 500 E. 14th St. at Avenue A ... the wraparound Target signage has arrived on the corner space (Previously just a small sign marked the location for construction workers.)

Now, though!





As reported last summer, the small-format Target will cover two levels here, selling men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, food (with grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, beverages), health and beauty and electronics. Etc.

The East Village Target has an expected July opening date.

Oh, and about EVGB. That's short for "East Village's Greatest Building," the nickname that Extell Development bestowed upon this retail-residential complex.

Former Artichoke Pizza space for rent on 14th Street



The for-rent signage has arrived atop the former Artichoke Basille's Pizza location on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Kinda interesting that the high-end Nest Seekers International has the rather pedestrian property. Didn't spot the listing online just yet.

The storefront suffered damage last May during a two-alarm fire. According to the FDNY, the fire was accidental — "due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

At the time Artichoke was still the tenant, though they were nearly ready to relocate across the street... the growing pizzeria chainlet opened that spot in June...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

DOH temporarily closes Pinky's on 1st Street



An EVG reader, who says he's a fan of the new Pinky's Space on First Street, was disappointed to find the to-go shop closed in recent weeks.

There isn't any mention of a temporary closure on the Pinky's website or social media channels.

According to public records, the Health Department closed Pinky's following an inspection on Feb. 13. In total, there are 121 violation points ... the most serious, per the DOH website: "Food from unapproved or unknown source or home canned. Reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing; or ROP foods prepared on premises transported to another site."

According to Pinky's crowdfunding campaign:

Pinky's will be a GRAB & GO food chain offering a 7 item menu with multiple locations located in small venues (approximately 150 sq/ft) next to high traffic NYC subway stations. We will offer healthy Southern American & French style cuisine served hot and packaged fresh in vibrant packaging creatively designed for easy commute and convenient dining.

Pinky's wants to keep life simple for everyone. Food operations will be streamlined by utilizing a central kitchen to prepare and cook all food with daily deliveries to each location. A limited menu will also keep the overall system simple and efficient for both customers and personnel. Each store will be simplistic and require minimal investment. They will require a steam table, refrigerator, sink, and countertop.

With all food prepared offsite, each location can swiftly serve customers with minimal time and effort as well as minimal staff (2 per store). There's no need for expensive real estate to house kitchen space or expensive equipment to outfit each restaurant. Additional locations can also be seamlessly integrated into network operations with minimal time and expense.

Looks as if there are a few issues to address to make this concept work within the Health Department's guidelines. (Other violations included "HACCP plan not approved or approved HACCP plan not maintained on premises.")

And the reader likely didn't know about the violations given that the DOH's yellow "closed" sticker was covered up on the front door...



Pinky's opened in early January, receiving coverage on UrbanDaddy and ABC 7.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Sunday's parting shot



Photo on First Avenue late this afternoon via Raquel Shapira ...

Red-tailed hawk drama headed to local TV news


[Photo today by Steven]

Ali Bauman, a reporter for CBS 2, was in Tompkins Square Park today... for a red-tailed hawk segment expected to air tonight at 11.

Dora, pictured above, cooperated by catching and eating a pigeon.

And Dora later...



Photos by Steven!

Updated:

Here's the link to the CBS 2 feature.

Week in Grieview


[2nd Avenue surf via Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

650 E. 6th St.prepped for demolition; new condoplex on the way (Monday)

Report: Contractor charged in 2nd Avenue gas explosion illegally renovating Harlem apartments (Saturday)

The books of Felix Caro (Wednesday)

Dora returns home (Monday) ... Christo and Dora spotted building nest together (Wednesday)

Pastel Spa & Nails closes on 2nd Avenue; murals outside tanned over (Thursday)

CB3 OKs proposal for Union Square tech hub; calls for zoning protections (Thursday)

Residents voice concerns about quality-of-life issues on 14th Street and 1st Avenue (Monday)

A look at Stuy Town in 1947 (Tuesday)


[Fake tree toss on 1st Avenue this a.m.]

Reader report: manhole explosion on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday)

Lovecraft has not been open lately on Avenue B (Wednesday)

Matthew Kenney's PlantMade teams up with Pure Green on 2nd Avenue (Friday)

Joe and Pat's signage arrives on 1st Avenue (Friday)

Poke N' Roll debuts on 9th Street (Wednesday)

Natasha Lyonne filming Netflix series "Russian Doll" outside 7B (Wednesday)

More about the new venture from Pilotworks on the Bowery (Monday)

Tibetan speciality shop DรถKham is now open on 1st Avenue (Friday)

Yet another opportunity to buy 114 E. 10th St. (Tuesday)


[Hay there on Avenue A yesterday via Bobby Williams]

Openings on Avenue A: Mama Fina's House of Filipino Sisig (Monday)

PokรฉVillage is the EV's first poke casualty (Friday)

IQ Decor closes on 14th Street (Wednesday)

Extra Place is all pretty much Momofuku Ko now (Tuesday)

Garbage bags now adorn the windows at Out East (Monday)

The Real Yellow Pages have arrived (Thursday)

... and my condolences to the friends and family of Amos Little Jr. The longtime doorman at Sophie's (and also Josie's) died suddenly last weekend. He was 60.


[Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk via Instagram]

Last month he moved back to Philadelphia to spend more time with his family.

---

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Noted



Lost art/found art on 11th Street and Avenue C... thanks to Shawn Chittle for the photo.

Post explores the complicated relationship of Dora, Christo and Nora/Not-Dora



Among the one-liners:

• "A cheep slut has come between a hawk and her hubby."

• "The three lovers met beak-to-beak in the center of the park, where the plumage hit the fan."

• "To some bird watchers, Nora is nothing more than a rust-colored nest-wrecker."

Here's the article, which includes quotes and photos from Goggla.

Updated 9 a.m.

Heh. The Post put this story on the cover...



Saturday, March 3, 2018

Saturday's parting shot



Photo by Bobby Williams...

[Updated] Tree casualty in Tompkins Square Park from yesterday's storm



One of the trees (a Pin Oak?) along the Ninth Street entrance and the ballfields became uprooted during yesterday's storm ... workers will need to remove this...



Thanks to Steven for the photos...

Updated 3/4

A crew is in the Park this morning to remove the tree...