Noted

The Post today reported on a career criminal, ID'd as convicted felon Henry Figueroa, who left a loaded Smith & Wesson .380 in the back of an Uber following a ride from the East Village to Harlem.

Figueroa reportedly texted the driver, stating "I’m a police officer and I was wondering if I dropped my side arm." However, the driver already alerted the NYPD about the gun.

So when Figueroa went to retrieve the piece from the driver, an undercover cop was at the meeting spot.

Following his arrest, police discovered a cache of heroin in his underwear.

To the Post:

Heroin was first unearthed in his pocket, prompting police officers to do a strip search, according to the court papers.

The cops then found a clear bag tucked inside his underwear, which contained 84 smaller, individually wrapped envelopes of heroin, the papers say.

Figueroa was promptly booked on a charge of narcotics possession with intent to distribute, as well as a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

His rap sheet includes being busted in 2012 for breaking into an ex’s house, punching her mom and stealing a basket of clothes.

For a limited time only, catch the J/Z on 9th and C

[Thanks to Alexandra Story for this photo!]

Thanks to the magic of TV pilot making, there's now a J/Z stop for the Bowery on Ninth Street at Avenue C...


[Photo via @evan_kapitansky]

And across the Avenue, A & C Kitchen is standing in for the Avenue C Deli (signs include a double cheeseburger for $6.50 and Molten Velvet in concert)...


[Photo via @EdenBrower]

As previously mentioned, crews for the CBS pilot "God Friended Me" will be filming along Avenue C and side streets today and tomorrow.

Updated:

Here's one more shot, via Salim, showing the arrival of the J/Z stop this morning...



Updated 3/13:

EVG reader Peter D. shared this photo from today... that J/Z stop looking rather lonely there on the corner...

World's tallest rhino sculpture arrives on Astor Place this week

Keep an eye out for a 17-foot sculpture of rhinos this week on Astor Place. (Should be easy enough to spot...)

As previously reported, "The Last Three," billed as the world's largest rhino sculpture courtesy of artists Gillie and Marc Art, will take up a temporary residency on Astor Place near the cube.

And its purpose:

The 17-foot sculpture will be unveiled ... to inspire, educate, and mobilize the global community to raise their voices and affect real change against rhino horn sales. Everyone is invited to get up close and say their goodbyes.

Driven by a false belief in their medicinal benefits, rhino horns are worth more than gold and poaching has condemned the northern white rhinos to the brink of extinction. Only Sudan, his daughter Najiin, and granddaughter Fatu are left.

The sculpture is expected to arrive tomorrow ahead of an official unveiling on Thursday morning. Per the Facebook invite:

Gillie and Marc Art have recreated the last three Northern White Rhinos – Sudan, Najin, and Fatu – in a 17-foot bronze sculpture to inspire, educate and mobilize the global community to raise their voices and affect real change against illegal rhino poaching trade.

Please join us in unveiling "The Last Three" to create a legacy of the Northern White Rhinos, and save future species from extinction.

Order of Events

9:00am - Introduction
9.15am - Speeches
10.00am - Unveiling
10.15am - Photos
10.30am - Interviews

Gillie and Marc’s sculpture will be used to raise critical awareness about the plight of the rhinos and ways people can help.

“Our mission is to collect at least 1-million goodbye messages and put them towards a petition for approaching governments about eliminating the demand for rhino horns through education” says Gillie, “You can help by leaving a goodbye message for Sudan before he’s gone forever.”

And here is a rendering of the sculpture...



You can read more about the project here.

Gillie and Marc Art reportedly invested $150,000 of their own money for the project. (There was also a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $50,000.) Cable network Nat Geo Wild is the main sponsor.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A sneak preview of the world's largest rhino sculpture, coming to Astor Place early next year

Maguey y La Tuna closes on East Houston

Back in January, word spread that El Maguey y La Tuna, the 15-year-old Mexican restaurant on East Houston between Attorney and Ridge, would have to shut down at the end of March after the landlord doubled the rent from $7,000 to $14,000.

Unfortunately, the closing came earlier than previously announced — Maguey y La Tuna closed on Feb. 25.



There's also a notice that the Marshal has taken legal possession of the space on behalf of the landlord...



There was some talk that owner Maria Cortez, who was born and raised on the Lower East Side, was considering opening a food cart to keep serving the community. One of the handwritten notes on the door suggests that people check the Maguey y La Tuna Facebook page for updates.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On East Houston, El Maguey y La Tuna will have to close after the landlord doubles the rent

Zen Yai Pho Shop coming to 6th Street

The new storefront for Zen Yai Pho Shop arrived back on Friday here on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

This will be an outpost of the Sunnyside-based Zen Yai Pho Shop & Coffee. (You can find their menu here.) A rep for the quick-serve restaurant said that they hoped to be open in late March or early April.

Baron's Dim Sum and Tasty Garden came and went at No. 518 in quick succession in the past year.

Todd Hase Furniture closes on 7th Street

After a year at 111 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, furniture designer Todd Hase has apparently closed up his Home and Mid-Century Modern Shop.

The storefront is empty, and the Todd Hase name has been removed from the windows.

There isn't any mention of the closure, temporary or otherwise, on the front door, Todd Hase website or social media properties.

Todd Hase also has locations in West Hollywood, West Palm Beach and Southampton. Seventh Street seemed like an odd spot for walk-in traffic shopping for, say, an $1,800 French Empire console table or $2,250 Enrique Garcel floor lamp.

Village Style Vintage Shop, the previous tenant here, moved out to Brooklyn in October 2016.

Updated 1 p.m.

The listing for the the storefront is now online. The asking rent is $7,000 per month.

Former Red Square lobby gets the plywood treatment on East Houston

Renovations continue over at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The 13-floor building changed hands for a reported $100 million in the fall of 2016.

The Dermot Company has stated they are "creating a more updated style and fit for the cool East Village neighborhood" with the renovations at the retail-residential complex with the Tibor Kalman-designed rooftop clock.

Apparently now it's time to revamp the entryway for residents... from the old...


[EVG photo from June 2017]

... to the pizzazzy ...



Red Square opened for occupancy in June 1989. Workers removed the building's statue of Lenin from the roof in September 2016. It's now standing on a nearby rooftop on Norfolk Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold

New ownership makes it official at the former Red Square on East Houston

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future

Long-vacant retail space hits the rental market at 250 E. Houston St.

217 E. 3rd St. sells for $5.1 million

There's a new owner for 217 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Here's part of a news release via Cushman & Wakefield:

An undisclosed buyer acquired the property from the estate of Michael Mendez for $5.1 million. The mixed-use property consists of a vacant turn-key restaurant space on the ground floor and three free-market, floor-through apartments. The property is approximately 4,160 square feet above grade, not including a one-story structure situated at the rear of the site and separated by a small courtyard area.

Additionally, the property includes 4,700 square feet of air rights and a useable basement that houses mechanicals and a storage area.

Public records show that an LLC with a Pleasantville, N.Y., address is the new owner. The address matches up to management company Ogrin Associates, a longtime NYC landlord.

And does anyone know what that "one-story structure situated at the rear of the site" is used for?

The last tenant in the retail space was Corlear's NYC, a "Pre-Prohibition style bar executing vintage cocktails." They closed some time in early 2017.

The building arrived on the market last July with a $6 million ask.

Taco Bell nearly ready for Taco Belling on 1st Avenue

Heading north for a second... where the Taco Bell is looking nearly ready to start serving up its specialties like the Chalupa Supreme® and XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito here on First Avenue near 18th Street ... next to the Ponce De Leon Federal Bank (if that helps place it) ...



It will be opening soon, per the signage... with generous hours of 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day except Sunday, when it doesn't open until 8 a.m. (and closes at midnight) ....



This is one of 50 locations (no kidding) that Taco Bell plans to open in NYC in the next five years. (There's also one coming to 647 Broadway near Bleecker that will serve alcohol.)

For nearly 25 years the First Avenue address was the Adriatic until its sudden closure in 2015. Visana, a problematic pizzeria-speakeasy combo, closed down last summer, as Town & Village detailed.

P.S.

My only memento from the long-closed Taco Bell at 58 Third Ave. near 11th Street...

Week in Grieview

[Early morning the other day in Tompkins Square Park]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

About the ongoing issues with the NYCHA (Monday)

Historic Bathhouse Studios for sale on 11th Street (Wednesday)

At Three Jewels, there's coffee out front, and ancient Tibetan wisdom in the back (Friday)

Bravo Supermarkets coming to Avenue D (Tuesday)

Ariel Palitz named NYC's first Night Mayor (Wednesday)

Making room for Mount Sinai's new EV hospital (Tuesday)

Time to rent at EVGB, where studios ('lofts') start at $3,695 (Thursday)

Bar taking over former HiFi space on Avenue A is called Coney Island Baby (Thursday)

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

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

Reader report: Joe and Pat's will open in 3 weeks (Wednesday)

The Swiss Institute announces June 21 opening on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

Mohan's Tattoo Inn arrives on 14th Street (Tuesday)

Catching up with Dora, wing on the mend (Tuesday)

Mahalo New York Bakery debuts on 9th Street (Friday)

Your subway delay map (Saturday)

Rent freeze fight underway for 2018 (Friday)

The Chelsea Thai signage is up on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

"Give me back my package you bastard" (Friday)

End of days at the St. Denis (Thursday)

The for-real Target signage has arrived at EVGB (Monday)


[Flashback to Wednesday via Derek Berg]

Storm brought down this tree on 6th Street (Wednesday) Milk truck KOs Avenue B tree (Monday)

Report: Developer lands $91 million loan for the Moxy East Village (Saturday)

Former Artichoke Pizza space for rent on 14th Street (Monday)

DOH temporarily closes Pinky's on 1st Street (Monday)

... and from the Citizen app crime files this past week...



---

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'God' willing, this CBS pilot will be filming on Avenue C the next 2 days

Crews for a CBS pilot called "God Friended Me" will be filming on parts of Avenue C and Avenue D between Eighth Street and 13th Street tomorrow and Tuesday...



Here's the plot via Deadline Hollywood:

"God Friended Me" is described as a humorous, uplifting series that explores questions of faith, existence and science. It centers on Miles (Brandon Micheal Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he is “friended” by God on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him.

Violett Beane will play Cara Weiss. Confident, compelling and quick-witted, Cara is a leading writer at an online magazine. Under pressure for her next big story, her life takes an interesting turn when she meets Miles — thanks to God’s friend suggestion. The cast also includes Suraj Sharma, Javicia Leslie and Joe Morton.

Rejected headlines:
Oh 'God' — another film shoot!

Why in 'God''s name would CBS order this pilot?

March 10

EVG reader Erin spotted this wee tree today on Second Avenue and Third Street... doesn't look as if it takes up much room — why not keep it up year round...?

Noted

New art installation in Tompkins Square Park courtesy of Jerry Foust (former proprietor of the Tompkins Square Park Art Bar).

Thanks to Goggla for the photo!

Updated 3/11

Someone vandalized the sculpture overnight...

In case there's ever a subway delay

[Click on image for the big view]

If you take the subway on a regular basis, then you know that every once in awhile there might be a slight delay with a train or even be some track repair work that alters the schedule.

Anyway! This new map might help. Developer Eric Markfield from Unfounded Labs shared this with me (and a few other people) — the Real MTA map, which shows delays and track work in real time.

As Curbed described it the other day:

The website features a near carbon copy of the MTA’s subway map, but it removes each line that’s currently experiencing delays, planned work, or service disruptions. What’s left is a network that’s far less expansive, but more accurate in real time for commuters.

The site also makes it easy to see what, exactly, is happening to the lines that are experiencing problems. The side panel lets you to click on each hidden line, taking you directly to the MTA Service Status report for those trains.

As the above screengrab shows, there are only a few lines without any kind of delay or schedule change as of 1:09 p.m. today... and likely for the remainder of the weekend.

You may also follow along on the Twitter — @realmtainfo.

Report: Developer lands $91 million loan for the Moxy East Village

[Photo from today, Saturday!]

An item from this past week to note: The Lightstone Group landed $91 million in financing for its Moxy hotel project on 11th Street, as The Real Deal reported.

Bank of the Ozarks provided the debt for the upcoming 311-key hotel at 112 East 11th Street, to be called Moxy East Village. The financing includes $63.1 million in new loans as well as an existing $27.9 million loan from Goldman Sachs that Bank of the Ozarks will now assume. Goldman Sachs previously provided $85 million to Lightstone for the project.

The Moxy website still lists an opening date of late 2018 for this hotel between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



To make that deadline, the crew here will need to pick it up... a look through the blogger portal on the double plywood shows that workers remain in the deep pit stages of the foundation...



The 13-story hotel will include a variety of eating-drinking options and a dedicated Instagram account.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An updated look at that Moxy hotel for 11th Street

Lucy's

[Random Lucy's photo from 2009!]

The March 19 issue of The New Yorker includes a short Bar Tab feature on Lucy's, 135 Avenue A:

In the back, East Village lifers shot pool, and a man celebrated his roommate’s arrest, which had resulted from a brawl over unpaid rent. Flush for now, he bought a round of Serbian slivovitz (a throat-burning plum brandy) and toasted the N.Y.P.D. in absentia.

[Above photo of Lucy from New Year's Eve 2015 by Peter Brownscombe]

'Sister' act

"Record," the new record by Tracey Thorn, is out this past week via Merge... here's the video for "Sister" ...



And for old-time's sake... back to 1984 leading Everything But the Girl...

EVG Etc.: NYC housing woes; red-tailed hawk radio drama

[Zoltar makes for a fine fashion backdrop ... via Derek Berg]

Cuomo will issue emergency declaration to fix NYCHA (The Post)

Elected officials ask city to stop Rivington House condo conversion (The Lo-Down)

Amid housing crisis, NYC must rethink how land is owned (CityLimits)

The city’s crackdown on electric bikes is destroying the livelihood of people who make deliveries for a living (Fast Company)

Claims of increasing affordability in NYC aren’t quite right (Curbed)

Here’s what a landlord typically makes on a stabilized apartment (The Real Deal)

Feminist Film Week continues through Sunday at the Anthology Film Archives (Official site)

50th anniversary of the Fillmore East opening (Off the Grid)

Dora — storm trooper! (Laura Goggin Photography)

A Christo-Dora-Nora/Not-Dora radio drama! (WNYC)

City all in with dry ice to kill rats (Daily News)

An interview with EV resident Alan Cumming on "Instinct," the first hourlong network drama with a gay lead (The New York Times)

New Beer Distributors on Chrystie Street is closing (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Nom Wah Tu shutters 6 months in (Eater)

History of the German Dispensary building at 137 Second Ave. — now the Ottendorfer library (Ephemeral New York)

Podcast: Catching up with Hector Monsegur aka Sabu (Bloomberg)

Making art from old prom dresses at the Lower Eastside Girls Club (The Cut)

Strand owner Fred Bass leaves $25 million to heirs (The Post)

Two chances to see "Blue Velvet" Sunday (The Metrograph)

Sake's popularity grows (amNY)

EV-based Black Iron Burger opening a spot near the Barclays Center (The Post)

When John Cale and Lester Bangs appeared on stage together at CBGB in 1978 (Dangerous Minds)

... and Peter Brownscombe shares the latest from the Ray's Candy Store lab — the Chocolate Banana Dip (chilled banana dipped in chocolate)...

At Three Jewels, there's coffee out front, and ancient Tibetan wisdom in the back

Three Jewels recently opened a cafe-yoga studio combo (a spiritual speakeasy!) at 5 E. Third St. just off the Bowery...



Three Jewels, the nonprofit that has been around for 21 years, moved into the storefront in Janaury; the cafe space opened in late February.

Stehen McManus, the managing director of Three Jewels, shared more info with me.

Here's part of a news release:

Three Jewels is coming out on the Bowery scene after 21 years hidden in an East Village walk-up. The non-profit community space looks to be a modest whitewashed café from the street, but walk through their rose-mirrored wall, and you’ll enter a glowing temple room where spiritual seekers practice inner and outer methods ...

Their model of spiritual education is tripartite (and most of it is free): a comprehensive meditation programme with a colorful Tibetan backbone, thoughtful yoga classes, and deep scriptural education from seasoned practitioners. The centerpiece offering, an eighteen-course spiritual training in Buddhism, contains texts that were translated to English from Sanskrit and Tibetan for the first time in the early 90s. Comprehensive meditation and yoga trainings are curated to provide students with the root of an authentic personal practice.

The spiritually curious can choose from the themed meditation program and relax on Samaya cushions in the temple space or bear witness to the flow of artists, business-types, dancers, social activists and yogis whom migrate to the café, curated by the Bushwick coffee heroes Little Skips.

You can find their cafe menu here. You can find more about their classes and events here.

Rent freeze fight underway for 2018

[Image yesterday via]

Members of the Rent Justice Coalition along with several elected officials held a rally downtown yesterday outside the Rent Guidelines Board’s first meeting of the year.

The Coaltion was out to demand that the RGB freeze rents for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments. In addition, the group wants to ensure that tenants have a voice at the RGB's upcoming hearings across the city.

Last June, the RGB voted to allow rent increases on the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, with one-year leases subject to 1.25 percent raises, and two-year leases subject to 2 percent hikes — this after two consecutive years of rent freezes.

Per a release from the Coalition:

While the coalition counts past rent freezes as successes, data show landlords have been overcompensated for decades with high rent increases, including an 8.5 percent increase at the height of the recession in 2009. In fact, rent stabilized tenants are rent burdened, with half of them paying about a third of their income for rent. At the same time, many low-income families pay as much as 60-70 percent of their income in rent.

While tenants face rising cost, landlords are making more money and paying less for expenses. Property resale prices are up; rent revenue is up; and foreclosures are low. The Rent Justice Coalition is demanding another from the Rent Guidelines Board to allow rent-stabilized tenants to keep their homes.

Here are quotes from local-elected officials:

Council Member Margaret S. Chin: "While our city has made progress in the movement for affordability, we need to keep the protections currently in place that provide relief to millions of rent-stabilized tenants across New York City. At the Rent Guidelines Board public meeting, tenants and rent justice advocates will make their voices heard on the importance of not only a rent freeze, but a rent rollback, and I urge the Board to make sure their feedback is taken into account at every step of the process."

Council Member and Progressive Caucus Member Carlina Rivera: "After a difficult rent increase in 2017, we must fight to make this the year of the rent freeze for our rent-stabilized residents.I continue to hear from people across my district that any increase could put them seconds away from losing their homes. Many of the rent-regulated tenants in my district have lived here for decades. To see them forced out by unnecessary rent increases would destroy the heart of our neighborhood identity."

The next RGB meeting is April 5. Their preliminary vote is April 26 at Cooper Union. Find the full upcoming schedule here.