It's time for the first free concert of the season/year in Tompkins Square Park via The Shadow.
Sunday at 2 p.m.: May Day with Haram, Rubber, Olor a muerte, Headsplitters and Junta.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Sunday afternoon in Tompkins Square Park
It's time for the first free concert of the season/year in Tompkins Square Park via The Shadow.
Sunday at 2 p.m.: May Day with Haram, Rubber, Olor a muerte, Headsplitters and Junta.
EVG Etc.: Remembering Joe Heaps Nelson; prepping for the L-train shutdown
LES artist Joe Heaps Nelson died on April 16 of brain cancer. He was 49. (Des Moines Register)
Single-digit turnout as Democrats win big in city’s special elections (City Limits)
84-year-old man sitting on bench on Lower East Side punched in face (ABC 7)
ICYMI: An interview with artists "who defined the East Village’s avant-garde scene" ... and other early-1980s influencers (The New York Times Style Magazine)
Your L-train shutdown checklist (Gothamist)
A call for restrictions on the Williamsburg Bridge during the L-train shutdown (The Lo-Down)
The 1970s-80s on the LES as seen through the camera of Meryl Meisler (Creative Boom)
Pinky's Space & Mighty Quinn's are quoted in this piece on restaurants trying to meet the demands of the delivery boom (USA Today)
Victoria's Secret model buys home in Steiner East Village (New York Post) ... while another Victoria's Secret model lists her 11th Street penthouse (The Observer)
[That awkward moment with the gate at Zum Schneider on C]
East Village amnesiac regains life after vanishing in 1990 (Daily News)
Judge: De Blasio may be deposed if mayor had hand in axing city official (Daily News)
Inside the Moxy hotel brands Manhattan invasion (Skift ... previously)
HUD’s proposed rent hikes on low-income families would affect thousands of New Yorkers (Curbed)
Paul Schrader and four of his classic films coming to the Metrograph (Official site)
"Hypnic Jerk," an exhibit featuring the work of Gina Volpe (the guitarist for the Lunachicks), remains up through May 17 (Art on A Gallery)
Governors Island will bring back Friday late-night hours this season (Curbed)
Iggy Pop at his most ferocious (Dangerous Minds)
Op-ed: The Mayor's mistaken attempt to supersize NYC buildings (Gotham Gazette)
Legal woes for the 32nd Street location of Caffe Bene; slows expansion plans (Eater)
... and as previously reported, Coney Island Baby debuted last night at 169 Avenue A with a set by Murphy's Law ... as well as a special appearance by H.R. from Bad Brains... The venue's neighbor is the onetime home of Rat Cage Records and 171A, the illegal club-turned-rehearsal studio that produced records by Bad Brains and the "Polly Wog Stew" EP by the Beastie Boys.
Here's a look at the Coney Island Baby marquee, that went up yesterday...
Brooklyn Vegan has photos from last night here.
The Hard Swallow returns on 1st Avenue
[Photo by Steven]
The Hard Swallow (aka Big Lee's) reopened last month at 140 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street... and the bar is holding its grand re-opening party tomorrow (Saturday!) night at 8:30.
The no-frills bar had been closed for more than a year as husband-and-wife owners Leroy “Big Lee” and Maria "Sasha" Lloyd (pictured above) were locked in a legal battle with the previous owners. The Lloyds also had to go before CB3 and the SLA for a new liquor license. (This archived DNAinfo piece from March 2017 has all the background.)
The bar opened in the summer of 2015 in the former Spanky and Darla's space. Big Lee is a former doorman/bouncer at Hogs & Heifers as well as Coney Island High on St. Mark's Place (he is also originally from Coney Island).
Affordable housing lottery underway at 79-89 Avenue D
The affordable housing lottery is now open for 79-89 Avenue D (aka 751 E. Sixth St.).
The 12-story retail-residential building via L+M Development Partners here between Seventh Street and Sixth Street features 28 permanently affordable units (out of 110 total).
The mixed-income units are available to those earning 40, 60 and 130 percent of the area median income. These units range from $596 a month for studios to $2,519 a month for two bedrooms.
Amenities here will include a fitness center, landscaped roof deck and an outdoor terrace.
The address was previously one-level storefronts that included a Rite Aid, which relocated one block north to the ground floor of the Arabella 101 building. Rite Aid signed a lease to return to the retail space at No. 79.
Residents who qualify for the housing have until June 26 to apply for one of the units. Find the details here.
The other units in the building have not yet hit the rental market.
H/T 6sft!
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Space that houses Rite Aid on Avenue D hits market for $22.5 million
Report: New 12-story, mixed-use building in the works for Avenue D
Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D
Makeshift dog run in Tompkins Square Park has been padlocked
Two weeks ago, officers from the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP!) came to Tompkins Square Park to warn dog owners about letting their pets roam off-leash.
Park regulars said that there were complaints about more and more people letting their dogs run loose in sections of Tompkins, especially in the West Lawn near the entrance on St. Mark's Place... and not clean up after their dogs... in this area right here!
Parkgoers said some dog owners continued to ignore the various warnings and homemade signs... especially early mornings and on weekends...
Now someone (presumably from the Park office) has padlocked the entrance to the West Lawn in an attempt to thwart the dog owners from using this area ...
[Photo yesterday by Bobby Williams]
Previously on EV Grieve:
A warning about off-leash dogs in Tompkins Square Park (29 comments)
Park regulars said that there were complaints about more and more people letting their dogs run loose in sections of Tompkins, especially in the West Lawn near the entrance on St. Mark's Place... and not clean up after their dogs... in this area right here!
Parkgoers said some dog owners continued to ignore the various warnings and homemade signs... especially early mornings and on weekends...
Now someone (presumably from the Park office) has padlocked the entrance to the West Lawn in an attempt to thwart the dog owners from using this area ...
[Photo yesterday by Bobby Williams]
Previously on EV Grieve:
A warning about off-leash dogs in Tompkins Square Park (29 comments)
Ace Hardware closes on 4th Avenue
EVG reader Sheila shared this photo from yesterday... showing an auction sign at the now-closed Ace Hardware outpost at 130 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street...
Thursday, April 26, 2018
City Council member Carlina Rivera hosting community resource fair Saturday
Via the EVG inbox...
Carlina Rivera is holding her first Community Resource Fair of her City Council term, giving residents of Council District 2 the opportunity to access a number of programs and informational booths. Attendees will be able to access free-blood pressure screenings, information about affordable housing applications, information about volunteer opportunities, and more.
The event takes place from 1-4 p.m. at Grand Street Settlement’s main building, 80 Pitt St. (between Rivington and Stanton). You can RSVP by emailing District2@council.nyc.gov, or by calling 212-677-1077, ext. 107.
Activities at the the Tompkins Square Park library branch
[Via NYPL]
As previously mentioned, the Tompkins Square Park library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B has a lot of free activities daily... poetry readings... jewelry making... film screenings ... find their schedule of events here.
The library is hosting another free walking tour of Tompkins Square Park on Friday, May 4. Details here.
And a highlight to note happening tonight...
And there are buttons and magnets for $1 that help support the library...
A red-tailed hawk and egg situation
[Photo of Christo, left, and Amelia atop St. Brigid's by Steven]
Christo and his new lady hawk friend Amelia have at least one egg in their nest in Tompkins Square Park, Goggla reports.
Here's what she says to expect:
It takes around 28-35 days for eggs to hatch, so if we count April 20 as Day 1, that puts hatching at May 17-24. Since no one can see into the nest, we will not be able to see the eggs hatch, but we will know something is up when Christo starts delivering food to the nest.
The hawks will continue mating until all the eggs are laid, and then maybe for some time after that.
Amelia conveniently came out of nowhere on April 4, the very day that Christo's longtime partner Dora went off to wing rehab.
Christo and Dora have raised 10 hawklets these past few years. So expect at least one hawklet again this summer. (Like here in 2017.)
[Updated] Preliminary vote on increases for rent-stabilized apartments set for tonight at Cooper Union
The city's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) is holding its preliminary vote tonight to decide whether to seek increases for 1-million rent-controlled units in the city.
Members of the Rent Justice Coalition — including tenants, advocates and community organizers — as well as some elected officials will rally in front of the Municipal Building before heading to where the vote will take place — the Great Hall at Cooper Union.
The group will demand that the RGB freeze rents on rent-stabilized units to address the affordable housing crisis in the city. The Coalition released this statement yesterday:
While the Rent Justice 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.
A new report (PDF here) released by the RGB — showing that operating costs for landlords have gone up again this year — makes it seem unlikely that they will approve a rent freeze this year, per Curbed on April 18.
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.
The RGB's final vote is June 26 at Cooper Union. Find the schedule, including all public hearings, right here.
Updated 10 a.m.
Per the Post:
The Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords, says it will request an increase of 4 percent for new one-year leases and 7 percent for two years.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Rent freeze fight underway for 2018
Y7 Studio bringing the hip-hop yoga to 250 E. Houston St.
[Rendering of the all-new 250 E. Houston St.]
The retail strip at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square here between Avenue A and Avenue B, has its first new tenant since the 13-floor building changed ownership in the fall of 2016.
Y7 signed a 10-year, 2,000-square-foot ground-floor lease at the base of the residential building for the growing yoga chainlet's eighth location in Manhattan, the Commercial Observer reported. The asking rent was $200 per square foot.
Here's more about Y7:
At Y7 we do things differently. We give you 60 minutes of intensity combined with heat and strength complemented by deep breathing and a calming of the mind. We ask you to step outside the chaos and embrace the fire inside. You’ll flow along to the latest beats. There are no mirrors in the candle-lit studios. The darkness, the sounds, and the heat will take you to a place you’ve never before been. Join us for the best hour of your day. Leave here feeling strong, clear and ready to take on whatever the city has in store for you. Take a class and never look back.
And a video feature from a few years back...
Not sure exactly which retail space Y7 is taking. There are four vacancies total in this strip of shops, which feature an H&R Block, Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), Sleepy's/Mattress Firm, China Town Chinese restaurant and a FedEx Office Print & Ship Center. (There's also a dry cleaners, a doctor's office and East Houston Wine & Liquor.)
And we're really behind on updating the gym options post.
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.
Former Red Square lobby gets the plywood treatment on East Houston
Former Rainbow Music shop will be a Chinese restaurant
There was a partial reveal yesterday at the under-renovation 130 First Ave., the former Rainbow Music just south of St. Mark's Place...
A worker confirmed to EVG correspondent Steven that a Chinese restaurant is opening here soon, though didn't provide further details...
Rainbow Music owner Bill "Birdman" Kasper retired and closed up his cluttered used-CD shop in September 2015.
[Rainbow Music photos from March 2014 by EVG reader Chris F.]
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Birdman of the East Village
On Avenue A, Coney Island Baby debuts tonight; live music returning to the Pyramid
[169 Avenue A last night]
Coney Island Baby opens its doors tonight at 169 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street with a set by Murphy's Law and other special guests TBA.
This was the first look at the live-music lineup for the bar-venue...
The Coney Island Baby website has the updated list of bands here.
The venue's partners reportedly include Laura McCarthy, former owner of indie-rock club Brownies (in this space from 1989-2002), and Tom Baker and Don DiLego of Velvet Elk Records. Jesse Malin of Niagara, Berlin and Bowery Electric is also involved.
HiFi closed last October after 15 solid years at the address.
Meanwhile, over at the Pyramid, the club at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, announced the return of bands next month ... via Instagram...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Coney Island Baby opens on April 26 with Murphy's Law
Bar taking over former HiFi space on Avenue A is called Coney Island Baby
High praise for Mani in Pasta’s Roman-style pizzas on 14th Street
Haven't heard anything about the place. Until now! Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld at New York magazine are impressed by the restaurant's Roman-style pizza via Giuseppe Manco, the pizzaiolo-chef and co-owner.
The pan pizza "is terrific — the crust dark and crackly around the edges, the tender crumb boasting the kind of webby, widely inscribed holes that hint of long fermentation. Manco attributes its texture to high-hydration dough that lazes about developing flavor for a whopping 96 to 110 hours, and the blend of flours he uses: wheat, soy, rice, and semolina."
And!
Toppings fall on the spectrum somewhere between Neapolitan restraint and modern-Roman-pizza-maker whimsy. We particularly liked the carbonara and the Regina Margherita, in spite of the fact that the latter’s halved cherry tomatoes flew off the slices when we picked them up like drunken lumberjacks at a log roll. You can also get the pan pizza by the slice at a mostly takeout Mani in Pasta satellite in Midtown East, but then you’ll miss out on the comparatively deluxe surroundings and cheerful vibe at the East Village nook (a half-dozen-or-so tables, cloth napkins, the occasional Felliniesque gathering of Italian expats), not to mention the tag-team table service — enthusiastic and hands-on but never-intrusive — provided by Manco and his business partner Pietro Toscano.
The Manu in Pasta website and menu are here.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Today in late-morning gloomy weather photos
A view to the south(west) this morning via Bobby Williams...
Cherche Midi space on the market for new retail development on the Bowery at East Houston
[Via Google Streetview]
There's a new retail listing for 280-282 Bowery at East Houston.
The corner space is currently home to Keith McNally's bistro Cherche Midi while No. 282 houses Yasakart Restaurant Supply.
Here are details via RKF:
• At the nexus of SoHo, NoLIta, NoHo, The East Village and Lower East Side
• Steps from four major hotels: Bowery Hotel, Public Hotel, The Ace Hotel and CitizenM
• Across from Whole Foods Market, The New Museum and the International Center for Photography
• Second Floor space can be made available
• Lower Level can be converted to selling
• An additional 1,500 SF of Lower Level space can be made available in Space B
The rent is available upon request.
And here's the rendering showing the possibilities on this southwest corner of the Bowery and Houston...
[Image via RKF]
Rumors surfaced last month that McNally would be closing his four-year-old bistro. (A rep for McNally, who also runs the Odeon, Balthazar, Minetta Tavern and Augustine in the Beekman Hotel, confirmed to Grub Street that Cherche Midi will close in early June.)
This marks the second high-profile restaurant to close on the Bowery and East Houston since last August. Daniel Boulud shut down DBGB Kitchen and Bar after eight years in the Avalon Bowery complex between First Street and Houston.
If success restaurateurs like McNally and Boulud can't make these corners work... then what? An EVG reader left this comment on the previous Cherche Midi post:
My prediction for the gentrified Bowery, chain restaurants (as in Chipotle and Shake Shack, some run of the mall shops which most New Yorkers have never heard of, and all this surrounded by high end luxury condos. This is what the lack of urban planning and unleashed developer money brings.
Jane's Exchange is not closing!
[Image via Facebook]
Back in late March, the owners of Jane's Exchange, the children's and maternity retail and consignment store on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, reported that they would likely have to close when their lease was up this summer.
However, co-owner Gayle Raskin remained cautiously optimistic that they could extend a lease with new owners.
Looks like it worked out. As they posted on Facebook:
Dear Friends,
WE ARE NOT CLOSING!!! WE ARE NOT CLOSING!!
WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE ANOTHER 5 YEARS ON OUR LEASE! YAY!!!
Gayle and Eva will continue their partnership through December 2018 at which time Gayle will leave and Yelena Ferrer will become Eva’s new partner beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Yelena has been a longtime consignor and we are so excited to welcome her to the fold.
We are overwhelmed by the love and support we have received from all of you. A number of you came forward with great ideas, financial and otherwise, to keep Jane’s Exchange going and it has been so appreciated. It takes a community to preserve local businesses and we value your ongoing participation in this effort.
It begins now — we need your word-of-mouth help to bring more customers to the store. Advertising is expensive as you can imagine. We will be making flyers available for online and hard-copy distribution.
We dodged the bullet this time. We are a children's and maternity store but even more than that, we are a service in the community. We are thrilled to be able to continue that service.
Consignment is a great way to recycle so PLEASE MAKE YOUR SPRING/SUMMER APPOINTMENTS AND THINK OF US BEFORE YOU GO ON AMAZON:)
Thanks,
Eva and Gayle
Jane's Exchange is now in its 24th year in business.
Previously
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