Thursday's parting shot

Alternative headline: As the _ _ _ _ flies.

Crow pic on Avenue A today by Steven.

Noted

Admittedly the #NYPD has some excellent photographers, but this isn’t a glamour shot.
We are asking your assistance in identifying this man #wanted for an assault that occurred on Wed 1/23.
If you have any information please call #800577Tip @NYPDTips pic.twitter.com/EP0RcOQf1B

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) February 6, 2019

The 9th Precinct used a suspect's modeling headshot for a wanted tweet sent out Tuesday night.

The Post got more on the back story:

Police are looking for a square-jawed male model who allegedly choked another man in the East Village during a dispute over a woman, cops said Thursday.

Suspect Mike Jeffery allegedly launched his romantic attack at the 32-year-old victim’s home on Avenue B around 7 p.m. on Jan. 23, police said.

Jeffery allegedly placed the man in a chokehold and said: “Don’t talk to my girl. I should have done this before.”

The victim suffered pain to his hands and back and refused medical attention.

[Updated] After 43 years in business, Raul Candy Store is closing on Avenue B

"Going out of business" signs now hang in the front window at Rauls Candy Store, bringing an end to the one-of-a-kind shop's nearly 43 years in the neighborhood.

EVG reader Jenny Dembrow shared the photo here from yesterday. Raul closes at the end of the month. No word at the moment why the candy shop/neighborhood hangout/junk shop is closing. (See below for update.)

Raul opened in 1976. The shop has been at No. 205 between 12th Street and 13th Street since 1981.

In a September 2012 interview with The Local, Petra Olivieri, wife of owner Raul Santiago, said that their rent was $100 a month on Avenue D. "Then it started going up: $200, $300. Here, we now pay $2,400. So we have to sell a lot more."

Here's more from the Q&A:

Q. You manage all that selling candy?

A. We sell “chucherias” (knick-knacks), candy and sodas. Raul also sells books and other stuff. There’s not that many of these type of stores around anymore.

Q. Are you both from Puerto Rico?

A. 100 percent. I was born in Las Marias and grew up in Mayagüez. Raul is from… I can’t remember where he’s from. Humacao, maybe. I met him here. He used to go to the island every year. I don’t.

Q. Is it mostly Puerto Ricans who buy things here?

A. We get people from all classes, no matter the race or color. Some come in to look and take pictures. Others come to hang out. It’s like in Puerto Rico, where there are “kioskos,” small businesses where neighborhood people get together. We play dominos out here and we have a good time between people of the old guard.

Updated 4:30 p.m.

Stacie Joy stopped by the shop today. Raul says he's "tired and needs to rest." She asked what if anything the community could do and he said nothing. He just wants to stop. He says it's time.


[EVG photo from June 2010]

The storefront that houses St. Mark's Comics is now for rent

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

As we first noted last week, St. Mark's Comics is closing at the end of February here at 11 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Longtime owner Mitch Cutler said that a variety of factors, from increasing rents to changing consumer shopping habits, were among the reasons behind the closure.

A large "for rent" sign is now posted outside, as you can see in the above photo. (We didn't spot a listing for the space just yet.)

Meanwhile, the sale continues...

Continuing the Farewell Tour through February as we dig up more and more from the Endless Basement! #strangeadventures #supergirl #wolverine #weirdwar #transformers #strangetales #nickfury #shield #silveragecomics pic.twitter.com/eUuAXP78dO

— St. Mark's Comics (@StMarksComicsNY) February 4, 2019

A call this morning for the city to take action on the former P.S. 64

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

A 311 call yesterday morning about a crack on an east-facing exterior wall brought city inspectors to the long-empty P.S. 64 (aka CHARAS/El Bohio) at 350 E. 10th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C. Several nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution before the city gave the all clear.

However, according to the DOB website, the city issued a violation to owner Gregg Singer for failure to maintain the exterior facade for cracks observed on the corner of the building ... plus: "loose decorative stone and cracks throughout building."

The embattled developer told Curbed: "It’s all political. This is part of a concerted effort to put pressure on us. I was just at the building. There’s definitely cracks — that we were already aware of — that will be pointed and repaired, but there’s no immediate danger."

Speaking of politics, a group of residents and local elected officials, including Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assembly member Harvey Epstein, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council District 2 member Carlina Rivera, will gather this morning at 10:30 outside the school on 10th Street to ask the city to take action on the property.

Per Rivera's office...

Following [yesterday] morning’s emergency evacuation of two residential buildings adjacent to CHARAS/El Bohio, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, elected officials, community leaders, and neighbors will gather ... to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to immediately take action in light of these new, potential structural and safety concerns.

CHARAS/El Bohio, also known as the old P.S. 64, was auctioned off by Mayor Rudy Giuliani 20 [21] years ago and has remained vacant ever since. Singer, the purchaser and current owner has not adequately maintained this landmark building, allowing it to deteriorate to its current condition. At a Council District 2 Town Hall in 2017, Mayor de Blasio announced that his administration would take steps to re-acquire this building. No substantive updates have been provided on this issue since then.

Sushi coming to the former 10Below Ice Cream space on St. Mark's Place

10Below Ice Cream closed earlier last month. Paper went up on the front windows here at 42 1/2 St. Mark's Place, and the address was removed from the 10Below Ice Cream website.

Now, a handmade sign reading Zoku arrived on the door this week...



EVG correspondent Steven, who shared the top two photos, found a listing for Zoku Sushi coming to this address here between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



Zoku looks to have been in the catering business in recent months. More about them later.

10Below, billed as the first establishment serving Thai-inspired ice cream rolls in NYC, opened on St. Mark's in September 2016.

Another rolled ice cream shop, Lab -321, opened at 27 St. Mark's Place in June 2016. They closed six months later.

169 and 171 1st Ave. (home to Momofuku) are for sale

Several EVG tipsters have shared the brief details that 169 and 171 First Ave., located between 10th Street and 11th Street, are now on the sales market.

Here's part of the email that was in circulation late last week:

Two Contiguous Mixed-Use Walk-up Buildings
Home to Momofuku Noodle Bar!

Compass is pleased to offer for sale two contiguous mixed-use walkup buildings located at 169 First Ave. and 171 First Ave. The buildings contain a total of 2 retail stores and 5 free market residential units. The Property can be sold separately or as a package.

The listing doesn't appear to be online just yet. Streeteasy has one listing for a rental at No. 171, a floor-through loft-like space now asking $9,300 (and a recent $2k price chop).

Meltdown expected

Derek Berg spotted this discarded iMac G3 on Fourth Street ... with London Calling written across it...



Speaking of the Clash ... International Clash Day is tomorrow. John Richards, morning-show host of KEXP in Seattle, started the event on a whim in 2013 to pay tribute to the band's "message of inclusion, multiculturalism, pro-immigration, anti-hate, anti-racism, and anti-fascism." Now in its seventh year, communities in 16 countries over six continents participate.

Richards and other KEXP DJs have been in London this week for a live broadcast and online event leading up to tomorrow ... you can listen online here. You can find other International Clash Day activities here.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Clash's London Calling.


[EVG file photo from 7th and A]

Truck takes out tree on 6th Street

EVG reader Sylvia G. shared these photos... showing a downed tree on the south side of Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...



According to the Citizen app, a truck struck the tree early this afternoon...

[Updated] Evacuations on 10th Street as inspectors examine crack in the former P.S. 64

Crews from ConEd, the FDNY and the Office of Emergency Management are on the scene along 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. (The street is closed to traffic for now.)

Workers are examining a large crack in the east-facing wall of the long-empty P.S. 64.

@_elkue has been tweeting from the scene...

Buildings Department inspecting the crack. That is one big ass crack. pic.twitter.com/Qardx5JV3A

— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) February 6, 2019

No word just yet about how serious this might be. The building has fallen into disrepair in recent years.

Update on 350 E 10th Street (aka CHARAS):

- NYC DOB on scene to assess structure
- Residents of 2 adj. bldgs temporarily evacuated
- M8 bus rerouted
- 10th St. bet. Aves B/C remains closed

One thing clear: owner has neglected to take care of this property. More updates soon!

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) February 6, 2019

Developer Gregg Singer bought the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center property from the city during an auction in 1998.

Singer has wanted to turn the landmarked property into a dorm called University Square, which continues in a holding pattern while the DOB maintains a Stop Work Order on the building.

You can read this post for more background on the 20-plus-year P.S. 64 drama.

Updated 7 p.m.

The city gave the all-clear earlier in the afternoon. Curbed has more here, including comments from Singer...

“It’s all political. This is part of a concerted effort to put pressure on us,” Singer told Curbed. “I was just at the building. There’s definitely cracks—that we were already aware of—that will be pointed and repaired, but there’s no immediate danger.”

After surveying the building, city inspectors determined that the building is safe but did issue a violation to Singer for failure to maintain the exterior facade for cracks observed on the corner of the building at the third floor, a DOB spokesman said.

“DOB Engineers on site have inspected the entire building, and have found that the building is not in imminent danger of collapse, and does not currently pose a danger to the public,” said DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky in a statement. The vacate orders at the evacuated buildings have been lifted.

Updated 7:15 p.m.

City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office released this statement...

Following this morning’s emergency evacuation of two residential buildings adjacent to CHARAS/El Bohio, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, elected officials, community leaders, and neighbors will gather tomorrow to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to immediately take action in light of these new, potential structural and safety concerns.

This morning, the Department of Buildings issued a violation to the owner of the long-empty former P.S. 64, Gregg Singer, for failing to maintain the building's exterior after DOB engineers found cracks in the corner of the building on the third floor. In addition to evacuating the adjacent buildings, firefighters and Con Ed officials had to be called to the scene as well.

CHARAS/El Bohio, also known as the old P.S. 64, was auctioned off by Mayor Rudy Giuliani 20 years ago and has remained vacant ever since. Singer, the purchaser and current owner has not adequately maintained this landmark building, allowing it to deteriorate to its current condition. At a Council District 2 Town Hall in 2017, Mayor de Blasio announced that his administration would take steps to re-acquire this building. No substantive updates have been provided on this issue since then.

The gathering of local elected officials starts at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow outside the building at 350 E. 10th St.

Jimmy Carbone on the long recovery ahead: 'Starting each day is a challenge'

Interview and photos by Stacie Joy

It’s a brisk 22 degrees out at noon on a Friday when I meet up with Jimmy Carbone to accompany him on a trip to his twice-weekly physical therapy sessions at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health on East 38th Street.

He’s drinking a cup of coffee and is perched on the seat of his walker, cane and resistance band strapped to one side. We set out to catch the bus, Carbone’s preferred method of transport since his illness and surgeries.

Carbone, an East Village resident and the longtime restaurateur behind the now-closed Jimmy's No. 43, talks about traversing the city with his disability, how accessible NYC is and isn’t for those with mobility issues, and what he’s thankful for during his recovery.





You’re facing some significant health challenges; can you summarize what happened?

In the summer of 2017, I got an undiagnosed staph infection that spread to my spine. I was first hospitalized in October 2017, but it was never diagnosed properly. By June of 2018 I was paralyzed, had two emergency spine surgeries, spent three months that summer in ICU...now I’ve got two titanium rods in my back.

It seems so long ago. I’ve been in outpatient physical therapy since the fall. I’ll be on antibiotics forever with the infection, and I will never regain full mobility.

You’re entering the eighth month since your last surgery. How are you feeling about your recovery?

I’m always positive. I make a point of recording my progress month to month. I get tested each month too.





What has been the most challenging part of the recovery process?

Learning that I have a new life. Knowing that recovery will take time. I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time reflecting on this. I want to move on ... It’s tough because I try to schedule meetings and too often I have to cancel them because I need a lot of rest.

What are the realities of the day-to-day struggles?

Starting each day is a challenge. My wife has to help me put on socks and shoes. I need to do in-bed stretches and exercises before I can get up. Washing, dressing — all take thought and time. I can’t just throw on some clothes and start my day.

What is something that helps brighten your day?

Going outside! A big part of my physical therapy is getting outside, taking the stairs, walking outside each day as much as I can. The hardest part of my hospital stay was not being able to get out of bed for so long.

I like MTA buses and courteous bus drivers — the lifeline of elderly and disabled people. I especially like M103 and M8 buses.

In what way has the East Village/local community helped with your recovery?

I’ve lived in the neighborhood since 1991 and I opened my first restaurant, Mugsy’s Chow Chow, in 1994. The small biz and community network really rallied after the 2015 East Village gas explosion. [Jimmy's No. 43 is located next to the explosion site on Seventh Street.] I got involved then with EVIMA [East Village Independent Merchants Association] as a founding board member.

The merchants have been super supportive: Exit 9, Mud, the Roost, Random Accessories, Block Drug Store, Anthony Aidan opticians, East Village Meat Market, Veselka, the Bean and others, plus community nonprofit leaders like Steve Herrick at the Cooper Square Committee, Harry Bubbins at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, and so many more.

A crowdfunding campaign has been set up on your behalf to help with expenses. How do you feel about the ongoing support?

I’ve been living off the GoFundMe since the end of 2017. In October 2017 things got really bad. I was in hospital for the first time, couldn’t walk. My brother helped me set up the site and encouraged me to share it. Almost 1,000 people have contributed. GoFundMe has become de facto one of the largest health insurance safety nets in America. Most money raised on it is for medical-related expenses.

You were collaborating with Graham Winton of Paloma Rocket for a new venture at Jimmy's No. 43. What is the status of those plans?

It’s been on hold due to my health. It’s still in the works for 2019. I have to look to athletes who have come back from serious injuries for inspiration. Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers was paralyzed, one year later he was walking in public. He is still recovering. My surgeon says it will take on average one and a half to two years for recovery. So that puts me at the end of 2019.

What are you most looking forward to in a year’s time? Two years?

I’ve got intense physical therapy for this year and I’m trying to stay healthy in general. There will be news with EVIMA, moving forward, as an independent merchants association with City Council member Carlina Rivera. I’m taking time to get more involved in public affairs.

I’m wrestling with this. I want the spine thing, the rehab and recovery to be over...but I also want to keep telling my story because I still need people’s support. I also want to acknowledge the East Village people who supported me through this journey.

Carbone and NYU OK'd Stacie taking photos during a recent session with Dana Lotan, senior physical therapist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health.















Previously on EV Grieve:
Jimmy Carbone is on the mend

Marcha Cocina has closed on Avenue C

After three-plus years on Avenue C at Seventh Street, Marcha Cocina has closed.

Dave on 7th shared this photo, showing the gate down with a for-rent sign attached.

This tapas joint was an offshoot of the Marcha Cocina in Washington Heights. That location never reopened after a fire this past September.

This space at 111 Avenue C was previously Cafe Cambodge (opened February 2014), which happened after the owners revamped the space from its 6-year run as Arcane.

A rally this morning to keep the busway and bike lanes added for the L-train shutdown

[Photo from January by Steven]

This morning at 10, Transportation Alternatives is hosting a "Stay, Bus & Bikeway!" rally on 14th Street at First Avenue.

Here are details, via the Facebook invite:

The L Train bus and bike lanes are halfway done. Join Transportation Alternatives and commuters everywhere to demand that the NYC Mayor commit to the best versions of Manhattan's 14th Street and North Brooklyn's Grand Street

Rally for L Train Bus and Bike Lanes
Feb 6th @ 10 a.m.

The transit advocacy group has said it would be a mistake for the city to reverse course on the 14th Street bus lane additions and the 12th Street and 13th Street bike lanes now that L service between Manhattan and Brooklyn will only be shut down on nights and weekends. You can read more at this Streetsblog post from Jan. 28.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: The L-train's weekend repair plans would mean exit-only stations on 1st and 3rd avenues

L-train non-shutdown fallout: Bike lane battle shaping up along 12th and 13th streets

Tuesday's parting shot

Amelia (landing) and Christo, the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, were out enjoying the nice weather today. Steven took this photo of the hawks atop St. Nicholas of Myra Church on 10th Street at Avenue A.

Fake AdAge

Here's another fake ad in the ongoing "A Presidential Parody" series via Maia Lorian and Abe Lincoln Jr.

Spotted on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue by William Klayer. (Same location as the "Ivamka Trump's Sweatshop for Women" ad from November.)

Where on earth? Here are details on the 2019 Ecological City

[Photo by William Bourassa Jr.]

Planning is underway for the 2019 version of Ecological City, described as "a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event."

Here's more on it via the EVG inbox...

ECOLOGICAL CITY: A Cultural & Climate Solutions Action Project engages the Lower East Side community through creative strategies, co-creating a theatrical pageant, to celebrate and bring together climate resiliency and ecological sustainability solutions throughout the gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront, and their contribution to city and global climate challenges.

Ecological Arts Workshops run March 2 – May 8, every Wednesday 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 12-4 p.m., creating spectacular giant puppets, costumes, and performances exploring local sustainability sites and climate solution initiatives. Groups and organizations are invited to develop group arts projects.

Visual arts and performance projects created through the workshops are presented in the culminating Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday, May 11, with 20 site performances celebrating ecological sustainability initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood, and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side.

Help us cultivate an ecologically sustainable future through joyous affirmation and creative collective action!

This year's procession through neighborhood community gardens will include "a creative community response" to the city's recent abrupt changes to storm-proofing East River Park. As previously reported, the city plans to "lift" East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020. However, to do this, the city will need to close East River Park for up to three and a half years, bulldozing all the current amenities.

For interested parties, the first 2019 planning meeting is tomorrow (Feb. 6) at 6:30 p.m. at the Loisaida Inc. Center – 710 E. Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. Find all the details at this link. You can find photos from last year's procession at this EVG post.

The Archdiocese of New York is shutting down the St. Brigid School on Avenue B and 7th Street

St. Brigid School, which was founded in 1856, will close at the end of this school year, stunned students, parents and teachers learned yesterday.

Said one: "Kids sent home crying with a letter to their parent/guardian. School being closed by the Archdiocese without warning." Another parent told me this via Facebook: "The school said they had no idea. Teachers and the administration are distraught and so sad ... such a good and well-kept school. Hard to believe."

Here's the announcement on the school's website:

On Feb. 4, the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Brigid School in Manhattan will cease operations at the end of the current academic year.

We understand that this is upsetting and concerning news, but rest assured that additional information on this development, as well as the resources to ensure that your child can continue their education at an excellent Catholic School nearby, will be forthcoming this week and posted on a special web page we have created for parents: https://catholicschoolsny.org/st-brigid, where additional information and resources will be available and updated regularly.

Here's what the Archdiocese posted:

On February 4, the Archdiocese of New York announced changes to a number of Catholic schools across the Archdiocese. Regretfully, St. Brigid School will cease operations at the end of the current academic year.

Despite the Archdiocese’s best efforts to maintain the operational and financial viability of the school, continuing to educate students in a building that is underutilized and in need significant improvements has proven unfeasible.

St. Brigid School students will have the opportunity to continue their Catholic education at another nearby Catholic School, some of which are listed below. We encourage you to visit potential schools at your earliest convenience to see how your child can continue receiving an excellent faith-based education.

• Guardian Angel Elementary School
• Immaculate Conception Elementary School
• Our Lady of Pompeii Elementary School
• Transfiguration Elementary School

Only one of those schools, Immaculate Conception, is in the East Village.

St. Brigid, located on Avenue B at Seventh Street (prime spot for condos some day), serves students from nursery school through 8th grade.

St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church on Avenue B at Eighth Street was nearly demolished in 2006, but an unknown donor put up the money ($20 million) to renovate the historic structure. The church reopened in January 2013.

Updated 10 a.m.

School parents are organizing ... and they want to know more about the decision to close St. Brigid.



Said one parent in the comments:

Receiving a letter home in a kid's backpack, like it was a field trip permission slip, is unacceptable. It gave no concrete reasons but claims that they did their best to keep the school open. It is not 'your best' if you did not include the community most affected. The families are not naive, but they are getting organized!

There is a Twitter account now — @BrigidSave ... and a Facebook group.

Updated 5 p.m.

The Post followed up on the story, talking to students and parents...

Heartsick students at a 163-year-old Manhattan Catholic school burst into tears Monday after learning it would shutter permanently at the end of this academic year.

Founded in 1856, the Saint Brigid School in the East Village was one of five city Catholic schools marked for closure by the Archdiocese of New York this week.

“They told us during assembly,” said a downcast Carly Auringer, an 11-year-old sixth-grader. “Everyone was crying.”

Students said they had formed rare bonds with classmates over the years — and struggled to accept being separated from them next year.

Image via Google Street View

A look at the development coming to 14th and C, now the subject of a lawsuit

[Photo from Saturday]

Last week, the Commercial Observer reported that Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that his five-story residential building at 642 E. 14th St. sustained damages by the construction of the neighboring development.

Per the Observer:

Lebewohl claims in the Manhattan Supreme Court suit that Opal Holdings’ work on its 15-story mixed-use project still under development at 644 East 14th Street cracked the interior and exterior walls of Lebewohl’s 642 East 14th Street and caused metal doors inside to be inoperable.

The legal issues commenced when Opal began excavating and installing the foundation for its development, according to the suit filed on Jan. 22 [2019]. Opal tried to cut costs by driving the piles for the foundation too close to Lebewohl’s long-held residential building which damaged the wall and ceilings, the suit claims.

[Photo from Saturday]


[Photo from Saturday]

As previously reported (see the links at the bottom of this post), Opal Holdings picked up the parcel from the Rabsky Group in the summer of 2016 for $23 million. There are plans for a residential building with space for a health-care facility.


[The most recent rendering of the development]

There hasn't been much, if any, progress at this southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue C. (There aren't any active Stop Order Orders on the project, per city records.) My last post on the site came in September 2017. At that time, crews were still working on the foundation. I walk by this corner several times a week, and I haven't seen any activity in more than a year.

Perhaps workers were combatting the elevated groundwater levels here that have impacted the other developments (here and here) along East 14th Street.

As for the new development, here's a rehash of the info I received on the project in September 2016:

Madison Realty Capital (MRC), an institutionally-backed real estate investment firm focused on real estate equity and debt investments in the middle markets, provided a $52.0 million first mortgage loan for the acquisition of a development site in the East Village and construction of an approved 76,259 square foot mixed use development on the site.

The plans for 644 East 14th Street include 50 residential units, 8,064 square feet of retail space with 200 feet of frontage on 14th Street and Avenue C, and 21,575 square feet of community facility space.

The property is located at the corner of 14th Street and Avenue C, along the Northern border of the East Village and directly across the street from Stuyvesant Town. Residential units will offer contemporary finishes and large balconies with East River views. The borrower is currently finalizing a lease with a major New York hospital to occupy the entire community facility portion of the new building.

This corner property next to Campos Plaza and across from the Con Ed plant previously housed the single-level R&S Strauss auto parts store, which closed in April 2009.

These two photos are from the fall of 2017...





Previously on EV Grieve:
Development back in play for East 14th Street and Avenue C

More details on the sale of 644 E. 14th St.

Here comes a 15-story retail-residential complex for East 14th Street and Avenue C

Prepping the former R&S Strauss auto parts store for demolition on East 14th Street and Avenue C

City OKs 15-story mixed-use retail-residential building on 14th and C

14th and C now waiting for the Karl Fischer-designed 15-story retail-residential complex

14th and C still waiting for its Karl Fischer-designed retail-residential complex

Report: New owners for the empty lot at 14th Street and Avenue C

[Updated] Super Bowl Sunday chaos at Atomic Wings; 'the new Fyre Festival'

On Sunday evening around 6, EVG reader Laura shared the above photo, showing a backup of Super Bowl deliveries outside Atomic Wings on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street.

According to several angry Yelp reviews, tweets and eyewitness reports, there was some kind of breakdown at this Atomic Wings that several people have since humorously compared to the disastrous Fyre Festival.

An EVG reader shared this Super Bowl experience via Atomic Wings:

Those delivery guys standing outside were still there well into the evening as the store was completely overrun with orders. I had a delivery [set for] 5 p.m. — made the order days ago. I came at 6 p.m. to see absolute chaos. I ended up leaving since the game started, but people were missing their own parties, etc.

They had no directions as to what to do. People were furious, delivery guys were angry, and police were ticketing and towing double-parked cars outside. So you’d hear people scream “who has the gray Nissan?! They’re about to tow it” every 5 minutes.

I ended up never getting my wings — which I preferred over getting them at midnight — and will be calling for a refund ...

The reader shared this photo from inside the shop about 30 minutes before the kickoff between the Patriots and Rams...



People took out some frustrations on Twitter...

@AtomicWings I ordered 100 wings from your East Village location that were supposed to come at 4pm and still have not been delivered. I have called and the line is constantly busy, I’ve emailed and no one responded. Can you help please??

— Alex Cirillo (@MissCirillo) February 3, 2019

@AtomicWings I ordered 100 wings to be delivered at 17:30 est and I haven’t received my order nor been able to get in contact. Can someone who works there please #dm me. I’ was on hold for 20 minutes #CustomerService #USA #SuperBowlLIII

— JSL Jr (@realmynameisjsl) February 4, 2019

@AtomicWings is the new Fyre festival #FyreFestival #bust #FailedtoDeliver

— Danny Brenner (@dbrenner7) February 4, 2019

And then there were the 13 one-star reviews on Yelp that came during and after the Super Bowl Wing Debacle. Most people said that they pre-paid for their wings, which never arrived. One example:

I ordered over 100 wings for my super bowl party a week in advance. I prepaid and even called the restaurant the night before to confirm the order. Not only were the wings not received but they unplugged their phone line so that no one could get in touch with them and have not reconnected it as of 12:30 P.M. the following day.

There were several more comparisons like this: "This is the Fyre Festival of wings...."

Atomic Wings has been around now for 30 years, with multiple NYC locations selling their Buffalo-style wings.

I reached out to the Atomic Wings home office for more information on what happened at the EV outpost during the Super Bowl. Will update if I hear back.

Updated 7:30 p.m.

Here's the word via the Atomic Wings HQ:

The franchisee at the First Avenue location ran into an equipment failure that hampered his ability to get orders out in a timely fashion. He has already reached out to customers to offer them full refunds and store credits.

Report: East Village cyclist killed in early-morning hit-and-run near Times Square

A 72-year-old East Village resident was killed early this morning while he was riding his bike near Times Square.

The Post identified the victim:

Chaim Joseph, 72, of the East Village was hit by a private oil truck shortly before 6 a.m. while he was riding in the bike lane near the intersection of Eighth Avenue and West 45th Street in Midtown.

The motorist then drove off, cops said.

Joseph was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center, but he could not be saved.

Per Streetsblog:

The afternoon, an NYPD spokeswoman said that the “driver and the vehicle have been identified.” She declined to give further details. No one has been arrested as of 3:30 p.m. on Monday.

This is horrific, and this can’t keep happening. We have SO MUCH MORE work to do to protect cyclists and pedestrians in our city. My heart breaks for this man and his loved ones. What a senseless loss. https://t.co/xvwHXiwux2

— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) February 4, 2019