About the NYPD cracking down on bikes without bells Saturday in Tompkins Square Park

[Screengrab from YouTube]

In case you were wondering about the large NYPD presence in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday afternoon... an estimated 50 cops turned up in the Park ahead of the sixth annual "420 Bake and Race" biking event.

According to published reports, organizer Shardy Nieves was arrested before the event started.

Per Streetsblog:

Nieves said as he walking into the park, he was greeted by the police officers — and one officer showed him a folder full of social media posts promoting the event, whose name is a cheeky pun for marijuana use, though Nieves claimed it actually refers to baked goods and pizza that the riders enjoy after the race.

Nonetheless, he was arrested on what cops said was an outstanding open container warrant.

The timing of his arrest the day of his racing event was suspicious, according to Nieves, who said he was pulled over this past summer for running a red light and was told his record was clean.

Following his arrest, police reportedly took Nieves to his home borough in the Bronx, where a judge dismissed the charges.

Meanwhile, the NYPD wasn't done in Tompkins Square Park.

Back to Streetsblog:

Police also wrote up cyclists, most of whom were kids of color, for not having bells on their bikes.

Cops confiscated their bikes and brought them to the local [9th] Precinct. Several kids had to wait hours to get them back, according to social media reports and one of the victims.

Here are some of the bikes confiscated by NYPD. They were taken from kids who were not riding them. pic.twitter.com/NsKEBOWTu1

— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) April 20, 2019

Brandon, Chris, and Marc just left the 9th pct after being here since 1:30pm. They all got tickets for no bells, though people offered them bells to install while getting tickets. pic.twitter.com/M7AfJgMgmj

— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) April 20, 2019

The NYPD left Tompkins Square Park for Union Square.

At least 20 NYPD officers here telling about 8 kids on BMX bikes to leave Union Square because they were...sitting on the steps #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/AFWxiPcbsK

— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) April 20, 2019

You can read the account of the day via this post at Gothamist. (There's also this 30-minute video taken during the NYPD's time in Tompkins.)

Council Speaker Corey Johnson shared his thoughts on the NYPD's actions on Saturday in this tweet...

We should be encouraging cycling by making people feel safe biking on our streets, not targeting cyclists for overly punitive crackdowns. We have to do better than this. https://t.co/rVth8o8inJ

— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) April 22, 2019

Safe street advocates wonder why the city won't give the same attention to reckless drivers. Citing NYPD statistics, Gothamist reported that traffic fatalities in New York City this year have increased by 41 percent compared to the same time period of 2018.

Said City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, chair of the council's Transportation Committee: "There are other priorities that the men and women of the NYPD should have, especially fighting crimes. Targeting cyclists should not be their priority. ...We don't have a history of cyclists being involved in crashes in a number that is alarming. So I hope the NYPD stops this type of practice and focuses their resources to fight crimes."

In a statement to Gothamist, NYPD spokesperson Detective Denise Moroney said:

The detail was in response to a large gathering of bicyclists called “420 Bake and Race” advertising smoking marijuana and traveling on New York City roadways to various locations. There was a total of four summons written for no bell on a bicycle (1236-B of the VTL) in the area of the park. There were a total of four bicycles were taken into custody for the violation and once the violation was corrected (bell affixed to the bicycle) all bicycles were returned in a 24-hour period. One person was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant. Members of the public and the NYPD have a shared responsibility to ensure safety for all navigating the streets of the city.

The "420 Bake and Race" ended up happening after all, just a little later than originally planned and without as many participants.

Sources:
• NYPD Intimidates and Cracks Down on Cyclists For No Good Reason (Streetsblog)

• NYPD Seizes Bikes Without Bells, Arrests Cyclist Leading Group Ride (Gothamist)

Happy day after Earth Day

Sunrise from Tompkins Square Park this morning...

Report: First red-tailed hawk egg hatches this year in Tompkins Square Park

[Photo from March 20 by Steven]

There's preliminary indication coming from Tompkins Square Park that the first egg belonging to the resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo, has hatched.

Goggla has the news:

I believe a hatch started or occurred on Saturday, April 20. The behavior of parents, Christo and Amelia changed that day — she kept fussing around in the nest and sitting up higher, indicating something was going on underneath her. Christo also made two food deliveries to the nest. There had been a heavy rainfall the night before, and Christo brought in several pieces of bark, possibly to create a new dry layer in the nest.

Goggla previously reported that Amelia laid the first egg on or around March 13. It's not clear how many eggs might be in the nest.

This is the first full mating/nesting season for Christo and Amelia. Last year, tragically, the older of their two red-tailed hawk fledglings died. (The whereabouts of offspring No. 2 is unknown.)

Christo and his previous partner Dora (now in permanent wing rehab as of April 2018) raised 10 hawklets in recent years.

Updated 9 a.m.

Steven shares these nest photos from this morning...


[Christo on the left]



Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Red-tailed hawk talk with Laura Goggin

The EVG podcast: More hawk talk with Laura Goggin

On 9th Street, Cha-an Bonbon to serve as a to-go outpost for Cha-an Teahouse

You may have noticed the new storefront for Cha-an Bonbon over at 238 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue at the site of the former take-out hotspot Yonekichi.

This location will serve as a to-go outpost for Cha-an Teahouse, which Japanese restauranteur Bon Yagi opened on the second floor of 230 E. Ninth St. in 2004.

Sakura Yagi, who helps run her father’s restaurant group, shared more about Cha-an Bonbon with Food & Wine:

"Tea and sweets go hand-in-hand in the Japanese tea world. As Japanese teas, like matcha, have gained traction … New Yorkers are starting to look for places that have wagashi and wagashi-inspired desserts." Hence, her family’s decision to expand.

And...

Fans of the teahouse’s original matcha latte — made from a pre-mixed blend of milk plus In Pursuit of Tea matcha powder — will be able to order the drink at Bonbon, with the option to add other ingredients like red bean, soft-serve ice cream, and shiratama, a type of soft mochi.

Cha-an Bonbon, set to open May 1, will also reportedly offer several beverages exclusive to this space.

In sight: Block's Vision Care relocates inside Block Drugs next door

You may have seen the signs in recent weeks at 101 Second Ave. (thanks to Steven for the tip and photos) ... Block's Vision has merged into the Block Drugs space next door at Sixth Street ...



... and the now-former Block's Vision space — 400 square feet — is on the rental market (all uses considered, per the sign) ...



Blocks's Vision opened at No. 101 (previously the home of Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar) in the summer of 2013.

Block Drugs, owned and operated by Carmine and Beth Palermo (a licensed optician), dates to 1885. The business has been in the Palermo family since 1962.

For further reading:
How a 131-year-old pharmacy survives against the Rx giants (New York Business Journal, February 2016)

Sunshine sunset

As we first reported last week, workers erected the sidewalk bridge in front of the late Sunshine Cinema on Houston Street... ahead of demolishing the circa-1898 building between Forsyth and Eldridge.

An EVG reader yesterday reported that workers removed the SUNSHINE letters on the marquee.

"Couldn't bare the thought of them getting trashed, so I asked the Construction Site Manager if I could have one of the letters. He gave me a quick 'no' and said the building owners intend to keep them. Hope that's the truth. On the bright side, the construction people were quite nice."

[EVG photo from January 2018]

The new owners of the address, East End Capital and K Property Group, have approved plans to erect a 9-story office building.

Our previous post has more details on what's to come.

The five-screen Landmark Sunshine Theater closed Jan. 21, 2018, after 17 years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Sunshine Cinema-replacing office building moving forward; demolition watch back on

Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema

The 9-story boutique office building coming to the former Sunshine Cinema space

A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema

The boutique office building replacing the Sunshine Cinema will be 'unbounded by walls' with an outdoor space called Houston Alley

An Earth Day message from East River Park

An EVG reader shared these photos from earlier today ... showing a banner hanging from the East River Park Amphitheater: "Destruction (of the park) ≠ Protection (from climate change)."

As you probably know, to stormproof the East Side and protect residents from storms the magnitude of Sandy, the city plans to "lift" East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020.

Creating the intricate flood protection system would see the city close East River Park for up to three and a half years, shutting down the current amenities, cutting down many of the trees and rebuilding the recently renovated running track, among other things.

The draft environmental impact statement for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project is currently available for review and comment. (Be warned: the whole thing is 900-plus pages.) My previous post here has more details on the review process and links to relevant materials.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's comic series — an observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood — and NYC.

A CVS is coming to the corner of Houston and Orchard in Ben Shaoul's luxury condoplex

Developer Ben Shaoul's gold-dusted condoplex at 196 Orchard St. has signed another retail tenant.

CVS is coming soon to the corner space here at East Houston Street...



The drug-store chain (FYI originally named the Consumer Value Store) joins the Marshalls in the retail spots of the 11-story, 94-unit building where residential units top out at $5.995 million.

Shaoul's luxury building, constructed in part with hand-laid, gilded-bronze brick imported from Cadaqués, also includes an Equinox Fitness center.

This property on Houston between Ludlow and Orchard previously housed a single row of storefronts, including Ray's Pizza, Bereket and Lobster Joint.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making way for Ben Shaoul's new retail-residential complex on East Houston

Katz's is now the last business on East Houston between Ludlow and Orchard

East Side Gourmet Deli has closed on 4th and B

That's all for the East Side Gourmet Deli on the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street (in the retail space of the colorful building). A look through the slats in the gate reveals an stripped and empty shop.

Word from around here is that the newish owners decided against staying following an increase in rent. The deli had been open lately with limited hours of operation.

The block isn't without market options — East Village Finest Deli is open right across the Avenue ... and Ben's is one block to the south.

H/T Stacie Joy for the photo!

Cocoa Grinder is closed for now on 1st Street

We've had a few queries about Cocoa Grinder, the cafe that had its soft opening at 45 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue back in November.

Several readers have noted that the space has been dark of late...



We reached out to the Cocoa Grinder team, who confirmed that they are closed for now. Per an email: "Figuring out if we should open it or not."

Cocoa Grinder, which offers all-day breakfast, burgers, protein shakes and freshly squeezed juices, has multiple locations in Brooklyn.

This part of East First Street has been a tough block lately. There was the water-main replacement that took months...


[Photo from February]


[Photo from February]

...and the west end of the block remains choked with construction on the 32 E. First St. condoplex.

There's also ample coffee-cafe competition that's easily accessible at the east end of the block with the Juicy Lucy stand, the Lazy Llama and Juice Press as well as the Mudspot Café in First Park.

The address here — 45 E. First St. — previously housed the bar-restaurant Joe and Misses Doe.

When the door is open at the incoming H Mart

In this week's episode of H Mart is coming soon, EVG correspondent Steven takes a look to see how interior renovations are progressing here along Third Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street...







It appears that the H Mart will take four of the six retails spots here in the base of NYU's Alumni Hall ...


[Arrow courtesy of EV Arrow]

At least two of those retail spots — Birdbath and Citi Habitats — have been empty for nearly five years. The other two empty spots once belonged to a Subway (sandwich shop) and Saint's Alp Teahouse.

We first spotted the branding for H Mart here last August. Still no exact opening date for the specialty Asian-American grocery chain, based in Lyndhurst, N.J.

Sunday's parting shot

Christo atop St. Brigid-St. Emeric on Avenue B and Eighth Street late this afternoon ... thanks to Steven for the photo!

April 21

Thanks to Simon Dumenco for sharing these photos today from St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... as he correctly notes: "It’s Easter Sunday, so it’s time for the traditional sacrificing of the Christmas trees."

Have to make room in the apartment for all the eggs...

Week in Grieview

[Tompkins Square Park this morning]

Posts on EVG this past week included...

Making the case for 2-way bike lanes on Avenue B (Monday)

Q&A with East Village filmmaker Michael Levine, whose documentary on Streit's airs on PBS (Thursday)

Spring comes alive on Avenue C (Tuesday)

What to expect (on paper) when the partial L-train shutdown begins April 26 (Wednesday)

Good Friday 2019: Jesus walks, falls on 3rd Street (Friday)

"It’s a Godlis World" at 72 Gallery (Thursday)

Plywood treatment for the former Foot Gear Plus on 1st Avenue as storefront renovation looms (Tuesday)

Exterior prep work underway at the soon-to-be demolished former Sunshine Cinema (Thursday)

This week's NY See (Monday)

When things got bat-shit crazy in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

Q&A with Dan Efram, photographer behind this book of "Curiosities" (Tuesday)

A look at the all-new Houston Lafayette-Broadway corridor (Thursday)

Jebon Sushi & Noodle has closed on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

A moment on East Houston Street (Wednesday)

Edi & the Wolf closing (Thursday)

Survey: There's a lower rate of retail vacancies in landmarked areas of the East Village (Monday)

The Moxy East Village opens this fall (Wednesday)

Monday's parting rainbow shots (Monday)

Renovated small dog run reopens in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

Crepes ‘n Things joins the Bowery Market (Monday)

The Starbucks on 2nd Avenue at 9th Street has closed (a day early) (Tuesday)

Atelier Sucré bringing pastry-making workshops and tastings to 7th Street (Monday)

Lift off: Jay-Z will headline the first show at the all-new Webster Hall (Monday) ... Did you get your tickets for the Jay-Z show Friday at Webster Hall? (Saturday)

Post fire, Fat Buddha remains closed on Avenue A (Monday)

At Milk Bar, a new name for the Crack Pie (Tuesday)

Wagamama clears out of the East Village (Monday)

The New Stand announces its arrival on the Bowery (Monday)

... and several readers noted this mini-bottle party on Second Avenue at Sixth Street from Thursday night/Friday morning...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

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An Earth Day gathering in East River Park

The above flyer is from the folks at LUNGS — Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens ... they're hosting an Earth Day celebration in East River Park tomorrow (Monday) from noon to 5 p.m. at the LES Ecology Center/Fireboat house by Grand Street and the seal spray shower (find directions here).

The LUNGS site has the above details here.

How data thieves target smart phones to steal personal information

Photos from this past week courtesy of Derek Berg...

Easter with The Baroness

Here's a look at the Easter-themed window display over at The Baroness, the latex designer boutique at 530 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The above photo is by James and Karla Murray, who posted an interview yesterday with The Baroness on their Instagram account here.

And you can revisit our own interview with The Baroness from the EVG archives at this link.

Did you get your tickets for the Jay-Z show Friday at Webster Hall?

As you probably know, Jay-Z is the main event on Webster Hall's re-opening night on Friday.

AMEX card members had first dibs for tickets on Thursday before the public sale yesterday.

Tickets went quickly, obviously. Starting prices on the Webster Hall site ranged from $250 to $399.



Over at StubHub, the least-expensive resale ticket starts at $810 ($709 at VividSeats!). Tickets top out at $1,499 on StubHub.



The landmarked concert venue closed after an Action Bronson show on Aug. 10, 2017, under the previous ownership.

The new operators are BSE Global and the Bowery Presents. Here's a recap of what they've done these past months, per a news release:

The renovations at Webster Hall aimed to preserve the iconic features of the venue, while modernizing it to meet today’s entertainment standards and enhance the guest experience. The Lounge (formerly The Marlin Room) has been revamped to serve as a bar and meeting spot for ticketholders both before and after shows in the Grand Ballroom.

Design details of The Lounge include elegant gold stenciling on the walls that pays homage to the original historic design, and fluted glass along the bar that mimics the venue’s former windows.

In the Grand Ballroom, the original stage remains, while acoustics were enhanced to create an optimal live event experience. Fans and artists returning to Webster Hall will notice other new features such as central air conditioning, expanded restrooms, additional stairwells for smoother entry and exit, and the venue’s first-ever elevator that will serve guests with disabilities and speed up each show’s load-in and load-out process.

Behind the scenes, an artist compound was built with upgraded amenities to provide direct access to the Ballroom stage, creating a more comfortable and inviting environment for performers and their management. The venue’s basement level, formerly known as The Studio at Webster Hall, will also return, with more details to be announced at a later date.

When things got bat-shit crazy this evening in Tompkins Square Park

A bat was making the rounds early this evening by the Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park... Goggla shared these photos... she believe it's an Eastern Red Bat...



Possibly better than a pink full moon tonight?