'The Drag Explosion' brings the golden age of NYC drag history to the Wild Project

Via the EVG inbox...

Linda Simpson, a shining star of NYC’s drag scene for almost 30 years, returns to The Wild Project with another presentation of her acclaimed narrated her-storical slideshow, The Drag Explosion, on Friday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

All of the photos in The Drag Explosion were shot by Linda from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, and they reveal a golden age of NYC drag history. During this era, the drag scene remarkably transformed from an underground art form into a pop-culture phenomenon.

The photos capture wild nightlife, queer activism, and all sorts of colorful characters, including RuPaul, Lady Bunny and Lypsinka, as they joyfully pushed the boundaries of gender expression.

[All photos via Linda Simpson]

The Wild Project is at 195 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Tickets for the event are $10. Find more details here.

Leaves everywhere

Goggla shared the top photo this morning from Tompkins Square Park.

"Looks like the gingkos dropped their leaves last night before they had a chance to turn yellow," she said. "The park and neighborhood were carpeted with green this morning."

Indeed, Derek Berg noted the leaves on sidewalks from Fourth Street to Seventh Street after last night's deep freeze...





Updated:

Vinny & O passed along this leafy view on 11th Street this morning...

At the opening day of Book Club on 3rd Street

Book Club opened its doors Saturday morning at 197 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by Saturday for an opening-day look at the bookstore-cafe owned and operated by East Village couple Erin Neary and Nat Esten...




[Esten]


[Neary]

The space features an area for sitting and reading ... and a cafe serving MUD coffee. (They were approved for a beer-wine license, which is expected to be issued next month.) Look for community events and readings in the weeks/months ahead.















Book Club is currently open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Find more updates via their Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

What a weekend! THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support us. We're just getting started! Working on a ton of fun events for the store, plus beer and wine coming soon. Thank you for shopping local! 📚 ☕🍷

A post shared by Book Club (@bookclubbar) on Nov 11, 2019 at 5:33am PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
Book Club — an independent bookstore with cafe — coming to 3rd Street

A look at Book Club, the new bookstore-cafe (softly) opening tomorrow on 3rd Street

Very Thai has not been open lately on Avenue B

Very Thai looks to be done for at 186 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street...



The first tip came in about a possible closure in late October (H/T David!). The space had shown up in real-estate listings dating to April 2018 ("motivated owner, low key money"). The storefront no longer appears to be for rent as of last week, suggesting that a new tenant has been secured.

The Very Thai website doesn't mention a closure, though their phone is out of service. Oddly enough, Yelp notes a temporary closure — with an October 2020 reopening...



Very Thai arrived in early 2017, taking over space from the 10-year-old Barbone, the Italian restaurant that was Cromanated.

Meanwhile, while we're on this block, another tipster notes that Guac on the east side of Avenue B has not been open. The photo below is from Saturday night.



No word via the Guac folks about a temporary or permanent closure. The Mexican restaurant, run by Vincent Sgarlato, who owns and operates Eleven B and 11B Express across Avenue B, opened in the fall of 2016.

118 1st Avenue still for rent

[Photo Friday by Steven]

Vacant Storefront Week continues... new for-rent signs recently arrived on another prime corner spot — 118 First Ave. at Seventh Street.

The asking rent for the space — 900 square feet with another 900 in the basement — is $13,000, per the listing at KSR.

Golden Food Market closed here in the summer of 2017 after 35 years in business. According to a reader who spoke with the Golden Food Market (aka Ali's) staff, the lease was up for renewal and the new landlord wanted an increase that was more than the store could manage.

As for the new landlord, an LLC with a West 11th Street address bought the building in the spring of 2017 for $5.8 million, per public records.

A tapas-wine bar was in the works for the space in April 2018, but those plans never advanced past the Community Board stage.

Yes, the Tang has closed, but something else is on the way

While on the topic of 118 First Ave. ... The Tang, the Chinese noodle bar and its neighbor to the north at 120 First Ave., closed in early October ... an event that I forgot to note...



Here's part of the closing message from Team Tang on Instagram:

After three years of serving the neighborhood, we are sad to announce that The Tang EV will be closing on Monday, October 7.

Since we have found a new home at Upper West Side, to be more consistent with our brand, we are shutting down our East Village location. However, please stay tuned on our upcoming project, which we are very excited about. It will be a brand new concept that we will turn this space into.

We want to thank all the neighbors for your continuous support and all the employees who have worked here.

Last month, reps for The Tang appeared before CB3's SLA committee for an alteration to their existing license. CB3 approved the extended hours. Per the official minutes of the meeting:

[T]his is an application for an Asian noodle restaurant with a certificate of occupancy of seventy-four (74) people, six (6) tables and twenty-two (22) seats, no bar, proposed hours of operation of 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. Sundays through Thursdays and 12:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. Fridays and Saturdays, a kitchen open during all hours of operation...

No other word on what this new concept might be...

Tuesday's parting shot

Thanks to EVG reader Cajsa for sending along these photos of this evening's spectacular sky at sunset... as seen from Fourth Street and Second Avenue...

Late afternoon Park view

Photo from Tompkins Square Park via Vinny & O...

[Updated] Closing arguments expected to start today in the 2nd Avenue gas explosion trial

[Aerial photo of 119-123 2nd Ave. from March 27, 2015]

Closing arguments are expecting to begin today in the Second Avenue gas explosion trial, WABC-7 reports.

The trial, which started on Sept. 9 in Manhattan Supreme Court, was expected to last three months.

Maria Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis are standing trial on a variety of charges, including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the March 2015 explosion at 121 Second Ave. that killed two men and injured nearly two dozen people.

They illegally tampered with the gas line at No. 121, where the restaurant Sushi Park was the retail tenant, then failed to warn those in the building before the blast, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

"Unbeknownst to the people who were walking down the street, driving down the street, there was a virtual bomb lurking under the East Village," Assistant District Attorney Randolph Clarke said in his opening statement.

The defense has attempted to shift the blame away from the three, putting the responsibility on Con Edison and others.

Here's part of a trial preview from the Times from Sept. 9:

Under New York law, prosecutors will have to prove that Ms. Hrynenko, Mr. Kukic and Mr. Ioannidis were aware that they were acting recklessly, and disregarded the potential risk of death to others. Prosecutors would also have to show that the risks were not something that a reasonable person would have ignored.

“Being aware of a substantial risk would seem to be inconsistent with maintaining their property and obtaining tenants, making it challenging to prove that level of reckless intent,” said Kevin McCarthy, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who previously worked as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Updated 8 p.m.

Attorneys for the defense made their closing arguments today. Per CBS New York:

Hrynenko’s lawyer said she hired people to do work and knows nothing about an illegal gas line.

Her attorney gave the first closing argument, saying prosecutors are missing evidence, including some piping and the main shut-off valve.

All three defense attorneys have argued the explosion happened in the kitchen of the sushi restaurant on the first floor, not the basement like prosecutors allege.

Family and friends of the defendants packed one side of the courtroom. On the other side were family members of those killed.

“I hope that the jury will decide these people’s fate in the right way, you know, that they all go to jail for what they did,” said Nixon Figueroa, whose son died in the explosion.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

RIP Nicholas Figueroa

RIP Moises Ismael Locón Yac

A family continues to feel the loss on 2nd Avenue

Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

Jury selection starts for defendants in 2nd Avenue gas explosion that killed 2 men

Day 1 recap of the 2nd Avenue gas explosion trial; opening statements and emotional testimony from Nicholas Figueroa's father

With City Council vote looming, NYCHA residents speak out against East Side stormproofing plan

[Along East River Park]

The City Council's final vote on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), the $1.45 billion proposal to protect the East Side from future storms and rising sea levels, is expected on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, this morning, the City Council Committee on Land Use will weigh in with a vote at 11.

Ahead of these crucial votes, the community pushback continues. Late last week, a group called NYCHA Speaks circulated a letter and petition "to speak out against the lies that are being told at our expense. We are not in favor of the demolition of our park!"

Their letter, sent to local elected officials, states in part:

These petitions are being submitted to you on behalf of nearly 2,000 NYCHA residents of Lillian Wald, Jacob Riis, and Baruch Houses.

These signatures have been collected over the past weeks to show that the vast majority of NYCHA residents do NOT support Option 4 of the ESCR plan. The East River Park has been a vital part of our community for generations, and the demolition of our park will have a devastating impact on the health and stability of our families.

To name just a few of our many concerns:

· The release of contaminants into the air during the demolition and landfill phases. We already suffer a high rate of asthma in our community.

· The negative effects of the loss of much of our local green space (including almost 1,000 mature trees) during the many years of construction. There are thousands of NYCHA families that depend on the East River Park for recreation, school sports, relaxation and family gatherings — in a community that has few alternatives.

Because this plan to demolish and bury the East River Park has received widespread opposition from the community overall, it has been particularly troubling to see how the DDC and City officials have used a very small handful of NYCHA representatives as their “vote of support.”

The staged appearances of these same 2 or 3 individuals in almost every ESCR Town Hall and Public Hearing has slowly created an outrage among NYCHA residents. These individuals are not speaking truthfully for their community! This petitioning effort is a reaction to what we considered was false representation on our behalf.

The Lillian Wald, Jacob Riis, and Baruch Houses suffered the impact of Hurricane Sandy firsthand, and we are aware of the need for flood protection. However, we do not want to sacrifice our park. We see the City’s push to demolish and bury the East River Park as an assault on our history, and on our continued presence in this rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. We understand that construction will need to be done to protect the neighborhood from flooding, but do not support the current plan that the City has chosen.

Last Monday, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Sitings and Dispositions voted for the plan.

Before the subcommittee vote, Mayor de Blasio announced the formation of a new community advisory group that will provide input on the design and construction progress in East River Park.

No word on who exactly will be part of this "community advisory group."

On Thursday night, officials from the Department of Design & Construction are scheduled to present updates on the plan before Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. That public meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in the BRC Senior Services Center, 30 Delancey St. between Chrystie and Forsyth.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Dutch consultant files report on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (Oct. 11)

• More details on the city's new plan to keep East River park partially open during flood protection construction (Oct. 3)

• At the march and rally to save East River Park (Sept. 21)

• An annual reunion in East River Park (Aug. 4)

• A visit to East River Park (July 10)

A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for 1st Avenue?

Renovations are now underway inside the long-vacant 39 First Ave. here between Second Street and Third Street.

According to sources on the block, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will be the new tenant.

There's nothing on the recently issued work permits mentioning Popeyes by name. The architect of record does mostly work with fast-food properties.

So chalk this up to a rumor for now.

Popeyes has enjoyed a resurgence since the release this past summer of its pandemonium-inducing fried chicken sandwich ... which was recently re-introduced to a spate of violence at several outposts across the country.

There are currently 15 Popeyes locations in Manhattan, per the company website.

As for No. 39, the retail space has sat empty for nearly four years after NY Village Deli moved to a smaller storefront on the block.

The storefront was also tagged again in recent days.



Updated

In other local Popeyes news... the Post reports that an East Village resident found half of a joint from a chicken sandwich he bought last week at the West 14th Street location.

Foxface now selling sandwiches 6 days a week with addition of Tuesday service

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Foxface continues to expand its hours of operation.

The unique sandwich shop inside the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 is now open on Tuesdays...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Foxface (@foxface_nyc) on Nov 11, 2019 at 7:17am PST

So moving forward, Foxface is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m., then 5:30-9:30 p.m. ... and noon to 9 p.m. (or when they sell out!) on Saturday and Sunday.

East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat opened Foxface, 80 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue, late last year. Pete Wells is among the fans of Foxface.

H/T Steven!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Longtime East Village residents open Foxface, now serving sandwiches at Theater 80

Former Percy's storefront gets a fresh coat of paint

[Photo by Steven]

Several readers have noted the recently painted exterior of the former Percy's Tavern on the northeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street... which led to questions about whether a new tenant is on the way in here.

Block association sources are unaware of any business in the works at the moment. The space has been vacant for more than two years after Percy's Tavern closed.

In September of 2017, Community Board 3 did not approve the Late Late’s James Morrissey's application to open Honey Fitz at this address.

As BoweryBoogie reported at the time:

Sick of the “broken promises,” the Avenue A block associations spoke of how Percy’s is detrimental to quality of life. They further alleged that bringing in Morrissey with a 4am liquor license, and who has a terrible track record with VYNL and The Late Late, would only exacerbate an already saturated area. Indeed, the latter operation is considered one of the worst offenders in the district, and carries a report card of more than thirty 311 complaints. Residents on East 1st Street regularly complain about noise, which first has to travel past a clamorous Houston Street and then through First Park.

The liquor license, which includes Morrissey's name, is currently inactive for the address... and it expires at the end of January, according to the State Liquor Authority.

It's also possible the interior was damaged during the fire upstairs in the building back in March. Here's a look inside...



The bar-lounge Fat Buddha just reopened next door after post-fire renovations.

45 E. 1st St. vacant again

Skinny Buddha, a vegan food business with outposts in Scarsdale and Mt. Cisco, has wrapped up its three-month pop-up cafe at 45 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

So now the space is tenant-free at the moment. The storefront had been the coffee bar Cocoa Grinder for a few months. The business never took off, in part because their opening coincided with the (now concluded) months-long water-main work on the block... not to mention the ongoing condoplex construction on the corner of Second Avenue blocked off half of the street for a few years.

The address previously housed the bar-restaurant Joe and Misses Doe.

Today's transit of Mercury from 2nd Avenue

Exciting day for fans of the planet Mercury, which passed directly between Earth and the Sun in an event that won’t happen again until 2032.

As this photo by Derek Berg shows, Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers was set up near the F stop... from here, you could spot the small silhouette of Mercury moving across the Sun. (A very thick black filter blocked out 99 percent of the Sun's light, and made it safe to view.)

Here's a photo that I took with my iPhone via NASA today ...

When the 'Fifth Street Boys' came home

In honor of Veterans Day today... here's part of an EVG post from Nov. 10, 2010. EVG contributor James Maher shared these photos. His grandparents and mother were born and raised on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's a celebration of the "Fifth Street Boys" returning home from World War II.

Per James on the photos below: "I spoke with my Aunt who tells me that the photo was taken around 1945 to celebrate the end of the war. I don't know exactly which building, but apparently my grandma and relatives had three apartments in the same building on 5th Street between Avenue A and B, which is where this photo was taken from. My grandmother and all of her sisters are most of the girls that are looking up at the camera in the second photo."

The MTA closes the 2 Brooklyn-bound L-train entrances for upgrades on 14th Street at 1st Avenue

[Photo via the MTA]

The two new L-train entrances on 14th Street at Avenue A — for Brooklyn-bound commuters — debuted last Monday. (First reported here.)

Starting today (Nov. 11), the MTA is closing the two Brooklyn-bound entrances on 14th Street at First Avenue. The MTA is replacing all of the structural beams and redoing the walls and tile — with a scheduled April 2020 completion date.



Workers have board up the entrances on the south side of 14th Street (h/t Pinch!)...



So here's what that means, via the L Project Newsletter:

• On weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9:45 p.m., use the new Avenue A south entrance for Brooklyn-bound service.
• On nights/weekends, use the First Avenue north for service in both directions.

Here are more details from the newsletter:

1) Other parts of the First Avenue Station improvements are also ahead of schedule, including the elevators.
The two new elevators, one on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A, were originally supposed to open in November 2020. Now, we're estimating a June 2020 completion.

2) The new Avenue A north (Manhattan-bound) entrance will open later, sometime in 2020. The First Avenue north side will close then, just like the south side entrances. We're phasing the entrance work so we can always have two entrances open at all times, one on either side of the tracks.

3) Street restoration is ahead of schedule, too. Originally, the street restoration wasn't supposed to be completed until May 2020. Now, most of it will be done by January. We'll be pouring new sidewalks and getting rid of or shrinking our worksites. Reduced barricaded areas will stay around the two elevators and on the north side of 14th Street by the Avenue B substation. All work will be underground except for the elevators and reconstructed entrances.

Preliminary work on the Avenue A entrances in July 2017.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Behold your new Avenue A L-train entrances!

Odd Eye closing 5th Street shop; going online

After nearly three years at 524 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, Odd Eye NYC is closing up shop.

The owners of the design store are moving their business online...



In an upbeat closing notice on Instagram, the owners note:

What a ride but guess what?
It’s time to adapt. We’re going 100% digital! 🤳🏼

Everything is on sale! Come make an offer/score a deal!

Been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work! Excited to see what ODDEYE has in store for you in the future but until then come buy some shit! 🤗

And thx for the awesome opportunity and the best landlord anyone could ask for! C U on the internet!

Odd Eye will be open through this month. You can find their website here.

A look at the northwest corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

The Duane Reade on First Avenue just north of 14th Street closed last Wednesday, one of many DRs around the city to do so.

This (mostly) single-level strip of commercial buildings on the northwest corner has long drawn reader interest ... mostly because someone hasn't gobbled up these properties for new development.

All of the four-story 239 First Ave., where the shuttered Salt & Pepper sold Indian and Chinese cuisine from the storefront, is apparently vacant ...



Anyway, there's nothing in public records to suggest anything is afoot here. And a new Japanese restaurant is coming to the former Kambi Ramen House space there next door to O'Hanlon's...



For now it's on the Future Development Site watch. And enjoy Papaya Dog.

11 Avenue C now with bricks and glass

The 10-story 11 Avenue C (aka 350 E. Houston St.) has entered the next phase in its construction — bricks and glass...



After a sloooooow start (foundation work began in December 2016 on this triangular lot that housed the neighborhood's last gas station), there has been noticeable progress in recent months. The residential building with 46 units will include ground-floor retail.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Workers officially reach the top at 11 Avenue C, where a 10-floor building sits on the neighborhood's last gas station