Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood... as well as observations on current events...
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Owner's retirement will bring a close to EV children's treasure Dinosaur Hill next month
Text and photos by Linda Dyett
The jam-packed children's toy, game and book shop Dinosaur Hill, a neighborhood institution since 1983, will be closing at the end of November. Pamela Pier, the shop's tireless owner, has decided to retire.
This little-shop-that-could — many of its items under $5 — set the pace for the many of the visionary, iconoclastic stores that have opened on the East Village's side streets in the decades that followed.
A final storewide sale is already under way — 25 percent off through the end of October, 40 percent off in November.
Veselka, Dinosaur Hill's equally well-known next-door neighbor, will be taking over its lease, and expanding into the space here at 306 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue.
She wanted "to keep kids out of cyber space and engaged in 3D activities." Some items are produced by local artists and artisans. Other goods come from small-scale companies around the United States. The hand-carved cherry wood teething rings and rattles? They're from a supplier in Texas while the bass wood alphabet blocks, available in a variety of languages, are handcrafted in Grand Rapids, Mich. And still others come from around the world: marionettes from the Czech Republic … clothing items from India and a women's craft co-op in Ghana.
When Pier finally decided it was time to retire, she contacted Veselka to see if there might be interest in its expanding into the space that Dinosaur Hill occupies. The answer was yes! (This is not the first such negotiation Pier has had with Veselka. Some years back, she moved from another storefront in the same building to accommodate an earlier expansion the restaurant made.)
But there's no doubt Pamela Pier and her truly unique Dinosaur Hill will be sorely missed.
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Linda Dyett is an East Village-based freelance writer and editor who’s been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Monocle, New York magazine and — back when glossy magazines were still magazines — Allure, Glamour, etc.
East Village Community Fridge providing free food outside S'MAC on 1st Avenue; donations welcome
Updated 10/12: Someone vandalized the fridge, and it is now out of commission.
Here's how it works via East Village Neighbors: "Free food for anyone in need. Neighbors put food in; neighbors in need take food out." (The donated food needs to be unopened. Fruits and vegetables are welcome too.)
This is a project between S'MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, and Change Food, a social marketing nonprofit.
The Community Fridge will be available outside S'MAC 24/7.
Image via Instagram
Here's an updated interactive map with what's open in the East Village
The volunteer effort to update an interactive map of what's open in the East Village during the pandemic continues.
The East Village Community Coalition and resident Paul Gale are maintaining the site that launched back in the spring. (And they could use some volunteers! Email director@evccnyc.org if you're interested.)
They've been busy keeping tabs on openings and reopenings in recent weeks, adding in opticians, salons, tattoo parlors and cultural institutions, among other businesses. They're also updating the free meals section.
There's also now an indoor dining filter for places with confirmed inside seating to go with the outdoor dining listings.
You can find the map at this link (and below, but the link is better).
New sushi options rolling in; Rosella opening on Avenue A
Here's more about Rosella:
Former Uchiko chefs Jeff Miller and Yoni Lang will be offering a sushi tasting menu, complemented by small plates and à la carte service, with an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable fish and seasonal ingredients. Beverage director and co-owner TJ Provenzano, previously of Mayanoki and Rooftop Reds, has curated a selection of domestic wine, cider, and small-batch sake. The restaurant features a spanning wooden bar and fabric walls to create a warm, inviting environment, as well as outdoor seating.
The address was previously Three Seat Espresso.
Meanwhile! Via the tipline... we're told that the new business at 84 E. Second St. just west of First Avenue is called Yo! Sushi, which is now only open for delivery ... this is in the former Julie's Vintage space, as you can see... don't know anything else about this operation, such as if it's affiliated with the YO! Sushi chain (don't see any conveyor belts!) ...
H/T Steven!
The former Saxon + Parole space is for lease on the Bowery
The for rent sign arrived yesterday at 316 Bowery ... officially bringing an end to Saxon + Parole's tenure here at Bleecker.
As noted a few weeks back, the Equestrian-themed restaurant was one of many in the neighborhood that had remained dark since since the PAUSE went into effect in March — this despite ample outdoor space for sidewalk dining.
S+P opened here in September 2011, replacing the company's Double Crown restaurant. They've kept busy by opening an S+P outpost in Auckland, New Zealand last month.
As for No. 316, the listing doesn't mention the asking rent for the space (upstairs and downstairs!) that totals 6,600 square feet.... along with the tagged (multiple times) Shepard Fairey Blondie mural.
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
At the 9th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival
This last weekend saw two days of arts and events in participating East Village community gardens... as always, the annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival — an abbreviated and socially distant version compared to previous years — brought out the best in the neighborhood (art, music, creativity, community, etc.)
EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these images from the weekend.
"Sounds of our Ancestors" HOWL Arts at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C ...
"The Contemplative Garden: Nature is Healing" at Le Petit Versailles on Second Street...
Penny Arcade reading from "Front Row Seat At The Apocalypse" at La Plaza Cultural ...
Michelle Shocked at De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center on Eighth Street...
Dance to the People in Tompkins Square Park...
Kuki Gomez at El Sol Brillante on 12th Street ...
Elizabeth Detjens Maucher in "From Microbes to Metropolis" outside Grace Exhibition Space on Avenue C... 
Nora Balaban and some mbira music plus her drawings at La Plaza Cultural...
Samone Leona showcasing her art at La Plaza Cultural ...
Ian Dave Knife at Tompkins Square Park...
Elizabeth Detjens Maucher in "From Microbes to Metropolis" outside Grace Exhibition Space on Avenue C... 
Nora Balaban and some mbira music plus her drawings at La Plaza Cultural...
Live Music from VC, featuring musician/gardeners Victor Weiss and Carmine D’Intino at 6 & B Community Garden ...
Karma expanding East Village footprint
Karma gallery is taking over the Ideal Glass space at 20-22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
This will be the latest EV expansion for art dealer and publisher Brendan Dugan, who debuted Karma on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B in November 2016.
Karma Books opened in April 2018 at 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue ... in the former home of St. Mark's Bookshop. And more recently, Karma opened a small storefront gallery on the same Second Street block as its first EV gallery.
As for Ideal Glass, that space had been on the rental market going back to January...
According to artnet News, who first reported on this deal, this "latest venue is set to be the crown jewel" for Karma. Why? "The ceiling height alone is enough to make a dealer salivate, and there will no doubt be a number of artists maneuvering for spots on the programming schedule."
Since 2004, performer Willard Morgan had been using Ideal Glass as an events and performance space. He still owns the building and had been looking for a like-minded tenant. Ideal Glass carries on with film and TV production studios in two other NYC locations.
The Ideal Glass building dates to the 1950s when it was in use as a glazier's workshop.
Post on the move to a new East Village home
After nearly four years at 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street, Post will be moving to a new (and undisclosed) East Village location.
Owners Michael and Bobby Stackleather teased the upcoming move in an Instagram post yesterday, simply noting: "Just a heads up!! We’re moving!! Well keep you posted!!" In the comments, they noted that they will be "just around the corner." (Plenty of options!)
From the look of the Instagram preview photo, the cafe will have more room. And a side street might be a better vibe for the low-key Post, away from the mostly maskless crowds seen loudly congregating at nearby hotspots.
Meanwhile, Post is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Find their website here.
Photo from 2016. H/T Vinny & O
City OKs 10-story condoplex for 14 2nd Ave.
The city issued partial work permits on Monday for the 10-floor, 10-unit condoplex that has been in the works for years at 14 Second Ave. between First Street and Houston.
Back in January 2019, workers set up a construction camp, which marked the first signs of the condoplexing ahead for Treetops, the name of the residential building that will rise here adjacent to First Street Green Art Park...
Owner Daniel Vislocky (of development firm Station Companies) told Curbed in December 2018 that he "expects prices to be in the $2.8 million to $3.5 million range" for the building's units, where residents will have access to ground-floor storage and a gym.
Vislocky also said that he'd be working with a consultant to take the appropriate steps to remedy the Stop Work Orders dating to 2000 and 2009, which was long before he owned the property.
This site has been vacant for years, last housing Irreplaceable Artifacts until its demolition by the city in July 2000. There's a lot of back story, which the links below cover...
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Workers remove artifacts from the vacant 14 2nd Ave., fueling speculation of new development
• Development watch: 14 2nd Ave.
• Vacant lot at 14 2nd Ave. sells for $7 million; will yield to 10-floor condoplex
• More about Treetops, the name of the condoplex coming to 14 2nd Ave.
Reader report: Construction worker laughs at resident who's about to lose his daylight
After breaking ground two-and-a-half years ago, work is picking up here at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Crew members — the contractor is listing on the plywood as Wonder Works Construction Corp. — are several floors up now on what will be a 9-floor residential building.
Jan Baracz, a 36-year resident next door, has been monitoring their progress as he's about to lose 70 percent of the natural daylight in his apartment as his views will become an air shaft.
He filmed the workers yesterday after hearing "their screaming of obscenities" and "the fact that many of them do not wear masks." (He has called 311.)
During the video, one worker tells another "you're on candid camera" ... and the one worker says with a laugh at the 36-second point: "Two more weeks and you won't be able to see us anymore!"
Said Baracz: "The workers are having a kick out of entombing us here."
As previously reported, the 9-story residential building will include seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space — most likely condos.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Tuesday's parting shot
Lexi Bella's completed RBG mural in First Street Green Art Park ... "Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."
ICYMI: State Comptroller's audit lays out grim future for many bars and restaurants
Several EVG readers have been sharing the link to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audit released last week outlining how devastating the pandemic has been on the NYC bar and restaurant industry.
The bleak assessment, citing various estimates, states that as many as one-third of the city's bars and restaurants may close in the next six months — coupled with 100,000 jobs lost in that same timeframe.
What can be done? Per the audit:
New York City and State must continue to provide clarity and support to ensure the industry remains healthy and is able to carry out its integral role in the City’s economy and within its many communities. For its part, the federal government should provide new stimulus targeting the sector to sustain operations and help local economies mitigate transmission risk.
Find the full report at this link.
Bread alert: Sullivan St. Bakery pop opens a 9th Street outpost
They have a variety of bread available ... as well as three styles of focaccia. They also have chocolate chip cookies, disco romano, croissants, fruit tarts and a rotating selection of sandwiches. They are working on sending their Roman-style pizzas here as well. (H/T to Vinny & O for updated menu info.)
Jim Lahey opened Sullivan St. Bakery in Soho in 1994 ... and moved to a new headquarters on West 47th Street in October 2000.
For now, the location is considered a pop-up, but it may become permanent. (They reportedly have an "indefinite" lease.) Instagram lists their hours as Tuesday through Sunday noon to 7 p.m. ... while the bakery's website lists Wednesday through Sunday noon to 7 p.m.
The address was previously the home to Pizza Rollio, which closed in July 2019.
Someone stole the cash resister from Cafe Himalaya
On Sunday morning, the owners of Cafe Himalaya, the Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant at 78 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, arrived at the space to find that someone had broken the front lock ... and walked away with the cash register.
The owners posted about it on Instagram... and thanked patrons for offering support:
While this burglary adds to the already difficult year for a small business like ours, we’re just glad that nothing else was taken or damaged.
Thank you so much for your generous offer to donate through Venmo/gofundme — your generosity is truly appreciated.
However, the most sustainable and impactful way to support us would be to dine here, order delivery, or takeout. And tell your friends/family too! It’s truly the best way to show your love. (But if you happen to have an extra cash register lying around then we’ll gladly take it.)
The family-owned restaurant is open Tuesday-Sunday from 1-10 p.m. Find their website here. Or call: 212.358.0160.
EVG photo from May. And H/T Steph!
ICYMI: Fresco is closed for now on 2nd Avenue
Fresco closed after service on Sunday here at 138 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street...
As we reported on Friday, Siblings Ilias, Vanessa and Anna Iliopoulos decided to temporarily shut down their 8-year-old gelateria-cafe and return to their native Greece.
They hope to reopen in January...
"It's not a landlord issue. It's purely about the decrease in revenue due to COVID-19," Ilia told EVG correspondent Steven about the temporary closing.
Photos yesterday by Steven
LT Baron's Dry Cleaners & Laundry shuts down on 11th Street
Several families have owned the business through the years, with a nice couple taking over early this year.
Several neighborhood dry cleaners have had to permanently close during the pandemic, including Sun's Laundry and C & C. The customer base has seen a sharp decline with more people working from home and fewer people attending dress-up events such as weddings.
Monday, October 5, 2020
A blessed day for dogs at Trinity Lower East Side
Yesterday afternoon, Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish hosted a walk-through Blessing of the Animals in their garden space on Avenue B at Ninth Street... EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped to catch Pastor Will in action in this celebration of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals...
... and here's Pastor Will with his husband Steven and their delightfully drooly dog, Joey...
A campaign to co-name part of St. Mark's Place after Jimmy Webb
There's a fledgling campaign underway to co-name part of St. Mark's Place after Jimmy Webb. (Thanks Cheryl for pointing this out!)
The online petition is here. The process of co-naming a street within the confines of Community Board 3 is explained on this PDF.
Webb, a familiar figure in the East Village during his long tenure as the manager and buyer at Trash & Vaudeville, died on April 14 of cancer. He was 62.
He started working at his dream destination, Trash & Vaudeville, in 1999, and remained there until the shop relocated from St. Mark's Place to Seventh Street in 2016. He opened I Need More in October 2017.
UPDATED 10/6
Apparently there are multiple campaigns underway. This one has nearly 1,500 signatures.
Photo from 2013 by James Maher
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