Worldwide exclusive: Your first look inside the new Popeyes, opening soon on 1st Avenue

As we've been reporting, Popeyes is opening an outpost at 39 First Ave. here between Second Street and Third Street.

The other day, EVG Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen correspondent Stacie Joy was invited to take a look inside the chicken-fried paradise...

This outpost is expected to open at the end of the week. There are more than 15 Popeyes in the metropolitan area.

This retail space has sat empty for four-and-a-half years ... ever since NY Village Deli moved to a smaller storefront on the block. 

P.S.

Because someone will ask about the top photo: the people outside the incoming Popeyes were NOT waiting to be first inside when they open. They were looking at the John Lennon bus that was making the rounds in honor of his birthday this past Friday.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for 1st Avenue?

Openings: Jose Luis Mediterranean Cuisine on Avenue B

Jose Luis recently opened here at 186 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street... 

Don't know anything about the owners at the moment. You can find their menu of Mediterranean cuisine at the Jose Luis website. They are open daily from 5 to 11 p.m. with curbside and backyard seating available.

This space was previously Very Thai.

Saigon Market has closed on University Place

EVG reader Doug shares the sad news that Saigon Market has permanently closed on University Place between 12th Street and 13th Street... they closed after service on Oct. 4 ... 

The owners left this message on the restaurant's website:

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our way of life and businesses. Saigon Market has tried our best to survive through this but unfortunately with deepest pain and regret, we want to inform you that our doors will close permanently as of Sunday, Oct. 4.

Saigon Market would like to THANK our local communities, loyal patrons, and friends for all of the support during the past 10 years!

They will continue on with their Saigon Grill & Bar in Brooklyn. 

Weekend parting shots

A few scenes from last night ... where a birthday party for Daniel Jean ended up on Avenue B at Fourth Street... Stacie Joy took these photos before the NYPD moved everyone along...

Snow joke: Why you saw plows out on the streets today

There were some puzzled queries today after residents spotted snow plows around the neighborhood... as these photos by Vinny & O show...

The city's Sanitation Department provided some clarity via a tweet — training!

See a snow plow or salt spreader in the street? Snow training is underway! Snow training will take place every Sunday for the next few weeks: https://t.co/H8RfirnHwL pic.twitter.com/6ev7i5K4mg

— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) October 11, 2020

Hopefully they'll do some training around the many curbside dining set ups too.

Week in Grieview

 

Highlights from this past week include... and top photo by Derek Berg... 

• Owner's retirement will bring a close to EV children's treasure Dinosaur Hill next month (Thursday) 

• A campaign to co-name part of St. Mark's Place after Jimmy Webb (Monday) 

• Bread alert: Sullivan St. Bakery pop opens a 9th Street outpost (Tuesday) 

• A community effort to clean up Tompkins Square Park today (Saturday) 

• Karma expanding East Village footprint (Wednesday) 

• Someone stole the cash resister from Cafe Himalaya (Tuesday) 

• At the 9th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival (Wednesday) 

• Here's an updated interactive map with what's open in the East Village (Thursday) 

• A grand finale at Modern Love Club this weekend (Saturday) 

• Taco time: Amigo debuts on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

• This week's NY See panel (Thursday) 

• AuH20 Thriftique closes up shop on 7th Street (Monday) 

• Tech hub tops out on 14th Street (Monday) 

 • City OKs 10-story condoplex for 14 2nd Ave. (Wednesday) 

• A blessed day for dogs at Trinity Lower East Side (Monday) 

• Here Nor There opens on 9th Street (Sunday) 

 ... and spotted practicing (????) this morning on Astor Place...

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Instant karma: A tribute show for John Lennon atop Glinda the Good Bus

In celebration of John Lennon's 80th birthday this past Friday, Michelle Joni and her Expand-a-Band took Glinda the Good Bus out on the streets for a rooftop tribute show.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy boarded the bus as they set up on First Avenue near Second Street... 

 

She joined the band again as they stopped for a song on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place...

[Updated] 26-year-old man shot and killed last night on Avenue A at 13th Street

 

Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street is closed this morning as police continue to investigate a fatal shooting late last night. 

According to the Daily News, a 26-year-old man was shot and killed during an argument on Avenue A at 13th Street around 1:20 a.m. 

Police say the victim was shot once in the chest. No other details are available at the moment. Will update this post when more information becomes available. 

William Klayer shared this photo from the scene...

Updated 1:54 p.m.

According to the Daily Mail, "two groups of men were embroiled in a dispute on the corner of E. 13th St. and Avenue A" ... and an "unidentified suspect reportedly pulled out a gun and opened fire into the crowd of men." 

Police identified the victim as Tyrell Williams.

Updated 7:32 p.m.

The Daily News has an update with a few more details, including quotes from the victim's mother. Williams was also a father of two.

Fly by night

EVG contributor Stacie Joy caught up with East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge last night... he was creating a new work on the Fourth Street side of the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery...

... a now-famous political fly...

And a daytime view...

Pinc Louds on Astor Place

Local favorites Pinc Louds got booted again from Tompkins Square Park this afternoon (this after being regulars all summer long) ... and so the band ended up performing on Astor Place to a grateful audience...  This is at least the third time that Pinc Louds has been told to leave Tompkins of late... and more and more residents have (we've heard from at least six people about the culprit) are pointing the finger at another local band who regularly plays in the Park ... a band who is jealous of the attention that Pinc Louds are receiving (more proof you never really leave high school)... 

Top photo by Lola Sáenz; other photo by Steven 

And...

— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) October 10, 2020

A community effort to clean up Tompkins Square Park today

A group of local volunteers — estimated to be as many as 50 people at one time — met in Tompkins Square Park this morning to pick up trash and weed and rake parts of the gardens.

Given the city's budget cuts, Johnny Young, the head gardener in Tompkins Square Park, has often been assigned to work in other areas... "leaving Tompkins vulnerable to trash and weeds," as he put it in the invite. 

Young and longtime EV resident Penny Rand organized today's event. They were joined by Sam Biederman, an assistant Parks commissioner, and Alan Good, who donated the ping-pong tables in the Park several years ago.
 

EVG contributor Steven, who was among the volunteers, shared these photos...

Deborah Hulse, better known as Debi the Gardener, came out of retirement to help... And Sheena won the battle against the large weed... ... and a shout-out to Tompkins Square Bagels for donating bagels...

This is a test (really)

Please pay no mind to this post. I'll probably delete it later.

As I reported last month, there's a new Blogger tool for uploading photos and it's awful.

I need to continue playing around with the new templates, and it's best to do so with live posts. Quite strange — talking to myself — why this Halloween-time photo at Beauty Bar on 14th Street is so small and centered on the post ... and there's so much space between the headline and photo.

Anyway, let's play the Cramps! (The embed via YouTube also needs some tweaking.)

A grand finale at Modern Love Club this weekend

As we mentioned yesterday, the Modern Love Club will close at the end of the month here at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. But! Not before one last show. 

Today and tomorrow from 2-8 you can immerse yourself in "Frantic Romantic!" ... "a photographic study of the romantic subconscious" by koko_bode.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the gallery-matchmaking service last night to see what was happening in the space... she talked with proprietor Amy Van Doran (top photo!) and below with photographer Koko Bode...

The art installation team was hard at work... (from left) Brendan Burke, Madame Vivien, Van Doran, Bode and Glenn Vasaturo  ...

And last one out...

[Updated] 3 nights in, the new East Village Community Fridge gets KO'd

EVG reader Jackie Silvestri stopped by early this morning to drop off donations for the new East Village Community Fridge outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street. 

As the above photo shows, someone — with help? — decided to knock the fridge over. We're told that three officers from the 9th Precinct put it back upright.

This was just the third night for the fridge out in the wild... 

And as we reported on Thursday, 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. Residents can drop off unopened food for anyone in need to take.

The Community Fridge will be available outside S'MAC 24/7... though if vandalism remains an issue, there may need to be amended hours to when S'MAC is open.

Updated 10/11

Caesar reports that the fridge is now out of commission after it was tipped over... they'll work on getting a replacement. So no more donations for now.