A visit to Paradise Alley at Duane Park

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Since mid-October, 308 Bowery at First Street has been home to Paradise Alley, Duane Park’s elegant outdoor dinner theater.

This twice-nightly COVID-safe outdoor sophisticated supper show includes a reservations-only set-price three-course meal (adult beverages not included), while roving performers and live band ALMALUNA entertain the diners, semi-ensconced behind partitions that block the wind.

Since the event is outdoors, onlookers and passersby get in on the experience as well, and I watch several truckers pause from unloading goods nearby to enjoy ariel artist Marcy Richardson and peignoir-clad glamour burlesque star Tansy as well as contortionist Ellie Steingraeber on the hula-hoops. Knife-tossing Paris the Juggler, magician Albert Cadabra and stripteuse artist Lilin Lace are also on hand keeping the crowd entertained.

Marisa Ferrarin, owner of Duane Park, stops by to chat with my tablemates, Chi Chi Valenti and husband Johnny Dynell. I take a few minutes between performances to ask her some questions about the show, the space, and what live entertainment looks like during the time of coronavirus. 

How did the idea of Paradise Alley at Duane Park come about?
 
After seven months of closure, we felt we had to do something to get everyone back to work and thanks to 310 Bowery Bar next door allowing us to use their sidewalk frontage, we realized we could make it work. The entertainment is a very edited version of what we have been doing for the past 12 years and we are complying with the rules set out by the state so the performances are incidental and all staff, performers, and customers are safe.
 
Were you surprised by the customer reaction and the subsequent need to extend the experience through November? 

No, people are starved for entertainment and what we do is unique in this climate!
 
The performers, including a magician, juggler, aerial and burlesque artists, and musicians have modified their art for an outdoor audience. What factors came into play when creating and producing this experience? How have East Village passersby reacted to the production?
 
Everyone has modified their act slightly to suit the outdoors, but basically, they are still doing what they do best, just without the stage and lights. Passersby are enthralled by what’s going on and often stop to watch. 
 
How does the new-ish 10 p.m. curfew affect the dining and performance experience?
 
We had to act fast to modify our timing to fit in with curfew, but we have done it. Although, people want to stay later to enjoy the vibe.  
 
You are not, at the time of my visit, using space heaters or a tent, and you tell patrons to dress warmly and bring a blanket, how do you plan to extend this al fresco experience when the temperature drops even further?
 
We have tents and heaters ready to go as the weather drops. The tents will modify what we are able to do for the performances, and we are trying to keep those artists engaged as long as possible.

Thoughts on the future of Duane Park as we head into winter? What’s next for the space?
 
We’re hoping to be able to get back inside to do what we do best. We will keep going outside as long as we have to. Everyone is happy to be performing and making customers smile. The Winter Wonderland version of the show is going on now. Tents and a blizzardlike experience for outside for all!
 

This month, Duane Park is now presenting Winter Wonderland on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. (There’s a 5:45-6 and 8 p.m. seating for up to 20 guests.) You can keep up with Duane Park on social media here.

Loverboy has apparently closed on Avenue C

Multiple readers have pointed out that Loverboy has apparently closed on Avenue C at Eighth Street... a reader who lives nearby reports that workers emptied this space this week... 

There isn't any mention of a temporary or permanent closure on the bar-restaurant's website or social media properties.

Loverboy, specializing in pizza and slushy drinks, opened in June 2017 ... from the team behind Mother's Ruin on Spring Street. 

As previously noted, this corner space — in a building owned by Steve Croman — has been home to many concepts in recent years, some forgettable ... the list includes Lumé, the "Epicurean drinkery," ... Life — Kitchen and Bar … which had taken over for Verso. Other restaurants here in the past nine years include Caffe Pepe Rosso and Caffe Cotto. 

Before all this, the storefront once housed an excellent neighborhood bakery … (which apparently Iggy Pop frequented for cake and strong coffee in the early 1990s).

Grant Shaffer's NY See

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 and NYC...

A visit to the Tree Riders

The Tree Riders arrived late last week outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery here on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street... as they set up to start their 10th season — the longest-tenured tree sellers in the neighborhood — in their usual spot.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on hand as the Tree Riders got to work...

... and people were ready to buy a tree for the season...

You can keep up with the Tree Riders via Instagram.

An extra after closing sale: You have a little more time left for Dinosaur Hill

Dinosaur Hill was all set to close at the end of November. 

However, as the sign in the window here at 306 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue shows... the children's toy, game and book shop extended the closing sale through Sunday — with "almost everything" at 50-percent off until then. Dinosaur Hill's hours are noon to 5 p.m.

As previously noted, Pamela Pier, the shop's tireless owner, has decided to retire after 37 years in business.

Moving forward, next-door neighbor Veselka will eventually move into the Dinosaur Hill space. Meanwhile, Dinosaur Hill employee Karen McDermott and her husband, Jason McGroarty, opened toy store the March Hare down the block early last week. Pier is said to serve as a consultant for the store.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo!

A new home for Home Town Village Convenience Store on St. Mark's Place

Three things here at 16 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

1) The Home Town Village Convenience Store, which just opened in April, has moved into the space right next door. 

2) The Home Town Village Convenience Store takes over the space from St. Marks Barbershop, which moved around the corner and changed its name to Ace of Bladez in October. 

 3) The Beard Papa's outpost we heard that was coming to the former St. Marks Barbershop is obviously not happening now. (Perhaps they could take the former Home Town Village Convenience Store space next door!)

Thanks to Steven for the photo yesterday!

Noted

Remember that partially covered street sign that arrived on Ninth Street near First Avenue yesterday? 

Now there's one on 10th Street near Avenue A. (Not exactly our monolith but we will take what we get.)

 Photo again by William Klayer, who is not suspected of leaving these signs.

Gallery Watch: edenchrome for all at ASHES/ASHES

 Text and photos by Clare Gemima 

edenchrome for all 

Michael Assiff, Valerie Keane, Lacey Lennon, Luke Libera Moore, 

Evelyn Pustka, Andrew Ross, Darryl Westly and Damon Zucconi. 

ASHES/ASHES, 56 Eldridge St.

ASHES/ASHES presents a group show that grapples with the ineptitude of the internet’s search engines, algorithms and the navigation of 2020’s digital rhetoric. A wilderness of hashtags, symbols, phrases, redirection notices, surveillance, data, disguises, conspiracies, no results or too many results.

The sculptures, videos and paintings in edenchrome for all have surrendered to the information age, admitting there is no going backwards. 

Eight artists have produced works for this show that plays with ideas of certitude in an age where literally anything is searchable. Our accessibility to questioning and answering has unfortunately become abusive. With advanced abilities like never before, the idea of truth and fact are not mutually exclusive, but more malleable instead.

With the 2020 election arguably presenting as the most dividing campaign in Western history, conspiracies about the far-left and far-right over saturate our cell phones, presenting ideologies so far-fetched and comically irrational that they seem to stick. 

The experience of walking into the gallery itself was eccentric and blinding. Coming from an early sun-down November day and flinging yourself into the severity of the brightest of white walls totally sets the tone immediately. 

ASHES/ASHES steals your attention, almost precisely like a screen. Suddenly in a brand new world, whether you like it or not you won’t be able to look away. 

Artistic agency and digital anonymity were visual propositions externalized through the combination of analog and digital techniques. The hand squeezed mark-making by Michael Assiff, to the fine, unconventional cuts around the edges of Black Friday Sale, 2:43 PM: November 29th, 2019; Poughkeepsie, NY, 2020 blur the reality of what it means to be a mark maker in the contemporary space. 

Laser-cut sculptures can start as scribbles, and 3D objects are re-rendered out of funky and/or trashy graphics from an old-school computer game. Paintings can be digital drawings with thousands of filters applied and almost anything we see hanging in a gallery is professionally deceptive. 

Machine making is limitless within an artistic capacity, as is its power to manipulate our digital community. Machine takeover ... well, that’s now up to us. 

If you are interested in less conventional techniques in painting, sculpture, multimedia and video art, then this is the show to see before the year is out. Easily the most notable show of the year for me, ASHES/ASHES has transformed their gallery into a garden of confusing, confronting and calculated objects — some that would take hours of surveying to appreciate every nuance. 

The standout pieces for me were spangle maker by Valerie Keane, a laser-cut sculpture hanging from the ceiling, Party in the USA, a video work that re-imagines Miley's famous anthem by Evelyn Putska and WEEDS (WDFY04 Vidia Purple / WDMN02 Pink Bow Beauty) a painting on cotton by Michael Assiff. 

edenchrome for all is showing at ASHES/ASHES until Dec. 19.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

RIP Miguel Algarín

Miguel Algarín, who founded the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in his Sixth Street apartment in 1973, died on Sunday. He was 79. A cause of  death was not revealed.

The Nuyorican website has more on the the poet, activist and educator:

In his Lower East Side apartment, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born as an outspoken and passionate collective of poets, musicians, theater artists and activists.

Miguel was a brilliant poet, an influential professor and leader, and a supportive mentor who inspired and guided generations of artists.

He edited popular anthologies of poetry and theater, including "Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe" and "Action"; he helped launch the Nuyorican Literary movement; and he played an instrumental role in popularizing spoken word and performance poetry across the United States and around the world.

Miguel and the Cafe's co-founders amplified the voices and championed the work of Latinx, Black, LGBTQ+ and immigrant artists who were not accepted by the academic, entertainment or publishing industries.

Thanks to their pioneering work, and thanks to our community of friends and supporters, the Cafe has remained a vibrant home for creative expression since 1973.

The literary world owes Miguel a debt of gratitude. He will be greatly missed.

In a December 2018 feature, the Times provided some history of the Cafe, which is now temporarily closed during the pandemic on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C:

In the early 1970s, Algarín ... began inviting other Nuyorican poets to his apartment on East Sixth Street for readings and performances. Algarín and his contemporaries, including Miguel Piñero, Pedro Pietri and Lucky CienFuegos, were part of a growing artistic scene in what was then a primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood, drawing on their identities and daily struggles for their work. 

The salon quickly outgrew Algarín’s living room, so he and a few other artists began renting an Irish bar down the street to fit more people. In 1981, they bought their current building on East Third Street and, after a lengthy renovation process, formally opened it to the public in 1990 as a space for Nuyorican poets to experiment and hone their craft.

Algarín was born in Puerto Rico in 1941. His family moved to the Lower East Side in 1950.

According to his official bio, he was Professor Emeritus for his more than 30 years of service to Rutgers University. He also received three American Book Awards.

There were many tributes yesterday on Twitter, including...

Miguel Algarin has died and I’m heartbroken. Long live The Nuyorican Poets. QEPD. 😢😢😢😢

— Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) December 1, 2020

We offer our deepest love, thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Miguel Algarin. Founder of Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his work continues to influence and inspire poets, and artists alike, across the diaspora. pic.twitter.com/xsifZXj9eX

— CantoMundo (@CantoMundo) December 1, 2020

Since the start, our monthly poetry slam has been inspired by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Miguel Algarín imbued the Nuyorican Poets Cafe with joy, soul and a deep sense of community that reverberated for generations. May our work be a small honoring of his legacy.

— The Philly Pigeon (@ThePhillyPigeon) December 1, 2020

C&B is expanding on 7th Street

In some very positive local business news... C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin plans to expand his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports that, at the moment, Sahin doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter. 

While he has signed a lease on the new storefront, this is a long-term project, as per Sahin, so don't expect to see the expanded space anytime too soon.

Back in the spring, Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for the cafe. Since then, he has been cranking out even more tasty bread. 

C&B opened here in January 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

Phebe's has decided to close for now

Management at Phebe's Tavern & Grill announced yesterday that the corner spot on the Bowery and Fourth Street is temporarily closing.

Here's part of their message on Instagram:

Due to the restrictions in New York City regarding hospitality and with the growing number of positive Covid-19 cases Phebe’s has made the tough decision to temporarily close our doors. We will miss you all, and keep you posted about reopening dates.

Have a happy and safe holiday! We will see you soon.

Given the holiday wishes, it's likely that Phebe's won't be open again until some time after the New Year.

Phebe's reopened in June for outdoor dining, with ample space on both the Fourth Street and Bowery sides of the business (though of late there has been some underground work going on right out front) ... and then the 25-percent indoor seating once that was OK'd in late September. 

A Phebe's has been here since 1968. The bar-restaurant is now owned by the same group behind Linen Hall and the Penny Farthing on Third Avenue.

Several other restaurants have decided to preemptively suspend service before any possible new PAUSE order coming from Gov. Cuomo. A few weeks back, some of the restaurants in Danny Meyer Union Square Hospitality Group closed for indoor and outdoor dining.

Photo from May via Instagram. 

New restaurants for this stretch of 4th Street

In late October we told you that Nón Lá Vietnamese Kitchen is coming soon to 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. A new sign now hangs over the doorway.

This venture is from Ronny Nguyen, who runs Sao Mai on First Avenue. We were told that his son will be operating Nón Lá. 

The space was home to Lui's Thai Food. As previously reported, chef-owner Pimnapa "Lek" Sunthatkolkarn had to retire her business after being hospitalized late in the summer.

Meanwhile... right next door... at the former Bali Kitchen space...

... new lettering on the door reads Village Cafe & Grill. There's a menu posted for the establishment at Seamless, and it's extensive, featuring everything from bagels to burritos to burgers... not to mention a variety of wraps, sandwiches and salads. Not sure who's behind the venture at this moment.

The excellent Bali Kitchen closed on Aug. 1 after business plummeted during the pandemic. The Indonesian restaurant opened in September 2017. Owners Jazz Pasay and David Prettyman were hoping to continue a catering business as well as other pop-up ventures. 

 

Noted

Mystery signage reveal today on Ninth Street near First Avenue... what could it be here in the westbound Ninth Street?????? Looking forward to the official unveiling! Photo by William Klayer.

Where a grand elm stood

As reported yesterday, yesterday's high winds and heavy rain brought down one of the majestic American elm trees in Tompkins Square Park. 

By early last evening, a crew was in the Park removing the tree from near the entrance on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place. 

Steven took these photos today. The winds uprooted the tree, which apparently had a weak root system (or so an onlooker surmised) ...

Tompkins Square Park still hosts a large assemblage of elms ... how many, don't know. Been awhile since this tree map was updated.

The Tompkins Square Library's annual East Village Arts Festival starts online this Friday

The fourth annual East Village Arts Festival at the Tompkins Square Library starts this Friday, and runs through Dec. 12.

And as you might expect, this year's event is online, though the work of some of the featured artists will be on display at the branch, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Below are some of the daily highlights via the EVG inbox. You may register for the free events here.

Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m.:  "SONIC GATHERING XIX," a performance of John King's micro-opera "Disappearant." Sonic Gatherings started in March in response to the pandemic. King, along with choreographer Brandon Collwes began a weekly series of performances with a rotating cast of dancers and musicians, now in its 29th iteration. 

Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.: Six Feet Apart but Still Together: Online Discussion with Artist Paul Adrian Davies. Among many other projects, Davies, a longtime resident of the Lower East Side, has recently been working on photographs of the East Village's streets during the pandemic. He will show us his work, discuss the process and inspirations, and answer questions. There will also be a display of the work at Tompkins Square Library. 

Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.: Mom and Pop Storefronts: Online Curator Talk with Karla and James Murray. James and Karla Murray, acclaimed photographers and authors of "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" will discuss and show the work created by the participants of their 2020 Mom and Pop Storefronts workshop. In partnership with the East Village Community Coalition, James and Karla taught participants how to use photography and oral history to raise public awareness, build community and encourage advocacy. 

Thursday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m.: Virtual Walking Tour: Artists, Writers, Musicians of Tompkins Square. Please join us for a fun online walking tour hosted by library manager Corinne Neary and local photographer Michael Paul. 

Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.: Online Book Discussion. Village Preservation will host an online discussion with author Miranda Martinez, and her book, "Power at the Roots: Community Gardens, Gentrification, and the Puerto Ricans of the Lower East Side."

Saturday, Dec. 12 at  3 p.m.: Online Discussion with an Artist: Delphine le Goff. Among many other projects, le Goff has recently started sketching East Village buildings and businesses. She will show some of her work, discuss her process and inspirations, and answer questions. 

Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar opening an outpost on 2nd Avenue and 11th Street

Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar is opening its seventh NYC location at 170 Second Ave. at 11th Street.

The proprietors of the neighborhood wine bars will appear before CB3's SLA committee next Monday evening seeking a new liquor license for the space, the former Liquiteria (as seen above several years ago).

You can find the questionnaire (PDF!) for this applicant right here. The materials include a letter from 170's co-op board, who have unanimously signed off on the new tenant.

And here's more about Vin Sur Vingt via the wine bar's website:

The menu includes an extensive list continuously rotating of 250 wines – 50 wines by the glass – coupled with a light French fare menu. The intimate space was personally designed to resemble the most authentic Bar a Vin in France. A pewter-topped bar runs along its length, with large tilted mirrors hung along a copper plated ceiling to reflect cozy dim lighting. The relaxed ambiance is also prevailed by nostalgic melodies that play in the background. All this to ensure an experience that transports you to the very place where these elements were born.

Until October 2018, this corner space was home to the original Liquiteria, which opened in 1996. Founder Doug Green sold the business several years ago to a group of investors who then opened more outposts, all of which closed by late last year.

H/T Steven!

6 posts from November

A mini month in review... 

• A Thanksgiving feast for neighbors in need at the East Village Community Fridge (Nov. 26) 

• With gas shut off, Tompkins Square Bagels owner wonders why the city isn't helping small businesses during pandemic (Nov. 24) 

• Here's a look at the final RBG mural on 1st Avenue and 11th Street (Nov. 20) 

• A visit to Van Da on 4th Street (Nov. 19) 

• Scenes from a Biden-Harris victory (Nov. 8)

• A very East Village Halloween (Nov. 1)

Photo the other day on 10th Street

1st Avenue curbside dining structure is gone with the wind (again)

Today's high winds — reported at 40-plus mph at times during the gale warning — toppled this curbside dining setup on First Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street (thanks to Jeremiah Moss for the photos!)

Turns out the structure belongs to Panna II, which was not open at the time. Owner Boshir Khan told Curbed that this was the third time (as Curbed noted — !) that his structure has toppled over.

Per Curbed:

[H]e hasn’t been able to install a sturdier structure because of the expense; this one, he says, cost him $2,000, and more substantial ones can cost more than ten times that figure. "If you want to do it permanently, it's a lot of money,” he says. Even though he's already looking into putting it back up, Khan says he's still unsure about how plausible outdoor dining will be once the weather turns from chilly to flat-out cold: "We have a heater and everything, and people [still] don't want to sit down." Over the past two weeks, Khan says, no diner has wanted to eat outside. 

NYC restaurateurs have until Dec. 15 to fully adapt their structures to the winter, per city guidelines.

An EVG reader also reported a damaged curbside structure outside Takahachi/Drom on Avenue A near Sixth Street...