EVG Etc.: NYC Primary results (so far); Pride Weekend activities

Photo on Seventh Street by Derek Berg 

• A look at Primary results from Tuesday (The City) ... 5 takeaways from the primaries (The Hill) ... Carlina Rivera easily wins reelection (City & State ... her victory tweet) 

• It's Pride Weekend (Gay City News ... NBC New York ... the Times) 

• NYC Rent Guidelines Board sets mid-year hike for stabilized tenants (City Limits) 

• Police arrest suspect who knocked an Asian man unconscious on the Lower East Side (Daily News)

• East Village native Legacy Russell appointed executive director and chief curator at The Kitchen (Culture Type ... previously on EVG)

• State abruptly ends alcohol-to-go policy (Eater... the Times ... Gothamist) 

• "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" turns 50 (Axios)

• A piece on the new LGBTQ+-friendly Stickett Inn on First Avenue (Time Out ... first on EVG) 

• At the open auditions for Stomp (Gothamist ... previously on EVG) 

• Fashion boutique (and East Village alum) Cafe Forgot opens first permanent space on lower Ludlow Street (WWD) 

• Man asking for change outside Think Coffee on the Bowery at Bleecker "attacked" a 61-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman (The Post) 

• Lower East Side Film Festival returns to in-person events this July (The Lo-Down)

Friday's opening shot

A view this morning from outside the main lawn in Tompkins Square Park... there has been some discussion about the trash situation in the Park, where staff leaves out the large trash bags... and then the trash sits out overnight.

As Park regulars have noted, it's not uncommon to find the bags ripped open by rats overnight, the contents spread over the lawn. 

Thanks to Goggla for the photo.

A Visit to Brix Wines and Barnyard Cheese Shop on Avenue B

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

During my recent visit to sister shops Brix Wine and Barnyard Cheese, several neighbors dropped by to tell owner Beatriz Gutierrez how pleased they were that the longtime businesses were still up and running to serve the East Village.

In February, Barnyard temporarily closed on Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street with a rather cryptic note for patrons. However, the shop reopened in April — at the same time, Brix moved one storefront to the north, leaving a vacant space between the two businesses. 

Gutierrez told me more about the temporary closure, plans for the storefront that now separates Barnyard and Brix, and her deep appreciation for her customers. 

There’s been a lot of change in your shops recently. Can you explain what happened with the temporary closure, the moving of locations, and what you plan to do with the new space in the middle?

Barnyard's temporary closure allowed us to rethink the layout in anticipation of the city and state's capacity guidelines. We desperately needed to have people come into the store since most of what we offer is visual — the cheeses, jams, fresh bread, house-made prepacked foods, etc. We were able to do that, and it seems to be working. 

As for Brix, the closure of Barnyard gave us the time to move the wine shop to the space next door, which is bigger and provided space to carry and store more inventory. It was a blessing in disguise. 

The middle space — still in the conception stage — will be an extension of both Brix and Barnyard. A sort of Adult Learning Center, if you will, where we plan to have tastings, culinary classes, advanced and specialized wine seminars, cheese school, and private gatherings.  

How do you see the local economy shaping up as we continue to move into a recovery phase from the pandemic?

I see a better tomorrow for everyone. Although we are still recovering from more than a year of hardship caused by the pandemic, we managed to survive, and since reopening, the East Village has come back to support us and a collective sigh of relief has been breathed by everyone. 

The support, gratitude, and well wishes have been overwhelming and so appreciated. We are grateful to everyone who came back through our doors. 

As a small-business owner, what were some of the lessons learned from the pandemic?

So many things have been learned, but I’d say the top three are: Never give up. You have a purpose. Loyalty is everything. 

What do you have to say about your regulars and other patrons these past 15-plus months?

I'd have to say that they are the most supportive and wonderful customers a small business could hope for. We are able to exist because of them. We strive to create a place that provides something useful, serves it with pride and a good attitude, and make a visit something they can count on in the future.

I really believe our customers get that at Brix and Barnyard. They have come back and continue to do so. I can't thank our neighbors enough for sticking by us.  

What's next for the shops?

What's next is the middle store. It has to be something that enhances the neighborhood and fills a void. What do we need? Stay tuned.

Barnyard Cheese is at 168 Avenue B and Brix Wines is at 170 Avenue B. 

Barnyard hours:

Monday — Saturday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Brix hours:

Sunday — Thursday: Noon to 8 p.m; until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

Rats on 1st Street

An EVG reader who lives on First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue shared a video from Tuesday evening... showing "the rat family that has taken over the sidewalk." 

Per the reader: "This area has always been a rat haven, but it has really gotten nuts since about early March." 

In the video below, the rats are seen moving back and forth in front of Abetta, the longtime boiler and welding service, and a stray bag of garbage. 

"Not sure where the garbage bags are from since it's not garbage day on First Street — nobody else has garbage out," the reader points out.

Some of the rats also jump up into the chassis and the wheels of the parked cars nearby. 

"At one point I counted 12 rats while filming these videos. There are even some cute little baby rats."

See for yourself...

 

Residents can file rat and mouse complaints with 311 here. Whether the city might take corrective action is another story...

A petition to fund Public Land schoolyards for community use

There's a petition in circulation now titled "Fund the Trust for Public Lands Schoolyards" and addressed to Mayor DeBlasio, City Council and NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter.

The petition asks the following: 

We write to you today, as parents, PTA members, and community members ... to urge you to adopt the City Council's recommendation of including funding (approximately $1.8M) to open 23 Trust for Public Land schoolyards to the public during after-school hours, on weekends and on holidays. This investment will open schoolyards across the city ... to the surrounding community, providing vitally needed open space.

Closer to home, several local playgrounds have been closed to the public since early 2020, including behind P.S. 19 on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street (pictured above). This playground, featuring a synthetic turf field and painted track, debuted in June 2018 ... and was open to the community after school and on weekends and holidays — just not when in use by P.S. 19 or any of their after-school programs.

Since 1996, the Trust for Public Land has helped revamp playgrounds at New York City public schools through a public-private partnership. Aside from P.S. 19, they've worked on playgrounds in the East Village at P.S. 15 The Roberto Clemente School and the Children’s Workshop School/East Village Community School.

Find the petition here.

H/T Choresh Wald!

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Why the playground at P.S. 19 has been closed for community use 

Wednesday's parting shot

As seen by Stacie Joy today on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue... cue the Alice Cooper!

Big Belly trash cans go MIA around Tompkins Square Park

As you may have noticed, the city has removed the solar-powered, Big Belly trash cans around Tompkins Square Park. 

The plain ol' trash cans are now back on the corners, such as Seventh Street and Avenue A (above!) and 10th Street and Avenue A...

And Vinny & O shared these photos from 10th Street and Avenue B yesterday ... (that one outside Sheen Brothers seemed to be chronically full or on the fritz) ...

The Big Belly trash cans arrived here in July 2017 as part of the city's $32-million plan to combat vermin in rat-popular neighborhoods, like this one.

The Daily News previously reported that each can costs $7,000. Not sure how effective they are/were with trash piled atop the pricy cans (here and here, for example) or being out of order (here and here, for example).

The Big Belly receptacles remain inside Tompkins Square Park...

Do you have what it takes to Stomp?

Open auditions are taking place this morning for Stomp at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Seventh Street. (Top photo by Steven) 

Per the casting call:

Who you might be:

• A drummer who moves well 

• A dancer who can drum 

• An athletic individual with a great sense of rhythm 

• Acting ability is strongly preferred

As these photos by Derek Berg show, the line for tryouts goes around the corner on Seventh Street... 

Stomp returns to the Orpheum Theatre on July 20. Tickets go on sale this coming Monday.

As Deadline noted, "Stomp will be among the city's first Off-Broadway productions to resume performances post-pandemic shutdown." Proof of vaccination will be required for entry, per reports.

The show is now in its 26th year in the East Village.

Owners of the Masalawala said to be opening to-go spot for Indian street food on 1st Avenue

In recent weeks the for-rent sign has been removed from 149 First Ave. 

Now a tipster tells us that the owners of Indian street food hit the Masalawala are opening a to-go spot from this storefront between Ninth Street and 10th Street. We're told that this will be a takeout-only establishment, and the owners won't be looking at any indoor or outdoor dining. 

Back in April, restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya didn't renew the lease for the Masalawala, bringing an end to its 10-year run just below Houston at 179 Essex St., as Eater first reported. 

This was the first NYC restaurant for Mazumdar, who later opened Adda, Rahi and Dhamaka. 

As for No. 149, the storefront has been vacant since Afandi Grill closed after 13 months in October 2019. And several years earlier, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef roamed the space until March 2014.

H/T EVG reader Jason! Photo by Steven earlier this month

Notes for Apt. #2

An EVG reader shared this photo of two notes from the lobby of an undisclosed East Village building... both missives are directed to the resident(s) of Apt. #2 about the use of the fire escape.

 Note No. 1:

Hey, Apt. #2. A fire escape is not a terrace. I understand you need to smoke outside. Really. But listening to your experience of body issues and freshman year in Italy dealing with pasta is really dull. People in this building work early in the morning. S.T.F.U. Thank you. ❤️

The note writer in the second missive is now more agitated.

Day after day. Hearing your difficulites with life when you are spoiled brats is awful. Stop making hard working people listen to your crap. Move back with your jefk off Boomer parents in NJ, CT or LI. TY

A quick turnover at 328 E. 6th St.

Asian Wave came and went very quickly here at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

We understand that it was open for about a month... before a quick turnover to a new venture called Miso Sushi, which is now in grand-opening mode. You can find their menu here.

Asian Wave is the second consecutive restaurant to close within six weeks at this address. Lovenburg, an outpost of a restaurant based in Turkey serving burgers and a variety of Mediterranean cuisine, opened in February 2020 and closed for good when the PAUSE went into effect.

Tuesday's parting shot

A moment in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Primary Day

Our unscientific poll of TWO EVG readers finds that it been slow-going so far at the polls, which are open to 9 p.m. 

Among other races (public advocate, comptroller, borough president and city council, DA), voters will be picking the Democratic and Republican candidates for mayor. 

And a ballot primer ...

As you're voting today, you may have a two-sheet ballot. Here are a few things to remember:

- Complete both sides of your ballots.
- Insert ballots into the scanner one sheet at a time, and wait for the "thank you" screen before inserting a second sheet. pic.twitter.com/zO5Wb57A63

— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 22, 2021

RIP Art Guerra

We were sorry to hear about the recent passing of Arthur Enrique Guerra, the founder of Guerra Paint & Pigment on 13th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Guerra, who suffered from Lewy body dementia in recent years, died on May 28. He was 81. (The mural in his honor, as seen in the top photo, went up on the store's gate here this past week.) 

Frustrated with the quality of paints available to muralists, Guerra launched the specialty paint and pigment store in 1986. In 2000, Jody Bretnall and Seren Morey joined the business, and the two will carry on after Guerra's death. 

Here's part of a tribute to Guerra on the shop's Instagram account:

Art was an institution in and of himself. A true original, one-of-a-kind character. They broke the mold after they made him. Wild man straight out of Haight-Ashbury, painter, lover of life, good Spanish wine, great Mexican food, art, artists and art materials. He was a chronic saver of homeless animals and a connoisseur of pigments and classical music. 

Forever a kid at heart, Art's boundless energy for art, art materials and the teaching and sharing of his knowledge knew no bounds. We will sorely miss his laughter and his presence. He was not only our partner but our friend. 

As his business partners for 20 years, we would like to assure you that the business that he founded and so loved is secure and will go on in his name. Though right now we are crying we will continue the teaching mission of this business to supply artists with the highest quality paint components possible to make the best paint possible. This was his vision and it is ours as well.

Some longtime East Village residents will recall Guerra's mural on St. Mark's Place of John Spacely, aka Gringo, from 1983 (it was up through the early 2000s) ... Photo by Peter Bennett ...

As an EVG reader said of Guerra's death: "It's a big loss, and not just for the neighborhood."

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Guerra Paint & Pigment Corp (@guerrapaint)

Sushi next for the former Fresco space on 2nd Avenue

We heard rumors that a sushi restaurant was taking over the former Fresco outpost at 138 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

There's now a note on the door for the contractors, and it lists the name of the incoming establishment — Moko (thanks to Steven for the photos)...

The restaurant has an under-construction website, which notes: "High-end Omakase starting at $65."

As previously reported, the owners of Fresco — citing a decline in business during the pandemic — temporarily shut down their 8-year-old gelateria-cafe and returned to their native Greece last October. 

They had hoped to reopen in January, but those plans didn't materialize at the time with the surge in COVID cases and continued limits on indoor service. The space hit the rental market in April.

However, Fresco hopes to find a new storefront elsewhere downtown in the months ahead.

A residential conversion for the former storefront at 111 St. Mark's Place

Plywood has covered the subterranean retail spaces at 111 St. Mark's Place in recent months.

Now, though, as you can see, workers have removed the barriers... revealing that the spaces have been converted into apartments here between Avenue A and First Avenue ...

Work permits show renovations at the basement level — with a note about a new certificate of occupancy. 

The storefront had been on the rental market in recent years. The last tenant here, Macaron Parlour, left in March 2017 for a larger space on the Lower East Side.

Monday's parting shot

Pro skateboarder Brian Anderson has finished his mural outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street... this Pride Month work coincides with his first board release (via Clown Skateboards) ... with proceeds going to the LISA Project.

Our previous post has more details. 

Photo today by Stacie Joy! 

Where to find some free live music today

Make Music NYC, the free, outdoor music festival that takes place annually on June 21, returns today with shows at sites around the city. 

From 2-6, several bands will be performing during the Girls Rock & Girls Rule show in Tompkins Square Park. This link has more details. 

Elsewhere, you can find a handful of local bands, including Beechwood and the Trash Bags, playing outside The Cast, the rock-n-roll boutique at 72 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand...

The music starts at 3:30.

H/T Steven

Report: Mount Sinai Beth Israel decides against plans to relocate and downsize

ICYMI: Mount Sinai Beth Israel officials have decided against their "$1 billion downtown transformation" that would have seen the creation of a new 7-story hospital on 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Instead, officials said they will renovate its existing facilities along First Avenue between 16th Street and 17th Streets. 

According to published reports (Crain's first reported on this last week), officials cited the need for additional hospital beds following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the fall of 2016, the Mount Sinai Health System announced a years-long project to rebuild Mount Sinai Beth Israel, transitioning to a network of smaller facilities throughout lower Manhattan.

The plans included an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue as well as a 7-story hospital on 13th Street on the lot where a now-demolished 14-floor building that housed training physicians and staff once stood. They also planned to close its current location — with nearly 700 beds — on First Avenue and 16th Street. The new 13th Street hospital would have featured 70 beds.

In a statement last week, the health system shared the following (H/T Becker's Hospital Review):

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to our city, regional health care providers and the Mount Sinai Health System. These changes forced us to assess and rethink many aspects of how we can provide and improve care, including re-envisioning the future of Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 

Under our new plan we will be able to surge to the same bed capacity as we did during the height of COVID, which is also more than twice the surge bed capacity as the old 14th Street plan.

Officials said they'd announce more details on the modernization of their current campus at a later date.

It's not immediately clear what they plan to do with the empty lot on 13th Street that was slated for the new facility...

Local elected officials responded to the news in a series of statements...

"We are heartened by Mount Sinai's decision to renovate Beth Israel and look forward to a robust community engagement process in determining the scope of services needed there." — Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer

"Mount Sinai's announcement to stay at the current location and modernize their facilities is a win for the community, which had expressed significant concerns about losing so many hospital beds in lower Manhattan. They voiced these concerns before we even knew what COVID-19 was, and this pandemic showed us — in the most painful and devastating way — how right they were. But there is still much we don't know about this plan. While Mount Sinai has committed to keeping the existing building, we don't know what the future hospital will look like." — State Sen. Brad Hoylman

"Mount Sinai Beth Israel's decision not to relocate and instead focus efforts on bringing the existing campus into the modern era has the potential to improve health care services for Lower Manhattan residents. But we will only be able to truly address the systemic health care inequities exposed by COVID-19 at Mount Sinai and beyond if the full breadth of community demands are met. This includes the return of previously removed inpatient beds and medical services, as well as a commitment to improved community engagement." — Council Member Carlina Rivera, chair of the City Council Committee on Hospitals.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• An empty lot awaits the future home of the new Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital on 13th Street

• Permits filed to demolish Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building

• Mount Sinai Beth Israel files plan for 7-story hospital on 13th Street

Who is Savannah Guthrie? This Jeopardy! guest host helped raise $105K for the Bowery Mission

Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of the "Today" show on NBC, is the current guest host on "Jeopardy!"

Honoring the late Alex Trebek, the show matches contestant winnings with a donation to the charity of the guest host's choice.

And Guthrie's pick: The Bowery Mission. One week in, she has raised more than $105,000...

$105,801 raised so far for The @BoweryMission during @SavannahGuthrie’s first week on Jeopardy! pic.twitter.com/OqLWuWDnCI

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) June 18, 2021

And she'll be back on "Jeopardy!" this week. The show airs at 7 p.m. on ABC 7. 

Thank you to EVG reader Allen Semanco for letting me know about this!