[Updating] Local blogger annoyed by new blog look

There's trouble behind the scenes at evgrieve.com, where a new template — and new fonts — inexplicably made their way onto the Blogger platform. 

As you may recall, there were template/HTML changes last fall that made uploading photos and copy more tedious. 

Meanwhile, as of this evening, the classic EVG template that you've come to enjoy these past 37 years is now apparently gone for good. 

For now, we'll be working on some repairs in the background, which may mean a lack of new posts here in the near future. We'll also see if we can restore all the EVG mixtapes to our MySpace page. 

So please excuse this rather funky look as we stare at our computer.

Updated 

8/13 9:09 a.m.

I am pleased that everyone has bought the "template" story.

So I'd like to introduce you to the EVG OnlyFans page account!

Kidding!

For real, thank you for the kind words — even the commenters who said "If you don't like new Blogger templates, then move to Iowa" and "Blogger used to be such a safe platform" and "Blogger has always been about change." 

So Blogger will let you return to the Classic template that EVG has used since Dec. 21, 2007.

But!

I won't be able to do much with it, such as have access to the theme designer.

Meanwhile, the inventory of available Blogger templates to choose from are uniformly awful — wait till you see their Soho Pink (for real!).

Updated 

8/13 2:24 p.m.

We've spent the day with the Ping Intelligence Team and have made progress with restoring the content to the side of the site (archives, etc.). There is no going back on the previous template (RIP December 2007-August 2021) and will move forward with the Best of the Worst template currently available. 

Thank you for your patience and kind words!

Where to find a local cooling center

The city is under an Excessive Heat Warning through 8 tonight. 

According to the National Weather Service, we're facing "dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 107." There's also an Excessive Heat Watch for tomorrow. 

The above graphic — via Loisaida Community Fridge — shows three cooling centers in the neighborhood. This map has more locations in the city. 

Meanwhile, the city is asking people to conserve energy, etc. ...

Turn off any appliances that you don't need on right now, turn off lights, and avoid things like running the laundry if you can.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 12, 2021

Checking in on the intersection of 7th Street and 1st Avenue

Last week, EVG regular Daniel Efram reported on the hellish roadwork consuming the west side of First Avenue at Seventh Street.

Crews reporting to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) returned to the intersection to replace portions of the water main back in May. 

As previously reported, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December. The multiple ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. 

Neighbors talked about an all-consuming noise, both during the day when the work crew was on the scene, and after-hours when cars and trucks would pass over the multiple metal plates on the roadway.

Neighbors now report a slight improvement, as workers removed some of the metal plates and hauled away stacks of old pipes and other constructions materials left scattered on the curb along Seventh Street (thanks to Steven for these photos...)

Over the weekend, the Post picked up our story (even linking to EVG, a rarity — clunk).

The folks at E7 Deli & Cafe on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street are understandably not happy. A few hours after their grand opening this past December one of the water main breaks flooded the basement.

"It is a big pain in the ass, I am pissed off," E7 owner Esam Alreyashi told the paper about the ongoing construction. "There's noise every day."

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office has been working with the DEP to clean up the site and do a better job of securing the metal plates.

The Post also got a comment from a DEP spokesperson:

"The ongoing upgrades to the critical infrastructure that serves the East Village must be carried out in a way that respects the residents and businesses in the area and we have directed our contractors to take several steps to ensure that this happens. Inspectors will be following up with regular visits."

Still no word on an end date for the work.

Planet Taco to reenter 2nd Avenue's orbit today

After a nearly two-month closure, Planet Taco reopens today. 

Per the door signage, "we are all systems go."

As noted last week, an unspecified utility in the building here at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street had kept the newish quick-serve taco shop out of action. (Planet Taco debuted in March; the temporary closure started in mid-June.)

The reopening signage also notes that they will be offering a limited menu for now — which may not be a bad thing as even fans of the place said that the extensive offerings can be overwhelming. 

Not sure what the new hours will be: they were previously open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

1st round of necessary permits OK'd for the incoming Wegmans

The Landmark's Preservation Commission (LPC) has approved what is likely the first of many permits needed for the build-out of the Wegmans site on Astor Place. 

This is a bit of a formality, as no one that we're aware of was speaking out against renovations for the Kmart-replacing grocery at the landmarked 770 Broadway between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. You can read the approved LPC permit here. 

Wegmans signed a 30-year lease last month for what will be the grocer's first Manhattan outpost. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2023.

Kmart closed in this space after 25 years on July 11. Wegmans had agreed to buy out Kmart's lease to make this deal possible.

H/T Upper West Sider! 

Dumpling Lab to test out 9th Street

The East Village is about to get another dumpling option.

Signage is now up for Dumpling Lab at 214 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks jba for the photo!)

The Dumpling Lab website describes this as "a contemporary Tsingtao-inspired" restaurant.

Tsingtao, known for its beer, has rich offerings of the most flavorful seafood in Northern China. Seafood dumplings and Chinese tapas are the main focus at Dumpling Lab. 

Based on the photos of the dining room, Dumpling Lab looks to be more of a sit-down experience rather than a grab-and-go spot.

No word just yet on an opening date. 

Wednesday's parting shots

Been a while since we've seen a line to get into Webster Hall... here was the scene earlier this evening on 11th Street ... with the line stretching back to Third Avenue and up to 12th Street ...

PVRIS were headlining tonight (apparently, the stage rail was fixed!). 

Starting on Monday, all indoor venues, including Webster Hall, will require proof of vaccination for entry. 

Top photo by Steven, second pic by Doug

Police searching for suspect who fired a shot outside the Ace Bar on 5th Street

The NYPD is searching for a suspect who shot at a man as he ran into the Ace Bar on Fifth Street Monday night. 

According to police and media accounts, the shooter approached a man on Fifth Street just west of Avenue B. Surveillance video that the NYPD released shows the victim running into the bar at 531 E. Fifth St. for apparent cover at 11:11 p.m.

The gunman, standing on Fifth Street, then fires one shot, hitting a lower section of the entryway. The gunman, wearing a hooded gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and a surgical mask, looks both ways before leaving the scene.

Police released video of the shooting outside @AceBarNY in the #EastVillage. Looks like a gunman was running down 5th Street on Monday, shooting at the victim who ran into the bar for cover and a bullet went through the window. The victim didn't file a report. cc @evgrieve pic.twitter.com/nznScFDjpB

— Myles N. Miller (@MylesMill) August 11, 2021

NYPD sources told the Post that the victim "may have been misidentified as another person who had already run off." 

Per amNY, the victim was not injured and quickly left without speaking to the police. Neither man had been a customer of the bar, sources said. 

An EVG reader shared a photo of the bullet hole left behind from Monday night...

Adam from LLN NYC captured this footage of the NYPD investigating after the report of the shot fired... as the video shows, police blocked off Fifth Street at Avenue B as detectives canvassed the area around the bar... 

 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

Thanks to Humans of New York, Mary O's will be making scones for the foreseeable future

Last week, Humans of New York featured Mary O'Halloran, the proprietor of Mary O's, the 11-year-old Irish pub at 32 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street. There's an incredible ending to this story, so allow me to bury the lead.

First, here's her story (Facebook here) courtesy of Brandon Stanton about the bar closing at the start of the pandemic in March 2020:

We got shut down two days before St. Patrick's Day. Always the biggest day for an Irish bar. My husband is a longshoreman, so he was trapped in the Aleutian Islands for nine months — no flights out. It was just me and six kids that needed homeschooling. I pulled all the furniture out of the bar, and made a section for each of them: pillow, blankets, everything they needed. 

Then I had to figure out how to survive. Other bar owners were just throwing up their hands, but I had to try something. I began catering dinners for emergency workers at a nearby hotel. It wasn't much money, but it was something to do. Each night I'd cook dinner for thirty people. The kids would help when they could: peeling potatoes, washing dishes. But I'd be so exhausted every day. Everyone had so much faith in me to survive. Maybe because I keep the tough side out — everyone assumed I was OK. Nobody knew I was full of worries. But it was so freakin' hard. To keep the kids happy. 

Month after month I'm falling further behind on the rent. It felt like the walls were closing in. But my regulars kept showing up. They ran errands for me. Sometimes they'd take the kids on walks to give me a break. There was a group of Irish musicians who would play here every Thursday night. They helped me set up an online store so that I could sell scones to the music people. Soda bread scones with homemade blackberry jam. My mother’s recipe from back in Ireland. Really, it's the simplest thing — but all six of us kids used to line up for them. In January a reporter named Roger Clark from NY1 came to do a story on the bar — about how I've been running it all alone, with my kids. 

And that angel, he had the anchors taste a scone live on TV. It created big scone hype for a few months. It wasn’t a ton of money. I was only making $1,800 for 100 boxes of scones. It wasn't paying rent or anything. But it was something to do, you know? I finally found something that was working. People were writing notes, saying: 'I gave these to my grandmother, and she loved them.' It was the little bit of light that I needed. It pulled me forward. I didn't feel alone anymore. It was like: 'Oh My God, there's something out there.'"

Stanton followed up with a special promotion last Thursday night during her usual Irish music night — the limited edition Mary O's "HONY" Irish soda bread scones for $30. Stanton shared the link to his more than 20 million social media followers worldwide.

By the end of the night, according to an Instagram post from Stanton, they took in more than $1 million in orders for scones. He took her to a quiet table to give her an update.

She allowed herself a brief, joyful cry. Then she asked: 'I can do this, right?' I told her: 'Of course.' Because every one of those orders came from people who want the best for her. And I felt confident that we'd all be patient while she figured out a new process for making scones. Mary has a great team around her. She refers to them as ‘The Regulars’ as if they’re a squad of superheroes, but they’re actually longtime customers who transform into volunteers at a moment’s notice. 

... With this support group, and her own business experience, Mary has all she needs to deliver 25,000 boxes of delicious, blackberry-jam-smothered, blessing-infused scones. It's just going to take some planning. And some time. Our goal was always to help with Mary's burdens, not add to them. She will deliver the scones as fast as she can. And things may fall into place rather quickly.

In July, a feature in his ongoing storyteller series on Dress Shoppe II owner Saroj Goyal inspired an outpouring of support for the Indian boutique on Second Avenue.

Empty 5th Street lot seeks $2.75 million

534 E. Fifth St., a sliver of a lot between Avenue A and Avenue B, is now on the market with a $2.75 million ask. 

According to the listing, the .04 acres is available "to develop a unique residential property in the heart of one of Manhattan's most dynamic live-work-play neighborhoods." 

And per the listing: "The subject property's R7B zoning provides for a 3.00 residential FAR, allowing a total of 5,577 buildable square feet, as-of-right, for a one-of-a-kind 1-2 family townhouse or condominium project." 

This lot has been vacant for years. The four-floor building adjacent to this lot was demolished in 2008 (see below!) to make way for the five-story luxury rental that stands here today. 

Craft beer specialists Top Hops on tap for Zero Irving food hall

Urbanspace signed a lease last August to operate a food hall on the ground level of Zero Irving (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center, 14 @ Irving and tech hub) on 14th Street. 

And now we know at least one of the incoming vendors. The owners of Top Hops Beer Shop were expected to be on this month's CB3-SLA docket (Aug. 16) to operate a bar-restaurant inside the 21-story building at 124 E. 14th St. at Irving Place. 

According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, this location will feature 18 tables to accommodate 97 guests and an 18-seat bar. Top Hops is also applying for a backyard garden space here. The food items on the sample menu include various sandwiches, burgers and dinner platters (bratwurst!).

Top Hops currently operates outposts in Essex Market and Urbanspace at 570 Lex. Their flagship shop/bar at 94 Orchard St. closed in March after nine years on the block below Delancey.

Here's more about the Zero Irving food hall via the official news release last summer:

Urbanspace will be a unique amenity for Zero Irving's tenants, users of the building’s event space, and the surrounding neighborhood. Urbanspace plans an innovative mixed online/offline platform that stays true to its exceptional, immersive food hall experience while providing enhanced online ordering with delivery and pickup options for building tenants and the local community. 

Urbanspace also plans a catering option offered to both building tenants and users of Zero Irving's event and conference center...

The building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces and state-of-the-art event space ... on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving website. 

Long contested by local preservationists and community groups, the new building sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property.

Zero Irving is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Celebrating Luna's 2nd birthday

For a post published on Aug. 29, 2019, EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared a photo essay from the home of the Riveras on Third Street. 

On Aug. 7 that year, they welcomed Luna into the family (photo above!). 

This past Saturday (Aug. 7), the Riveras celebrated Luna's second birthday.

Stacie stopped by to photograph happy parents Juana and Edward Rivera and Luna's siblings Edward Jr. and Rex.

The festivities included a rooftop pool party...

... and friends and family...

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Welcoming baby Luna

Pete's Tavern reopens TODAY

As a follow-up to our post yesterday about Pete's Tavern reopening... it turns out today (Aug. 10) is the day. The doors open at 4 p.m. 

EVG reader Michael Quinn shared the news via new owner Gary Egan (pictured above), the longtime day manager who worked out a partnership deal with the landlord. 

Pete's Tavern is at 129 E. 18th St. at Irving Place. The circa-1864 restaurant had been closed since March 2020.

RIP Patricia Kennealy-Morrison

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, an author, journalist and longtime East Village resident, died on July 23. She was 75. According to published reports, the cause of death was due to complications from heart disease. 

Born in Brooklyn, she settled in the East Village in 1967 after graduating from Harpur College (now the State University of New York at Binghamton). 

Aside from her trailblazing work as a journalist, she was known for her relationship with Jim Morrison of the Doors. 

Here's more via an obituary at Legacy.com:

Kennealy-Morrison became a rock music journalist as a young woman, bringing a new seriousness to rock criticism as one of the first women in the field. She interviewed Morrison in 1969 for Jazz & Pop, the magazine she edited and contributed to. 

The two began a relationship, largely long-distance, and they participated in a handfasting ceremony in 1970. It wasn't a legal marriage, though Kennealy-Morrison considered herself Morrison's wife. It was a controversial claim, refuted by some who point out that Morrison was also in a serious relationship with Pamela Courson (1946–1974). 

The handfasting ceremony was included in the 1991 Oliver Stone movie "The Doors." Kathleen Quinlan played Kennealy-Morrison, and Kennealy-Morrison herself appeared in the scene as the Wiccan priestess who performed the ceremony. 

Kennealy-Morrison wrote the 1992 memoir, "Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison." It was one of more than two dozen books written by Kennealy-Morrison, including several fantasy novels in "The Keltiad" series. In 2007, she founded the publishing house Lizard Queen Press, riffing on Morrison's "Lizard King" nickname. 

She went on to write and publish a series of rock-themed mystery novels, including "Ungrateful Dead: Murder at the Fillmore," "A Hard Slay's Night: Murder at the Royal Albert Hall," and "Scareway to Heaven: Murder at the Fillmore East."

She was also a longtime reader of EVG and left comments under her real name as well as, more recently, Peachy McPeachface. 

You can find feature obituaries about her at Variety and the Los Angeles Times, among many other news outlets.

Oh-K! Another Korean-style hot-dog chain to give the East Village a go

Oh-K Dog appears to be the next tenant for 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

The chain specializing in Korean-style snacks such as stuffed hot dogs and egg toast has this location as "coming soon" on its website. Oh-K Dog also has outposts on Ludlow Street and Seventh Avenue South with several more planned for the city.

Competition for Korean-style hot dogs is heating up around here. Two Hands, which offers Seoul fresh corn dogs, opened on Avenue A and Ninth Street in April ... while Mochinut is opening soon on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

As for this storefront on St. Mark's Place... not much has had success here in recent years. Joe's Steam Rice Roll was the most recent tenant, quietly closing in March. Other concepts here included Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.

H/T Upper West Sider!

The FedEx Office Print & Ship Center is shipping off to a new storefront on East Houston

The storefront shuffle continues along 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The FedEx Office Print & Ship Center is moving from its current space to several storefronts to the west ... into one of the newly renovated spaces (I believe this was Dr. Manuel Velazquez's office) ...

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal. (You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the recently shuttered Mattress Mart.) Other current tenants in the unpainted zone include the Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), China Town Chinese restaurant, H&R Block and Kapri Cleaners.

Two Perrys makes first appearance on Avenue C

Signage recently arrived for Two Perrys, a new cafe-restaurant in the works for 127 Avenue C at Eighth Street (thanks Robert Miner for the pics!) ...

We don't know too much yet about the new venture via proprietor Michael Perry III. He appeared before CB3's SLA committee in April

By day, the space will serve as a cafe offering breakfast and lunch ... with a bar-restaurant service in the evenings, according to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website.

No word yet on an opening date.

Loverboy, specializing in pizza and slushy drinks, closed here during the pandemic after nearly three-plus in business.  Before Loverboy, the corner space was home to multiple establishments, a list that 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. 

At the Tompkins Square Park Riot Reunion shows

The concerts commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the Tompkins Square Police Riot of Aug. 6, 1988, took place this past weekend.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos over the course of the two days that featured more than a dozen bands and speakers (not to mention the heavy presence of the NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol) ...