Village Voices, a new street exhibit, recognizes trailblazing neighborhood icons

Photos by Steven

Village Voices is a new street exhibition via Village Preservation honoring downtown trailblazers and their legacies ... and you can find four of the installations on the fence along St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

Featured artists here are Patti Smith, Charlie Parker, W.H. Auden and Joan Mitchell. Each name is linked to an audio overview of the artists as well as biographical information.

You can find a map with all the installations in the area right here.

Brown paper on the windows at the former Odessa on Avenue A

Photo by Steven

Former Odessa Watchers™ noted the arrival yesterday of brown paper on the front windows at the old diner at 119 Avenue A. 

As you may know, Superiority Burger has signed a lease for the address here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, first reported by Grub Street last month.

Brooks Headley, the owner of the all-vegetarian quick-serve spot on Ninth Street, told Grub Street's Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld that he's not changing a thing:

"Odessa has always kinda been my dream space," he says. What's so dreamy about it is that besides being big, it comes completely furnished and ready to go. "It's not old and dusty and gross and needing upgrades," he says. "I find it completely beautiful — the soda counter, the satellite bar, the cash register station. I don't plan to change it at all."

So the paper on the windows is likely to provide a little privacy and keep the Former Odessa Watchers™from obsessing over every little detail. (Sample: That pen was not on the table yesterday. Also, we forgot to report that the Sanity Inspection Grade, an A, and assorted signage were removed from the front windows several weeks ago. Hopefully, all this is in the Diner Hall of Fame.)

Headley previously said that the move from Ninth Street will be several months down the road. (Given the current supply-chain issues, it may take longer for any new kitchen equipment to arrive.)

Once the new home of Superiority Burger is up and running, they'll first launch a dinner service before opening it up later for lunch and breakfast.

In July 2020, longtime manager Dennis Vassilatos said that Odessa was shutting down after a prolonged slump in business due to the pandemic. (Odessa Restaurant opened in this space in April 1995. The original Odessa, the longtime favorite that dated to the mid-1960s, closed next door in August 2013.)

However, closer to the last day, co-owner Steve Helios told Gothamist that Odessa was only closing temporarily, that the space would be renovated. The building's landlord is Odessa partner Mike Skulikidis. The closing turned out to be more than temporary.

Superiority Burger opened in the East Village in June 2015. 

New Indian restaurant in the works for this stretch of 2nd Avenue

An Indian restaurant called Desi Stop is coming to 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. (Thanks to Steven for the photo and tip!)

This info is according to the workers who are currently renovating the space. We don't know anything just yet about the owners behind the new place.

Desi Stop takes over for Nostro Ristorante, which debuted in October 2019. The Italian restaurant reopened briefly late in the spring of 2020 for pandemic-era takeout and delivery but closed soon after. 

The west side of Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Sixth Street has been hard-hit with closures... aside from Nostro, Atlas Cafe ... Thailand Cafe ... and Hou Yi Hot Pot/Spicy Noodle Hot Pot all closed last year. And Calexico at 99 Second Ave. remains "temporarily closed."  

Report: Jeepney closing after 9 years on 1st Avenue

Jeepney, the 9-year-old Filipino gastropub at 201 First Ave., is closing on Sept. 25, Eater reports. 

However, owner Nicole Ponseca said that this isn't the end of Jeepney — just at this location between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Per Eater:

The restaurateur hopes to partner with a restaurant group to open a more casual version of her pioneering restaurant in multiple cities, including the possibility of New York, similar to her expansion in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami earlier this year.

Ponseca and executive chef Miguel Trinidad also operated Maharlika on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street from 2011-2019. As Eater noted: "Both restaurants have been heralded for their takes on modern Filipino cooking, which helped introduce New York City to the Southeast Asian cuisine." 

For its remaining time on First Avenue, Jeepney will be open for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Image via Facebook

Raising the barre: Pure Barre opening a studio at 250 E. Houston St.

A Pure Barre outpost is coming to 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, per the fitness chain's website. (H/T Stacie Joy!) 

Pure Barre looks to be taking over the space last held by Y7 Studio, the hip-hop-fueled yoga center that never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020. Update: Y7 reopened on Oct. 4. It's not clear what space Pure Barre is taking.

As its name suggests, Pure Barre is a ballet-inspired fitness regimen mostly centered around the handrail used in ballet training — the barre. 

And as we've been noting, there's been a storefront shuffle along this renovated retail stretch. Kapri Cleaners and the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center moved here from the unrenovated spaces a few doorways down East Houston. The old retail section of this strip is apparently coming down to make way for an unspecified new development. 

On that note, workers last week were removing asbestos from the former Subway (sandwich) shop space...

Any signs of the East Village in the 1st trailer for Marvel's 'Hawkeye' series?

Back in December, crews for the new Disney+ series "Hawkeye" via Marvel Studios spent several days filming in the East Village (under the name "Anchor Point"). 

In the series, Jeremy Renner is reprising his Marvel Universe role as the superhero Hawkeye and his alter ego Clint Barton while Hailee Steinfeld plays his protégé Kate Bishop (also known as Hawkeye). 

Anyway! The jocular first trailer for the eight-part series dropped today... looks solid, though there's no sign of the Discount Wine & Champagne's shop on 4th and A... or Key Food... but, at the 1:15 mark, that could be a building along Szold Place near 11th Street, a filming location...

   

"Hawkeye" debuts on Nov. 24. 

And revisit Stacie Joy's photos from along Fourth Street and Avenue B here.

Midday pizza break

Andy Warhol and Keith Haring reimagined as Ninja Turtles. 

Art on First Avenue at Third Street by DeGrupo. 

Speaking of Keith Haring, his sculpture outside 51 Astor Place has been MIA now for a little more than a year. It was to undergo "minor conservation work."

Hamilton Fish Recreation Center returns with free annual membership offer

The Hamilton Fish Recreation Center officially reopens tomorrow (Sept. 14) for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports, you can sign up for a one-year free membership here at 128 Pitt St. just below East Houston. (Adult memberships are $100 to $150 annually depending on the facility. And the free membership is happening at all city rec centers.) 

You can bring proof of COVID vaccination and a photo ID for the membership (you can sign up through December). You can download a registration form here.

The facilities here are open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Masks are mandatory. 

Anyway, if you've never been here... they do have a fitness center with cardio machines, weights, etc. So in case you have a limited budget for a gym right now... 

This link has more about the available amenities.

East Side Coastal Resiliency work closes part of Stuyvesant Cove Park until 2023

Stuyvesant Cove Park north of 20th Street is now closed as floodwall work related to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project continues along this corridor. 

This three-block section is expected to be closed until some time in 2023 (subject to change), per the flyers...

This part of this ESCR construction started at the end of 2020. This is considered Project Area 2, which encompasses work between 15th Street and 25th Street, including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, Murphy Brothers Playground, as well as local streets around the Con Edison facility. (You can find more updates about work in this section at this link.)

As Curbed previously reported: "Stuyvesant Cove will be dismantled and replaced with an elevated berm near the FDR Drive, with a sea wall built along its bike path on the waterfront. Solar One plans to move into a newly constructed building within a much different landscape."

The work on Stuyvesant Cove Park will happen in two phases... We're apparently in Phase 2... 
 

So this is Project Area 2. The part of the ESCR getting more attention here is Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street, including East River Park. That work is expected to begin this fall. Trees that the city will cut down have apparently already been identified. (Updated noon: Word is circulating that workers have started removing several trees.)

 

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Kitchen Sink goes Greek, emerges as Eros

In recent months, paper has covered the windows at Kitchen Sink, the diner on Second Avenue at Fifth Street. 

The dining room appeared to be closed and under renovation, but they were serving in the curbside seats as well as offering takeout and deliveries. 

On Friday, new signage arrived (thanks to Steven for the photos!) ... and the place is now going as Eros, a Greek restaurant. (Same owners, we're told.) And the signage is identical to the Eros on Third Avenue in Murray Hill.

Not sure at the moment what the menu will be here — hopefully, some of the reliable diner fare will remain. The mostly renovated dining room is not yet open. The bar remains, though the TV sets have been removed.

The owners previously changed names from Moonstruck to the Kitchen Sink in the fall of 2015. 

Dig Inn apparently still has plans to reopen on 4th Avenue

Dig Inn has been sitting vacant since the NY State on PAUSE of March 2020 here on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street. 

While other locations of the health-conscious fast-casual chain reopened around the city, this one looked all but abandoned. 

However, new signage on the door promises that they'll "be right back" ...

Dig Inn debuted in this outpost in November 2019.

This has been a challenging corner for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. In recent years, the space has been home to Fresh & Co. ... Pie Face and, right before Dig, Sandwicherie. 

Reports: Police arrest suspect in string of groping attacks, including 3 in the East Village

Early Friday afternoon, police reportedly arrested a 37-year-old suspect wanted in connection in a series of groping attacks around the city, including three in the East Village. 

Reward posters had been posted on Avenue A and Sixth Street, where police say the suspect, named as James White, groped an 11-year-old girl on Aug. 26 at 5:40 p.m. 

According to the NYPD and published reports, White allegedly grabbed his victims while riding a red and black Fly-3 moped. The most recent attack took place last Monday in the East Village. 

White is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor and six counts of forcible touching, according to court records and media accounts.

Week in Grieview

Posts from the past week included (with a photo of resident red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo atop Most Holy Redeemer on 3rd Street by Steven) ...

• Esperanto has apparently closed on Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Hidden 7th Street treasure Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen reopens for the fall (Wednesday) 

• The first retail space for Tom's Juice will be on 4th Street (Tuesday) 

• Albert's Garden celebrating 50 years on 2nd Street (Friday) 

• Metrograph sets Oct. 1 reopening date (Friday) 

• At the debut of O’Flaherty’s on Avenue C (Thursday) 

• Another end-of-summer appreciation: The grocery cart garden (Monday) 

• New awning alert at Via Della Pace's new 4th Street home (Thursday) 

• First sign of the Mayfly on East Houston Street (Tuesday) 

• Ladybird No. 2 debuts on 7th Street; Cadence expansion continues (Wednesday) 

• Jackhammers in tow, city workers investigate the Mystery Puddle of Avenue A (Wednesday) ... The mystery puddle in the middle of Avenue A (Monday) 

• Beloved Cafe shapes up on the LES (Thursday) 

• Treetops now visible above the plywood on lower 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Km1 returns to 58 E. 1st St. (Tuesday) • Beard Papa's still bringing the cream puffs to St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• The Brant Foundation debuts its next show, Julian Schnabel's 'Self-Portraits of Others' (Wednesday)

• Chichen Itzá for 277 E. 10th St. (Wednesday) 

• Plywood comes down to reveal Xing Fu Tang on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Friday)

... and a few scenes from the free show (via Mike SOS and F-Bomb) in Tompkins Square Park yesterday ... photos by Stacie Joy...

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

At the 10th Street Block Party

The 10th Street Block Party took place yesterday. 

As always, the long-running event (50 years!) took place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... with St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, a sponsor this year, providing the backdrop. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy checked out the local vendors selling vintage clothing, records, art, books, etc. ... not to mention pierogi from Veselka... and live music... 

EVG contributor Derek Berg also stopped by... he shared these photos...

Sadly, we hear that one of the neighborhood's other great block parties, the annual 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party, is not happening this year. Haven't heard anything official, but apparently, the city isn't making it easy to host one of these events.

An apparel-making workshop for kids this afternoon at the 6BC Botanical Garden

The 6BC Botanical Garden is hosting another event today for kids (under 16, per the flyer!).

From noon to 4 p.m., participants can pick one item — a tote bag, T-shirt or canvas — and create their own design to take home. The garden is supplying the paint and art supplies.

The 6BC Botanical Garden is at 630 E. Sixth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.