Thursday, October 7, 2021
Thursday's parting shot(s)
NYPD searching for 2 suspects in Sunday evening assault on 3rd Street
According to police sources and published reports, the three suspects chased down a 19-year-old man, stabbing him multiple times in the process.
The NYPD released this video footage of the attack, which occurred at 5:45 p.m.
🚨WANTED for ASSAULT: On 10/3/21 at approx. 5:45PM, front of 254 E 3 St @NYPD9PCT Manhattan. The suspects punched, kicked & stabbed a 19 Y/O male victim in his shoulder. Any info call or DM NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. Reward up to $3,500. pic.twitter.com/9O8omq7Y4m
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) October 5, 2021
Police are offering a $3,500 reward for information on this case. 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.
'Pipe Dreams' at the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park dioramas this fall
This year's theme: "Pipe Dreams," featuring Dog, Otter, Frog and Rabbit.
Beyond Sushi has not been open lately on 14th Street
This location is no longer on the Beyond Sushi website, and Seamless lists them as closed. They did not return a message seeking comment about their East Village store.
Beyond Sushi, part of a chainlet of plant-based quick-serve restaurants, opened here in July 2012. Four other Beyond Sushi locations remain open in NYC, including at 215 Mulberry St. near Spring.
Mad for Chicken to roost on 14th Street
MFC, which got it starts in Flushing in 2005, serves "soy garlic fried chicken and unique Korean inspired dishes," per its website.
The expanding company now has five NYC locations and two in Texas.
The address here was previously home to the Nugget Spot, which closed during the pandemic after a seven-year nugs run.
H/T Upper West Sider!
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
[Updated] Today in notes about a kitten stuck in your car's engine
Alert! Please know that there is a kitten stuck in your engine.
I heard it crying last night and it couldn't come out.Updated 10/7
A reader shared this photo from last night... the NYPD responded to a call about the kitten ... they were spotted searching for the kitten under the hood...
Hello again, old friend: Sinkhole reforming in Tompkins Square Park
Report: Police make arrest in connection to July murder on 1st Avenue
Top photo by MP from July 14
According to police and published reports, 42-year-old Bronx resident Oneil Brown was brought into custody on Monday. NYPD officials called the East Village case "an apparent prostitution/drug deal gone bad."
Per amNY:
"Sources familiar with the investigation said Brown, who had been identified as the prime suspect in the case, was picked up within the confines of the 13th Precinct in Chelsea on Oct. 4. Following questioning, he was booked on one count of murder."
On July 14, 37-year-old Marvin Bellamy, who lived in the Frederick Douglass Houses on the Upper West Side, was found with a puncture wound to his chest on First Avenue near the McDonald's between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. He reportedly died later at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.
On July 20, police identified a person of interest in the murder investigation.
Souen is on the mend after late-September kitchen fire on 6th Street
Ownership shared the top photo on Instagram yesterday, noting, "we're working hard to get our kitchen back in tip-top shape!" No word just yet on an opening date. Updates will be posted to Instagram.
There's also a GoFundMe campaign underway to help Souen with expenses.
Souen's original location, which dates to 1971, closed in early 2019 at 210 Sixth Ave., between Prince and King. The co-op board reportedly struck a deal for a new tenant with a higher rent.
Sidewalk usage available again on the NE corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
However, in a rather unexpected development, pedestrians now have FULL access to the sidewalk again.
As @unitof documented for us yesterday, the project manager at the development site on the corner had the plywood moved back... revealing the sidewalk again on St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue...
Like a bat out of hell, a Halloween shop pops up on Avenue A
We're told that two locals, Angel and C.J., are behind this temporary venture.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from opening day back on Sunday...
This storefront was most recently Appolodine, a nail salon.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Must be the season: Hitchcocktober returns to 2nd Avenue and 12th Street
And the Village East is screening some of Hitchcock's most famous films on Wednesday evenings at 7 ... with a Halloween night showing of "Psycho" in the big auditorium — the Jaffe Art Theater.
The lineup:
- "Rear Window" — Oct. 6
- "North by Northwest" — Oct. 13
- "Vertigo" — Oct. 20
- "Strangers on a Train" — Oct. 27
- "Psycho" — Oct. 31
Find advance ticket info here.
Village East by Angelika took over from City Cinemas Village East during the pandemic here at the landmarked theater.
Farewell (for now!) to the sinkhole on 1st Avenue at 5th Street
Relieve the sinkhole's glory days here and here ... and leave your favorite memory of it in the comments.
Updated 6 p.m.
Goggla shared this pic of the repair work...
A visit to Genshinkan Aikido
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
I’ve walked by 62 E. Fourth St. (between Second Avenue and the Bowery) a million times but had no idea what was hiding up several steep flights of steps — an airy, light, immaculate and well-appointed martial arts studio.
I recently stopped by to observe the practice. Dojo-Cho/chief instructor Gary Wagener (above left), sensei, currently holding a Yondan rank, or 4th-degree black belt, meets me at the door as he finishes preparing for class. I am given a mat and cushion. I offer assurances that I won’t be in the way, and I am left to experience the class without distraction.
Things begin with a period of meditation, followed by some instruction and a brief talk before the students pair off for what looked like choreographed moves. However, teacher and assistant Dojo-Cho Ariana Koblitz (above right) assures me it’s a self-defense technique.
Between water breaks (the dojo has fans circulating, but soon everyone is sweaty on this muggy evening), I hear the sound of bodies slamming on mats, Japanese call and response prompts, the soft voices of the instructors issuing corrections, adjustments, instructions and encouragement. And a few gentle jokes.
There are lots of rituals. I am especially keyed into the sound rituals involved in this practice: bells ringing, wooden clapper blocks (known as taku, and handmade in white oak by a student) clacking — a very loud and effective attention grabber, and breathwork, heard best during the silent meditation.
After the class winds down, I speak with Gary to learn more about the space, the Japanese martial art of Aikido, and its place in the community.
What type of martial arts do you teach?
Our school is devoted to the transmission and preservation of the traditional Japanese martial art of Aikido, a defensive art that redirects the energy of an attacker. Aikido focuses on compassion to resolve the physical conflict and offers a path devoted to personal, physical, and spiritual growth.
Students learn to peacefully resolve actual attacks through techniques involving throws, joint locks, strikes, and strategies for unbalancing opponents. We also train with traditional Japanese wooden weapons — the sword (bokken), staff (jo), and knife (tanto). These weapons are a fundamental component of our training and students discover, over time, how these weapons directly connect to the hand-to-hand techniques.
Beyond the practice itself — and just as important — at the heart of our school is a genuine community of amazingly good people. They’re shockingly nice. And, to be honest, the student base is not what I expected when we first opened the school. The goal was simply to open a traditional martial arts school and give students a place to train and train and train. It quickly evolved into something much more than the simple study of a budō (the martial way, or way of war).
These like-minded students of all backgrounds found kinship amongst each other. They found a place where they belonged and began to bond through the training, and the harmonious principles of the training. They continue to learn that our art is easily applied beyond the dojo and truly enriches their daily lives.
There are other noncompetitive martial arts, including Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu, Iaidō, certain styles of Kung Fu, and others. For the majority of students, the noncompetitive aspect of Aikido is an important one. Students seeking a place to learn self-defense without the anxieties that they can experience in a competition-based environment tend to thrive in this setting.
This allows students to learn freely from each other during a class. Eliminating competition gives the focus on the whole rather than the individual. Students want to help each other along their path through all levels of training. It’s really quite wonderful...this art was created to improve daily life through principles/concepts of compassion and harmony.
Who is a typical student if such a thing exists? Is this practice accessible to beginners? And what would you tell people who may be intimidated by this type of discipline?
Diversity is at the core of our school. Students range widely in age and vocation. Doctors, architects, cooks, computer engineers, actors, musicians, financial analysts, designers, dancers, law enforcement officers (who patrol our very own East Village streets), school teachers, and plenty more. We even have a student who’s in VFX [visual effects]! We’ve had classes where there have been more than 15 different countries represented. The diversity is a gift.
No matter the reasons a student begins their practice, you find this sweet and sincerely genuine group of people from all walks of life seeking a common goal of...peace. Peace not only for themselves but also for those around them.
The only thing that should intimidate a beginner visiting our school is the 5-story walkup. It’s natural to be intimidated or nervous when exploring something foreign and unknown, especially with a martial art. People may not want to hear this, but I get nervous walking into the dojo sometimes. Approaching the practice with a beginner’s mind gives you this sense of the unexpected.
Rest assured, any visitor will be welcomed to the dojo with nothing but a sincere and warm greeting. And they’ll experience much of that same warmth during a class. All of our classes are open to all levels and we focus on safety and taking classes slow to begin. The focus is on basic body movements and positioning, concepts, and form when a student starts. We want students to feel safe and welcome.
You and Ariana spoke about redirecting an attacker’s energy and resolving conflicts harmoniously. Can you elaborate on this?
“To injure an opponent is to injure yourself. To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.” — Morihei Ueshiba, Ōsensei
This mantra is at the foundation of our daily training. Understand, we are a true budō. And the physical application of Aikido can be quite powerful through joint locks and throws. But we’re not fighting. That’s never our purpose. There’s a stigma that martial arts are all about kicking and punching, and more recently, grappling (MMA, or mixed martial arts) fighting. We are not a fight club.
Our goal is conflict resolution...resolution that comes about through redirecting the energy a defender is receiving. Through partnered classes, we practice understanding how to guide an attack with a variety of defenses.
Why choose the East Village for your studio?
The EV is an ideal spot for countless reasons. Mainly, it’s a vibrant community surrounded by art. A neighborhood that’s essentially a living art in many ways. And that’s exactly what Aikido is, a living art. Kinetic, evolving, constantly changing, a motion of beauty.
I see the streets of the EV the same way. The neighborhood is clearly changing and has been since its inception — and always will. New buildings, restaurants, residents, graffiti, galleries, theaters, trees, the list of how the neighborhood continues in motion is infinite.
And finding the beauty in that change is a challenge sometimes, but it’s mostly there if we want to see it. Similar to how a strike can be redirected into a moment of harmonious connected rhythm. Does that make sense? I hope so!
The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns on Oct. 23
The Farmer's Dog, a service that delivers freshly made pet food, is this year's sponsor. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help on Oct. 23 (must love dogs?). Volunteer info is at this link.
The Dog Parade, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018 and 2019. Last year's pandemic version was mostly virtual with a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B.
Thanks to Steven for the photo!
Fish story: Crab Du Jour bringing seafood boils to 1st Avenue
This is the latest NYC location for the expanding chain described as a Cajun Seafood Boil & Bar.
Per the restaurant's website:
Crab Du Jour offers experience-driven seafood dining in a fun, communal atmosphere, perfect for friends and family. Our Cajun-inspired eatery is known for fresh seafood boils (made for sharing) and an array of signature house-blended sauces, to enhance the experience.
We offer everything from delicious starters like wings, po-boys, chicken tenders, and seafood favorites such as fried fish, shrimp, crab and oysters.
This address was previously a Checkers, which closed late last year after six years in business.
Y7 reopens along 250 E. Houston St.
Y7 Studio, the hip-hop-fueled yoga center, reopened yesterday for in-person classes along 250 E. Houston St.
The studio had been closed since March 2020, offering virtual classes instead. Y7 has been in this space since December 2018.
As previously noted, a Pure Barre outpost is also coming to this retail strip between Avenue A and Avenue B, per the fitness chain's website. Not sure what space they are taking. (We incorrectly thought it might be the Y7 storefront.) 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 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.
Monday, October 4, 2021
A night (on Thursday!) of live music and art at 3rd & B'zaar
On Thursday evening from 7-9, EV-based artist/musician Alex Carpenter is headlining a night of art and music in the space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Carpenter will be showcasing new video works as part of his performance, and will also be officially launching his new release "Chord From the Second Delphic Hymn."
Other art and artists will be part of the show, including dancer Elayna Lopez...
Photo by Stacie Joy
P&T Knitwear Co. bringing books, coffee and podcasts to the Lower East Side
The publishing industry newsletter Shelf Awareness first reported on this arrival.
According to the report by Alex Mutter, Bradley Tusk, the venture capitalist and philanthropist who founded the Gotham Book Prize last year, and general manager and buyer Julie Wernersbach, are behind the new venture.
Per Shelf Awareness:
"He wants to give back to New York," Wernersbach said of Tusk, adding that he's a "huge reader" and "loves the city." The store's name comes from the name of a knitwear company co-founded by Tusk's grandfather in the early 1950s, which was located just a few blocks away from where the bookstore will open. "He wanted to pay homage to the neighborhood, and create a good bookstore for New York and the Lower East Side."
Another major part of the project for Tusk and Wernersbach is making sure that the store's booksellers are well compensated, have health insurance and are able to "make a real living wage in NYC." Given what the bottom line looks like for a bookstore, that could make for an "exciting challenge." Said Wernersbach: "We're putting our staff and community first."The 3,000-square-foot bookstore will include "an events amphitheater with built-in seating" as well as a podcast studio that community members will reportedly be able to use for free in this retail space connected to the Indigo Hotel.
H/T Marjorie!
Weekend reopening recap: Blue & Gold, Tom & Jerry's
On Friday, Blue & Gold, 79 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, returned to action (this post has more background) ... ditto for Tom & Jerry's over at 288 E. Elizabeth St. near Houston ...
B&G photo by Steven
T&J H/T to Garth and Ryan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)