A look at a rain-soaked Tompkins Square park

The city's first nor'easter of the season (per NY1) has been moving through (over?) the area. 

Depending on your location, up to three (or more!) inches of rain has fallen, per the National Weather Service.

EVG correspondent Steven checked out Tompkins Square Park, where there is standing water in locations... up to an ankle-deep on the flood-prone east side of the main lawn ...

There's also standing water on the north side of the park office ... these photos are both looking toward 10th Street...

Thankfully, there isn't any sign of fallen branches/trees in the park.

At the 31st Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

The 31st edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade took place again at the East River Park Amphitheater this past Saturday afternoon.

As the top pic shows, there was a big turnout for the event after last year's primarily virtual offering (there was a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B).

And as always, there were pop (pup?)-cultural references galore represented in the costumes, from standbys such as "Star Wars," "It" and "Joker" to recent phenomenons like "Squid Game."

In the end, the panel of judges, which included local resident Lindsey Jordan, the singer-songwriter behind Snail Mail, selected a more topical Best in Show... 

... an essential workers tribute created by Bronx resident Ruben Santana and featuring his dog Amun ...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there ... and she shared this look at some of the costumes seen on this dog day afternoon...

The Dog Parade, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018 and 2019.

With the gutting of East River Park expected to start in several weeks, this will likely be the last time the Dog Parade is held at this venue in the foreseeable future. 

Opponents of the city's current resiliency plan for the Lower East Side stormed the stage at one point to protest the impending "destruction" of East River Park. The move drew some criticism from attendees, to which East River Park Action responded in an Instagram post with: "Is the city's destruction of our park more onerous than disrupting the doggies in costume?"

The all-new 21-23 Avenue B comes into view with 2 extra floors

Yesterday, workers removed the scaffolding and construction netting from 21-23 Avenue B. Workers have been adding two new floors and combining the existing two four-story structures between Second Street and Third Street. (First reported here.) 

 And here's another view via an EVG reader...

The retail spaces are on the market via landlord Icon Realty. One slot is $10k a month, and it appears that both combined are $20k. 

The residential listings for the 6-floor building are not online just yet. So here's what New York Yimby had on these units back in the spring:

All combined, available apartments will include six five-bedroom homes and eight two-bedroom units, with select units offering private outdoor space. All residents will have access to a large open-air roof terrace and cellar-level bike storage. In addition to a residential lobby, two 800-square-foot commercial suites will occupy the ground floor of each building...

And a flashback to when work got underway in October 2020...

Taking a look at the NW corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

For starters, ICYMI: Papaya Dog has closed here on the NW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street after 16 years of peddling hot dogs and sandwich combos ... as we first reported back on Thursday. (Thanks to KT and Pinch!)

This corner has been on a watch-list for years ... with the mostly single-level strip of commercial buildings seemingly waiting to be gobbled up for new development. Plus, the four-story 239 First Ave., where the shuttered Salt & Pepper sold Indian and Chinese cuisine from the storefront next to Papaya Dog, remains vacant. 

Anyway, there's nothing in public records to suggest anything is afoot here for the time being.

A lot of people also had feelings about Papaya Dog's departure, especially on Twitter. And there was a lot of conversation about the ongoing issues — fights, drug use, etc. — along this corridor.   

Skeleton crew spotted on 1st Street

SECURE YOUR AC UNITS!

As seen on First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Southern section of East River Park to mostly close on Nov. 21 as resiliency work begins

Work on the $1.45-billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project will close the southern section of East River Park — below the Houston Street entrance — starting on Nov. 21 ...  with construction completion not set for by the end of 2026 "given project pause during COVID and procurement delays."

The city released the first set of dates for ESCR construction and a revised phasing plan for this Project Area 1 last Wednesday during Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee.

As we first reported here, the Compost Yard has been relocated, and that area will be turned into "a passive lawn" during the interim.

On Nov. 1, all but four tennis courts will close, with the remainder to shutter on Nov. 21 along with most of the southern end of East River Park.

According to the latest timeline from the city, leagues will be able to use the ballfields through Nov. 30. Permits for the BBQ areas and amphitheater will no longer be available after Nov. 30. Click on the image below for more detail on all this...

Also, on Nov. 21, the entire "shared-use path" — the Greenway that runs between East River Park and the FDR — will close until the end of 2026. Looking at the city's presentation, it's not immediately apparent what route cyclists and pedestrians need to take in the interim. (The presentation only shows a bike detour for the area starting at Stuyvesant Cove on 20th Street.) 

Meanwhile, the rest of East River Park — the area north of Reach F on the city's snapshots — will be open for at least another year. There appears to be a small closure at the north end above 10th Street sometime before next summer. (The city has said that they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction.)

There aren't any other specific dates at this time attached to gutting the 57.5-acre East River Park — burying the existing park under fill and elevating it by 8-to-10 feet above sea level. You can find the updated 22-page presentation from last week at this link.

Opponents of this version of the reconstruction project continue to speak out, stressing there's a better path forward to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise — one that doesn't cause 1,000 mature trees to be chopped down.

As Archpaper noted in an article on the project this past summer:

Though the city has committed to planting approximately 2,000 new trees, consisting of 50 different tree species that will be more resilient to salt spray and extreme weather, it will take decades for the new saplings on the reconstructed park to achieve a full canopy.

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are alternatives to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Efforts to spur Council Speaker Corey Johnson to hold an oversight hearing on this phase of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project have yet to materialize. However, he's aware of what's happening here now.

Meanwhile, work continues in Project Area 2 between East 15 Street and 25th Street, including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park and Murphy Brothers Playground.

Blank Street debuts on the Bowery

Blank Street coffee opened late last week in the Bowery Market.

The kiosk here in the open-air market at Great Jones also offers products from local brands, including King Street Baking Co. and King David Tacos.

This is the latest outpost for the fast-growing NYC brand that launched with a mobile cart in Williamsburg in the summer of 2020. 

Just last week, we reported that a Blank Street location is coming soon to 36 Third Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. That post has more background about the company founded by Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha, who have aggressive plans for 100 locations operational by the end of 2022. 

The company recently secured $25 million in Series A funding to help realize this goal. 

The latest future development clue from along 250 E. Houston St.

We're continuing to monitor the now-vacant old retail strip at 250 E. Houston St. ... adjacent to the renovated 13-story residential complex and storefronts. (Background here.) 

The latest update comes via an EVG reader, who spied some info inside the former Mattress Mart (the first space after the renovated zone).

While walking by the old Mattress Mart, I could see they are building a new retaining wall. The plans were right there on a table by the window. I included close-ups of two interesting items: one describes separating the stores from Red Square (250) into a new "280 E Houston." 

The other was partially covered but clearly says "demolition." I'm pretty sure whatever's coming is going to suck — especially for those residents on Second Street with southern-facing windows.

According to some of the former business owners at No. 250, a new development will rise from the one-level strip of storefronts between Avenue A and Avenue B. Demolition permits have already been filed. What's not known yet is the size/scope of the new building.

The residential building, the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations. 

Joey Bats Café offering a sneak preview outside new Avenue B home

Photo last week by Stacie Joy

Joey Bats Café is opening soon at 50 Avenue B... and starting last week, they've been peddling their pastéis de nata from a sidewalk table here between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Joey Batista (aka Bats) started selling the Portuguese custard tarts several years back before opening his first outpost at 129 Allen St. near Rivington.

Here's more via a Hungry City feature at the Times from April 2019:

Mr. Batista, 39, the son of Portuguese immigrants, started selling pastéis de nata at street fairs around New York in 2016. The recipe was developed by his mother, Isabel Fernandes, a formidable home cook who made desserts for her brother's restaurant in their hometown, Ludlow, Mass., before heading the kitchen at her son's cafe.

The Avenue B location — a sizeable two-level space — will feature elements of the cafe as well as a lounge featuring comedy and live music. Joey Bats received approval for a liquor license here during last month's CB3 meeting.

No. 50 has sat empty for several years. The pizzeria Johnny Favorite's shuttered on the Fourth Street side in August 2017 after debuting in April 2015. Lovecraft, inspired by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, closed in early 2018 after three-and-a-half years in business. 

Sunday's parting shot

A reader shares this scene from Avenue A and Seventh Street this evening...

Week in Grieview

 Posts this past week included (with a Michael Myers sighting by Derek Berg) ...

• Barnyard Cheese Shop has closed (Thursday)

• Rue-B closes on Avenue B (Thursday)

• Office building for 3 St. Mark's Place appears stalled for now (Tuesday)

• Cheap-eats fave Papaya Dog is done on 14th Street (Thursday) 

• Report: Police shoot at man threatening people with a knife on Houston and the Bowery (Friday) 

• Via Della Pace owners opening an Italian deli on 4th Street (Monday) 

• Signs of new development along the retail strip of 250 E. Houston St. (Monday) 

• FA debuts on 9th Street; the green bench arrives in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday) 

• Stromboli Pizza reopens (Friday) 

• Blank Street coffee looks to be opening an outpost on 3rd Avenue (Wednesday) 

• A campaign to landmark the building that housed A Gathering of Tribes on 3rd Street (Monday) 

• Openings: Chichen Itzá on 10th Street (Tuesday) 

• Sun meets the sidewalk again along this stretch of 2nd Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Omakase sushi bar coming to former upholstery shop on 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• A wrap at the Bowery Mural Wall (Tuesday) 

• When life gives you a bulky sidewalk bridge, play tetherball (Tuesday) 

• Reader report: new laundromat washed up before it opens? (Wednesday) 

• A speakeasy and restaurant concept slated for 221 2nd Ave. (Monday) 

... and East Village native Reuben Gordon is an artist now living in Los Angeles ... if you happen to be out that way, a solo exhibition recently opened at Baert Gallery ... and you can see how NYC and the neighborhood inform his work...

 

---

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

A farewell to Barnyard Cheese Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Barnyard Cheese Shop closed after service Friday evening at 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

As we first reported, owner Beatriz Gutierrez (pictured above) was, despite repeated efforts, unable to find someone to replace Victor, who helmed the kitchen here for years. Victor, who lost his brother to COVID-19, is returning to be with family in Mexico. 

Yesterday, family members, longtime regulars and staff (including Michael in the photo below) gathered to say goodbye to Barnyard...

Several bands, part of a HONK NYC! performance, were also playing right outside along the Open Street of Avenue B...