Saturday's opening shot (and non-exclusive weather forecast)

The area is under a flurry of weather statements today. 

We will omit the customary byplay and go right to the Weather Channel for the latest... 

Description ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... 

WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to two inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph. 

WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and southeast New York. 

WHEN...From 9 AM this morning to 7 PM EST this evening. 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temperatures will fall quickly late this morning into this afternoon resulting in a quick freezing of any standing water.

Here's more... with the National Weather Service predicting the snow to start in NYC "around lunctime" (I'm eating at 11:30 a.m.)...

Expect the changeover from rain to snow to begin later this morning in parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, making its way into NYC around lunchtime.

Strong winds and locally heavy snow may create dangerous travel conditions for a period early this afternoon. #NYwx #CTwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/Sp05wEl2HJ

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) March 12, 2022

As is this wasn't fun enough, we also lose an hour of sleep tonight. #DaylightSavingTime

Broadcast 'News'

 

Local band Beechwood headlines Arlene's Grocery tomorrow night (March 12) ... as part of the New Colossus Festival taking place at several nearby venues through Sunday. 

The video here is for "Front Page News," from Beechwood's January release Sleep Without Dreaming.

Pre-spring look at the Tompkins Square Park mini pool

Photo today by Steven 

Outdoor city pools reopen on June 28 — who's ready for a dip in the Tompkins Square Park mini pool? (And yes — Tompkins Square Park has a mini pool!) 

Well! OK, the pool isn't quite in summer mode just yet... the fallen branch has been in the pool since September. The barricade is new(er)! 

Anyway, Parks staff say this will be removed (and raked?) ahead of pool season.

Stand With Ukraine

Photo at the Sly Fox on 2nd Avenue by Steven 

A recap of some recent Ukraine-related coverage around the neighborhood... 

• A visit to Arka, the 71-year-old Ukrainian gift shop on 2nd Street 

• Two Boots supporting Ukraine with 2 new pizzas, including the Mr. Ze 

• 9th Precinct collecting medical supplies for Ukraine humanitarian relief 

• One East Village family's protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine 

• Another visit to Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen 

• How Veselka is helping with Ukraine relief efforts 

• The #SupportUkraine Humanitarian Effort 

• "The feeling is shock"

Thursday's parting shots

Thanks to EVG reader JOY for these photos... Hektad painted this mural in support of Ukraine in First Street Green Art Park this week...

Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Back on Dec. 23, we shared photos from inside the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B, the 6-story building on the NW corner at Houston. 

Recapping some of what we know (and have reported) about 6 Avenue B. The liquor store in the retail space closed when the owner passed away in 2009 at age 89. (Chico created the tribute to her in February 2010.) 

And as previously noted, this is one of the abandoned buildings owned by the estate of the mysterious team of Arthur and Abraham Blasof, now both deceased. 

Otherwise, there's some sporadic activity inside related to the cell towers on the roof. Otherwise, there don't appear to be any plans for this space. 

In the previous trip inside the building, EVG contributor Stacie Joy saw only a few units on the lower floors. She returned the other day and got a more complete look ...

Here's a look at some of the individual apartments... (there are two units on each floor). Each apartment is painted a different color: Green! Blue! Yellow! There was some wallpaper too. See for yourself...

... and paying the rent here — the T-Mobile cell towers...

... and the views from the top...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

Because you've always wanted to know what the inside of the long-empty 6 Avenue B looks like

A sneak peek at El Colmado, opening soon on East Houston Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Late last year, we mentioned that El Colmado, a market specializing in Dominican food, was in the works for 309 E. Houston St. between Clinton and Attorney. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the other day ... and met the father-son team behind the market... 

They are looking forward to opening this month ... and showed Stacie their new equipment, including a sandwich press and rotisserie chicken oven... 

Aside from offering a variety of sandwiches and to-go meals, El Colmado will also have some more standard market items for sale... 

The shop has an Instagram account as well.

Higher Empire announces itself on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven 

Higher Empire signage arrived over at 71 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street in recent days.

According to the Higher Empire website, the business is described as a "cannabis club and delivery service." 

You can hit the website here for more on the products/services, etc. They have an Instagram account too. 

This storefront was previously Alex Shoe & Watch Repair. Alex never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.

Today is the day for the new, smaller TD Bank to debut on 3rd Avenue

Meanwhile, in bank branch news, the new, more compact TD Bank branch debuts today at 47-53 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

As previously mentioned, workers have been dividing up the retail space here, with TD Bank downsizing and vacating the corner spot...

No word if this branch will bring back a coin-counting machine to this location. (TD did away with them in 2016!)

A study cited by Banking Dive on Friday reported that "[b]ranch transaction volume has declined an average of 7% over the past seven years, while mobile payments are forecasted to grow 25% per year through 2026." So banks are shedding some real estate. 

According to the retail listing, the corner storefront will be available starting in September after its de-TD'd .... and with an ask of $150 per square foot. What type of vape shop would you like to see open here? 

Updated:

And then there was one...

H/T Steven!

The 'Law & Order' with recently filmed scenes on 7th Street airs tomorrow night

Photo on 7th Street on Feb. 8 by Derek Berg

As you may recall, on Feb. 8, crews for the all-new "Law & Order" filmed scenes on Seventh Street along Tompkins Square Park. (The neighborhood is no stranger to the show and its spinoffs through the years.)

Photos from the shoot (right here) saw Anthony Anderson's Det. Bernard and newcomer Jeffrey Donovan's Det. Frank Cosgrove investigate a murder, complete with a blood-splattered van on Seventh Street and, later, a candlelit memorial in the Park featuring an 8x10 of a young woman.

The episode filmed here airs tomorrow (March 10) on NBC at 8. (H/T Steven!)

Per the description of the episode titled "Filtered Life" ... 

Detectives Kevin Bernard and Frank Cosgrove investigate the disappearance of a social media star whose case takes the internet by storm; whilst A.D.A.'s Nolan Price and Samantha Maroun must weigh their decisions regarding the case against the wishes of the missing woman's family.

And the trailer, featuring a few glimpses of Tompkins... 

 

Previously on EV Grieve:

'Law & Order' creates a new tent city for Tompkins Square Park

Tompkins Square Library to screen doc on East Village artist Jeffrey Cyphers Wright on Saturday

On Saturday afternoon, the Tompkins Square Library branch is hosting an in-person screening of "Cuckoo O'Clock," a 30-minute documentary about EV artist Jeffrey Cyphers Wright "and the creative community he is part of." 

Per the NYPL description:

From Allen Ginsberg to John Sex. From Cover Mag to Live Mag! From the gardens to the poetry bars. From La Mama to Howl! Romance, lyricism, grafitti, tall tales… please join us for this intimate, informative, and amusing portrait of a quintessential East Village resident. 

Filmmaker Luigi Cazzaniga rejoins Wright (Cazzaniga was Cover Mag's art director and fashion editor and photographer) to create a humorous and historic portrayal. Fast paced and cram-packed with EV lore, this is haute entertainment dressed up in rowdy downtown style.

A panel discussion will follow the film, which starts at 3 p.m. at the branch, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The screening is free, though the NYPL suggests that you register online ahead of time here.

In an email about the documentary, the library says this is "the first in a series of films highlighting East Village artists and writers." 

 

Image via the NYPL

'It's time' — A question about the Christmas wreath in Tompkins Square Park

Despite today's snowfall 😒 ... not everyone is understandably feeling the Christmas spirit this March.

Here then, a question via the EVG inbox: 

Any idea how we can get the dried-out holiday wreath in Tompkins Square Park taken down? It's time.

Why the Fillmore East commemorative plaque is missing on 2nd Avenue

Photo by Derek Berg

Several observant EVG readers noted that the commemorative plaque outside the onetime home of the Fillmore East at 105 Second Ave. near Sixth Street is MIA.

A tipster thought it looked as if the plaque had been ripped off the wall here of current tenant Apple Bank.

However, Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, confirmed that the plaque had been damaged and is out for repairs.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (now Village Preservation) along with Two Boots placed the memorial here in the fall of 2014 to honor the venue that helped launch some of the biggest names in music from 1968 to 1971.

So while the plaque is at the shop, it's a good time to revisit some Fillmore East history ... in case you don't recall seeing the Grateful Dead, Love and the Allman Brothers on a bill here for $3. (When did shows get so expensive? I remember when they were $1!)

The sibling to Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco brought performers such as Led Zeppelin, the Doors, B.B. King, Roberta Flack, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Taj Mahal, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez and the Who to the East Village starting in March 1968.

No. 105 opened in 1926 as a Yiddish theater, soon becoming the Loew's Commodore movie house, followed by the Village Theater. In the 1980s, it was the nightclub The Saint, becoming Emigrant Bank in 1995 and then Apple Bank in 2013.

You can read about the history of the building and the 2,700-seat venue right here. And find a listing of every band who played the Fillmore East here.

Archival photos courtesy of Amalie R. Rothschild.

#Baonanas bringing their version of banana pudding to 7th Street

Photo by Steven

An outpost of #Baonanas — a company selling its take on banana pudding and other desserts — is opening at 93 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue. 

The shop had a sneak preview this past weekend... and is expected to be open at the end of the week. 

Real-life couple Trisha Villanueva and Lloyd Ortuoste started the business in Jersey City in 2014. Some background per the #Baonanas website:

[I]n April 2014, a close friend recommended that we sell our banana pudding to help fund a repair for Lloyd's car, Ella, a sonic yellow 2004 Subaru WRX Impreza STI, who was in a fender bender. So we started the hashtag #Baonanas on Instagram. We were amazed by the community's reaction to our silly little hashtag.

Here's more on their desserts via a 2020 feature on ABC 7: "Using Leche flan, the Filipino version of creme caramel, instead of regular boxed jello, Lloyd and ... Trisha ... have been able to develop innovative flavors and a fluffy mousse texture."

Find their menu of 30-plus flavors here. 

Aside from the Jersey City outpost, you can find #Baonanas at Smorgasburg in Prospect Park and Williamsburg in the fall. 

This spot has been vacant since the original location of Luke's Lobster closed here in 2019 ... after they had outgrown the space. As founders Luke Holden and Ben Conniff wrote back then: "It's time for 93 E. 7th Street to help launch someone else's dream, and we can't wait to visit and support it."

World party on 14th Street: Hello, Bong World!

There's a new business signage reveal at 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... please welcome — Bong World! (Thanks for the photo, Pinch!)

As we understand it, the new business will be specializing in low-pitched, resonant sounds of the kind made by a large bell. Bong! Or maybe water pipes to enjoy dry cannabis flowers.

The landlord here split the retail space in half. The other side remains on the rental market. (What will pair well with a bong shop?)

The previous tenant, Williamsburg Pizza, decided not to reopen this spot during the pandemic. The pizzeria's other locations remain in service. 

When Panda Express is too casual for date night

A P.F. Chang's is in the works for the SE corner of 13th Street at University Place (officially 113 University Place). 

This will reportedly be the chain's first sitdown restaurant in NYC. And it will be a big one: 4,777 square feet of space across three floors. 

The company opened several P.F. Chang's To Go outposts during the pandemic. 

Italian restaurant brand Vapiano was previously in this University Place space. 

Oh, and the Panda Express reference is in regards to the one coming to 14th Street and First Avenue.

Thanks to Bayou for the photo AND the headline... and H/T to Gregg for a previous email about this pending arrival.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

The recently formed action network Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights marked International Women's Day today with rallies and marches in New York City and around the country "to oppose the growing assault on abortion rights." 

The Manhattan march-rally started in Union Square and headed down Second Avenue. Speakers included Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church, and actress-activist Kathy Najimy.

On 9th Street, wind sends sidewalk-bridge plywood onto 2 cars below

Two cars parked on Ninth Street at First Avenue were damaged when a piece of plywood from the adjacent sidewalk bridge came crashing down during last night's thunderstorm.

EVG reader Danny shared these photos. As the top pic shows, some more debris landed just across the street. Luckily there weren't any reports of injuries, but the cars took a hit... one worse than the other...

As Danny noted, the sidewalk bridge here outside PS 122 has seemingly been up forever...