Seeing sun spots today

A dispatch today from Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers:

For about an hour this afternoon, while the bright sun was still in the sky, and before the cloud banks covered it over, there was an unobstructed view of the active sunspot regions that have appeared this month.

... and a safe view of the sun...  

And please note ... "Word of caution for serious fans: do not look directly at the sun, and do not set up a telescope unless it is fitted with a 99% solar filter."

Your season 2 'Russian Doll' reader

Photo from March 2021 on 3rd Street by Stacie Joy 

As you may have heard, season 2 of "Russian Doll" premiered on Netflix last Wednesday. (Maybe you've already binged!)

This time around, like Marty McFly (and Huey Lewis & the News), Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) heads back to the 80s — and further! 

As we noted last spring with the filming (here and here), the East Village serves as a backdrop for part of the season. Until Budapest. (Spoiler!) 

Anyway! Here are some articles to read if you're interested in more about all this... 

• Horseshoe Bar Is the Center of NYC's "Russian Doll" Multiverse (Thrillist)

• NYC Filming Locations for "Russian Doll" on Netflix (Untapped New York)

• In "Russian Doll," Natasha Lyonne Barrels Into the Past (The New Yorker)

About the 'explosion' in Tompkins Square Park this morning

Just before 9 this morning, there was what sounded like an explosion coming from Tompkins Square Park.

The Citizen app described it as a "loud power loss," sorta like the Nets getting swept by the Celtics. 

EVG correspondent Steven was in the Park ... and reported that it was some kind of compressor backfire from a Park vehicle parked by the field office along the Ninth Street walkway...

All this prompted visits by the FDNY and NYPD...

Anyway, if you were in the vicinity and wondered what that was all about...

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns to Tompkins Square Park for the 1st time since 2019

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival is returning this summer to the place where it all began — Tompkins Square Park. 

The City Parks Foundation announced the lineup for SummerStage 2022 yesterday (read the full rundown here; Gothamist has a story here). 

Included in the lineup of free and benefit shows: The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on Aug. 26-28. The first two dates are in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. On Aug. 28, the festival makes its way to Tompkins Square Park from 3-7 p.m. (This show is free.) 

Here's what to expect here via the SummerStage 2022 program: 

Archie Shepp and Jason Moran are two avant-garde jazz musicians from different generations that nonetheless share a penchant for pushing the envelope. Shepp is a veteran saxophonist who has been called both a musical firebrand and a cultural radical, standing out even amongst myriad talents in the free jazz generation. Moran is pianist 37 years Shepp’s junior, with an equal respect for tradition and trailblazing. Their 2021 collaboration Let My People Go is a warm and intimate collection of duets recorded live in 2017-2018, a pristine portrait of two masters at work. 

The bill also includes the Grammy-nominated Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, who plays with a ferocious energy and deft musicality; Bria Skonberg, a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader once described by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation; and Pasquale Grasso, a master be-bop guitarist known for elevating the instrument through his pianistic approach, showing the influence of Bud Powell and Art Tatum in a revolutionary hard-swinging way. 

An abbreviated version of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival took place last year in Harlem; the 2020 slate was cancelled with the pandemic. 

The festival started in Tompkins Square Park in 1993 ... taking place near or on Parker's birthday on Aug. 29. Additional dates were added in Harlem in 2000. 

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-1954. That residential building between Ninth Street and 10th Street is landmarked. 

Photo from 2019 by Steven

Strings Ramen shutters on 2nd Avenue

Photos by Steven 

Strings Ramen has closed at 188 Second Ave. on the SE corner of 12th Street.

Last night was the grand finale for the Chicago-based ramen chainlet.

The sign for patrons states, in part: "Due to COVID, we have experienced extremely tough time for running the business... We are truly sorry and sad to see this happen." 

Strings, a regular on the best-of ramen lists in its home turf of Chicago, never had much of a chance here... opening in early February 2020, with about six weeks of business before the pandemic-era PAUSE of March 2020. (And it also doesn't help that the neighborhood has a lot of ramen options.)

As previously noted, the restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well in recent years (at least since old-timer Shima got rent-hiked out of here in January 2014). Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past five years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Thai Direct has closed on Avenue A

We're closing the book on Thai Direct at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Management for Thai Direct announced on Instagram that the last day was March 27. (They also announced a closure in February due to a COVID-related rent dispute with the landlord only to reopen for what turned out to be another seven weeks.)

We still thought they might find a way to return. Now, though, someone has cleared out the space...

The quick-serve establishment, which billed itself as offering a healthy take on Thai street food, opened here in September 2018. It was a nice spot. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos

Updated 5/1: 

The for-rent sign is now on the storefront...

Pouring Ribbons replacement 11 Tigers announces itself on Avenue B

Coming soon signage recently arrived at 225 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street for 11 Tigers. (H/T Jake Bowling!)

As previously reported, the bar-restaurant serving an omakase menu is in the works for the second-floor space. (The questionnaire for the CB3-SLA meeting mentioned the occasional jazz musician or two for entertainment.) There's an Instagram account for the establishment, which describes itself as a "Speakeasy bar & Restaurant."

The cocktail lounge Pouring Ribbons closed here last month after 10 years in service. 

At the hardcore matinee in Tompkins Square Park

Tompkins Square Park played host to a hardcore matinee Saturday afternoon with a 6-band bill: Wisdom in Chains, Burn, the Capturers, Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law and Madball...

As the photos show, there was a large crowd gathered (not quite as many people as the 2021 edition, and without the controversy)...

And it was an active day on and off the stage... EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on the stage and shared the view from this vantage...

... and Blair, the lead singer of Girl Dick, was also in the audience ... before taking the stage for a bow and jump...

An East Village entrepreneur's campaign to help support the shea women of West Africa

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Local resident-entrepreneur Kadidja Kabore-Lamport, who founded a business selling natural skincare products in 2015, has launched a "Supporting Shea Women" campaign to help women in her native West African community. 

"For a long time, I've used my shea products to help women in West Africa by buying shea directly from women's groups there at premium prices," she said in a release announcing the initiative. "Now, I want to work directly with women in my village to expand the small success of my business." 

With her new campaign, Kabore-Lamport, who sells her products at various pop-up events, including 3rd & B'zaar, hopes to raise $25,000 on Indiegogo. She said that she will use the money to work directly with women in her village over the next two years, helping them improve the quality of their shea butter and finding additional buyers for the shea in the United States.

"Women in my village sell shea in the market to help support their families," she said. "They can earn more money if they can reach markets in the U.S. I will introduce new products made with shea from my village, and buyers of these products will know that their purchase is directly benefiting these women and their families."

In January, Kadidja visited her family in Gando Namoni, located in the north of Togo. After meeting the women making shea, they discussed the idea and realized there was an opportunity if they could get organized and improve the quality of their shea butter. 

To learn more about the campaign, you can visit this link.

Luzzo's bringing the Neapolitan pizza to this corner of Avenue B

A well-known name in pizza is taking over the space on the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy ran into Michele Iuliano, the restauranteur and pizzaiolo behind the Luzzo's brand, who told us that he's opening a pizzeria in this spot at 15 Avenue B...

The Luzzo's Group includes the flagship restaurant at 211 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street and Gnoccheria at 234 E. Fourth St.

We'll have more about what to expect here closer to the spring grand opening.

This development comes after signs for "Pizza Girls" — based apparently on an Italian reality TV series — arrived on the storefront here in January. Those plans never materialized.

The address was previously home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out in March 2021.

Old-timer Rakka Cafe doesn't appear to be coming back on St. Mark's Place

Photos by Steven

Rakka Cafe went dark last summer at 81 St. Mark's Place at First Avenue... without any "temporarily closed" signage for patrons.

Some faithful were hopeful that the quick-serve Middle Eastern restaurant would reopen one of these days. (Its website remains active.)

As you can see, though, someone has petty much cleared out the interior...

... and the other day, legal papers arrived on the door showing that the restaurant owners owe $188,000 (and change) in back rent...

They had a great run, in any event. The now-obscured current sign says established in 1978. (The previous awning stated 1982!) The space underwent a renovation and name switcheroo from Cafe Rakka to Rakka Cafe in 2013. 

Good Heavens! A rebrand for 169 Avenue A

The lounge/small music venue at 169 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street recently went under another name change.

The former Coney Island Baby-Lola-East Berlin is now going as Heaven Can Wait. (Be Your Own Pet played a surprise set here last Wednesday — the Nashville band's first show in 14 years.)

You can check out the venue's calendar of events here.

The address was previously HiFi (2002-2017) and the indie live music venue Brownies (1989-2002). 

Workers removing the former Root & Bone curbside dining structure

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Workers today started taking down the curbside dining structure at the now-closed Root & Bone on Third Street at Avenue B.

This removal might make some folks happy: Several readers/residents noted (in the comments and in emails) that this space was a "rat bonanza" or "rat haven."

We're told that some of the wood here is up for grabs...

Root & Bone closed on April 17 after eight years in service.

Thanks to the reader for the initial tip!

Police release surveillance video of suspect in connection to stabbing on Avenue A last Monday

The NYPD has released surveillance video of a suspect wanted in connection to a stabbing on Avenue A near 10th Street late last Monday afternoon. (First reported here.)

As ABC 7 reported this morning, the suspect got into an argument with a 35-year-old man. 

From ABC 7: "The victim was hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital in critical but stable condition. He had stab wounds to his left shoulder, right shoulder, chest, left arm, right forearm, left leg, left calf, and right leg."

 

🚨WANTED🚨for a Stabbing/Assault inside of (Tompkins Square Park (East 7 St & Ave A) #Manhattan @NYPD9pct on 4/18/22@ 5:50P.M The individual used an object to stab the victim multiple times.💰Reward up to $3500 Know who he is?📱Call 1-800-577-TIPS Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/reJdjUQC1A

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 25, 2022

We originally heard that the NYPD had a suspect in custody last week. They actually had a suspect identified. And the incident took place near 10th Street, not Seventh Street, per the above tweet.

Proletariat and Cadence on the move to larger East Village spaces

Proletariat closed last night after service at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The craft beer bar is moving to a larger home at 21 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square — the former Porsena space. (Porsena closed in August 2020 after 10 years in business.) 

Ravi DeRossi, the owner of the plant-based Overthrow Hospitality, recently told us that "the new, bigger snd better version of Proletariat" will feature a full dinner menu, with vegan versions of burgers, bratwurst and fried chicken sandwiches as well as "a much larger list of rare, new and unusual beers curated by Ramon Hung of the original location." 

DeRossi said the new space is ready to go — they're just waiting on the liquor license. 

Meanwhile, Overthrow's Cadence is also on the move...

The vegan soul-food restaurant overseen by Chef Shenarri Freeman at 122 Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue also closed after service last night. 

DeRossi told us via email that Cadence is moving across Seventh Street to the space adjacent to Ladybird (The storefront had been serving as a second outpost for Ladybird and was previously several other concepts for Overthrow.) 

The larger Cadence is expected to debut on May 4, he said. 

And what will become of the now-former Cadence space? DeRossi also planned to annex the adjacent storefront. 

"The Cadence space will be turned into a raw vegan restaurant and the space next door, where we were originally going to expand Cadence, will become a vegan wine and dessert bar," DeRossi said. 

Cadence opened in the spring of 2021 and drew praise from Pete Wells at the Times, who gave the place high marks, noting: "In the increasingly crowded world of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, Cadence occupies a niche of its own."

City shrinks the size of the passive lawn in East River Park

EVG photos from Friday

This past week, workers fenced off nearly half of the passive lawn in the area near Corlears Hook (at the site of the former composting yard).

This came without any notice via the city's weekly Construction Bulletin. This week's edition states that this is for "Ongoing site preparation, including clearing and grubbing."

Late last week, workers cut down at least six trees on the perimeter, prompting queries from East River Park Action: 

Why is there a lawn here as a replacement for the park but it will be denuded of trees? People and animals will just spend the summer baking on the grass? These are not trivial questions. Trees are being killed for… what? This site is not even supposed to be elevated according to the DDC's ESCR...

Officials have said this field can serve as a dedicated space for nearby residents to use for recreation for the years the rest of the adjacent East River Park is gutted. 

The lawn, which opened in late January and appears to have some drainage issues, is accessible through a narrow passage marked by chainlink fences that leads from the Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge to the ferry. 

There isn't any signage pointing potential passive-lawn users to this space. (You need to go down to the ferry stop to find the entrance.) This may explain why few people have been spotted on the grass, excluding several dog owners walking their pets. 

The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park throughout construction, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.