At the rally in Foley Square to support abortion rights

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A crowd estimated in the thousands turned up at Foley Square downtown late this afternoon in protest of the leaked SCOTUS draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade. 

Protestors gathered and politicians scrambled to speak out following the bombshell report last night at Politico indicating that conservative justices are poised to vote to overturn a landmark ruling that guarantees access to legal abortions. (The Supreme Court confirmed that the leaked abortion draft is authentic.)

New York City: It's time to fight back.

Join me, advocacy groups, and other elected officials at 5PM in Foley Square to say #BansOffOurBodies and support abortion rights. #RoeVWade

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) May 3, 2022

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was at Foley Square and shared these photos...

"We, here in New York, must set up a fund to ensure that any woman, anywhere in the country, can look to New York as a safe haven that will allow them to make the reproductive health care decisions that are best for them," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. "This won't make things right, but it will give women nationwide one way to rest easy." 

Other speakers included Amy Schumer...

Some attendees later headed north to Houston Street en route to Washington Square Park...

Rite Aid on Avenue D empties out ahead of rumored closure

Photos by Stacie Joy

A tipster told us that the Rite Aid on Avenue D between Sixth Street and Seventh Street is closing.

During a visit late last week, two employees told us the following: "We don't know if we're really closing or not — they keep telling us different things." 

The store doesn't exactly scream "open for business." Many shelves are empty. One employee said shoplifting is a problem — not just here but everywhere. 

One thing still in stock... DVDs...

Last month, Rite Aid said it plans to close a total of 145 “unprofitable” stores as part of its optimization efforts ... and is reportedly "looking to save in administrative and labor costs and make improvements across payroll and the supply chain, with total savings expected to reach $170 million in 2023."

Rite Aid opened here in the retail space of Niko East Village, the new 12-story retail-residential complex, in late 2018 ... after a move from its previous home one block to the north.

The Duane Reade closed on Avenue D at Second Street in November 2019 ... eventually replaced by a USA Super Stores outpost.  

A campaign to support landmark designation of the Eye and Ear Infirmary on 2nd Avenue

Preservationists are rallying to support the Eye and Ear Infirmary on Second Avenue at 13th Street. 

Here's more via Village Preservation: 

The historic Eye and Ear Infirmary ... is in danger of being lost forever. This striking building, which was built in stages between 1856 and 1903, with most of it dating to the 1890s, housed what is the oldest specialized hospital in the Western Hemisphere, founded in 1820 by two doctors known as the "fathers of American ophthalmology." 

This institution became an icon of comprehensive and accessible care for the public, attracting Helen Keller to speak at the ribbon-cutting for the final stage of the building in 1903. 

Unfortunately, the building’s fate is now clouded. It is being emptied of doctors and services as a move several blocks to the north is being contemplated. No matter what happens, this striking piece of our city’s history deserves to be spared from the wrecking ball. 

This link has info on how to support the landmark designation of the infirmary. 

Last summer, Mount Sinai Beth Israel officials announced that they were no longer pursuing the "$1 billion downtown transformation" that would have seen the creation of a new 7-story hospital on 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. This building appeared to exist among the new facilities.

May 1 on Avenue B

There seemed to be a lot going on along Avenue B on Sunday... religious processions... May Day celebrations... Maypole dances... EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from along the Open Street...

An evening of chamber music at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer

Readers have told us they've enjoyed the free concerts at the Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

So here's another one to mention: This Wednesday at 7, the church is hosting an evening of chamber music featuring a Juilliard faculty husband-and-wife duo performing lute songs from the Renaissance. The show starts at 7 p.m. Find the event link here.

[Updated] Drunken driver arrested after crash on Houston and 1st Avenue; pedestrian dies

Photos via @Bentsen23 

Raife Milligan, the pedestrian struck by the drunken driver, has died from his injuries. He was 21. Milligan, a native of Jasper, Ind., was a junior studying BioChemistry at NYU. There's a GoFundMe to help his family pay for expenses.

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Police are investigating a collision involving two cars and a pedestrian on Houston Street at First Avenue that reportedly sent three people to the hospital this morning just before 3.

NBC 4 reports this:

A man in his 20s was seriously hurt when a driver hit him as he crossed a Lower East Side street early Monday, authorities said. The man was crossing East Houston at First Avenue around 2:45 a.m. when cops say a driver, possibly behind the wheel of a Camaro, swerved in an effort to avoid him. The driver hit the pedestrian anyway, then careened into a Honda.

Police have the intersection blocked off this morning... the mangled Camaro remains at the scene in the westbound lanes...

An EVG reader emailed us the following: "The sound of the car speeding down Houston — rapidly upshifting through the gears — was so loud it woke me up." The reader then went to the intersection. "There were witnesses who were extremely upset — it was awful." 

NBC 4 reports that two people in the vehicles were taken to a hospital "for complaints of pain, but they weren't believed to have suffered serious injuries." 

There wasn't an update on the condition of the pedestrian, who EMTs transported to Bellevue.

Updated 11:30 a.m. 

The Post reports that the driver of the Camaro was suspected of being drunk.

The paper lists the victim in critical condition.

Updated 6:30 p.m.

The Daily News reports that the driver, Michael de Guzman, 49, of Astoria, was taken into custody by police and charged with drunken driving.

Although the license plate is mangled in these photos, there was a visible shot in another media outlet. As a reader noted, the driver has received four camera-issued speeding tickets since December.

The crash involving a reckless driver occurred hours before Mayor Adams unveiled a new safety campaign titled "Speeding Ruins Lives, Slow Down."

Headline updated

Italian favorite Via Della Pace opens in new East Village home on 4th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A new era begins for Giovanni Bartocci (above and below, left) and Marco Ventura at Via Della Pace. (The two also recently opened the small grocery Via Della Scrofa at 60 E. Fourth St.)

Last night, the restaurant had a soft opening in its new home at 87 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery... after months of delays while waiting for approvals on various permits and licenses. 

As Bartocci told us at the start of the year: "We are close — very, very close to opening. Close to opening sounds funny, but we have been almost ready since the end of July, but nothing is playing on our side. We are stubborn, and we don’t give up!" 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by Via Della Pace for the opening last night...

Via Della Pace, which first opened in 2002, lost its home during the devastating fire on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street in December 2020. VDP had been closed since a previous fire on Feb. 10, 2020. 

At the time, the owners were unsure if they would ever reopen on Seventh Street. The Dec. 5 disaster took care of that, as workers had to demolish the five-floor building. 

You can follow Via Della Pace on Instagram for updates.

No. 87 had been vacant since Cucina di Pesce closed in September 2018. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The first look at the all-new Via Della Pace on 4th Street

PlantShed debuts on 2nd Avenue

The PlantShed outpost has opened at 193 Second Ave. on the NW corner of 12th Street. (Thanks to Steven for the top two photos.) 

As previously reported, this location of the family-owned business that dates to the 1950s will sell plants and flowers and offer café service (tea, coffee and pastries). There are a few sidewalk tables available.

EVG regular Lola Sáenz shared these photos from Friday...

The first PlantShed retail space opened on the Upper West Side in 1981... the café service arrived later.

There are now four PlantShed storefronts — two on the UWS, one on Prince Street at the Bowery and one that debuted in 2020 in Englewood, N.J. 

No. 193, a high-profile storefront, has been vacant since Pastel Spa & Nails closed in March 2018.

2 tenants for the renovated storefronts at 21-23 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy

Friday saw the grand opening of a new business at 21-23 Avenue B — Gas on Deck (a Q Da Fool reference?).

Yoon Lee (below) is behind the recreational marijuana dispensary and accessories shop ...

Along with a partner, he has plans for an omakase restaurant for the space next door. This month he's on the CB3-SLA docket for a beer-wine license for the establishment, doing business as Domakase.

As previously reported, workers added two new floors and combined the two four-story structures here between Second Street and Third Street. 

H/T Salim!

P.F. Chang's makes it signage official on University Place

EVG reader Mark Cox shares this photo from the SE corner of 13th Street at University Place (113 University Place) ... where signage recently arrived for the new tenant — P.F. Chang's.

As previously noted, this will reportedly be the chain's first sit-down restaurant in NYC ... and a big one at 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.