Good days for Ray's!

On Wednesday, we noted that Ray's Candy Store was hosting a GoFundMe for owner Ray Alvarez ... and his shop at 113 Avenue A "to help ensure he can keep his bills paid and his doors open for as long as he wants!" 

And there was a big outpouring for Ray, who turns 90 in January... the fund just past $40,000 this morning...

WOW!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT!!! JUST UNBELIEVABLE. SO HUMBLED. ON CLOUD NINE! PLEASE COME VISIT AND SAY HI ANYTIME. AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD.

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO @EVGRIEVE AND @NEWYORKNICO! 🙏https://t.co/94vhtfXXtA#fundrayscandystore pic.twitter.com/GzsMpljgkp

— Ray's Candy Store (@RaysCandyStore) November 11, 2022

Top photo by Stacie Joy

Taking in this newly freed sidewalk along 3rd Avenue

Have you been enjoying the unobstructed sidewalk on the west side of Third Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street?

Back on Tuesday, workers started taking down the sidewalk bridge from the building — the St. Mark at 115 E. Ninth St. It had been up for seven years. (And there was actually work going on during this time.) 

A lot of businesses came and went in these storefronts during that time, including Duane Reade and East Village Cheese. And we welcomed new businesses such as USA Super Stores (just one!) on the NW corner at 10th Street...

... with an endless supply of McKenzie & Lloyds Danish Style Butter Cookie tins...

... and a bonus nighttime shot... with that iconic ghost Organic Avenue signage...

A 'Decision' to go see this movie

Park Chan-wook's well-regarded South Korean crime drama "Decision To Leave" continues its theatrical release (it opened on Oct. 14 at the Angelika, where it remains). 

The film arrived yesterday for a run at Metrograph down on Ludlow. (All the screenings look to be sold out.) It's also playing at Essex Crossing on Delancey and the Alamo Drafthouse in the Financial District. 

Chan-wook, whose work includes "Oldboy" and "The Handmaiden," was the winner of best director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival 

Highly recommended, if this looks like your thing...

 

'Teen' beat

 

The Haunted Youth are a Belgian-based band putting out some damn good dream pop, at least based on their debut release Dawn of the Freak. 

The video is for "Teen Rebel"

The (fake) saw-whet owl of 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven 

If you're passing the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street near Saifee Hardware, you may notice something perched above the walk sign. It's a saw-whet owl...

... and it's not real. (It fooled at least one reader who shared photos asking what kind of bird it is.)

As you know, artificial saw-whet owls are perfect for commercial displays, fall decor ... and provide a symbolic meaning of being protective and insightful.

Reader report: No motor vehicles in the bike lane

EVG reader Garrett Rosso shared this photo yesterday from First Avenue near 13th Street, where someone mounted a "No Motor Vehicles" sign facing this northbound bike lane.

Per Garrett: "Citizenry resort to posting their own signs since electeds leave transportation alternatives largely lawless & unregulated." 

We spotted another sign on First Avenue just past First Street. There are likely more. (Let us know if you spot any elsewhere.) 

There is confusion between legal e-bikes (electrified devices with pedals) and mopeds, many of which are illegal and need to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and issued license plates. 

The NYPD also doesn't seem to know the difference, seemingly demonizing, as Streetsblog put it, all electric, two-wheeled devices (save for Citi Bikes). The NYPD later started cracking down on illegal sales before the actual sale.

Streetsblog put out a handy field guide last year (which you can find here). 

As they put it:

"Certainly, New Yorkers are confused about all the new motorized devices that are filling our roadways (and, infuriatingly, our bike lanes), which have become a Wild West of chaotic interactions."

And...

All the two-wheeled motorized devices on the market today are potentially far safer to vulnerable road users than the four-wheeled, 3,000- to 5,000-pound conveyances they seek to supplant. But it doesn't feel that way right now because users of illegal mopeds are often speeding through bike lanes, surprising pedestrians with their speed. Of course moped riders are choosing the bike lane — it’s the only place where they feel safe from the true behemoth on the roads: cars and trucks.

E-scooters — defined by the city as having handlebars and a floorboard or seat, and powered by electric and/or a person — are allowed in NYC. 

Per the Department of Transporation:

• You must not operate an e-scooter in excess of 15 MPH. 

• E-scooters may be ridden in bike lanes and on streets with speed limits no greater than 30 MPH. 

• Do not ride e-scooters on sidewalks.

Back to the signage... yes — the mopeds and various motorcycles need to get out of the bike lanes.

Noted

twitter currently feeling like the delancey street mcdonalds

— Desus Nice (@desusnice) November 10, 2022

If you haven't been following Elon Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter, this Associated Press article provides some background. 

H/T taylorlorenz3.0

Thursday's parting shot

A new sidewalk bridge for 93 First Ave. near Sixth Street... which doesn't diminish the twinkling lights of Panna II. (The Milon sign remains, though they closed at the end of 2020, as we first reported. Panna II is serving in both spaces.)

I believe the children are our future — oh, forget it ...

Photo by Derek Berg 

Inspirational signage — "The Future of the World Is in This School" — was spotted by the dumpster this morning on Second Avenue ...

Headline H/T

A march to 'give us back our community center'

This coming Monday (Nov. 14), a group of activists is planning a march on the Midtown offices of Madison Realty Capital to demand the return of the former P.S. 64 to the community.

The long-empty building at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C fell into foreclosure earlier this year and is reportedly in the hands of lender Madison Realty Capital.

The five-floor building is being offered for use as medical space or educational-related purposes. Meanwhile, some residents want to see the space used as a community center, as it was during its time as CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center.

Here's more about Monday's noon-time action via the Facebook invite:

Hey Billionaires! Give Us Back Our Community Center! 

Recently the former P.S. 64 ... fell into foreclosure. It is now in the hands of the Madison Realty group, "a vertically integrated real estate private-equity firm that manages approximately $9.5 billion in total assets on behalf of an institutional global investor base."

These are the folks that currently hold sway regarding the future of our beloved community center. 

We need to let them know that: We Demand that the former P.S. 64 be returned to our Lower East Side community for use by our community. Protest at Madison Realty Capital offices: 520 Madison Ave. (between 53rd and 54th Streets).

Gregg Singer bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998 for $3.15 million. He later evicted CHARAS in 2001, and the building has sat empty ever since.

There's now an updated action on Monday afternoon directed toward then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Per the invite:

At 1:30 p.m., we’ll send "A Message to You, Rudy." We'll march to protest Rudy Giuliani's underhanded sale of the property by picketing the RUDY SHOW at WABC Radio, 800 Third Ave. (between 49th and 50th Streets).

You can find the Facebook invite here.

As previously reported, ownership of the property had been in transition. In January, Supreme Court Justice Melissa Crane ruled that Madison Realty Capital could move forward with a foreclosure against Singer after years of delay. 

Madison Realty Capital reportedly provided Singer with a $44 million loan on the property in 2016. Court records show that he failed to repay the balance by its maturity date in April 2016, and by that September, the lender filed to foreclose, as reported by The Real Deal.

Singer wanted to turn the building into a dorm (more here), though those plans never materialized.

The address has multiple open fines and violations with the Department of Buildings, which still has a Stop Work Order (dating to August 2015) and a Full Vacate Order (from February 2019).

Photo by Kenny Toglia 

Down & Out NYC looking closer to opening on 6th Street

Signage is up for Down & Out NYC outside 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B ...

If the name sounds familiar to you... the place has been in the works for several years. We first mentioned it in October 2019 when the ownership team, including Joshua Richholt who was behind the now-closed Bushwick venues The Well and The Wick, appeared before CB3.

The bar's Instagram account describes the place as a "cocktail and oyster bar" with a menu featuring other fresh seafood. No word yet on an opening date.

The address was previously Cholo Noir, the Chicano-inspired bar-restaurant that closed in August 2018 after 13 months. No. 503 was also home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant that closed in the spring of 2015. Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Bagels for Broadway

The Grabstein's Bagels outpost opened yesterday at 651 Broadway between Bleecker Bond. 

This is the third outpost (joining the UES and Prospect Heights) for the brand, whose owners, we're told, are also behind Pick A Bagel on the UES and in Midtown West.

Noted

EVG reader Sonya shared this photo from Avenue B and 14th Street... where there's a chair with the message: "I blame MTV." 

As of our press time, it was not immediately clear for what. (If this was, say, 1986, we could go with explicit imagery of Satanism and the minds of our youth!)

A GoFundMe campaign launched ahead of Ray's 90th birthday at Ray's Candy Store

Photos by Stacie Joy 

In January, Ray Alvarez, who's still working the late-night shift at Ray's Candy Store, turns 90. 

Ahead of that, the shop, which opened in 1974 here at 113 Avenue A just north of Seventh Street, is now hosting a GoFundMe "to help ensure he can keep his bills paid and his doors open for as long as he wants!" 

Per the campaign: 

With your support, we want to help Ray stay in business for as long as he wants until he decides to hang up his apron on his terms. Any additional funds raised will go directly to Ray to help keep his doors open and his bills paid! Running a small business in New York City, and all across America, for that matter, has become a herculean task. 

The pandemic and its economic pain brought many restaurants and other small businesses to their knees. Ray's food costs have soared. His energy bills have doubled. And Ray refuses to double his prices to make up for it because he would never do that to his loyal customers. That's just who he is. Many businesses were unable to survive. We refuse to let that happen to Ray's! 

Ray's Candy Store is the heart of the East Village. If Ray goes, a part of the neighborhood, and a part of New York City, goes with it. Together, with your help, we can ensure that Ray's awning stays lit up, the soft serve machines stay humming, and the deep-fried Oreos keep coming! (And, of course, that you can count on hearing Ray shout I LOVE YOUUUUU!!! from his window as you pass by!) 

You can find the link here.

UPDATED: Pinky's Space is closed for now 2 weeks after the city removes its curbside structure on 1st Street

Photo from Oct. 27 by Lori E. Seid 

Updated: Owners Wesely and Mimi reached out to tell us that they have NOT closed for good, despite the published report. They said they are "currently in a rebuilding phase and will not be closing permanently."

-----

Pinky's Space, the cafe-art gallery at 70 E. First St. has closed two weeks after the city removed its curbside dining structure. And now, the owners are planning to sue the city for property damage and loss of business, Jennifer Gould at the Post reports. 

On Oct. 27, the city leveled the 50-foot-long outdoor structure, which had morphed into an assemblage of paintings, furniture and plants — topped off by a chandelier and disco ball here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Co-owner Mimi Blitz estimated she spent $50,000 on the structure.

 Per the Post: 

"We are still devastated — we haven’t been able to fully reopen and we have to restructure our business model because 90% of our business was from roadway dining," said Blitz... 

"We had a living, breathing business here," Blitz added. "We made sure it looked good and was up to code." 

A DOT spokesperson told the Post that Pinky's Space had received three non-compliance warnings since August. 

"We had no indication they were taking the structure down, taking my whole livelihood down," Blitz said. "Some of the DOT workers were laughing at us. They took the lights, every piece of wood, and the astroturf." 

Pinky's Space first opened in 2018 as a quick-serve cafe offering a variety of sandwiches served on biscuits.

Eros remains closed on 2nd Avenue

Eros has been dark since early August on the NE corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street.

A "temporarily closed" sign has been on the front door. The Greek restaurant's website notes that this location is "closed for renovations. Reopening TBA."

We have not spotted anyone inside the space during this time either.

Through the months, various notices have been spotted inside the front door, like this letter from the DOT dated Sept. 6 requesting that ownership correct some deficiencies in the curbside dining structure on Fifth Street ...

And in October, someone smashed the front door, which remains this way today...

Eros took over for the diner the Kitchen Sink in September 2021 (same owners) ... management previously changed names from Moonstruck to the Kitchen Sink in the fall of 2015. 

Several Kitchen Sink fans have emailed us about the current state of the space, with the feeling that it won't return. There was a general consensus that people preferred the Kitchen Sink's reliable diner staples instead of more upscale Greek dishes.

H/T Steven!

Openings: Wild Mirrors on 2nd Avenue

Wild Mirrors has debuted at 95 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The quick-serve restaurant offers "healthier options of your favorite food" for dining in or delivery. The menu shows a variety of burgers, wings and fries ... as well as Mexican Coca-Cola. (No alcohol.) It's not immediately clear how these are prepared to be healthier. 

Google lists their hours as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The space was home for years to Thailand Cafe, which went dark in the summer of 2020. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

Sidewalk bridge removal on 3rd Avenue and 9th Street reveals some EV archaeological history

The sidewalk-bridge removal at 115 E. Ninth St. (and around Third Avenue up to 10th Street) today revealed some ghost signage... as EVG reader Sarah points out...

If this helps... Organic Avenue!

Organic Avenue was here from 2013-2015 until the juice-bar chainlet imploded. 

Top photo by Steven

Did you catch the Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse early this morning?

EVG reader Jeanne Krier shared this photo from an EV rooftop early this morning. 

What was happening? 

Per Space.com: 

The last total lunar eclipse until 2025 will turn the moon blood-red on Tuesday, Nov. 8, but exactly when you should look up depends on where you are. The eclipse, dubbed the Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse since it occurs during November's Full Beaver Moon, will be visible across North America, the Pacific, Australia and Asia.

During the eclipse, the full moon will pass through Earth's shadow as it moves behind our planet with respect to the sun, giving it a spectacular bloody color in the process. 

Our friend Roger Clark at NY1 got a nice clip...

Pretty cool #BloodMoon over #StatenIsland pic.twitter.com/nP9xUXc3d1

— Roger Clark (@RogerClark41) November 8, 2022

7 years later, the sidewalk bridge is coming down on the NW corner of 3rd Avenue and 9th Street

Workers from the Department of Miracles were out today... starting to remove the longstanding sidewalk bridge from outside the St. Mark at 115 E. Ninth St. ...  which wrapped around the storefronts along Third Avenue up to 10th Street... (thanks to Bruce Tantum for the initial tip!)

A worker told EVG correspondent Steven that the bridge had been up for seven years, which seems about right. (A Google Street View shows the bridge in place in 2016 but not at the next increment back in 2014.)

In May 2016, a 10-by-10-foot section of the facade started to separate from the building on the 15th floor. (At this point, the bridge had been in place for seven months.) The city closed Third Avenue while the repairs were made.