Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg) ... 

• A memorial for Dennis Edge in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Hold it now, hit it: Beastie Boys Square is finally becoming a reality on the Lower East Side (Thursday) 

• Report of a stabbing Friday night in Tompkins Square Park (Saturday) 

• Vintage video shop 8 Bit and Up is closing in the East Village (Wednesday) 

• Flashback to 2011, when the Big Gay Ice Cream shop opened on 7th Street; and today's current legal battle (Monday) 

• Indian hit masters Unapologetic Foods opening Filipino restaurant Naks on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

• About Tunji Dada's 'Phon(e)y Selections' (Friday) 

• Reader report: This tree could use some help on 4th Street (Thursday) 

• Openings: Cafe La Fe on 1st Street (Wednesday) ... Joey Bats on Avenue B (Thursday)

• Reports of smashed car windows on East Village side streets (Monday) 

• Concerns about some basic playground amenities in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

• Total 'Recall' — new exhibit explores unsettled memories (Friday)

• Storefront shuffle on Avenue A (Wednesday) ... Whim Golf has closed on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• ICYMI: Petopia is temporarily closed on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• Raising Cane's is on the clock for opening day (Thursday) 

• Hello to Hello, Yam! on 9th Street (Tuesday) 

• The J Crew on the Bowery is back open (Tuesday)

... and Saifee's on First Avenue at Seventh Street is ready for fall even if we're not feeling it just yet (photo by Stacie Joy)...

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Cafe Mogador is donating profits tomorrow to help the victims of Morocco's deadly earthquake

Photos and story by Stacie Joy 

Tomorrow (Sept. 11), Cafe Mogador on St. Mark's Place (and the Brooklyn location) is donating all of its profits to relief efforts in Morocco after the devastating earthquake there on Friday. 

Danny Orlin (below left) and Jacob Ahiyon, the general manager and operating partner, are also encouraging people to donate to a credible disaster relief service ...

The Orlin family lost relatives in a previous earthquake in 1960 in Agadir, Morocco, where they are from.

Cafe Mogador, which opened here in 1983, is at 101 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. The Williamsburg location is at 133 Wythe Ave. (Not pictured: Co-organizer Rafael Ohayon, Danny's brother, is owner and operator of the Brooklyn outpost.)

How to help:

• Doctors Without Borders • Global Giving • Red Cross • UNICEF

Sunday's opening sunrise shots

Thanks to Jeanne Krier for the top photo this morning... and an EVG pic below...

While we're looking at the sky, there is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, per the weather folks.

Saturday's parting shot

Midtown views from the East Village tonight...

Report of a stabbing last night in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

A 39-year-old man is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed multiple times in the torso last night in Tompkins Square Park, according to published reports. 

The stabbing took place around 11:30 p.m. inside the entrance at Seventh Street and Avenue A. Sources said the victim was sitting on a bench about 30 feet past the chess tables...

Here's more via ABC 7: 

It's unclear whether the two individuals knew each other or if there was a dispute, but police say the 39-year-old was stabbed in the torso. The incident took place as many other people were in the park at the time. The suspect took off, fleeing the busy scene. 

The Post reported that the NYPD is "looking for a man wearing black pants, and a black shirt with white lettering." No other description of the at-large suspect was immediately made available.

The NYPD added solar-powered auxiliary lights on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue A last fall after someone slashed a delivery man in the face during the afternoon hours. 

Saturday's opening shot

Today (9/9) at noon, the corner of Ludlow and Stanton will be officially co-named Beastie Boys Square. (Background here about LeRoy McCarthy's efforts to make this happen.)

Ahead of the ceremony, featuring Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion created a new mural (her first one here dates to 2014).

The mural is based on a photo from the book "Together Forever" by East Village-based photographer Glen. E. Friedman.

And if you want more Beastie Boys in your life today... you can check out a late-night screening of Spike Jonze's 2020 documentary "Beastie Boys Story" at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue.

Modern love

 

Tomorrow (Saturday!) night, Modern English plays at the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls, 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

And ahead of this, we've had several conversations with people about Modern English, known to many simply as the English band that made the iconic 1980s new-wave smasheroo, "I Melt With You." 

The band's first record, Mesh & Lace from 1981, is a moody, post-punk gem. Subsequent releases saw Modern English taking a more commercial-friendly tone... featuring some excellent tracks, like "Someone's Calling" (above) from 1983 and "Ink and Paper" from 1986... a rare two-for-Friday-at-5 combo!

 

Total 'Recall' — new exhibit explores unsettled memories

East Village-based artist Jessica Frances Grégoire Lancaster is one-half of a new show (along with Pajtim Osmanaj) titled "Recall" that opens tomorrow (Saturday!) on the Lower East Side. 

Here's more via the gallery, Trotter & Sholer: 

"Recall" presents an exploration of unsettled memory through paintings based on photographs. Memories are notoriously unreliable, yet they are the very fabric of the narrative self. In this exhibition, both artists are exploring events captured in photographs. 

These photographs are used as source material, spliced and reconfigured to construct moments of time both fragmented and imagined. Using oil paint, these artists play with the idea of remembering and the act of making memories. 

"Recall" will be on view at 168 Suffolk St. between Houston and Stanton through Oct. 21. The opening reception tomorrow is from 4-8 p.m. 

Trotter & Sholer is open Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m.

About Tunji Dada's 'Phon(e)y Selections'

Photos and text by Daniel Efram 

LRC — aka Lydia Rodrigues Collection — is presenting designer Tunji Dada's fashion showcase, "Phon(e)y Selections." 

Dada's work — his first comprehensive collection since 2011 — puts a twist on the classic Americana of denim, repurposing Vietnam War tent fabric into jeans, tees and trench coats. 

The show is on through Sept. 25 at LRCHQEV, located on the third floor (no. 306) of the Ukrainian National Home, 140-142 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

Dada (pictured above) grew up in Nigeria. His mother was a seamstress, and "fashion was ingrained early, and sewing machines became Dada's matchbox cars." He moved to the United States in his 20s. 

Said LRC's Rodrigues (pictured below) in a statement: "Having known him since 2011, his audacious approach consistently surprises with timely concepts challenging the very essence of fashion."

The space is open Sunday and Monday from noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment...

Visit the LRC website for more info about this and upcoming shows. 

LRC is "a retail project at the intersection of art and fashion, showcasing contemporary and independent designers and makers within intimate settings ..."

The annual 10th Street Block Festival is TOMORROW (Saturday!)

The 10th Street Block Festival takes place tomorrow... one of the best and longest-running (50-plus years!) around.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can find antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, and some live music on the lovely tree-lined stretch between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

Hopefully, the rain holds off tomorrow... as we understand the city won't allow for a rain date.

A memorial for Dennis Edge in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Today, friends of Dennis Edge came together in a place that he loved so much — Tompkins Square Park. 

Edge, an East Village resident since 1970, passed away last Friday after a short illness. 

For years, he documented the birds of Tompkins Square Park, even publishing a book on the subject...

Edge, a graphic designer by trade, picked up birding later in his life.

Throughout the afternoon, people stopped by and left tributes to Edge as well as homemade pieces of art...

We'll have more on Dennis and his life in a follow-up post. 

Multiple readers told me how much he will be missed...

Hold it now, hit it: Beastie Boys Square is finally becoming a reality on the Lower East Side

On Saturday afternoon, the corner of Rivington and Ludlow will officially be co-named Beastie Boys Square. 

This ends a nearly 10-year effort for this co-naming designation. City Council signed off on it last summer with the strong support of District 1 City Councilmember Christopher Marte.

LeRoy McCarthy has been behind this effort and kept with it even after Community Board 3 voted 24 to 1 to reject the Beastie Boys Square application in January 2014. CB3 also reportedly barred McCarthy from reapplying for the street naming for five years.

The former clothing store on the SW corner was the backdrop for the band's seminal sophomore release from 1989, "Paul's Boutique." 

The afternoon will feature appearances by Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. (Adam "MCA" Yauch died in 2012.) There's also word of some pop-up shops...

As part of the unveiling, the 2-hour celebration features a special guest DJ set, A-1 Records & #BeastieBoys pop-up shops, live screen printing and more.

— Beastie Boys (@beastieboys) September 6, 2023

Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion created the original BB mural in 2014...

She started a new mural late yesterday... here's a work in progress...

Reader report: This tree could use some help on 4th Street

An EVG reader shared these photos from outside 203 E. Fourth St., a Kushner-owned Westminster Management property between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's more via the reader: "I passed by this poor tree ... There is a deep hole between the torn roots and paved sidewalk." 

The reader asks who to contact to add soil to the tree pit.

"The tree is very much alive and we should not lose another tree in this neighborhood."

Openings: Joey Bats on Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Joey Bats Café recently debuted at 50 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. (The space had previously offered sidewalk service here while renovations were underway inside.) 

Portugal native Joey Batista (aka Bats) is offering his signature pastéis de nata along with Portuguese coffee here during the day (there's an 11 a.m. open) with bar service in the late afternoons/evenings.

The space includes a foosball table... expect it to be a place to watch soccer (football!)... the rolldown gate features a mural of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The two-level space also sports a lounge featuring comedy and live music in the basement.

Batista started selling the Portuguese custard tarts several years before opening his first outpost at 129 Allen St. near Rivington. 

Raising Cane's is on the clock for opening day

You can almost count down the days with one set of (chicken) fingers (OK, that didn't really make sense) until Raising Cane's opens.

Anyway, signage outside the Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers at 10 Astor Place at Lafayette Street notes 7 days until the grand opening. Given Steven took that photo yesterday, we're down to 6 days.

As reported in April 2022, the Louisiana-based company specializing in fried chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries and Texas toast signed a 20-year lease for 4,300 square feet of space on the ground floor.

The quick-serve Raising Cane's has more than 600 restaurants in 32 states... including one that opened in late June in Times Square. 

No. 10 was, until August 2020, a Walgreens.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Cooling off on Ninth Street at First Avenue. 

About this weather, per PIX11: 

The heat wave should become official on Thursday as temperatures rise in the lower 90s. In the afternoon, a frontal boundary will start to move closer to the region and bring the chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could end up being on the severe side with damaging winds and hail. 

The temperatures back off on Friday, with highs expected in the mid-80s. While it will not be as warm, it will still be humid. In the afternoon and evening, another round of showers and thunderstorms will develop as the front will remain near the region.

Openings: Cafe La Fe on 1st Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Cafe La Fe recently debuted at 70 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Owner Yarissa Suarez was born and raised on the Lower East Side (Orchard Street) and lives on Norfolk Street. 

On the menu, the empanadas, with various fillings, are the main draw here... along with an assortment of coffee drinks (via La Colombe) and juices. 

In this family-owned business, Yarissa will receive part-time assistance from her son Yaslir, who would like to be billed as "entertainer, cleaner and sous chef."

Cafe La Fe is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a 9 a.m. start on Saturday and Sunday.

The storefront was previously home to Pinky's Space.

Vintage video shop 8 Bit and Up is closing in the East Village

Photo by Stacie Joy 

If you've been by 86 E. Third St. recently, you've likely seen the store-for-rent sign outside here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Shop ownership has confirmed that the retail business is closing later this month after 15 years. 

Per a message on its website: 

I am sad to inform you that 8 Bit And Up Video Games will be closing its retail doors on Sept. 23rd, 2023. After more than 15 years, it's time to retire! I want to thank everybody who has supported us all these years.

The shop, a fantastic time capsule for video games of the 1980s and 1990s, will have a presence on eBay. 

You can watch a short video about 8 Bit Up from 2011 — back when it was on the second floor of St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue.

Concerns about some basic playground amenities in Tompkins Square Park

The playground along Avenue A and Ninth Street in Tompkins Square Park has seen better days.

For starters, there's just a dusting of sand on the sandbox surface... which, at this point, resembles a cement bunker, and certainly not the first time ... (Thanks to Choresh Wald for the following 3 playground photos)

Meanwhile, the synthetic turf on the playground is peeling and cracked, creating potential tripping hazards...

We've talked with several parents/parkgoers who remain frustrated with the shoddy conditions in and around Tompkins... made worse with the field house renovations happening through the fall of 2024 that have closed the mini pool for two summers ... and the good times of the three porta potties.

The Tompkins Square playgrounds along Avenue B and Seventh Street were revamped in recent years (2019).

Storefront shuffle on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy

Yesterday we noted that Whim Golf has closed after a summer pop-up at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

What's next? The vintage shop that has been at 70 Avenue A is making the move to two storefronts to the north.

And 70 Avenue A — now with brown paper covering the windows — will be home for the third consecutive year to a Halloween pop-up shop...

No word just yet on the opening dates for either storefront.