Monday, September 11, 2023
The end-of-day double rainbow
Welcoming Beastie Boys Square to the Lower East Side
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
You can now officially call the corner of Ludlow and Rivington Beastie Boys Square on the Lower East Side.
On Saturday afternoon, the city unveiled the new street blade during a ceremony that included remarks from founding members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz.
The two NYC natives seem humbled by the honor, and expressed their gratitude to the city for making them who they are today. (You can watch the ceremony via the Beastie Boys' YouTube account.)
"We could not have ever been what we have become without growing up in New York City and hearing all this incredible music, being around all this incredible art, being just around all these incredible people that's only in New York City," Mike D said.
"Thank you for teaching us what to look at, what to listen to, what to wear, how to love, how to live," Ad-Rock said before delivering the afternoon's best line. "It makes me really happy to know that some kid on the way to school 50 years from now is gonna look up and say, 'What the fuck is a Beastie Boy? Why do they get a square?'"
The ceremony included a tribute to Adam "MCA" Yauch, who died of cancer in 2012. Said Mike D: "He was our brother on this amazing journey that we all got to go through."
This corner played a starring role on the cover of the group's iconic 1989 album Paul's Boutique.
LeRoy McCarthy had 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.
McCarthy — sporting a "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" t-shirt on a fire escape above the ceremony — received props from the crowd...
Despite the swampy weather, people packed the corner for the event, which also commemorated 50 years of hip-hop.
Here are a few scenes from the crowd...
... and the moment it became official...
You can read this post for more about the new mural here by Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion
On the CB3-SLA docket: Schmuck on 1st Avenue
Here's one applicant of potential interest:
• Schmuck, 97 1st Ave (op)
There's a new bar-restaurant in the works for the long-vacant SW corner of First Avenue at Sixth Street.
According to the application on file at the CB3 website (PDF here), Miami-based bar owner Dan Binkiewicz is behind a new concept called Schmuck.
The restaurant, with proposed daily hours of 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., will offer Middle Eastern-style cuisine. The sample menu includes items such as pan bagnat sliders, hummus, pomme dauphine and a burrata stick ("a playful Mediterranean take on the corndog.")
The application shows that Schmuck is also seeking curbside dining for both the First Avenue and Sixth Street sides — 22 tables for 44 guests ... as well as five tables (10 seats total) for sidewalk seating on First Avenue.
Binkiewicz's résumé includes the Miami Beach cocktail bar Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company.
In the 10 years since Banjara moved out in late 2013, the restaurants at 97 First Ave. have gone through through multiple name changes/concepts... including, but not limited to, Figaro Villaggio, an Italian bar-restaurant that later changed its name to Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill.
They eventually gave up part of the space to Apna Masala. In March 2015, Figaro Cafe Bistro Bar & Grill changed its names/concepts to La Esquina Bar & Grill ... then the name evolved to La Esquina Burritos and Bar ... and eventually East Village Burritos & Bar. Then Spicewala Bar Indian Cuisine. And then Mancora moved here from across the street. And...
Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.
This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
Signage time for Seasoned Vegan
Photos by Steven
Seasoned Vegan Real Quick debuted on Aug. 23 at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
At the time, they opened without the official signage ... which arrived this past Thursday...
... and a final look...
The spot is a new vegan concept from mother and son restaurateurs Brenda "Chef B" Beener and Aaron Beener, who closed their Harlem restaurant Seasoned Vegan this spring after nine years in service.
According to a restaurant rep, they decided to relaunch as quick service takeout and delivery with a few of their most popular dishes offered as sandwiches.
To date, readers have had many good things to say about Seasoned Vegan, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight.
A look inside the incoming Popeyes on 14th Street
The Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at 442 E. 14th St., just west of Avenue A, is looking nearly ready for deep-frying action.
Workers removed the plastic graffiti barrier on the storefront... which provides a look inside... (H/T Edmund John Dunn!)
Still no word on an opening date here.
This incoming Popeyes combined two storefronts — the Lower East Side Coffee Shop, which closed here after 13 years in February 2021 ... and New Herbal World, which left in September 2019.
Mr. Kim arrives on St. Mark's Place
Mr. Kim is a new tattoo-piercing shop at 22 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)
We also noticed two display cases of budget sunglasses and some umbrellas for sale out front on Friday evening.
Mr. Kim takes over the retail space from WAGA, which sold handmade goods primarily from West Africa. The shop closed in the spring after 22 years in business.
Sunday, September 10, 2023
Sunday's parting shot
Here's more about him:
Robert William McPadden‚ 30‚ firefighter‚ FDNY‚ Engine 23. McPadden was continuing his family's proud tradition of public service when he joined the FDNY. His father had served the department for almost 40 years‚ and his brother and sister are both police officers. While he waited for an opening in the FDNY‚ he earned a graduate degree in criminal justice and played a lot of Jeopardy. He and his wife had just bought a home in Pearl River so they could be closer to family and friends.
Week in Grieview
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)...
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:
Sunday's opening sunrise shots
Saturday, September 9, 2023
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
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.
Friday, September 8, 2023
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
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!)
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.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
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
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."
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
Reader report: This tree could use some help on 4th Street
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."
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