From Tompkins Square Park: Christo in Don't You (Forget About Me)

Photos by Steven 

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, is getting all the attention this week after decamping to the East Village and Lower East Side from Central Park. (And yes, we have a Flaco post coming soon.) 

This may be why Christo, the resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, has been extra photogenic of late ... as seen yesterday near 7th and A ...

And 2023 marks Christo's 10-year East Village anniversary.

Headline H/T

No more Funzi at Funzi's Pizzeria on St. Mark's Place

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After nearly five months, Funzi's Pizzeria has a new name at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

The restaurant is going for now as ... Pizzeria...

As of yesterday, the Funzi's name has been removed or taped over...

... from most places...

We're told the investors are taking over the business with a yet-to-be-determined new name. Hospitality vet Kevin Cox, who launched the restaurant, is out, and he took the Funzi's name with him to use for a new version of the pizzeria in another EV location. (Funzi's was named after the youngest of Cox's three sons.)

The pizzeria opened in late June, and aspired to be an East Village throwback with a 1970s-80s decor modeled after his grandmother's house.

Hey Bay: Con Ed preps for more transformer work at the Avenue A substation

Reporting by Stacie Joy

In recent weeks, workers have been doing some prep work at the Con Ed substation on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... work that includes 24/7 security on the scene, moving cones and barriers here and there. 

As of yesterday, the first of the Bay Cranes arrived ... now the work is getting serious. (Emphasis ours.) 

As per workers on the scene, this is a two-week process. First, they will remove and disassemble the old transformer on the Fifth Street side — starting today. This will take a while. (Editorializing.) Then, slated for the weekend after Thanksgiving, the new transformer will go in and provide an Instagram-worthy photo extravaganza. (Try to get a window seat at Sophie's or Somtum Der!)

This is the second transformer replacement at the substation this year... the previous job was a five-month-long project.

Updated 7:37 a.m.

We have liftoff...

Report: Just 1 bid for the former P.S. 64 during its bankruptcy auction

The bankruptcy auction for the former P.S. 64/Charas/El Bohio Community Center at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C was reportedly canceled this week. 

The Real Deal reported that "the property failed to solicit any bids outside of a $55 million credit bid from its lender."

A few weeks back, per TRD, Madison Realty Capital sold the loan secured by the property to 605 East 9th Community Holdings LLC, which allegedly has ties to Aaron Sosnick, a billionaire hedge fund manager who lives next door in the Christodora House.

As we first reported, the building was headed to a bankruptcy sale on Nov. 8 — this past Wednesday. 

So what happened? 

Real estate adviser Hilco claims it marketed the property, spoke to over 50 people and conducted individual site tours for four separate groups. But it ultimately received no offers, according to a letter obtained by The Real Deal. 

Buyers were turned off by the building's landmark status and the various difficulties Singer had obtaining building permits, according to Hilco. Others lost interest after reading about "the billionaire neighbor who wants to control the property."

It's unclear then what might happen next to the long-vacant property that Gregg Singer bought in a city auction in 1998. Given the history here, the narrative will likely take several more twists and turns.

Through the years, Singer wanted to turn the one-time P.S. 64 into a dorm, though those plans never materialized, and the building has sat in disrepair. The 135,000-square-foot building is zoned for “community facility use,” and any conversion to a condoplex or residential housing would require a zoning variance. 

As previously noted, some residents want to see the space used again as a community center, as it was during its time as Charas/El Bohio Community Center. Singer evicted the group on Dec. 27, 2001. 

Sosnick also reportedly bought the former Boys' Club of New York on 10th Street and Avenue A, now home to the Joyce Theater, several nonprofit arts groups, and a gallery. 

Noting

Every so often, Blogger, the content management system that this site uses, seemingly randomly updates something, like the photo-uploading feature. 

On that note, the photo-uploading feature is currently displaying error messages when trying to upload photos. 

Back with posts AND photos when all systems are go. 

Meanwhile, we can still cut and paste the code from previously published photos... like this crowd favorite, currently on loan to the National Gallery of Art...

 

The St. Nicholas Cookie Walk returns for the 1st time since 2019

A favorite local holiday tradition is back.

The Cookie Walk, slated for Dec. 9 and 10, is taking place once again this year at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street. This will be the first one since 2019... and before the pandemic.

The always-festive event, held in the church basement, offers about 65 varieties of homemade cookies and pastries. As the name implies, you take a walk around cookie-filled tables and pick your favorites. 

Find more details at the church website.

Have a community service project? The George Jackson Academy would like to hear from you

Sharing some info from the George Jackson Academy, the middle school for boys at 104 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

George Jackson Academy will host a Community Service Day on Monday, Nov. 20. GJA would love to know if there are specific institutions and organizations that would be interested in our students' help on that day. 

If there is an East Village institution or organization interested in partnering with us on Community Service Day, please email us at nmccabe@gjacademy.org by Monday, Nov. 13.

Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza's Chris Barrett is opening a slice joint on 4th near B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Chris Barrett, the owner of the popular Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza brand, is opening a new joint, Eighths — Pizza by the Slice, at 240 E. Fourth St., just west of Avenue B. 

He's looking at a mid-December debut. 

Barrett told me the menu will feature all cannabis-infused items but available in smaller quantities than at his Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza places (like the one directly across Fourth Street). All slices will cost $10, with a recommended order of one to three, depending on your tolerance. The shop will also offer gelato, wings and garlic/ganja knots.

A few other details: There won't be any liquor available here, and patrons must be 21+ for the slices. Projected hours are Thursday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to midnight. (And no reservations are required — this is a walk-up operation.) 

Barrett said he plans to open a few more of these slice shops; he already has outposts in the Bronx and Brooklyn. 

No. 240 was most recently the pizzeria Johnny Favorite's.

Signage alert: Gemina Coffee Shop on 14th Street

Photo by Steven

Signage is up now for Gemina Coffee Shop at 424 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

No word just yet on who's behind this new venture. 

The business takes over for Akina Sushi, which closed in the summer of 2022 after 14 years in service.

Lights, camera... conspiracies!

Top photo by Derek Berg/bottom two images by Steven 

H/T Stacie Joy 

Conspiracy theories abounded earlier today when a technician was spotted installing this apparatus in the central plaza of Tompkins Square Park... widespread speculation included that this was some type of surveillance equipment... or an açaí bowl machine...

After a bit of sleuthing and talking with sources from the Parks Department... we learned that it's a photoelectric light control and sensor to ensure the lights in Tompkins come on when it gets dark (since, in recent months, the lights have remained off overnight — like this time and this time).

The equipment, manufactured by Sunrise Technologies, as you know, an affiliate of Electro Switch Corp., is hooked up to the newish lightbox by the midblock entrance on Seventh Street.

A little piece of Paradise on 11th and B

Photo by Jose Garcia 

Workers today hoisted signage for Paradise Gourmet Deli on the NE corner of 11th Street and Avenue B. 

Early thoughts are this is a corner market-type establishment selling the usual corner market-type items (Sodas! Sandwiches! Tate's Bake Shop Cookies!)... as opposed to a smoke shop. 

This will end the run of restaurants to lease the space through the years ... most recently Khiladi NYC (2019-2023). Previous restaurants at this address have included Old Monk, Babu Ji, Spina, Uovo and Panificio.

Updated:

Here's an updated look at the shop... they will be offering breakfast lunch, etc. 

A primer on Community Board 3's role in the permit process for legal cannabis shops

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy

50 Avenue A, home to a proposed new cannabis-related business

If you follow the monthly Community Board 3 meetings list, you likely noticed a new category — the Cannabis Control Task Force.

On Oct. 4, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) opened up AU, or Adult Usage, licensing and permitting to sell cannabis in retail stores in NYC to the public. 

As The City noted: "Under the state's 2021 law, a retail applicant must notify their local community board at least 30 days before submitting their application to the state and identify their proposed business location. But that provision was barely noticed until now because retail licenses had previously been limited to justice-impacted individuals whose store locations were provided by the state."

Now, community boards, including CB3, get the applications first. The local boards are tasked with providing recommendations for new licenses, and according to published reports, they are being overwhelmed by the process.

In November, the CB3 task force is meeting on two evenings — Nov. 9 (at the Houston Street Center, Double Classrooms 2 & 3 — 273 Bowery) and Nov. 13 (The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St.).

With 20-plus applicants on the docket this month, we asked CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer questions about the process and the community and the Board's role in the applications.

"This process is labor intensive, and we are not receiving much guidance from the state," Stetzer said. "We've requested a 30-day extension for each application, as we won't have time to complete each one within the State's required 30-day turnaround period. No one has sat down with us to ask us what we need."

The following responses were condensed for length and clarity.

Why are so many cannabis applications now going before the Community Board? 

OCM has a three-month window for applications right now, and it's a lottery system, so maybe there is a rush and some multiple applications. Also, there is a minimum 1,000-feet-apart rule, so once one location is pulled, no one else nearby can be accepted. Since this is a lottery system, it's not drawn in order of application.

Is this a similar role to liquor licenses? 

No, we wish it were! The State Liquor Authority application process has been honed, streamlined, and refined over the years. For example, the applications have landlord, contact names, and phone numbers listed, and these do not. So we don't have a direct contact. And we don't have much in the way of guidance. 

And why are there so many cannabis applicants?

We have an easier time of it. Community Board 2 [which covers Soho, Noho, Greenwich Village, and the West Village] has 70 applicants, and another Community Board has 90 applicants. 

Will this be a monthly process? 

This will last for three months as there is a three-month window for applicants to apply to OCM.

Is CB3 going to form a new committee for this? 

This newly formed committee has previously heard Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries licensing; these new applications are for adult recreational usage. 

What part does the Community Board play in this new field? 

 We don’t know! 

What are the presentations that the applicants put together? 

The questionnaires are posted on the CB3 website [link here] so people can read them and attend the meetings to ask questions. 

Why are there two separate groups/dates/locations? 

They are grouped by location — east and west sides of the CB3 area. We did this to make it easier for the residents who live in those areas.

Does order of appearance have any significance? 

No. Mostly, they were grouped by address, but the order of appearance can change. We try to accommodate people's schedules, which can change at the last minute and lead to order shuffling. 

What part does restorative justice play in these applications? 

None. This is separate from CAURD justice-impacted licensing. 

Why are there multiple license requests from the same listed address? 

Not sure. The rules don't specify anything about location or lease before coming to the community board.

Are these in-person meetings only? No zoom access? 

 The locations available don't have hybrid services. No resources or equipment for Zoom. One has a cut-off time of 9:30 p.m. and the other 10:30 p.m., so we hope we can get to all the applicants listed.  

-----

You can join CB3's mailing list via this link.

A look at the fresh asphalt on the under-renovation multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Yesterday, workers put down new asphalt on the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park.

Work started on this space along Avenue A and 10th Street on Oct. 16, first with ripping up the asphalt that hasn't been repaired since the mid-1990s.

According to a landscape architect with the Parks Department (from a presentation in February), there's a lot of "asphalt structural damage," and it "needs to be replaced and repaired. And the only way to do that is to take all the asphalt down to the sub base and put new asphalt down." 

Additions include new benches (the 1939 World's Fair models!), a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end. Moving forward, the space will no longer host permitted sports, including hockey in the fall or softball in the spring-summer.

A painted walking track is also included in the plans. Here's a look at a rendering of the reconstructed space...

Posted signs say the work will be complete by Dec. 1... though the Parks website still lists June 2024.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Big changes are coming to the iconic skate spot in Tompkins Square Park

Openings: Pawffice on St. Mark's Place

Photo by Steven

Manhattan Pawffice, a doggy daycare, debuted last week at 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This is a sibling to Brooklyn Pawffice out in Williamsburg. 

As noted, No. 20, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Past lives of this subterranean space — info via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.

The Grassroots Tavern, the last tenant in this lower level where we spent many late afternoons and evenings, closed after 42 years in service following New Year's Eve 2017.

Monday's parting shot

The 6:25 a.m. skyview courtesy of Jeanne Krier...

A new era begins for Downtown Burritos Cocina Mexicana on 1st Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Downtown Burritos Cocina Mexicana (FKA Downtown Bakery) returned to service on Friday after nearly eight months on the sidelines.

On Friday evening, I stopped by the small shop at 69 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street and found a line out the door.  

Patrons waited patiently for brothers Ivan and Mario Marín to prepare their orders (most of them were to-go)...

There was an upbeat vibe, with many longtime customers returning to congratulate the Marín brothers, the longtime managers who took over as owners in the spring. 

The most popular order on opening day — the burritos, of course. (And I was told that on Saturdays and Sundays, they will serve all-day breakfast burritos for those who want them.)

Daily hours: 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The return of Rakka!

Top photo by Steven; photo below by William Klayer

A familiar restaurant looks to be returning to the East Village.

On Saturday, workers hoisted signage for Rakka at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street...

Rakka (depending on the era, DBA Cafe Rakka or Rakka Cafe) had a long run offering affordable Middle-Eastern cuisine at 81 St. Mark's Place at First Avenue until the summer of 2021. Rakka's Avenue B outpost closed in late 2013.

(Of note: This sign states "since 1985" ...  the most recent signage on St. Mark's stated established in 1978, while the previous version had 1982! Anyway!)

The retail space at 156 First Ave. was previously Hello Banana Vintage, which quietly closed over the summer.

Kotobuki is moving to a new East Village location

Kotobuki ended its run at 56 Third Ave. after service last Wednesday night.

In an update following the closure notice to patrons, Kotobuki announced that they will be moving to a new undisclosed East Village location in the weeks ahead...

For now, you can continue to order delivery ... as ownership explained in an Instagram post on Friday...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kotobuki (@dinekotobuki)

As we've been reporting, the building that housed Kotobuki is one of six slated for demolition here between 10th Street and 11th Street. We haven't heard any further updates about what the developers have planned for the properties...   

Openings: Glizzy's on St. Mark's Place

Photo by Steven

Glizzy's — billed as "Brooklyn's Best Hot Dogs" — opened last week at 34 Saint Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (We first mentioned this pending arrival on May 30.)

This will be the second outpost for the brand that started last year in Williamsburg.

Johnny Huynh, the founder and co-owner of Glizzy's, grew up in Bushwick and operates Lucy's Vietnamese restaurants in Brooklyn.

Some background via Greenpointers:

Glizzy's menu kicks off with the "N.Y. Classic" that includes onions in red sauce, sauerkraut, and spicy brown mustard. Next, there's a dog called "Houston, We Have A Problem" with smoked brisket chili, chopped and fried onions, and a cheddar cheese sauce. 

The "OG Lucy's" is a nod to Huynh's Vietnamese restaurant and has cucumber, cilantro, basil, mayo, pickled carrots, hoisin, and sriracha. Next up is the "Mr. Lee" with kimchi, scallions, furikake, fried garlic, Korean BBQ sauce, and sesame oil. 

"The Ocky" is halal and includes chopped onions, tomatoes, harissa, and yogurt sauce, while the "Phil Me Up" contains potato salad, scallions, furikake, and curry ranch dressing. 

You can find the menu here. 

Hours: Noon to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, with a 3 a.m. close Thursday through Sunday.

Openings: Matto Espresso on 3rd Avenue

An outpost of Matto Espresso has opened at 110 Third Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

This is (surprisingly!) the first East Village location for the brand that has more than 30 cafes in NYC. 

The discount coffee chain offers all items, from coffee to pastries, for $2.50 — if you order via its app... otherwise it's $3.50 if you order at the counter...

The small retail space was previously Isaac Gabai Salon, which moved seven blocks to the north on Third Avenue.