Photo from last night by Steven
A sign of spring approaching — Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices is now open for the season on the corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street.
Another sign of spring — today's weather, 63 and sunny.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Reports: In a hit-and-run, man struck and killed on 10th and D by an MTA bus
Top image via Citizen
An MTA bus reportedly struck and killed a man last night on 10th Street and Avenue D.
According to media and police reports, the man — later identified as 45-year-old Shawn Gooding — was crossing 10th Street from the southwest to the northwest corner around 10:40 p.m. when he was hit by the MTA bus turning right with the green light onto Avenue D.
Per NY1: "According to police, Gooding tripped and fell into the road near a marked crosswalk, and the rear of the bus struck him."
First responders, who found Gooding in the roadway with trauma to his body, took him to Bellevue, where officials pronounced him dead.
NY1 and other outlets reported that the bus driver did not remain on the scene ... "because he was likely not aware he struck somebody, according to police." Per amNew York, the 59-year-old driver "was shocked to learn of the incident."
Both the M14D and the M8 pass the intersection where the collision occurred.
From 1010 WINS:
The MTA directed 1010 WINS/WCBS 880's request for comment to the NYPD. "We don’t want to impede on their ongoing and active investigation," the MTA said."Much of the information is still preliminary, so we want to make sure we respond accurately."No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Photo early this morning by William Klayer
An afternoon of 'M E L O D Y' at 9 Avenue B
Over at 9 Avenue B between Houston and Second Street, 2B&2C: The Ken Cro-Ken Memorial Foundation continues to offer a variety of arts and programming for the community.
Here's more about an afternoon performance tomorrow (3 p.m. Sunday) via the EVG inbox...
"M E L O D Y" is a new work that brings together an ensemble of acclaimed local musicians to perform an improvisation structured around a text by Mikhl Yashinsky. The text is inspired by a story by I.L. Peretz, "Migrations Of A Melody," which follows a melody from the moment it is born from the cries of the first child born in ancient days to its arrival here in New York City. Peretz's story explores music's spiritual nature and capacity to be reincarnated in various forms.The music is presented by 2B&2C to the public for a suggested donation of $10, which includes a glass of wine or free for those who choose not to donate.
Per its website, "2B&2C: The Ken Cro-Ken Memorial Foundation cultivates and nurtures a thriving creative community engaged in interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and environmental activism through visual arts, music, and dance."
Ken Cro-Ken died in July 2020 of cancer.
A campaign to commemorate Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl that captivated NYC the past year
Photo from November on the LES by @vinweasel_
As you may have seen, there's a movement in place to garner public support for a statue in Central Park commemorating the recently deceased Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl.
Brandon Borror-Chappell and Mike Hubbard launched the Change.org petition this past week, noting to us that the 13-year-old Flaco's "all-too-brief story of survival, freedom, and resilience in New York City was powerful enough to warrant a commemorative monument."
Note this is simply a petition, currently with just more than 3,000 signatures, and not a fundraiser.
"We know there is an enormous distance between gathering signatures and unveiling a statue, especially in the highly protected grounds of Central Park. We will continue to push for broader public support, but also want to chart a path toward turning this into reality," they told us.
And per the petition: "There are many hurdles before such a thing might be installed, but the first step is a demonstration of public support. Please consider adding your name to this petition and sharing with anyone who might do the same."
Find the petition here.
Flaco was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side, according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Central Park Zoo.
This weekend, Flaco the owl was memorialized by @GovKathyHochul, @NYCMayor and the front page of the @nytimes, recognizing how much he was embraced as a New Yorker. @edkshanahan’s article is fittingly titled “New Yorkers Mourn Neighbor They Could All Look Up To.”
— David Lei (@davidlei) February 26, 2024
(Cont’d) pic.twitter.com/DRrgYVKOXG
This past November, Flaco spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side.
Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side.
Saturday's opening shot
Mural by @PhoebeNewYork...
Friday, March 1, 2024
Beyond the 'Sea'
Our past few Fridays-at-5 posts have featured bands on tap for the New Colossus Festival, taking place in LES/EV venues next week.
Up next, the French shoegazers Sarakiniko. The above video is a live version of "Fade it Away into the Sea."
The band will bring their firepower to Rockwood Music Hall on Allen Street next Friday night (set time: 11:30).
Find the full New Colossus schedule here.
About the Every Woman Biennial 2024 at La MaMa Galleria
Details:
The salon-style exhibition features painting, photography, installation, sculpture, video art, textile, and multimedia works, activated by performance, dance, music, poetry readings, theater, and film.
After tomorrow, you can check it out Thursday through Sunday from 1-7 p.m. through March 24.
A visit to Veselka, as the East Village institution celebrates 70 years and another week for its documentary at the Village East
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
It's late Tuesday afternoon, and there's a noticeable energy at Veselka, the 70-year-old East Village institution on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street.
Tom and Jason Birchard, the second and third-generation owners of the Ukrainian restaurant, are amid a media whirlwind. They are in high demand to discuss the newly released documentary, "Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World," directed by longtime patron Michael Fiore, which looks at how the war in Ukraine impacts the family and staff here.
The must-see film opened last Friday three blocks up Second Avenue at the Village East by Angelika. And the Birchards have just heard the news that the film will be held over for a second week here. (The documentary is also playing in several other markets, including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.)
There are still traces of makeup on Tom's face and neck from a TV interview as we sit down to chat. However, between longtime customers coming up to congratulate him on the film and listening to the fascinating stories of Veselka from "back in the day," it's challenging to keep the interview on track.
You likely know Tom's journey. He began his career here in 1967, working alongside his father-in-law, founder Volodymyr Darmochwal. In 1975, he took the reins, steering Veselka through decades of change and growth. His son Jason carries on this legacy, taking over the ownership just before the pandemic. (The film provides a concise yet compelling history of Veselka, which means rainbow in Ukrainian.)
We'll get to the rest of the tour later in this post.
For now, I settle back to enjoy hearing some Veselka-related stories about classic East Village figures, like La MaMa founder Ellen Stewart getting invited into the "inner sanctum" Ukrainian Blue Room and 2nd Avenue Deli owner Abe Lebewohl and his generosity in feeding the community (the Birchard family clearly follows that precedent by being active in charitable concerns in the neighborhood).
We also share our own experiences with Veselka. I shame-facedly admit that I stole a plastic Veselka coffee mug as a teenager. Thankfully, I'm offered absolution ("You've confessed; now eat 10 pierogies, and all is forgiven," Tom offers). Now, for-sale ceramic versions of those mugs (plus plates and bowls) are available. Jason tells me new merchandise will be added soon, including an old-fashioned original-logo tote bag for the 70th anniversary and a throwback T-shirt.
Talk turns to the war and its impact on the community both here and in Ukraine. Jason tells me that this past Saturday, CNN was at the restaurant doing a feature on the second anniversary of the start of the conflict when they cut to Chief International Anchor Christiana Amanpour interviewing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Veselka has become a focal point when discussing the war in this neighborhood with a large population of Ukrainians. Through Jason and the staff's tireless efforts — along with the generosity of the local community — the restaurant has raised $600,000 for the resistance with borscht sales, blue-and-yellow cookies, and supply drives.
I'd learned much of this from covering the news locally in the past two years but also from the documentary I watched a few nights earlier at the Village East. Jason tells me he's donating the net proceeds from the film to Razom for Ukraine.
Here are some Q&A highlights from my conversation.
How does it feel to have the film extended for another week?
Tom: We're on cloud nine. We hope a steaming service will pick this up so we've got a larger distribution. We're hoping in our own small way to influence the war's positive outcome and reenergize American support. The response has been really gratifying…my mailbox is flooded.
How did it feel to watch the film?
Jason: It's hard to see myself. I'm a very private person, and I think Tom would state the same. It was initially going to be a short documentary as an homage to my father and all the years he spent here. And then it turned into a lot more. We didn't know there was going to be a pandemic, we didn't know there was going to be a war — we started the film before all of that.
David Duchovny is the film's narrator. What is some of his history with Veselka?
Tom: David grew up on 11th Street and Second Avenue. David's mom was a client of my wife [former St. Mark's Veterinary Hospital vet Sally Haddock Birchard]. My wife came home one day and said, "Oh, I met this really nice lady. She lives on Second Avenue. She's really concerned about her son, who's pursuing an academic career at Princeton, but now, all of a sudden, he wants to go to Hollywood. She's worried sick about him." It turns out that was David Duchovny.
About 20 years ago, a location scout approached me and said a Hollywood director wanted to shoot a film ["Trust the Man"] scene with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup…and David, too. Well, I said we would do it because of the connection between his mom and my wife. When I finally agreed to let them shoot the film, they all came, and the director, Bart Freundlich [married to Julianne Moore], took me aside and said, 'Thank you so much for letting me shoot this here. The scene is crucial in this film.'"
Was there anything from the film that didn’t make the cut you wish had?
Jason: The film director, Michael Fiore, had interviewed many of our key people here, including a woman that we called the Queen of Borscht. She had been eating here for 30-plus years. We also sat down with employees. We did little in-depth interviews that I wish would have made it. I mean, the movie could be a lot longer!
We also had some celebrities, like Liev Schreiber, and some Ukrainian boxers who weren't very comfortable around the cameras. So, a lot of that footage didn’t make the final cut.
Following the conversation, we take a walk around Veselka. After a warning that "it's a working kitchen, it's not pretty," we descend the steps to the restaurant's lower level ...
I also meet Dima Prach, a line cook whose family story is part of the documentary. 
He was able to bring his mother and aunt (twins, seen below) over from Ukraine thanks to Jason's sponsorship. They both now work at Veselka.
That's all for now for Gizmo
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
For the first time in 32 years, the storefront at 160 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street is no longer home to Gizmo.
As we've been reporting (here and here), the sewing supply shop was not offered a lease renewal by their landlord (this on top of rent increases that made it increasingly difficult to stay here anyway).
Rosa Malmed and Hossein Amid were ready to sign a lease at 319 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. However, at the 11th hour, they learned that the building had been sold and no lease would be granted to them.
So, over the past few days, they packed up their full-to-the-brim shop and placed everything in storage.
Rosa thanked everyone who called and messaged... and stopped by the shop.
She and Hossein haven't found a space yet, but they hope to start looking again after taking a few days to breathe and destress from putting everything in storage.
Hossein will continue to make house calls for sewing machine repairs.
As we've reported, the couple wants to continue in the neighborhood: "A small storefront, with easy accessibility for differently-abled patrons."
Contact info for them: (212) 477-2773 or email: gizmocorp@aol.com.
The city's first public e-bike charging site for delivery workers unveiled on Cooper Square
... activated the first of five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city's new six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of lithium-ion batteries by an initial group of 100 delivery workers. The first charging site is located in Cooper Square ... and is a key component of the administration's overall “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City's Electric Micromobility Action Plan" to support safe e-bike use and prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires. New York City is among the first major cities in the United States to launch a public e-bike charging pilot program.
Per the Times:
During the pilot program, up to 100 delivery workers can volunteer to use the charging hubs for free and provide feedback to the city. The program will cost about $950,000 in city funding. Its results will inform the city’s efforts "to expand safe and affordable e-battery charging to all New Yorkers," city transportation officials said.The new charging sites come amid ongoing concerns over fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries.
According to ABC 7 and other media outlets, 18 people died, and 150 people were injured in 268 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in NYC last year.
Last Friday, 27-year-old journalist Fazil Khan was killed and 22 others injured during a fire in a six-floor apartment building in Harlem. FDNY officials said the fire started in an apartment shared by six delivery workers charging lithium-ion batteries.
Meanwhile, the Times pointed out that the city received "a $25 million federal grant last year to install 173 outdoor charging stations for e-bikes and other e-mobility devices at 53 of the city’s subsidized public housing complexes, but none have been built yet."
It will likely be months before you see any signs of these, The City reported.
And another angle brought up in Streetsblog's coverage:
When it comes to electric charging infrastructure for cars, DOT has been able to install 100 chargers at sidewalks in all five boroughs within 18 months, and the agency is eyeing tens of thousands more in the coming decade, Streetsblog reported.Nevertheless, the asked why it appeared to be easier for the agency to accommodate electric cars than e-bikes, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Commissioner contended it was not more challenging to set up the e-bike infrastructure.
Photos courtesy of the DOT
Apollo Bagels opens today
Photo by Steven
Opening hours: Friday-Sunday, 8 a.m. until sold out.
Joey Scalabrino and his business partner Mike Fadem started making and selling bagels from their Williamsburg pizzeria, Leo, in 2020... before launching Apollo Bagels as a pop-up at Fanelli's in 2022.
Previously, per Grub Street's Chris Crowley:
The bagels are crispy and chewy on the outside, baked to a shade of deep brown, with little blackened patches. And, as one recent fan put it, they've got "a good fluff-to-crunch ration." Made of sourdough, they're less dense than they look, bubbly on the outside with an airy interior.The 800-square-foot storefront is divided by a long counter for ordering. Seating is outside only, and the menu will remain tight: Sandwiches included smoked salmon with capers, red onion, and dill; whitefish salad; and a summertime tomato with olive oil. (Bagels will also be sold by the half-dozen and dozen, straight from the oven, with the standard spreads like cream cheese available.)
No. 242 was most recently home to Pink's Cantina.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Thursday's parting shot
Photo by James Chambers
A (disarming?) piece by Captain Eyeliner with help by Billy Barnacles on 13th Street at Avenue A...
6 posts from February
• Longtime East Village sewing business Gizmo needs a new home (Feb. 26)
• Village East by Angelika is serving up the Veselka documentary (Feb. 23)
• DA's office mulling charges against tow truck driver in the death of longtime East Village resident Merle Ratner (Feb. 15)
• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar (Feb. 8)
• Man who attacked Ray outside Ray's Candy Store sentenced to 10 years in prison (Feb. 7)
• On the Job: Talking with playwright Max Wolf Friedlich at the Connelly Theater (Feb. 1)
A visit to the Unprofessional Variety Show
Photos and text by Stacie Joy
The Unprofessional Variety Show is a quarterly cabaret in the back room at the Parkside Lounge on Houston and Attorney.
East Village resident Maya Seuss launched the ongoing variety act in February 2022. (Read more from Maya below.)
Here are a few scenes from the evening...
"Allied Productions exemplifies one of the things I love about this neighborhood, which is the diverse legacy of experimental queer and radical art and performance," Maya said. "At the Unprofessional Variety Show, I try to make the programming truly intergenerational. I love introducing younger performers to the legendary performers from the neighborhood."
She continued....
"I moved to the neighborhood after being accepted into Umbrella House, and becoming part of the Lower East Side community has truly changed my life. My Umbrella House neighbors always come to my show and even perform, such as when musician Mamie Minch accompanied my ant character, who sang a folk song celebrating collectivity, and who could forget the cameo by Sibohan Meow, our local cat woman and caretaker of critters? I'm honored to have an opportunity to contribute to the rich creative history of this neighborhood."
The next Unprofessional Variety Show happens on May 18 at the Parkside.
This 'Job' has been extended for 3 weeks at the East Village's Connelly Theater
Photo of Max Wolf Friedlich from January by Stacie Joy
You now have three more weeks to catch a performance of "Job" at the Connelly Theater.
The 80-minute psychological thriller was set to close on Sunday at the venue, 220 E. Fourth St., between Avenue A and Avenue B.
However, the run has been extended through March 23.
The two-character play, starring Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon, concerns a crisis therapist and a big tech company employee, one who has been placed on leave after becoming the subject of a viral video. We'll leave it at that!
"Job" enjoyed a well-reviewed five-week engagement last fall at the Soho Playhouse. This time around, the notices are just as positive (for example, "one of the best shows playing in NYC right now").
Playwright Max Wolf Friedlich grew up in NYC and doing theater in the East Village — at the Kraine, NY Theater Workshop, Bowery Poetry Club, Under St. Marks, etc., as he previously told EVG's Stacie Joy.
We asked Max for his thoughts on the extension.
"We're over the moon to have extended for three more weeks at the Connelly. We're so grateful audiences continue to respond to the play," he said. "On a personal note, I hope our longevity — and the success of other independent Off-Broadway productions this season — demonstrates to the theater world that young people are excited about bold, modern plays written for and marketed to them."
Find tickets here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Wednesday's parting shot
Photo by Heather Dubin
A moment on Avenue A and Seventh Street today... in between rain showers...
You can watch last night's Community Board 3 meeting right here
We embedded the video of the meeting below. Iscol starts speaking (and answering questions) at the 23-minute mark...
Construction watch: 280 E. Houston St.
The development takes the place of a one-level strip of storefronts (Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins, Subway, China Town restaurant, etc.), which workers demolished in late 2021 adjacent to the 13-floor residential building formerly known as Red Square.
In October 2022, as The Real Deal first reported, landlord Samy Mahfar and investors picked up the property from members of the Hirsch family for $36.8 million. Per TRD's report, "the Hirsch family obtained demolition permits and did enough foundation work to qualify the site for the 421a property tax abatement before it expired in June [2022]."
The site was originally going to yield a 6-story building.
P.S.
For the construction team, in case of an emergency, posted signs instruct that there will be "3 long blows of the air horn"... and the crew should move to the Dunkin' a few storefronts away (photo by Stacie Joy)... 
Boris & Horton fans work like a dog to save cafe
Photo last week by Stacie Joy
The owners of Boris & Horton announced yesterday that their ambitious crowdfunding and subscription plan was a success, and the city's first dog-friendly cafe will remain open.
On Feb. 16, daughter-father co-owners Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman announced that the cafe was closing on Feb. 26 after six years of anchoring the NW corner of Avenue A and 12th Street. An outpost that opened last year in Williamsburg was also shutting down.
Bottom line: They weren't making enough money, and as Holzman told NY1, "it's expensive to maintain top safety measures for a dog-friendly restaurant required by the Department of Health."
However, the unwavering support of the cafe's fans turned the tide. They devised ideas to keep the business going, such as selling subscription boxes filled with dog treats and merchandise from Boris & Horton's line of dog treats and toys ... plus mugs, t-shirts, baseball caps, etc.
Boris & Horton hit their $250,000 goal from Friday to midnight Sunday.
First, though, both outposts will temporarily close. Late last week, the co-owners said some of the money would go for capital improvements, including replacing the air conditioning at the Avenue A space and giving it a deep clean. They also plan to hire management to streamline B&H operations.
From an Instagram post yesterday announcing the news:
Thank you so much to everyone who supported this campaign. We're thrilled that both locations will be reopening in the coming weeks, and we'll be sharing more details on what to expect very soon. We're humbled and grateful, and we can’t wait for what's to come.
Boris & Horton opened here in February 2018 and expanded into the storefront next door later that year.
Previously on EV Grieve:
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