This spring, new life for the mucky tree well that smells like dead things on Avenue A

Prologue 

Text and photos by EVG

Since last summer, the tree well on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street has been a mucky cesspool of stagnant water, soggy bread, and other snacks for pigeons adjacent to the block-long Con Edison substation. 

On warm days, when the winds are just right, you can smell the fragrant pit nearly a block away — an aroma that smells like decaying rodents, sewer water, and stale bread.

Despite the muck, life found a way last summer ... 

On Dec. 31, we noticed something remarkable: someone had tilled the plot, turning the earth and providing hope. And after the most recent MulchFest in Tompkins Square Park in January, someone even put down a fresh bed of chips. 

We've never seen anyone drop off the pigeon smorgasbord, but we haven't spotted the person (or people?) tending to the plot either. 

Until last week. 

Hope Springs Eternal

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Last week, you may have noticed that someone had been giving the mucky tree well some TLC. I spotted East Village artist Siobhan Meow working here with a shovel and asked her about the project. 

"I decided to adopt a tree well!" she said. 

She has named it the Noel Reed Memorial Tree Pit after her friend Noel Reed, aka Leon Deer, aka Mr. Twilight, "who died much too young." He was a dancer with the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and worked for Con Edison as a welder. 

"I noticed last summer that this amazing cornstalk is growing here. Just the one cornstalk. And then when it was gone, it smelled so bad here in the summer," she said. "All the pigeons…there was so much pigeon guano, which is really good for plants."

Carrying a shovel from her garden, she said, "I turned it over, added some compost from my rooftop garden, some soil from an abandoned outdoor restaurant shack planter, and then a layer of Christmas tree shavings, mulch from the park." 

What does she see for the tree pit? "Shrubs only. Nothing over 12 feet tall. I'd love to see a pussy willow in there. But don't feel too precious about what you put in it. It needs earthworms, too. Nightcrawlers. The best worms."

She's putting out an open call for plants, hoping someone will donate roses or shrubbery. "I don't want to be too controlling," she said

She plans to maintain the pit to be more "civically conscious and to get some exercise."

Epilogue

The Lazy Llama has closed in First Park; no new vendor in the pipeline

ICYMI: The Lazy Llama is no longer running the snack bar in First Park here between First Street and Houston adjacent to the First Avenue F stop...

The coffee shop, which has a cafe across the way at 72 E. First St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue, had operated from the kiosk since July 2021.

The Parks Department issued a Request for Proposal last July for "the renovation, operation, and maintenance" of the snack bar. The lease for the space expires in April.

However, don't expect a new tenant anytime soon. A Parks spokesperson told us this yesterday: "We did not receive any proposals for First Park in the East Village. Parks is exploring all options for the kiosk, including reissuing the RFP."

Previous local businesses at the kiosk include S'MAC and Mudspot Café.

In other Lazy Llama-related news, their sister business, Gemina Coffee Shop, opened this past November at 424 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. EVG readers have said nice things about the place. 

Openings: Okiboru House of Udon on 2nd Avenue

Photo by Steven

Okiboru House of Udon debuts today at 124 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (First mentioned here.)

The restaurant from the owners of House of Tsukemen on Orchard Street will specialize in house-made Himokawa udon noodles, served with a hot or cold dipping sauce and applewood-smoked bacon tempura.

Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. If you're on Instagram, you can follow them here.

Okiboru House of Udon takes over the space from Mochinut, which closed last summer. 

Noted

Over the weekend, workers removed the curbside dining structures that lined Brooklyn Dumpling Shop's St. Mark's Place and First Avenue sides. (H/T MP!)

Several EVG readers had complained about this lengthy setup, seemingly only used as a rest stop for delivery workers.

March 5 marked the first day that food service establishments could start applying online to join the Dining Out NYC program. (Apply here.)

City officials released the new guidelines, "Dining Out NYC," early last month. As previously noted, the significant change is that enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures will no longer be permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November. 

According to city officials, if restaurants plan to offer diners open-air options, owners must remove and replace their old outdoor dining setups by Aug. 24.

Quiet Reading at Book Club Bar — BYOB (book!)

The organizers of the Quiet Reading group (which usually meets Mondays at Martha's Country Bakery in Williamsburg) are hosting an event tomorrow (Tuesday!) night at the Book Club Bar on Third Street near Avenue B. 

Here's how it will work: Attendees bring their own book, everyone silently reads for an hour from 10 to 11 p.m., then there's general social discussion from 11 p.m. to midnight. You don't need a ticket, though organizers ask that you purchase a drink or snack from Book Club. 

There are plans for more Quiet Reading events in the East Village. For updates, you can follow the group on Instagram here.

Faceless Charlie Brown mural is now headless

The brickwork continues on the east-facing wall of east-facing wall at 402 E. 12th St. near First Avenue.

As noted, a crew here is working on the bricks, though we don't know the extent of the project — it looks like the whole wall is under repair.

Jerkface created the wall-size mural back in the fall of 2014.

2 East Village residents 'shaken and scared' after assault inside their building

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Two longtime East Village residents are recovering from a beating they suffered inside their building by a group of men who said they were soliciting business for an energy company. 

On Tuesday, March 5, at around 2 p.m., Wayne Rada (pictured above), co-founder of the LISA Project, said he buzzed in two people claiming to be from the "electric company" who came to his fifth-floor apartment to get him to sign up for Brown's Energy Services, an alternative energy supplier based on Staten Island. 

Rada and his husband, LISA Project cofounder Rey Rosa, escorted the two workers to the elevator to show them the first-floor office where they could leave sales material. 

The elevator stopped one floor down, and Rada and Rosa saw four to five more employees who said they were representing the same company.

Rada remarked that the group looked "more like a package theft ring," and Rosa took out his smartphone to photograph the men. At that point, the group allegedly pounced on Rada and Rosa, pushing them into the stairwell while punching and kicking the two. Rada described it as "gleeful rage."

Rosa was able to dial 911 on speakerphone and escape the men's clutches. 

Rada, treated at Bellevue, suffered an orbital fracture of the left ocular bone, a concussion, extensive bruising, and four broken teeth, as well as the loss of a molar. Rosa has strangulation bruises.

Both said they were severely shaken and having a difficult time recovering from the incident. 

Police sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, confirmed that four men were arrested, and two others have outstanding warrants in connection with this assault. It's not immediately clear if the alleged suspects were actually in the building to pitch renewable energy services or if they were carrying bogus documents.

The suspects left behind photocopied documents, including an ID badge (we blurred the person's name) with Brown's Energy on it ...

During a phone call last Tuesday, Michael Palmese, the owner of Brown's Energy, expressed his shock and horror about the assaults and said that he was not aware of them.

"Unequivocally, we don't have any agents who work for us," he said. "We are a supply company and have only four in-office employees."

Palmese said they will hire third-party marketing companies for in-person pitching, telemarketing, and sales at concerts, sporting events, and other venues. He said he'd get back to us with information about any third-party vendors but had done so by the time of this post. He also did not respond to follow-up calls.

Back in his East Village building last week, Rada discussed the assault ...

... and pointed out where there were still blood droplets on the stairwell floor and walls where the suspects slammed his head onto the concrete...

"This is all too, too much ... happening inside my building. It's surreal and makes it impossible to sleep," Rada said. "[The attack] repeats over and over in our heads. We are so shaken up and scared."

A 7-floor development in the works for the NW corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street

A 7-floor residential building with ground-floor retail is now slated for 33-37 First Ave., the vacant three-building assemblage between Second Street and Third Street. 

Developers filed the permits with the city this past Friday. According to the paperwork, the proposed building — using the address 88 E. Second St. — will be 19,278 square feet, with 2,994 square feet designated for commercial space. Plans call for 22 residential units (likely rentals, given the square footage). 

The filings list Manny Ashourzadeh of Romah Management Corp. as the owner (they also have a 13-floor building in the works on Fifth Street and Avenue D). Queens-based Gerry Caliendo is named as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed last summer, and some asbestos abatement taking place. 

New Double Dragon, the last business in these buildings, closed last July. The basement was home to the HaveAHeart recording studio.

The First Avenue Laundry Center and the Serenity Spa upstairs were previous business casualties in these three buildings. The other retail spot had been various quick-serve places, last occupied in 2015.

An EVG reader shared this view of the three doomed buildings that will yield the new development... 

If this helps... the three buildings to the left of the spaces that house Popeyes and d.b.a at 39 and 41 First Ave. ...

Openings: The Lions on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The Lions Bar & Grill debuted earlier this month at 132 First Ave. on the SE corner of St. Mark's Place. (First reported here.)

The team at Endless Hospitality Group (The Wayland, Goodnight Sonny, etc.) is behind this establishment, which offers "martinis, burgers and fries, cold beer and great music." The menu is here.

Kitchen hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; to midnight Sunday and Monday.

The Lions takes over the space from Endless Hospitality Group's Bar Lula, which had a two-plus year run here, closing after service on New Year's Eve. 

Aliens of Brooklyn leaves the East Village to harvest the Chelsea Market

Photos by Steven 

After two years in the East Village, Aliens of Brooklyn has moved on to the Chelsea Market...

In an Instagram post, owner Joseph Angel Tijerina said, "I had 2 wonderful years in East Village and now it's on to bigger and better things … Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I have to flutter like a butterfly in search for my next conquest. I am grateful that I get to close this chapter and move on to my next era..." 

He opened his clothing and accessories brand at 305 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue in the spring of 2022. (Read our Q&A with him here.) 

This was his first storefront after nearly 10 years of selling from pop-up spaces and flea markets. 

You can tabs on his business via Instagram. Good luck with your new location, Joseph!

Signage alert: Crispy Burger on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven 

The Dolly Llama space didn't stay vacant for too long.

Signage is up now for Crispy Burger at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

This is the latest outpost for the chainlet that has outposts in Staten Island, Queens, New Jersey and Jacksonville, Fla. The quick-serve business specializes in fried chicken.

The ice cream and waffle shop The Dolly Llama was here for a few months before closing for a "renovation" last summer, never to reopen. 

Flushing-based cafe and bakery Sweet Cake is opening an East Village outpost

Photos by Pinch

Sweet Cake is opening an outpost at 215 First Ave., just south of 13th Street.

The Flushing-based bakery and cafe, which serves coffee, matcha drinks, and Asian-style desserts, is now hiring at this location.  

The shop debuted on Northern Boulevard in January 2023. No word on an opening date here.

The previous tenant, the East Village Art Collection (EVAC), closed last April after the art venue failed to open for a group show featuring 25 artists from around the country (and overseas). The artists had to jump through many hoops to eventually retrieve their work.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A St. Patrick's Day scene from Sixth Street today...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with some hoops at Sara D. Roosevelt Park via Stacie Joy) ...

• Two bystanders shot after a nearby argument escalated to gunfire in Tompkins Square Park (Saturday)

• 1 year after building fire, A&C Kitchen grandly reopens on Avenue C (Wednesday) 

• Housing lottery underway for units in this new building on 10th Street (Monday)

• The NYPL's archive of the legendary East Village Eye now available to the public (Tuesday) 

• 'Americans in Paris' at the new Grey Art Museum on Cooper Square (Friday) 

• Architectural sculpture digest: A look at some unique 'Houses and Hotels' at O’Flaherty's (Thursday)

• A familiar face returns to Key Food (Wednesday) 

• Coming attractions: The 'Kim's Video' documentary debuts at the Quad on April 5 (Thursday) 

• Full reveal at 14 Avenue C, where the team behind The Commodore is opening a new outpost (Monday)

• An update from G's Cheesesteaks, opening May 1 on Avenue B and Houston (Thursday) 

• This day on the Bowery in 2007 (Thursday) 

• Your faceless Charlie Brown mural update from 12th Street (Tuesday) 

• Boris & Horton reopens on Avenue A (Tuesday)

• Openings: Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday) ... Not as Bitter brings the fresh fruit lattes to 10th Street (Tuesday) 

• PLNT Burger closes its Union Square outpost (Monday) 

• Meet Belvedere, the Russian tortoise (Thursday) 

• Perk Espresso & Coffee Bar closes on 14th Street (Monday)

• Goodbye Dolly (Monday) 

• Awash in debt, Body Shop shuts down operations (Tuesday) 

... and a post we didn't get around to posting this past week... Starlight Convenience coming to 110 Third Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street... (bring back the Variety Theater!)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or X for more frequent updates and pics.

EVG Etc.: Another week for the Veselka documentary; a national championship for NYU women's hoops

St. Patrick's Day weekend outside McSorley's on 7th Street by Steven

• Police arrest a second suspect in the gang-war-related 2022 murders of LES salon owner Nikki Huang and East Village resident Jesse Parrilla (The Daily News ... previously on EVG) 

• Report shows that more New Yorkers are struggling to afford public transit (City Limits) 

• NYC can restrict shelter stays for adult migrants to a single 30-day placement, with extensions granted only under "extenuating circumstances," according to the terms of a new settlement (The City) 

• Wegmans denies the "frivolous" lawsuit by the owner of Osakana on St. Mark's Place (PIX 11) 

• No end in sight on the MTA construction project that has turned a two-block stretch of Forsyth Street between Delancey and Stanton into a — paraphrasing — shithole (Gothamist) 

• The Veselka documentary got another week at the Village East (theater site ... previously on EVG) 

• Check out all the programs and shows at La MaMa on 4th Street (official site)

• Congrats to NYU's undefeated women's basketball team, who won the Division III national championship! (Washington Square News)

• More praise for Foul Witch on Avenue A (stupidDOPE) 

• A map of the 22 restaurants that "define" the East Village (Eater) 

• Jamian Juliano-Villani, who owns O'Flaherty's on Avenue A, makes her debut solo exhibition with Gagosian this month (Ocula) ICYMI: The current exhibit at O'Flaherty's (EVG)

• The Forever Young film series features "insubordinate teenagers from around the globe" (Metrograph)

Sunday's opening shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A happy St. Patrick's Day to those who celebrate and/or enjoy moving the jointed arms on the decorations at Key Food.

[Updating] 2 people shot in Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Updated 3/19: Police sources, who did not have permission to speak on the record, told us that they have identified the alleged gunman and have photos and video of him circulating internally.

Updated 3/21: The same suspected gunman fired more shorts in Tompkins.

Updated 3/26: Police made an arrest in the shooting.

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A dispute in Tompkins Square Park turned violent this afternoon as a gunman fired 5-6 shots, striking two people, including an unintended target — a woman in town visiting her son who's running the NYC Half Marathon tomorrow, police said.

According to NYPD sources in the Park, a fight broke out outside the fence to the playground near Temperance Fountain. Two men were said to be hitting a third man. Police said the victim had a gun in a crossbody bag. He took 5-6 shots, striking two people. At least one, a 53-year-old woman visiting from Illinois, was an unintended victim, police said.

The woman was hit in the hip by a bullet and was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where she is expected to survive. Her son was at the scene looking for his mom before the NYPD transported him to the hospital. 

A 31-year-old man was hit in the buttocks. His injury was also not considered life-threatening. It's not immediately known if he was one of the men involved in the initial dispute.

The NYPD has blocked off the entrance on Avenue A at Ninth Street ... and put up crime scene tape, keeping people from heading in that direction from Temperance Fountain. Police were continuing to search for the shell casings.

A detective at the scene said the nearby cameras in Tompkins were not operating, so there wasn't any surveillance video from the shooting. 

The gunman is still at large as of 2:30 p.m.

The shots rang out just before 1 p.m., scattering parkgoers enjoying a sunny day in Tompkins.

A significant police presence remains.

Updated 5:18 p.m. 

Initially, we were told only a partial bullet fragment was found in the park but farther away from the scene and more toward the center of Tompkins ... however, evidence collection teams appear to have found additional material ... they were spotted removing it around 4:30 p.m. ...

Crime Stoppers is also seeking information on today's shooting...

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

Tompkins is now fully open, although some NCO officers may still be on patrol.

Saturday's opening shot

Three days until spring... sunrise from Peretz Square (First Avenue and Houston) this morning...

Friday's parting shot

Photo by William Klayer 

A new mural outside Performance Space New York on First Avenue at Ninth Street by Ellery Neon ... created for the 2024 Spring Gala happening TONIGHT...

'Judgment' day

 

Scream from New York, NY, the debut record from NYC's Been Stellar is out this June 4. 

Ahead of that release, they shared this single (and video!) for "Passing Judgment."