Photo by Derek Berg
As seen this morning on Second Avenue at Seventh Street... and just three months since Christmas Eve. There's a lot of green left in that tree (at last it looks that way on a laptop).
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Purple reign: Marking Holy Week at Most Holy Redeemer
Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy
We mentioned a few weeks ago that Most Holy Redeemer/Nativity Parish on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B could change the color of the clock faces on the recently restored bell tower.
The clocks were green for Saint Patrick's novena, but now they are a shade of violet-purple to mark Passion Week, aka Holy Week, which marks the observance between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. (H/T Matthew 27: 1-62, and Mark 15: 1-47.)
In other Most Holy Redeemer news, the church's historical bells are now used for the hourly chime. You will only hear the carillon bells for hymns and the noon/6 p.m. ringing.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Openings: Bungalow on 1st Avenue
Interior photo by Stacie Joy
Several readers have noted the grand entryway to the Indian restaurant run by Vikas Khanna, host and judge of "MasterChef India," and restaurateur Jimmy Rizvi of Bombay House hospitality group. (Khanna opened Junoon on West 24th Street in 2009 and earned a Michelin star in 2011.)
In an Instagram post, Khanna said March 23 would have been his sister Radhika's 50th birthday. "We open Bungalow on the auspicious day as a tribute to her life and also to honor millions of kitchens, chefs, cook book writers, street vendors, home cooks across India — and most importantly to our MOTHERS who have nurtured our souls forever."
Bungalow has received a lot of pre-opening press... You can read more about the place in the Times, WWD, or Vogue India, among other outlets. (Restaurant website here.)
As we've noted, two addresses — 24 First Ave. and its property mate 99-101 E. Second St. — were demolished several years ago to make room for the new residential building here called the 101 Condominium.
No. 24 's previous occupants included the cabaret Lucky Cheng's (1993-2012).
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Saturday's parting shot
We bought tickets to see the psychological thriller a few weeks back and have talked about certain plot points ever since.
Congrats to the playwright (and NYC native), Max Wolf Friedlich, for the twists and turns and the two-person cast, Sydney Lemmon and Peter Friedman.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Entering week No. 5 for the Veselka documentary at Village East by Angelika
The film is now in its fifth week here, with daily screenings scheduled through Thursday.
The screening tonight (6:30) and tomorrow (3 p.m.) includes a Q&A afterward (tickets here) ... and there are other incentives (as seen below)...
See @VeselkaMovie tonight thru Sunday (3/22-3/24) at the Village East (@AngelikaFilm_NY) and enjoy filmmaker Q&As after. Then…FREE dessert at @veselkanyc with @VeselkaMovie ticket stub. And free Veselka Musette Bag given out in-theater after the Q&As (one bag per ticket)! pic.twitter.com/yidxIOKyD1
— “Veselka” Documentary (2024) (@VeselkaMovie) March 22, 2024
Saturday's opening shot
Friday, March 22, 2024
Friday's parting shot
Photo by Derek Berg
The Frank Booth/"Blue Velvet" hoodie on St. Mark's Place... What kind of beer do you like?
The 'Quiet' life
Brooklyn-based band Razor Braids has a new album (Big Wave) coming out on June 7... the video here is for the single "It Goes Quiet."
Behold 57 Great Jones St. in small scale
Photo by Stacie Joy
Here's miniature/diorama artist Danny Cortes with one of his most recent works — an incredibly detailed 57 Great Jones St. ... including some of the tags and wheat pastes that adorned the façade. (No, there isn't a pink version of this!)
The address is currently Atelier Jolie ... Andy Warhol once owned the building between the Bowery and Lafayette ... and Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked here from 1983 to his death in 1988.
The building, erected in the 1860s, was also once the headquarters of gangster Paul Kelly. Read more about the space's history at Village Preservation.
Milling about Avenue A
Updated 3/23: With the rain, the milling got pushed to Tuesday evening, per the DOT website.
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Work began last night between Houston/First Street and Fourth Street, and per the Department of Transportation schedule, it is expected to continue this March Madness Friday night (we have Longwood upsetting Houston) up to 10th Street.
Thankfully, the work was all done very quietly, and no one heard a thing.
Friday's opening shot
Also, Easter is next weekend.
The bunny art outside David's Cafe by @poieverywhere was completed this past November...
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Same gunman suspected in shooting today in Tompkins Square Park, police say
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Updated 3/26: Police made an arrest in the shooting.
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No injuries were reported after a gunman opened fire early this afternoon near the chess tables at the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park, police said
NYPD sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said there were five to seven shots fired, with a bullet penetrating a window above Niagara across the street.
Police said the suspect, described as a Black male wearing a ski mask and dark clothing, was the same shooter who fired shots that struck two innocent bystanders this past Saturday.
"It's a beef," per a police source.
The suspect reportedly fled on a Citi Bike. 
"We're not going to stop until we get him," a police official told us.
The official said that they were "confident in the direction this investigation is going. The detectives here are world-class and won't rest until the job's completed."
"We already had increased patrol at the park, including when the shooting happened," the official said.
This Saturday, master the craft of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs
Attendees use dyes, beeswax, and a stylus (all provided) to decorate the eggs with traditional Ukrainian designs. You get to keep what you make.
The event, which will last from noon to 5 p.m., will be held at the Ukrainian National Home, second floor, 140 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.
Details are on the above flyer. All the proceeds will go toward humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Bella McFadden bringing her iGirl brand to the East Village
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
An online vintage clothing sensation is making the East Village home to her first storefront.
Bella McFadden, aka Internet Girl, will open her shop later this spring at 150 E. Third St. just east of Avenue A (the former home of East Village Buyers, who moved to the avenue).
Starting in her teens, McFadden, now 28, was an avid thrifter and eventually became the first-ever seller to earn more than $1 million on the Depop app. She later launched her own website for her iGirl brand, "inspired by Y2K emo culture, mall goths and punk subculture."
This past September, McFadden, originally from Canada, moved to the East Village. She only looked to open a store in her new neighborhood, noting the space was in her budget. She signed an 18-month lease.
"It's my first time with a storefront, so I wanted to test the waters and not sign a long-term lease," McFadden said.
The store will also be called iGirl, selling McFadden's designs, jewelry, and apparel for her target audience, which includes "high school and college fans, teens to early 30s." McFadden, who has a sizable social media following (TikTok, YouTube, et al.), also plans to drop a few exclusive designs that are only available in-store and not online.
She hopes to open by the end of April or early May.
"I feel this is a really safe space for a Tumblr girl," said McFadden, who started using the platform in the 10th grade. "My haven and my roots, a place for those girls to connect and unite."
You can find updates on iGirl via Instagram.
Peak-a-boooo: Partial reveal at 1 St. Mark's Place
The new development at 1 St. Mark's Place has been shrouded in that tarp in recent months.
Perhaps we shall see the full thing soon — the rendering lists a July 2024 completion date, providing 50,000-plus square feet of office space and some 8,000 square feet for retail.
As a reminder of the final product... (via Morris Adjmi Architects)...
Openings: Sauced on 2nd Avenue
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The Manhattan outpost of Sauced is now in soft-open mode at 47 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. (Don't be confused: the front window still has the previous tenant's name, New York Adorned, the tattoo and piercing shop.)
Like the original location in Williamsburg, Sauced does not have a wine list ... and they are available "by discussion." ...
Co-owner Vincent Marino provided a brief tour of the space, including a backroom available for private events...
He introduced me to chef Quentin Peron, who oversees a small, ever-changing menu of small plates. (On this visit, they served mushroom pate, a bellota plate, and a cheese/charcuterie board, among other items.)
Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight
Friday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturday, 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday, 3 p.m. to midnight.
You can find updates on the Sauced Instagram account.
And Sauced will eventually have a new next-door neighbor once the Boiler Room moves here from Fourth Street.
Openings: Terminal B on Avenue B
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Terminal B is now in soft-open mode at 21-23 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street.
We had seen the signage but weren't sure what to expect from the LaGuardia Airport-sounding name. It turns out that Terminal B is a convenience store with Asian-themed products...
Pictured here are staffers Angel Chow and Edward Wong. (Owner Judy Zhu had stepped out...)
They'll eventually offer some to-go items, including coffee, tea and matcha.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Noted
Photo last night by Stacie Joy
A noticeable absence on Fifth Street — workers removed the sidewalk bridge from outside the 9th Precinct between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
It has been there since... late 2019? 2020?
However, we heard a new one may be back here with a new contract/company. So enjoy while you can!
Thanks to all the readers who shared photos of this!
These zine editors want your rat stories ('Don't call us gross')
Photo and interview by Stacie Joy
Signs around the neighborhood started appearing over the weekend, seeking stories about memorable encounters with rats in NYC.
A rat zine?
Curious, I contacted the folks behind the flyers. The two friends, a current and past (now in Williamsburg) East Village resident, wish to remain anonymous for now but agreed to discuss the project.
So, how did this rat zine project get started?
The project was born from a deep fascination with — and admiration for — New York City's most hated inhabitants. Independently, we both had spent the last few years taking photos of dead rats crushed into the city's pavement. After discovering this shared hobby recently, we decided to make a zine.
In the process of doing that, we decided it'd be fun to supplement our images with true stories of rat encounters sourced from our neighbors. Over the last few days, we've been putting up flyers asking for submissions. Emails started flowing in immediately, both harrowing and kind of touching. People stopped us on the street to tell us about their favorite rat interactions, which is a cool way to meet strangers.
Why make a rat zine?
Not to be too high-minded about a rat zine, but it really feels like the city is just teeming with untold rodent stories. Living in close proximity to these animals, who are nearly indomitable and cunning and heavily dependent on our inability to clean up after ourselves, is a big part of the collective New York experience.
The inter-species arrangement is that we generally aim to avoid each other. When that social order breaks down, a good story often follows.
How can people get involved? What sort of material are you looking for?
Anyone interested in sharing a particularly memorable rat episode should send us an email in the next few weeks. We like straightforward stories, but we're also open to other formats — if you're moved to translate your rat tale into a haiku, an illustration or a short play, by all means, go ahead.
It's fun, and it's not gross. Don’t call us gross. Tell us your best rat stories!
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Want to contribute? Send your rodent-related comics, poems, true stories, and songs to newyorkrathole (newyorkrathole@gmail.com). It's old-school print media only: signs and a printed zine. There is no social media, although they concede there "may be an Instagram in the future."
Another pink-out at 57 Great Jones St.
Photos by Lola Sáenz
Once again, someone slapped the exterior of 57 Great Jones St. with pink paint and once again rolled out the commemorative plaque for one-time resident Jean-Michel Basquiat...
This happened late last summer here between the Bowery and Lafayette. (We've been told the person who did this is obsessed with Basquiat, who lived and worked in the building once owned by Andy Warhol from 1983 to his death in 1988.)
Angelina Jolie opened Atelier Jolie here late last year... the space includes a cafe operated by Eat Offbeat featuring food "from around the world made by refugee chefs in NYC." (Try the baklava!)
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