Workers are removing an elm tree from Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Workers this morning are cutting down one of the grand elm trees in Tompkins Square Park.

This one, located behind the under-renovation field house, was said to be dead for the past 18-plus months...

We're coming up on the 1-year-anniversary of the renovations. 

The Parks Department website lists a September 2024 competition date for the $5.6-million project. The work is 61% complete, per the Parks website.

Thursday's opening shot

Workers are removing the last of the sidewalk bridge from around 316 Bowery (aka 4-6 Bleecker St.) ... providing a better view now of the Bad Brains mural. 

The corner retail space is apparently for rent after the J. Crew men's concept store shuttered late last year.

Wednesday's parting shot

Early evening in Tompkins Square Park...

A late-day look at the fire-damaged 131 Avenue A

Photos by Steven

A fire broke out early this morning at 131 Avenue A on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

According to ABC 7, five residents sustained minor injuries while vacating the six-floor building. 

Starbucks was open today for business in the retail spaces, while TabeTomo next door told us that they suffered “substantial damage.”

Next door, Bad Habit hope to be back open tomorrow...

As for the rest of the building, there is a Partial Vacate Order limited to two residences. 

Per the Department of Buildings: 

FIRE HAS CAUSED EXTENSIVE WATER, SMOKE AND FIRE DAMAGE IN APT#1, ALSO FIREFIGHTER OPERATIONS IN APT#7. WINDOWS AND WALLS HAVE BEEN REMOVED LEAVING STRUCTURES OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS. THESE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS HAVE THEREFORE RENDERED UNSAFE TO OCCUPY. VACATE APT #1 AND 7. EGRESS WAS NOT COMPROMISED. 

Firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from a unit, per ABC 7, though fire officials haven't stated that was officially the cause. Another resident mentioned talk of an "electric scooter explosion."

Report of an early morning fire at 131 Avenue A at St. Mark's Place

The FDNY responded to a report of a fire this morning on the second floor at 131 Avenue A, a six-floor building on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

According to the Citizen app, the FDNY received the call at 5:15 a.m. Firefighters were seen wrapping up by 6:15 a.m.

There weren't any reports of injuries. [Updated: ABC 7 reported five residents suffered minor injuries.] Several building residents were gathered with small bags and backpacks, surveying the FDNY at work. Some of them reported leaving their apartments via the fire escapes. 

While it's too early to determine the cause of the fire, firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from the second floor, per ABC 7. 

The building is home to several businesses, including Starbucks and TabeTomo. It's not immediately known how much damage they may have sustained.

A benefit concert for East Village musician Jesse Malin Friday night at Irving Plaza

The benefit show for East Village-based singer-songwriter and business owner Jesse Malin scheduled for Tompkins Square Park this Saturday will now occur Friday night at Irving Plaza. 

Malin made the announcement yesterday on Instagram, writing, "I can't thank these artists and people enough for doing this. It really means the world to me." 

The lineup features Gogol Bordello, Madball, Murphy's Law, The Capturers, War Orphan, and Crazy & The Brains. Concert-goers can donate at the box office to attend. (You can read more about his Sweet Relief fund at this link.) 

Malin, who has been undergoing rehabilitation, including daily physical therapy, was left paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a rare spinal stroke last May. 

Malin is a partner in several local establishments, including Niagara, 96 Tears and the Bowery Electric.

Irving Plaza is at 17 Irving Place at 15th Street.

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns to Tompkins Square Park this Aug. 25

Yesterday, the City Parks Foundation announced its SummerStage series lineup for 2024, which includes dozens of free and benefit concerts in neighborhood parks. 

Among the shows is the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, which will be held in Tompkins Square Park on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 3 to 7 p.m. 

Details on what to expect in Tompkins on that day... via the City Parks Foundation website... 

As part of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the newly minted (2023) Jazz Master Louis Hayes is joined by some of the more impressive talents in modern jazz. Hayes, a one-time member of McCoy Tyner's trio, has been leading bands since he was a teenager in 1950s Detroit, recorded with John Coltrane and Yusef Lateer, and did stints in quartets with Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley, as well as time with the Oscar Peterson Trio. 

He's supported by the 24-year-old Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, a Juilliard grad and rising star of Jazz at Lincoln Center; and Alexis Lombre, the Chicago-born pianist, vocalist, and composer whose 2017 debut Southside Sounds pays homage to her home’s artistic and cultural heritage. 

The bill also features a performance from SuperBlue, the collaboration between Kurt Elling — one of jazz's preeminent male vocalists — and Charlie Hunter, the guitar virtuoso who plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars that allow him to play bass lines, chords, and melodies simultaneously.

They're supported by the high-energy, horn-driven Brooklyn-based ensemble Huntertones. Multi-talented DJ and host of WBGO's podcast Milestones DJ KulturedChild aka Angelika Beener is on the ones and twos.

The festival, which started in Tompkins Square Park in 1993, holds a significant place in the jazz community. It takes place near or on Parker's birthday on Aug. 29. Additional dates were added in Harlem in 2000, further expanding its reach. 

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-1954. That residential building between Ninth Street and 10th Street is landmarked.    

Closing notices: J-Spec Wagyu Dining and Esora Omakase on 5th Street

Photo from October 2020 by Jacob Ford 

The owners of J-Spec Wagyu Dining and Esora Omakase have announced that they are closing the 44-seat restaurant at 239 E. Fifth St. at the end of April. 

Here's part of an email they sent out last evening (thanks to the EVG reader for the tip)...

Regrettably, after careful consideration, we have come to the difficult conclusion that we will be closing our restaurant at the end of this month. This decision was not made lightly and comes after much reflection on various factors, BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE GONE FOREVER. 

We want to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support over the years. It has been our utmost pleasure to serve you, and we are truly grateful for the memories and experiences we have shared together.

As we approach the closing date, we will provide you with further details regarding any upcoming events, possible transition arrangements, and how we plan to bid farewell. 

While we embark on this new chapter, we will continue to strive to provide you with the best service possible until our last day of operation. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. 

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your patronage and loyalty throughout the years. It has been an honor to serve you, and we will cherish the memories we've made together. 

J-Spec, an abbreviation for "Japan-Specification," opened here between Second Avenue and Cooper Square in November 2020 ... taking over part of the former Jewel Bako space. 

 Tomoe Food Services Inc., a Waygu supplier, owns and operates the restaurant. 

A smoke and vape shop for the former Gaia Italian Café on 3rd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

A smoke shop recently debuted at 226 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C ... serving a variety of pre-rolls, edibles and other smoking-related products...

For every unlicensed shop that closes, another one seems to pop up in the neighborhood. (A new one recently opened on Avenue C between 11th Street and 12th Street.) 

No. 226 was previously home to Gaia Italian Café.

Tuesday's parting shots

Photos by Steven 

Bird watchers have enjoyed keeping tabs on a Blue Grosbeak in the neighborhood this past week...

Per All About Birds:

A large, vibrantly blue bunting with an enormous silver bill and chestnut wingbars, the male Blue Grosbeak sings a rich, warbling song from trees and roadside wires. 

This Blue Grosbeak is a little outside his usual hang-out zone (New Jersey is usually as close as they get)...

At NYU, 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' leads to arrests of over 150 people

Photos yesterday by Daniel Efram 

According to published reports, the NYPD arrested some 150 people last night at the site of the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" that a few dozen NYU students set up early yesterday morning at Gould Plaza on the school's main campus.

The numbers at the encampment grew to several hundred during the day. 

As the Associated Press reported: "The school said it warned the crowd to leave, then called in the police after the scene became disorderly and the university said it learned of reports of 'intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents.'" 

Officers in riot gear began making arrests around 8:30 p.m., per media accounts and bystanders. 

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry posted this statement to X...

Earlier today, the NYPD received the attached letter from NYU — detailing a request to clear Gould Plaza of individuals who were refusing to comply with repeated requests to disperse. They were described as “interfering with the safety and security of our community.” Our… pic.twitter.com/oA758efW74

— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) April 23, 2024

EVG regular Daniel Efram shared these photos from last evening...

Those arrested included students and faculty. 

"It's a really outrageous crackdown by the university to allow the police to arrest students on our own campus,” NYU law student Byul Yoon told the AP. "Antisemitism is never ok. That's absolutely not what we stand for and that's why there are so many Jewish comrades that are here with us today." 

NYU's independent student newspaper, Washington Square News, reported that after the arrests, some 100 people protested outside 1 Police Plaza.

Read more of their coverage here. 

Meanwhile, at Columbia, the university's campus "has become the epicenter of the unrest in the U.S.," per Axios.

The untold story of Snack Dragon's attempted East Village comeback

Top photo and interview by Stacie Joy

Josephine Jansen, who has lived in the East Village since 1988, embarked on her culinary journey with the inception of Snack Dragon at Ben's Deli, 32 Avenue B, in 2004. Following a year of perfecting her recipes, she relocated just around the corner to 199 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, where Kolkata Chai currently operates. 

However, this chapter ended when the space closed its doors in 2015, thanks to a rent hike imposed by landlord Steve Croman (colloquially called "Cromanated").

Despite the setback, Jansen harbored ambitions of reintroducing Snack Dragon in a new format, this time housed within a camper van. However, regulatory challenges with the city thwarted her plans. 

She shares the untold story behind these endeavors and the obstacles encountered here.

What is the history of Snack Dragon, and when did the Third Street space open/close? 

The Snack Dragon concept came about when Ben's Deli had an empty juice kiosk. I told Ben he should sell soup out of there, and he said you should sell soup out of there. 

I had been having taco parties back then, and my dog Loopy's nickname was Snack Dragon; thus, the concert was born. I operated out of there for a year and a half. Many stories to tell from that era and many sagas with Task Force One, the harebrained scheme to take restaurants to a new brand of hell by visiting them/me with all government agencies at once! 

I can't speak for the neighborhood, but I can say so many of us miss Snack Dragon! Can you tell me your plans for the new mobile Snack Dragon van and how the idea came about? 

Thank you. I miss it too! I miss my employees, the energy, the customers…I mean, it was a lot of work. The city is not easy to deal with, but yeah, after the demise of Third Street: Quadruple rent after 10 years, and also Orchard Street (tortious eviction) I was crushed. I didn’t really write it into my business plan that landlords didn’t give a fuck. 

Just to be clear, the 1975 Dodge Diamond Class C Camper that I renovated was to be an indoor sit-down restaurant with a kitchen and was not a food truck per se with food going out a window, although that was an option. It was meant to be like a room where people would come in and order food and drink, etc. It had a dining room for eight and a kitchen, so I was going to bring it into the East Village to see how it would work. Turn on the music—and make food—and margaritas. 

From the beginning, Snack Dragon was always kind of an art project that served food. It was an experiment that happily worked. After things fell apart in NYC, I opened a restaurant down in the Virgin Islands on St. John that, crazy as it sounds, was destroyed by Hurricane Irma. The whole island was crushed. 

I returned to New York and tried to start all kinds of options, but I found this camper in Maine, where I was a chef. It had these wraparound windows in the back, and I just thought it would be so cool to have a communal dining room and a small, efficient kitchen. 

I was also planning on having private dinner parties with high-end Mexican food. Most of the renovation occurred during the COVID lockdown; you couldn’t expect folk to cozy into a camper then, so I had to wait it out. It was ready to launch last May.

And what happened to the vehicle? Can you walk us through the timeline of what occurred? 

On May 24, 2023, at 6 a.m., on the Valentino Pier in Red Hook, my 1975 Dodge Diamond Camper was towed away by the Sanitation Department. It was supposedly destroyed within 24 hours. There were no stickers or tagging on the vehicle at all. 

I had a friend who was staying in and watching my camper and who was there telling them who the owner was. The tow truck driver yelled out an address, which was written down incorrectly. My search for the camper ensued for three days until I finally reached the Sanitation Department and was told that it had been destroyed the previous day. They did not have my vehicle identification number (VIN) on record. 

The VIN for a 1975 Class C camper is only eight digits long, so they argued that it wasn’t a valid number. Going by the description, a DSNY employee said that my camper was, in fact, destroyed. When I finally drove out to 803 Forbell St. [Department of Sanitation lot], I was again told it was destroyed, and they gave me a claim form and sent me on my way. 

I was sobbing, and one of the workers laughed at me. My vehicle did not fit the protocol for destruction. It had no dents in it and was in remarkable shape. Also it had brand new signs saying do not trespass facing outwards. There was no evidence that it was abandoned or derelict. 

Vehicles must be legally embellished with stickers and fluorescent crayon three days before towing. Inside the camper were $3,000-plus value in tools and $2,000 worth of cooking and kitchen appliances, and at least $1,000 worth of camping equipment. 

I personally remodeled every square inch of the inside of the camper while keeping the outside modest. As an artist, I am also a relational aesthetician. The camper was much more than just a food business.

Is there any hope for the truck? Do you have plans to create a new taco truck? What’s next? Any possibilities of opening a new Snack Dragon close by? 

Right now, I am gearing up for a case in Federal Court, as my constitutional rights to due process were not only violated but also not even considered. My burden of proof lies in proving that, along with lost property and emotional distress, I need to prove a loss of income. 

It will be difficult to prove since I have only had parties to test the camper's functionality. I have only my previous businesses and my fans to attest that this, indeed, would have been a success. I hope the damages I receive will help me find a way for Snack Dragon to open again in the East Village.

I recently bought a Shasta 1972 Starflyte trailer camper, which is parked upstate. But the city doesn't take kindly to campers of any kind. So, I'm trying to work out what is viable. 

Josephine is looking for photos of the old Snack Dragon space and asks that people reach out via Instagram. Camper photos courtesy of Josephine.

Dan & John's has closed its original East Village location after 9 years

Thanks to @410E9th for the initial tip and top photo

2nd photo by Steven

Dan & John's Wings has closed its first location, 135 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Sunday was the last day in service here. 

Management said they couldn't come to terms with the landlord on rent for a new lease. 

Dan & John's opened on First Avenue in October 2015... and expanded the space to include a dining room in May 2018. 

Friends Dan Borowski and John Henninger started their business in 2013 at Smorgasburg using recipes they learned working in bars and pizzerias in their native Buffalo.

Dan & John's outposts remain open in Murray Hill, Chelsea and the Dekalb Market Hall in downtown Brooklyn.

Monday's parting shot

The redbud tree blooming inside Albert's Garden, the 50-plus-year-old oasis on Second Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue. 

Learn more about the community garden here.

Noted

As seen on Second Street today (TY @Back2thesutures for the pic!)... No sign of a three-wheeled car at the moment. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• So that tire clamp on Avenue A got the boot

Police searching for suspect in unprovoked daytime stabbing on 7th Street on April 9

Top photo via an EVG reader on April 9

The NYPD is looking for a suspect they say stabbed a 66-year-old man in the back in an unprovoked attack on April 9 outside 150 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Police say the stabbing occurred just before 11 a.m. 

The victim, who sustained a cut to his back, was taken by EMTs to NYC Health + Hospital/Bellevue and is in stable condition, per 1010 WINS. (CBS New York has a report here.) 

-- Updated 7 p.m. --

ABC 7 has an interview with the man who was stabbed, Arnaldo Mendinueta.

"Mendinueta said he has been in and out of prison, working with his parole officer to get his life back on track, and wonders if the suspect is someone from his past, trying to settle a score."

--

The NYPD released an image of the suspect last night...

🚨WANTED-ROBBERY: On 4/9/24 at approx. 10:52AM, at 150 E 7th St @NYPD9PCT Manhattan. The suspect stabbed a 66-yr-old male victim in the back, unprovoked. Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS or anonymously post a tip on our website https://t.co/TRPPY5zHV2 Reward UP to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/DFE2W4HsBy

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 22, 2024

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. 

Violet times: An Earth Day look at the wisteria on Stuyvesant Street

Photos are coming in (thanks to Steven for the above shot) showing that the wisteria is coming in nicely this spring outside 35 Stuyvesant St. at 10th Street. 

Neighbor Harold Appel shared the shot below and noted: "I am happy to report that the wisteria is back on Stuyvesant Street. It seems that the dramatic pruning done last year actually reinvigorated the vine."

Also, the home remains for sale here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• This photogenic East Village wisteria now has its own jigsaw puzzle

Openings: Pizza Pazzo on 1st Street

There's a new pizza option on First Street.

Pizza Pazzo is now open at 70 E. First St. here between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

The shop, with a few seats for dining in, offers a variety of slices, starting at $3, whole pies and pasta dishes. Find the pizzeria's website here.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an 11 p.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays.

Let us know if you try it!

The small storefront was previously part of Pinky's Space. Cafe La Fe is also at the address next door. 

So long to the longtime sidewalk bridge on 12th Street, and hello to SMØR Bakery

Back on Friday, workers removed the sidewalk bridge from outside 437 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Per an EVG reader who shared these photos: "The infamous pre-pandemic scaffolding, (whew) finally came down. Thanks to all the residents who endured and requested removal via 'the city inspectors' given the job had been finished last fall. Happy Spring!" 

With this, SMØR Bakery now enjoys an unobstructed façade for the first time in its lifespan since opening in August 2022...

A retail reset at 20 St. Mark's Place

The retail reset is complete at 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ...

The MG Artistic Hair Salon opened in the upper space at the beginning of April. The brand has several NYC outlets as well as one in Boston and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 

As previously reported, Manhattan Pawffice, a sibling to Brooklyn Pawffice out in Williamsburg, opened in the lower level last fall. 

We spent a lot of time in both retail spaces in years past. Sounds closed upstairs in October 2015 after 36 years in business. This was the last record shop on St. Mark's Place. 

And downstairs, the Grassroots Tavern closed following New Year's Eve 2017 after 42 years in service. 

In January 2016, Klosed Properties bought the landmarked 20 St. Mark's Place from Jim Stratton, who was also the majority owner of the Grassroots. At that time, a source said that the bar had a lease for the next five years, with an option after that for renewal. According to public records, Klosed Properties paid about $5.6 million for the building.

Stratton told Bedford + Bowery that the rent had just become too high. "We were not forced out by any means, it would just have required a radical change for the business and the way we operate. We basically decided we had to throw in the towel." (Several GR regulars wondered why Stratton, as the seller of the building, didn't negotiate a favorable lease for his bar.)

In the past six years, at least two potential tenants were going to take space here, including this pub concept that signed a lease, but nothing materialized until last fall.

No. 20, 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 the subterranean space that the Grassroots had included 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, per Daytonian in Manhattan.

Top photo by Steven