A look at the new home of the Boiler Room on 2nd Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Boiler Room opened several weeks ago in its new home at 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. 

After nearly 30 years in operation, the no-frills LGBTQ+ bar at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue closed this past April. Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. 

Fortunately, they found a space nearby, and we stopped by on Monday, just after the bar opened for the day.

Laney the bartender was on duty...

Amazingly, the space looks pretty much the same as the old Boiler Room location, only cleaner and without that 30-year-old bar aroma.

The downstairs space has yet to be opened, but they hope to have it in use soon for private parties and events.

The bar is open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with a 4 a.m. close on Thursdays through Saturday. Find them on Instagram here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

No Fork bringing Balkan-inspired sandwiches and pizza to Avenue A

Photo and tip by Steven

No Fork, a quick-serve sandwich shop located in the Bronx's Little Italy, is opening an East Village outpost. 

The owners of the three-plus-year-old business — best friends Artir Hyseni and Veton Sinani from Kosovo — announced in recent weeks that they will open a second location at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street this fall.

The house specialty is the "Famous No Fork Sandwich," which features layers of prosciutto, melted mozzarella and house-made sauce.

 

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They also serve a variety of sandwiches, pizza and Balkan-inspired dishes. (As the name implies, no forks are allowed to eat these items). Find a menu here. 

Javier Zuñiga and Jesse Merchant Zuñiga, owners of the previous tenant, Bad Habit, closed their ice cream shop in July to move to the West Coast to start a family.

Signage alert: Waiting on a Friend on Avenue A

Signage recently arrived for Waiting on a Friend, an establishment opening later next week at 206 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

A grand opening is set for Sept. 13. Per the invite: 

That new cocktail bar in the East Village is finally open & it's everything you wanted it to be. Waiting on Friend is emerging with the intention of creating a fun space for everyone and a guaranteed good time. 

The bar is the perfect go-to destination for all your nightlife needs — amazing cocktails, fun music for dancing, and living room-like lounge areas for catching up with friends. 

Waiting on a Friend is a strict 23+ venue. 

We're not sure who's behind the concept. There's still an active liquor license for the space, and public records list Adam Fulton, Kyle O'Brien and Gavin Moseley as the principals via Den Hospitality/Garret East. 

Garret East and Borrachito Taqueria & Spirits switched places inside 206 Avenue A in the summer of 2020. Borrachito went dark in January without any notice to patrons. 

And this is the second Waiting on a Friend to give the East Village a try. 

The first Waiting on a Friend opened at 132 First Ave. at St. Mark's Place in September 2018. It didn't last too long.

The bars are named for the song by the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You. The "Waiting on a Friend" video was shot on St. Mark's Place. 

 The 2024 Waiting on a Friend's Instagram account also references the video.

 

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Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

The last straw on Ninth Street and First Avenue...

Community-focused COZMOS calls it a day on 10th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After one year, COZMOS has come down to Earth and closed at 280 E. 10th St.

The shop-gallery-performance space just west of Avenue A was the brainchild of longtime friends Anton Relin (below left) and Vlad Makarkin, who aspired to showcase the offbeat and creative East Village spirit of yore.

There were art shows, sessions on tarot for beginners, Mongolian wellness, and a musical event with improvisational dance and an oboe recital, to name just a few of the events in recent months.

"I'm not sure there's much to say about the closure," Relin told us. "Vlad and I dreamt of having COZMOS neighborhood spaces in every community. Perhaps that will happen one day. As of now, we let the lease expire." 

He added: "Personally, I plan to remain in the neighborhood. There are at least a few events that I'd still like to organize, perhaps under the COZMOS name. I'll continue to engage with the community as I can. I want to express how thankful I am to the community for filling the space with life."

He named locals such as Dan and Rina Root, Edgar Oliver, Steven Hirsch, Jason Trucco, Bob Holman, Sara Galassini, and others who "filled our space with life and love."

"Contrary to what some may think, the artistic soul of the East Village is certainly still alive," Relin said. "I'm just hoping it will be healthy and happy for many years." 

Makarkin echoed his business partner's sentiments. 

"I 100% agree with Anton’s responses. Had we not opened COZMOS, we would've never gotten this glimpse of a very different, much more real, life," he said. "If there is anyone out there thinking about doing something like this, I can only say it was 100% worth it. I hope the COZMOS mission lives on."

Relin said he may continue to do pop-up events locally. You can keep an eye on the website or social media for updates. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A journey into the COZMOS on 10th Street

Inside the paint: A look at the color-coded multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy (top one via EVG) 

Updated 6 p.m. Still closed.

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Workers were racing to wrap up painting the multipurpose courts/TF in Tompkins Square Park last evening. 

One of the workers said they thought they'd be ready to unveil today, though it could have to wait until tomorrow. 

This space along Avenue A and 10th Street has been closed for repainting since Aug. 26. After the resurfacing last fall, the Parks Department added color to the asphalt, including a walking track on the perimeter and markings for the basketball hoops...

As previously noted, we'll see how everyone co-exists in this new configuration. The court has been a skating hotspot for decades.

Closings: Kuppi Coffee Company on St. Mark's Place

After nearly a year at 131 First Ave. (aka 82 St. Mark's Place), Kuppi Coffee Company has closed its doors. 

A small note on the door stated that Aug. 31 was their last day in service, and it thanked patrons. 

This was the second outpost for the Edgewater, N.J.-based Kuppi Coffee Company. (In 2018, Architectural Digest named Kuppi the "Most Beautiful Coffee Shop" in New Jersey, noting: "White-washed exposed-brick walls and hung flower boxes — brimming with greenery — bring the outdoors in at Kuppi Coffee Company ...") 

People seemed to like Kuppi here, though there are many nearby well-established coffee choices... including (but not limited to!) Porto Rico Importing Co., Abraço and Mud... plus 787 Coffee, Poetica Coffee, et al.

The previous tenant at the address, AO Bowl, closed in August 2022 after an off-and-on 18 months in business ... and blaming Sen. Schumer.

In 2019, workers gutted this single-level structure on this corner ... and divided the storefront into several retail spaces. The other tenant here is the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. 

The former occupant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after nearly 40 years in business.

A coffee window at Café Maud on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue

On the topic of coffee choices... several readers have noted that the newish Café Maud on the NE corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place has a to-go coffee window. 

They're serving coffee and espresso via LDV Imports starting at 8 a.m. 

The all-day cafe opened in June in a space that housed Dallas BBQ for several decades at 132 Second Ave.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Today, volunteers from the mutual aid group EVLovesNYC filled 300 backpacks with back-to-school supplies in the basement of the Elim House Of Worship on Avenue B and 12th Street. 

Tomorrow, they'll distribute the backpacks containing crayons, markers, paper, sticky notes, notebooks, etc., to families with school-aged kids in the NYC shelter system. 

The volunteer-run group's modest origins date back to spring 2020 when a handful of friends got together to prepare meals for neighbors from a small East Village apartment kitchen. Since then, they've prepared more than 500,000 meals for New Yorkers in need across the city.

huupe dreams

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The "smart basketball hoop" installed last Thursday in Tompkins Square Park is currently out of commission. 

"It's not broken. It needs to be hard-wired into the city's system," said a technician on the scene. "[It] may be back online tomorrow sometime and will then be good for 24/7."

A company called huupe is behind the technology that provides feedback on your game. Per the city: "Its waterproof backboard functions as a video screen, delivering expert training content, live TV, and interactive elements to enrich the playing experience." 

The high-tech hoop will be here until early October.

King Geronimo and his queen at Ruby/Dakota

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On Friday evening, King Geronimo and his queen stopped by Ruby/Dakota on Second Street to check out "East Village Date Night." 

The painting by Lee Smith depicts the couple familiar to anyone who passes by Avenue A and Sixth Street on a weekend night.

The two spent time hanging out with gallery owner Hannah Studnick...

"East Village Date Night" is part of Ruby/Dakota's inaugural show, "Home is You, Right Now," which closes Friday. 

You can check out the show that has caught the attention of New York's Jerry Saltz through Friday, when there's a closing reception Friday evening from 6-8.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Ruby/Dakota opens on 2nd Street: Gallery is a tribute to family legacy and personal healing

A walk across the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge

The new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge was opened to the public starting yesterday. 

So we decided to walk across the steel-tied arch bridge spanning a length of 209 feet over the FDR...

The bridge was manufactured in Italy, assembled at the project site, and then installed by crane in June.

After crossing the FDR, you continue down a long, winding walkway with high covered fencing on both sides... 

Finally you arrive at the new Ballfields 1 and 2, complete with a baseball-softball diamond and a soccer pitch all with permeable turf.

Aside from the fields, there is no way out here — you need to go back the way you came. Here's a diagram via the City Department of Design and Construction...

The bridge is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (So no night games!). Also, the new ballfields do not have any drinking fountains yet, so it's BYOW. There are several porta-potties nearby. 

The bridge does offer a glimpse of ongoing the billion-dollar-plus East Side Coastal Resiliency project. Workers are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges, a project the city says will be completed by the end of 2026.

Good heavens! A corner-market closure on 3rd Avenue

Heavenly Market & Deli has closed on the NE corner of Third Avenue at 11th Street after 10 years in business.

EVG reader Seth Treiman, who shared these photos, noted that management had recently removed equipment, leaving some on the curb and putting some in a truck...

Yelp confirms a permanent closure, and a look inside also offers some proof...

Ownership has reportedly opened Yorkville Market on York Avenue and East 88th Street. 

Heavenly Market & Deli opened in 2014 here in the retail space of NYU's Third Avenue North Dorm, taking over the storefront that housed Fern Cliff Deli.

Café at Atelier Jolie on Great Jones Street seeks beer-wine license

Eat Offbeat, the café in the back of Atelier Jolie on Great Jones Street, is seeking a beer-wine license for its business between the Bowery and Lafayette.

Reps for Atelier Jolie/Eat Offbeat will appear before Community Board 2 this evening. Here's a PDF of the questionnaire. 

The café, open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., serves coffee, pastries, and lighter fare. The organization, which hires refugees from around the globe, also has a Chelsea Market outpost. 

Eat Offbeat debuted in early December, right when we took these photos (they've added a table that seats 5-6 since these pics)...

We had a choice cup of Turkish coffee and a piece of baklava. The space is nice, though it's not designed for people to sit around for hours. We returned around the December holidays for another cup of Turkish coffee, and the café was full as word spread about its existence. 

The back of the ground-floor space was previously home to Bohemian, an invite-only Japanese restaurant that provided some snobby intrigue for food writers 10-plus years ago. 

Angelina Jolie opened Atelier Jolie here last December. The creative collective offers a platform for customers to collaborate with tailors, artisans, and designers. The two-level building has an atelier on the second floor and a retail outlet on the ground floor. 

The building is an art-world landmark that attracts new wheat pastes and stickers daily. Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked in the upper level of the carriage house from 1983 to the time of his death in 1988. Andy Warhol was a previous owner. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Angelina Jolie is creating a collaborative space for designers and artisans in Basquiat's former studio on Great Jones Street

Monday's parting shot

Daylight fades along Second Avenue... with St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery in the background...

The new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reopens today

Photo last week by William Klayer 

The new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge is back in service starting today. [Updated: We walked across it. Photos here.]

The city also announced that East River Park Ballfields 1 and 2 are now available for "permitted and open play." 

Also, notably: "The bridge will provide access to Ballfields 1 & 2 only, with no outlet to other areas of the park. Please note there is no water service on-site, so plan accordingly to bring your own supply."

The bridge is also only open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so there are no night games on those fields, which are surrounded by an active construction zone, as the map on the Community advisory below shows...

Crews installed the new bridge, one of the new access points for East River Park, overnight on June 8. (The previous bridge was removed in early 2022.) According to the City Department of Design and Construction, the 215-foot-long bridge weighs 125 tons (much larger than the previous one) and is fully ADA-accessible. 

It's nice to see a little progress, as nearly three years in, much of the 57.5-acre park looks like a barren wasteland — especially below the Williamsburg Bridge.

 

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The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been burying the park under fill and cutting down many trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus East Side Coastal Resiliency project. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. 

The city has said it will maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

You can find more updates and construction notices at this link.