Noted

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A flyer on Avenue A for new East Villagers — noting "gentrification guilt" — and encouragement to attend the 38th annual Loisaida Festival tomorrow (Sunday!) along Avenue C.

The notice, which isn't part of any official Loisaida Festival signage, states: "We'll be there surveying our locals for knowledge to aid our anti-gentrification efforts... and serving lemonade."

'Assholes breaking windows'

An EVG tipster shared three photos this morning (in an email with "Assholes breaking windows" as the subject line)... three businesses on the east side of Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street had their windows vandalized overnight...

It did not appear that the establisments, Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar, Pangea and Cacio e Pepe, were burglarized

The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts continues this weekend at Theater for the New City

The Theater for the New City's 30th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts continues today and tomorrow with free performances. 

Per the EVG inbox:

Theater for the New City has scheduled over 200 performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers and filmmakers for its 30th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.

Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Indoor performances will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight daily, utilizing two of TNC's four theaters. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, vendors and food sellers, including booths from nearby restaurants, will set up in the closed-off block of 10th Street between First and Second Avenues. 

Find more info at this link. 

TNC is also presenting a group art exhibit (through July 13) titled "We Will Not Be Silent — Speak up For Democracy." Find the gallery guide here.

Friday's parting shot

Crossing Houston at Orchard this evening...

All or 'Nothing'

Sunflower Bean is back with the trio's fourth full-length release, Mortal Primetime. 

The video here is for the single "Nothing Romantic." 

The band is now touring in support of the new record. (Last night was the official release show out at Warsaw.) 

P.S.

As we've mentioned, bassist-vocalist Julia Cumming was born and raised in the neighborhood.

Skim City: ATM at Avenue B Duane Reade hiding a high-tech heist

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

First of all, yes — that was the Secret Service at the Duane Reade/Walgreens on Avenue B and Second Street this morning.

The Secret Service was part of a multi-agency investigation after a skimming device was discovered in the store's Citi ATM ... part of an ongoing federal investigation into fraud known as Operation Flagship. 

The device — a slim, nearly invisible metal bar with a pinhole camera — was attached to the right-hand side of the ATM and designed to steal card information and PIN codes, which are then sold on the dark web. 

Law enforcement officials on the scene showed me the skimmer but requested that it not be photographed or touched as the device is part of an active investigation.

According to investigators, these skimmers are frequently found in lower-income neighborhoods and areas where EBT cards are commonly used. 

The agencies involved in the operation included the U.S. Secret Service, the USSS Police and Criminal Investigation Division, and the NYPD Task Force. While the Secret Service is known primarily for presidential protection, it also investigates complex financial crimes, including fraud. 

Despite the presence of multiple law enforcement agencies, operations inside Walgreens appeared to continue as usual, with staff largely unfazed. 

Also, no one ran out of the store with a 12-pack of Budweiser while this investigation took place.

Sunday marks the 38th edition of the Loisaida Festival

The 38th annual Loisaida Festival is happening on Sunday, May 25, from noon to 5 p.m. 

Per organizers: 

On Loisaida Avenue, culture isn't just celebrated — it's lived. The festival becomes a reunion for neighbors, friends, and families who gather to dance, laugh, and remember what it means to belong. It's a Puerto Rican celebration that wraps the whole community in music, memory, and that undeniable feeling of home. 

The year's festival also honors Marlis Momber, the longtime Lower East Side documentarian and activist who passed away on April 1 after a battle with cancer. 

The event, which unfolds along Avenue C-Loisaida Avenue between Fifth Street and 12th Street, includes more than 50 artisans and 10 food vendors. 

There's also a slate of bands and musicians on the main stage and elsewhere on the festival grounds. Visit this link for details.

Festival poster created by Ana Teresa Rodríguez and María Domínguez.

Thursday in the rain in Tompkins

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A lousy day out in general... but that didn't stop the live show from going on in Tompkins Square Park. 

We had the chance to see Nonequator, just one of the bands scheduled to play...

Thanks to Mitch for putting on the show!

More shows are scheduled in the days ahead, tomorrow and Saturday.

Saturday's event is Drew Stone's NYHC show with Sonic Bomb, End of Hope, Butterbrain, NonResidents and Rebelmatic.

Park access shifts again: What's open and closed in East River Park starting Memorial Day as construction moves to the north

Demolition work at East River Park is moving north. 

Starting Tuesday, the East 10th Street pedestrian bridge will close, along with the adjacent playground, BBQ area, and basketball courts — marking the next phase of park shutdowns tied to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project. 

In addition, the northern esplanade with access to Stuyvesant Cove Park (through 18th Street) will be shut down. Officials offered no alternative route. (Photos below by Robert Miner.)

Here's the community advisory on these closures ...

Field 6 will remain open until July 1... and by the end of the summer, the track located off of the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge will shut down, at which point the complete north end of East River Park will be shuttered. When this takes place, East Village-based park-goers must head south to access any East River Park amenities.

This PDF provides more background on the timing. 

However, with the closures, several refurbished East River Park areas around the Williamsburg Bridge will reopen on Memorial Day, including the south tennis courts. 

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

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 hundreds of trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus ESCR. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges.

Restaurant space at 88 2nd Ave. hits the market after 4 years of turnover

The restaurant space on the NE corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street is now on the rental market, ending a four-year run of sometimes-open concepts since the fall of 2021. The for-lease sign via Compass arrived yesterday. (We didn't spot the listing online.)

At 88 Second Ave, the diner Kitchen Sink went dark in the summer of 2021... and ownership later transformed the space into a Greek restaurant called Eros... which quietly closed in August 2022 ... to later emerge as Sunflower East Village, which closed for a "restructure" four months later. This sister cafe to the one on Third Avenue in Gramercy Park never reopened. 

Now someone else will have a shot of making something work in this prime EV space...

The Juicy Lucy kiosk reopens on 1st and 1st for the season

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Another sign of spring: The Juicy Lucy kiosk is now open on the NW corner of First Avenue and First Street.

We spotted local artist Antony Zito helping owner René Henricks freshen up the space ("a rainbow refresher day") earlier this week.

The kiosk, which has been here since 1996, is open Thursday through Monday — "if the sun is shining." (Unfortunately, today's weather doesn't look so good.)

The outpost at 85 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, with a 9 a.m. start on the weekend.

A new campaign stop on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Andrea Gordillo is the latest City Council District 2 candidate to temporarily lease an East Village storefront to serve as a campaign headquarters.

In March, we noted that Sarah Batchu and Harvey Epstein rented spaces on Avenue B. 

Gordillo is renting Lori McLean's former custom jewelry shop at 207 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street while the landlord searches for a full-time tenant. (McLean decided to retire from running a storefront after two decades.) 

I stopped by as Gordillo and her team opened the space to the public. 

"This storefront will serve as more than just a headquarters — it'll be a community center and welcoming space for neighbors and visitors through Election Day," Gordillo said. "We're proud to root our organizing in the heart of the East Village."

Here are the Democratic candidates for the District 2 seat (Carlina Rivera has been term-limited) ... their names are linked to the candidate's campaign website: 

• Sarah Batchu

• Harvey Epstein 

• Andrea Gordillo 

• Allie Ryan 

• Anthony Weiner 

The primaries take place on June 24. Early voting starts on June 14.

A Sweetgreen for the Lower East Side

LES residents worried about a bar opening in the large storefront on the SW corner of Orchard and Stanton can relax. 

Coming-soon signage for a Sweetgreen outpost is up now at 167 Orchard St. in the heart of Hell Square. (Thanks to EVG reader Seth for the tip!)

The space below the Slipper Room last housed Smashed, the burger joint that shut down here a year ago.

As for Sweetgreen, this marks the third location of the fast-casual brand in the area... with one at the Bowery and Third Street and another on Astor Place.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy

From last evening on the Bowery: East Village-based singer-songwriter Jesse Malin with acclaimed rock 'n' roll photographer Bob Gruen. 

Our previous post has more on Malin, including his upcoming new show, "Silver Manhattan: A Musical Guide to Survival."

First look at the 'Caught Stealing' trailer, filmed partly in the East Village last fall

Photo via Sony Pictures 

Today, Sony dropped the first "Caught Stealing" trailer. 

The black comedy-crime thriller from Darren Aronofsky (based on Charlie Huston's novel) is set (in part) in the late 1990s East Village. 

Austin Butler, playing an East Village bartender, stars alongside Bad Bunny, Zoë Kravitz, Griffin Dunne, Matt Smith, Regina King, Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio, among others. 

"Caught Stealing," set to hit theaters on Aug. 29, was filmed throughout the neighborhood this past fall.

Check out the trailer below... (you'll catch a glimpse of the Kim's Video set)...

   

The official plot: 

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a high-school baseball phenom who can't play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He's got a great girl (Zoë Kravitz), tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant. 

When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he's got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out…

Housing lottery winding down for units at the all-new 280 E. Houston St., aka The Houston

A few things about The Houston, the new 12-story mixed-use building at 280 E. Houston St. on the north side between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

1) Yes, it seems enormous, given that the lot was previously a one-level strip of storefronts and a gas station decades before that... photo below from 2016...

2) Several readers pointed out that workers have removed most of the sidewalk bridge. 

3) In case you missed our post from March 31: The application process is winding down (deadline Tuesday, May 27!) for one of the 49 "affordable" apartments.

Households that earn $33,909 to $218,010 are eligible to apply for one of the units. The apartments are designated for New Yorkers earning between 40% and 130% of the area median income (AMI), which varies based on household size. Studio rents start at $989. One-bedroom and two-bedroom units are also available. 

A percentage of units are set aside for: 

• Residents who live within the confines of Community Board 3 (20%)

• Residents with mobility issues (5%) 

• Residents who are city employees (5%) 

• Residents with vision/hearing needs (2%) 

Find more details and apply here. (Be sure to read the fine print, such as do NOT submit multiple applications or apply online AND via U.S. mail.)

4) We recently received some marketing info for the property whose plywood slogan is "live lavishly."

Via the EVG inbox:

The Houston, with its sleek, clean lines, represents a new caliber of New York City living — crafted for residents seeking the best of both worlds: refined luxury paired with the authentic, eclectic spirit of the East Village. 

Spanning 224,809 square feet, The Houston makes a bold architectural statement with its brick façade—an homage to the neighborhood's industrial past, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. The building's thoughtfully designed eighth-floor setback creates an expansive outdoor amenity terrace, featuring a rooftop sky lounge complete with grilling stations, dining areas, a media lounge, sun deck, and refreshing misting showers.

Residents will also enjoy an impressive array of lifestyle amenities, including an indoor-outdoor fitness center with a dedicated yoga studio, a fully equipped pet spa, a coworking library lounge, and a private screening room. 

Power move: Citi Bike's new charging station lands on 1st Avenue and 14th Street

Photo by William Klayer 

Citi Bike crews yesterday swapped out the old docking station on the SW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street for a new electrified model. 

The DOT announced earlier this month an expansion of electrified Citi Bike charging station networks, with plans to electrify 13 charging stations in existing station locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Per the DOT: 

Electric grid-connected stations allow Citi Bike e-bikes to charge on-site while docked, rather than requiring batteries to be manually swapped out by staff in vehicles. Based on experience deploying bikeshare charging stations in cities like Barcelona and Montreal, Lyft projects that a network of Citi Bike charging stations will both improve e-bike availability for riders and significantly reduce operational costs from manual battery swapping.

Lyft officials have said that electric Citi Bike ridership surpassed 29 million e-bike trips in 2024, some of them not even on First Avenue or Second Avenue in the East Village. 

FYI: Citi Bike's fleet features 15,000 pedal-assist e-bikes and over 20,000 traditional pedal bikes.

Signs of life at Taverna East Village

Photo by Steven 

An employee spotted at Taverna East Village stated that the Greek restaurant would reopen in a few weeks. 

With the open gates this past week, this was the first activity we've noticed here in months.

Taverna has been closed since at least early December at 228 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. According to a patron in December, the Greek restaurant was closed without any notice to the public until a sign later arrived noting the closure due to a "required Con Edison" inspection. The rolldown gates remained down. 

Meanwhile, the restaurant's website still notes: "We are currently closed due to a Kitchen Renovation project. We are working very hard to reopen as soon as possible." 

The outpost of Astoria's favorite Taverna Kyclades opened in the fall of 2013. However, ownership changed hands, and the name change to Taverna East Village was made public last June.

The last jiggle: Viral dessert shop Ănjelly closes on St. Mark's Place

Photo by Steven 

Ănjelly, a Vietnamese dessert shop, has apparently officially closed. A for-rent sign now hangs above the storefront at 103 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

We noticed the gate had been down in recent weeks. Yelp lists it as closed while the shop's Instagram account is no longer on the platform. 

Ănjelly went viral shortly after opening in the fall of 2023 for its jiggly dessert animal collection.

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Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Meri Micara

Traveler season on St. Mark's Place...