A last look at East River Park from the 6th Street Overpass

Photos by Stacie Joy 

This past weekend provided one last opportunity to cross the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge into East River Park. As of yesterday, the overpass — the final East Village access point — has been closed off. 

The closure cuts off the running track, the outdoor gym, and the stretch of esplanade that many neighbors relied on for daily routines. The trees shading the Sixth Street entrance will soon come down as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. 

When the work is finished — expected by the end of 2026 — this part of the park will reopen in a new form. Until then, the bridge remains closed, the gates are locked, and another section of the old park has disappeared. 

Here's one last look...

Have your say on CB3’s 2027 budget priorities tomorrow night

What parks need reconstruction? What programs deserve funding? 

Community Board 3 wants to hear from you. Tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, CB3 will hold a public hearing on budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2027. 

Every year, CB3 submits a list of capital and expense priorities to the city. This is an opportunity for residents, groups, and organizations to shape that list — and influence how public funds are allocated in the neighborhood.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the board’s office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Space is tight — only the first 15 people will be seated in person. However, the hybrid format means anyone can join via Zoom. (Link here.) Registration is required. 

Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty stolen from Avenue A shop

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Updated: The search continues

On Saturday afternoon, someone stole Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty, the 4-month-old "manager" of MJay Convenience at 44 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Security footage shows the cat being taken around 4:24 p.m. on Sept. 6 while the store was open.

Rhaenyra has lived at the shop since she was just weeks old, often greeting customers from the counter. 

Faisal (below), who owns the store, said he and his co-workers are devastated.

Faisal said he had taken Rhaenyra and his other kitten to his vet on Long Island to make sure they were healthy and up to date on shots. He got the pair from a neighbor; one is his daughter's cat at home, the other became the store's official mascot. 

"I just want my cat back," he said yesterday. "Please, bring the cat back. I don't want to see his face in here ever again," he added, referring to the alleged thief. 

Faisal shared surveillance video with us...

 

iGirl has moved

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

After nearly 16 months at 150 E. Third St., just east of Avenue A, Bella McFadden, aka Internet Girl, has relocated her shop to a larger space on the Lower East Side.

The all-new iGirl storefront debuted on Sept. 2, a short walk away at 166 Orchard St. between Stanton and Rivington.

The brand, which captures the essence of Y2K emo culture, mall goths, and punk subculture, features McFadden's designs, jewelry, and apparel. 

The shop is open daily from noon to 7 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Bella McFadden bringing her iGirl brand to the East Village

Closings: Buffalo Wild Wings on 1st Avenue

Photo by Daniel Efram 

After two years in business, Buffalo Wild Wings has closed at 225 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

Someone has removed the signage from the storefront, and the address is no longer on the BWW website. There wasn't any closing notice. 

The sports bar chain has 1,300 outposts across the country, including several in the NYC metropolitan area. 

When BWW arrived, there were four wing joints on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and 14th Street — and all four have closed, including Dan and John's, Atomic Wings, and Koko Wings. 

The Wingstop remains around the corner on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The previous tenant at No. 225 was Crab Du Jour.

Monday's parting shot

At 12:30 a.m., hours before the closure of the Sixth Street overpass today, Wendy Rubin went for a last run on the East River Park track. 

There, she crossed paths with Sarah Ferguson, also out getting in a run. Both have called the East Village home since the mid-1980s, spending four decades along the park and river. 

Wendy shared this final photo of the track. 

This portion of the renovated East River Park is expected to return at the end of 2026.

An improvised view of the Blood Moon in Aquarius

A dispatch from Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers, six months into retirement.

Last night (Sept. 7), the year's second total lunar eclipse swept across Asia, with Europe getting good views, too. 

The U.S. was left out of the viewing party, so here on Second Avenue and Third Street, we improvised. 

Felton set up a plastic screen with a red moon painted on it, using a blood-red filter to mimic the eclipse. The effect was convincing enough to draw a few skeptical passersby who stopped to ask questions.

Next spring, another total lunar eclipse will be visible here — and no filter will be necessary.

East River Park north of Houston Street now closed until the end of 2026

Photos from Aug. 31

Starting today, the Sixth Street overpass, the last access from the East Village to East River Park, will close.

The shutdown means the three East Village access points to the park, at Houston, Sixth and 10th streets, will all be sealed off. The closure also takes away the track and field area, the outdoor gym, as well as the esplanade off the Sixth Street Overpass, which will be demolished at a later date. 

Residents will not have access to this section of East River Park until the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) wraps up, which the city says will be by the end of 2026.

The running track, rebuilt in 2017-18 during a $2.8 million renovation, is among the facilities now off-limits. And say goodbye to the trees along the Sixth Street entrance: they will be cut down as part of this phase of the work.

This marks the latest milestone in the city's phased plan. The southern half of East River Park closed in late 2021, and sections have been reopening in stages.

The rebuilt Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reopened last September, along with East River Park Ballfields 1 and 2. Other amenities returned to areas just north and south of the Williamsburg Bridge on Memorial Day.

And this past Friday marked the opening of the new Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge. This return also comes with several new East River Park Phase 1 amenities: the flagpole area at Corlears Hook Park, six additional tennis courts, an amphitheater (of sorts), an esplanade with seating areas, and direct access to Pier 42 and the Corlears Hook ferry. (We will post a few photos later this week.)

Meanwhile, in the East River Park area near the East Village, the 10th Street pedestrian bridge access closed on May 27. Later, workers demolished the bridge overnight in July, which prompted partial shutdowns of the FDR.

And the tree-less view of the area once accessible via 10th Street...

The city has stated that it will maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction.

The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 within Project Area 1, situated between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been covering the park with fill and cutting down hundreds of trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus ESCR. They are raising the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to safeguard the area from future storm surges.

Report: Sephora is taking the retail space at the all-new 1 St. Mark's Place building

The new office building at the gateway to the East Village at Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place has its first retail tenant. 

The mall-friendly Sephora has signed a lease for the 7,800-square-foot, ground-floor retail space at 1 St. Mark's Place, as The Real Deal first reported. The publication noted that "It's a promising step forward for a project that's weathered its fair share of challenges." (See below.)

There haven't been any reports yet about tenants for the office space above in the 9-story building, which was reportedly built on spec. 

Some history from EVG reporting here... in November 2017, the commercial and residential real estate firm Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) picked up the 99-year leasehold for the assemblage on this NW corner for nearly $150 million. 

The Gabay family had owned the buildings for generations. The previous buildings, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental, and McDonald's, were demolished in the summer of 2019.

The size of the building caused a lot of drama (flashback), and work was stopped for 10 months in 2021 when Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property.

Foundation work finally started in late August 2022 — after crews and equipment were assembled here in the summer of 2020. 

The developer, REEC's Brandon Miller, was found dead in his Hamptons home in July 2024.

Regarding the mall-friendly comment, a retail tenant like Sephora isn't surprising along this corridor, as anyone who remembers the Gap (1988-2001) on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue can confirm. Mid-block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, in the early 2000s, a developer gutted 19-23 St. Mark's Place and added a new façade, creating retail spaces whose tenants have included a Chipotle. 

More about the new comedy club in the works for 44 Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As noted last week, the former Upright Citizens Brigade's UCBeast space on Avenue A and Third Street has a new suitor: Mark Rothman, founder of the Top Secret Comedy Club, a UK-based venue with multiple locations. 

I spotted Rothman, who was visiting from the UK last week, collecting signatures on Friday. He said he first became interested in the Avenue A spot last fall.

After nearly a year of negotiations, he signed the lease two weeks ago. If all goes well, he plans to open later this fall.

"This is a comedy-focused place," Rothman told me of Top Secret, perhaps sensing possible opposition to a full liquor license for the space. "It's not drink-led, it's ticket-led. We are not a drinking establishment, we're a comedy club. There is no two-drink minimum here. We don't have tables, we don't have service, and no waiters. The alcohol is ancillary to the comedy."

The setup will feature theater-style seating, all facing the stage. A small bar at the front of the house will serve drinks during the shows. Rothman noted they use a queuing system capable of processing 30 customers per minute, which he says will help prevent long lines at the entrance.

As for food: with no kitchen in the space, the menu will be limited to frozen pizza and light bar snacks. Rothman's longtime colleague and friend, Claire Grinis, is moving to New York to manage the venue. Programming will focus almost exclusively on stand-up comedy, with the occasional musical-comedy act. 

The new venture will be the latest chapter for a space with plenty of recent history. UCB ran UCBeast here from September 2011 to February 2019, shuttering after citing the "extreme costs" of operating. 

More recently, the gallery-performance space O'Flaherty's made the address its home, closing last year after a memorable 18-month run.

Rothman's application is on CB3's SLA Licensing & Outdoor Dining Committee agenda for tonight. The meeting is at 6:30, and the Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, with limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who arrive at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Signage alert: Suntrust Candy on Houston

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Signage went up Friday for the next tenant at 301 E. Houston St., just east of Clinton... Suntrust Candy (almost wrote bank instead of candy) will offer the usual convenience-store items. 

This storefront was previously Psychic Readings by Hadid, which had two five-star reviews on Google.

That history may help explain what the construction crew told me, that they were "confused by some of the things they saw when cleaning out the space."

As for Suntrust, they hope to be open next month.

Sept. 7

From early this morning on the SE corner of Second Street and Avenue B... the discarded (and digested?) remains of a Christmas tree ... thanks to Salim for the photo!

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo of scaffolding work on Avenue B)... 

• Deliveristas face new enforcement in the East Village (Tuesday, Sept. 2) 

• Grassroots effort to preserve Most Holy Redeemer grows with weekly vigils (Tuesday, Sept. 2) … At what may be the final Mass at Most Holy Redeemer (Monday, Sept. 1)

• Reports: Early morning shooting injures 3 outside Lillian Wald Houses (Sunday, Aug. 31) 

• EVLovesNYC celebrates 100,000th meal served in 2025 (Tuesday, Sept. 2)

• Apologizing for "a dick move" on 7th Street (Wednesday, Sept. 3) 

• Revisiting New Yorkers, then and now: Michael Berman's '99 SNAPSHOTS at the 14th Street Y (Thursday, Sept. 4) 

• La Salle Academy celebrates return to 2nd Street campus (Thursday, Sept. 4)

• Local artist completes Key Food oil painting (and already sold) (Friday, Sept. 5)

• Here is the lineup for the free Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park on Sept. 7 (Saturday, Sept. 6) 

• From apartment to curb: massive move-out on 9th Street (Monday, Sept. 1) 

• Comedy club eyeing former comedy club space on Avenue A (Wednesday, Sept. 3) 

• Openings: Other People's Clothes on 4th Avenue (Thursday, Sept. 4)

• Change is coming to Blink Fitness on Avenue A (and elsewhere) (Wednesday, Sept. 3) 

• The song of the summer, 46 years later (Monday, Sept. 1) 

• August Citizen crime watch (Monday, Sept. 1)

• Signage alert: Roku/Nana on Clinton Street (Wednesday, Sept. 3) 

• 6 posts from August (Sunday, Aug. 31)

• ICYMI: Our Q&A with "Caught Stealing" director Darren Aronofsky (Thursday, Aug. 28)

A 'Dear New York' moment at Mary's O's Soda Bread Shop

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday, St. Martin's Press gave away 100 signed copies of "Dear New York" at Mary's O's Soda Bread Shop on Seventh Street. 

This is the latest book by Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York. 

I caught up with Stanton and Mary O'Halloran at the shop, 93 1/2 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenues. 

As you may recall, Stanton led a hugely successful fundraising effort for O'Halloran in 2021. Stanton featured O'Halloran's story in August 2021. 

He followed up with a special promotion — the limited edition Mary O's "HONY" Irish soda bread scones. Stanton shared the deal with his more than 20 million social media followers worldwide. According to Stanton, they took in more than $1 million in orders for scones by the end of the night.

O'Halloran, proprietor of Mary O's on Avenue A, started making and selling scones (from her mother's recipe) by the box during the pandemic.

She opened her dedicated scone shop last November.

"Dear New York," a collection of essays and photos about the people of NYC, is out next month.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Thanks to Humans of New York, Mary O's will be making scones for the foreseeable future 

• Scone mania: At Mary O's, an Irish blessing and 20,000 pounds of self-raising flour 

• Mary O is bringing her scones to 7th Street

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy

On Seventh Street near Avenue A, the co-owners of Titi's NYC Inspired Empanadas, (from left) Nate Ramm and Jesus Villalobos, show their appreciation for their sidewalk signage after it was swiped — and returned! — this past week in a memorable way.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Apologizing for 'a dick move' on 7th Street

At the 10th Street Block Festival today

Photos by Stacie Joy

We had some muggy, summerish weather earlier today for the annual 10th Street Block Festival (until the after-3 p.m. downpour). 

Stacie Joy strolled the block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue to check out the vendors and patrons of this neighborhood-favorite September event...