Photos by Stacie Joy
Maypole dancers, please report to Tompkins Square Park...
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Remembering Jill Sobule
Image via @jillsobule
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter best known for her groundbreaking 1995 hit "I Kissed a Girl," which became the first openly queer-themed song to reach the Billboard Top 20, died Thursday morning in a house fire in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, Minn. She was 66.
According to published reports, Sobule was staying with friends while she rehearsed for an upcoming performance.
In the East Village, Sobule was remembered for her storytelling and music. She was a 2023 Drama Desk Award nominee for her autobiographical musical "F*ck7thGrade," which played multiple return engagements at wild project on Third Street between 2022 and 2024.
The wild project shared the following on Instagram...
[UPDATED] The Rock Against Racism concert has been postponed in Washington Square Park
Updated 5/4: Today's rainy forecast has forced the show's cancellation. Chris Flash, one of the organizers, said they'll put on another show with today's bands later in the summer in Tompkins Square Park.
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The free show, featuring six bands and several speakers, is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m.
Saturday's opening shot
The sun will eventually give way to clouds with — just like last Saturday — a chance of a late afternoon or early evening shower or thunderstorm.
Friday, May 2, 2025
'Star' power
On Tuesday, The Slackers released a new single, "My Last Star," a collaboration with and tribute to Greg Lee. The co-lead singer of stalwart L.A. ska group Hepcat died in March 2024 after a brain aneurysm. He was 53.
As you'll see in the above clip, the NYC-based band filmed parts of the video in the East Village, including the stage at Otto's Shrunken Head on 14th Street.
H/T Jill!
At the opening night of the Lower East Side Film Festival
Photos by Stacie Joy
The Lower East Side Film Festival started last night with the opening feature, "The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick."
The screening of the off-beat horror indie in the Jaffe Art Theatre at Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue featured a post-film Q&A with the cast and crew, among them director Pete Ohs, and stars Zoƫ Chao, Jeremy O. Harris, Callie Hernandez and James Cusati-Moyer. (Per RogerEbert.com: "'The True Beauty of Being Bitten By a Tick' grooves with an improvised and charmingly undefined tempo. You can't help but be enamored by its horrific, claustrophobic spell."
NYC institution Corner Bistro eyeing an East Village expansion
Photo by Stacie Joy
An iconic East Village corner space may soon be home to an NYC classic. [Find an update here.]
Reps for Elizabeth McGrath, owner of the decades-spanning Corner Bistro on West Fourth Street, are on this month's Community Board 3 SLA Committee agenda, seeking a liquor license for 94-96 Avenue A at Sixth Street — the onetime home of Sidewalk Cafe.
So far, only the application is on file with CB3. The accompanying questionnaire, which typically offers more insight into an applicant's plans, has not yet been made public. The CB3 SLA Committee is scheduled to meet on May 19. (Keep in mind that an application doesn't guarantee a concept will move forward — as we saw in December 2023 with the Paulie Gee's outpost that never materialized at 107 First Ave.)
We've reached out to McGrath — daughter of Corner Bistro's original owners, Bill and Lorraine O'Donnell — for more details on the potential expansion.
This wouldn't be the burger institution's first time branching out. Corner Bistro opened a location in Long Island City in 2012, which shuttered in 2020 due to pandemic-related pressures. An outpost at the Gotham West Market food hall in Hell's Kitchen also closed in 2020.
The most recent tenant at 94-96 Avenue A, Offside Tavern, closed late last year. Before that, August Laura had a brief run beginning in October 2019 but faced a stop-start schedule during the pandemic and finally closed in December 2021.
The address is best known as the longtime home of Sidewalk — the restaurant, bar, and live music venue (and host of the Antifolk Festival) that closed in February 2019 after a 34-year run.
Key Food moved things around. We took notes.
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Lost in Key Food on Avenue A? You may not be alone!
As we mentioned on April 22, Key was going to rearrange a few things ahead of a checkout aisle upgrade.
First stop: the cake aisle — or rather, the former cake aisle (top photo). Gone are the "cakes for all occasions" signs (graduations! backyard parties! cake-worthy Tuesdays!).
In their place? Soup. And packaged sides of an ambiguous nature. Think shelf-stable mystery mash.
Looking for sushi? It's no longer near the front. The nigiri's been quietly relocated to a smaller case near the deli. (Slim pickings if you wander in post-8:30 p.m.)
What took its place? An expanded cake-and-dessert section, now featuring puddings and parfaits — but oddly, no signage about what occasions they're for.
And the cheese? Oh, the cheese. It's been divided like a dairy diaspora. Most of it now lives in dueling cases at the back of the store, flanking a surprise pasta island. Except feta, which has defected to hang with the olives and hummus where the original cheese section once stood.
Meanwhile, at the deli, the rotisserie chicken corner is thriving, now offering seasoned options like adobo and Italian herb, as well as Murray's organic birds for the purists.
As for the signage — look closely, and you might notice a new font gracing the iconic yellow Key Food signs. When asked, store manager Richie, who usually makes them, shared that this round came courtesy of "one of the scanner cashiers." A bold typographic pivot.
Despite the store's reshuffle, shoppers remained unfazed on Wednesday night during our first reorg visit. The aisles were calm, with a low-key energy. Phil Collins on the store's sound system.
Perhaps in the East Village, a little chaos is just part of the charm.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Thursday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
On the right, meet Moony — a rescue spending her first few minutes in Tompkins Square Park today with Jen Shorr, owner of Joyface and HiLot on Avenue C.
Moony likely already became fast friends with Mellow on the left — one of the coolest, sweetest pups around.
Night 1 of the Lower East Side Film Festival
Find festival info here. It runs through Monday.
Read our Q&A with festival founders (and East Village residents) Tony Castle and Roxy Hunt at this link.
Happy Lower East Side History Month!
Find the full schedule of free events here.
The event launched in 2014 "in the hope that a collective celebration of our neighborhood would strengthen our connection to each other and our shared sense of community," organizers said.
Celebrating the new ownership at the Phoenix
Photos by @jwilson77
The Phoenix (b1999) celebrated its new ownership last Thursday night on 13th Street with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an appearance by RuPaul's "Drag Race" star Alaska Thunderfuck.
Garrett Ford, who took over the gay dive bar at the start of 2024, first started working there in 2008. He previously worked alongside owner Brenda Breathnach, who purchased Phoenix in 2009 and now runs 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn.
The celebration followed renovations and updates to the programming.
Below is Ford with Breathnach...
... and the official ribbon-cutting...
Here's a collection of other pics from the evening...
Phoenix, located at 447 E. 13th St., just west of Avenue A, is open daily from 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. There's a daily happy hour from 3-7 p.m. Follow them on Instagram @phoenixbarnyc for updates.
Closings on 14th Street: Amara Coffee, Dua Kafe
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Dua Kafe has closed at 520 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
While Google states the Albanian restaurant is temporarily closed, the space has been cleared out. A tipster informed us that the landlord sought a larger rent increase than the owners could afford and that they hoped to relocate to a different location.
There is a sign on the door that says, "For all deliveries, please talk to Johnny, the socks guy next door."
Meanwhile, closer to Avenue B, Amara Coffee closed several weeks ago...
From an Instagram post from April 7:
So I went next door and spoke to Johnny, the socks guy, who confirmed the permanent closure.
Dua Kafe opened here in 2018, offering a touch of homespun warmth amidst the impersonal chill of the EVGB retail-residential complex that flanks both sides of the address.
Thank you to each and everyone who came and supported us on our journey. We met incredible people who supported us and cheered for us. Sadly, we encountered difficulties and decided to close our doors.
The coffee shop, which debuted last May, also offered pastries and sandwiches and showcased the work of local artists.
The space was previously Perk Espresso & Coffee Bar.
The Alchemist’s Kitchen is opening an outpost on the Bowery
Per the signage, this outpost will feature botanical coffees, teas and "seasonal state-changing elixirs that combine scientific crafting with indigenous wisdom."
This corner stall was previously home to Current Coffee, which moved on at the end of March; they are now in a larger space in Midtown.
Seasoned Vegan Real Quick has closed on 2nd Avenue
Photo by William Klayer
After nearly 20 months in business, Seasoned Vegan Real Quick closed after service on Tuesday at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
Per an Instagram post announcing the closure:
Chef B poured her heart into every plate, every smile, every moment — and today, she shares her deepest gratitude with you all. Thank you for standing with us, for believing in us, for every dollar you donated, and for showing SO much love šš This is not the end. It’s the beginning of something even greater. We love you. Stay tuned for all updates…
The restaurant was a new vegan concept from mother-and-son restaurateurs Brenda "Chef B" Beener and Aaron Beener, who closed their Harlem restaurant, Seasoned Vegan, in the spring of 2023 after nine years in service. According to a restaurant representative, they decided to relaunch as a quick-service takeout and delivery option, offering a few of their most popular dishes as sandwiches.
Seasoned Vegan Real Quick had its share of fans. Unfortunately, this has been a tough spot to make work in recent years. Tony's Pizza, Nolita Pizza and Kati Roll Company have been the post-Stage tenants. The Stage, the 35-year-old lunch counter, closed in March 2016 following an ongoing legal/eviction battle with landlord Icon Realty.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Wednesday's parting shot
6 posts from April
• In Tompkins Square Park, a creative pushback against tech's reach (April 27)
• A look inside the former Fireboat House in East River Park as it faces an uncertain future (April 23)
• Ongoing leadership turmoil at Sixth Street Community Center sparks tensions (April 18)
• We know where Cookie Puss is at (April 16)
• Tompkins Square Park Field House officially reopens after renovations (and you won't recognize the restrooms) (April 15)
• The East Village is now home to Manhattan's first 2D restaurant (April 4)
'Casino Rat'
As National Poetry Month concludes ...from the Poetry Window at East Village Books (99 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue) ... featuring the work of Johnny H., an East Village poet...
"Casino Rat"
If I could use my combOn your blood-matted hair I wouldIf I had been there to say the WordsBefore you managed to limboInto the non-humane trapBeing defenseless and without sinWhy, I would have done everythingEven opened my jar of luckAnd rubbed some on youHoweverI have already spent my excess capitalPlaying blackjack through the nightRunning probabilities to the very endHave thus concluded that all of usAre either coming or goingYetDespite such knowledge of the fleshI still bet even money on your dreamsOf slithering out from under your starsFinding way home to your children
East Village mainstay Cafe Mogador celebrates its 42nd anniversary
Photos by Stacie Joy
Above left: Jacob Ahiyon, Rivka Orlin and Danny Orlin
April 2025 marked the 42nd anniversary of the East Village institution Cafe Mogador, located at 101 St. Mark's Place.
I stopped by the all-day cafe between Avenue A and First Avenue as they were setting up for service the other day...
"Our customers are our family," said Rivka (above with Abdul Matin, the chef of 40 years).
That sense of family was a recurring theme throughout the day.
"This is a family-run, family-oriented business," said Danny. "We’re grateful for our guests and the strong community of people who continue to support us."
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