Renovations complete, Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen back open for business

Good news: Peter Silvestri's Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen, which has been closed for renovations since Aug. 14, reopened over the weekend.



As Slum Goddess reported back in September:

I went in there today and he was in there and they really did a lot of work on the place! All freshly painted, polished and gleaming..he was stocking the shelves and they had new menu signs hung up-bigger and brighter ones..It wasn't all fro-yo'd upped and gross though..still looks like good old whole earth-just spiffed up!

Indeed, the changes are for the better. It's easier to navigate the space now. Peter said there's still a little work to do, such as fill out the menu on the chalkboards, but you get the idea.

Photo(shop) exclusive: An excerpt from Levi Johnston's "Playgirl" shoot at the Cooper Square Hotel

Apologizing in advance.



Photoshopping a Photoshopped photo.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Part of Levi Johnston's "Playgirl" photo shoot probably took place at the Cooper Square Hotel

[Photo of the father of Sarah Palin's grandson via; Levi photo with Coop not included and done via Photoshop, aka Little Photoshop of Horrors]

Former Croxley Ales beer garden ready for development

According to the listing (PDF):

East Village Development Site/Retail Space opportunity. The subject property is currently a vacant lot with 24 feet of frontage on Avenue B. My client is looking to sell the property which has approximately 7,680 buildable square feet, or sign a long term triple net lease for a retail tenant. The retail space can be built out to approximately 3,840 square feet of commercial space not including the basement.

You have to call for the price. But wouldn't it be worth any price to be so close to those 10-cent wings on Tuesday?



Previously on EV Grieve:
Things that I didn't notice before: The beer garden at Croxley Ales has closed

Mosiac Man's work painted over on St. Mark's Place

On the northeast corner at Third Avenue. Did this happen recently? For some reason I never noticed before.

Former Habib's space now for rent

I was kind of hoping that Habib's Place would magically return here after abruptly closing Halloween weekend...

Dos Toros Taqueria is now open on Fourth Avenue

From the EV Grieve inbox:

Hello Burrito/Taco Enthusiast,
Dos Toros Taqueria has opened its doors!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Burritos coming for West Coast snobs (and others!) who say East Coast Mexican food really sucks compared to the West Coast

End of the day

On the Bowery tonight.

Space for Target now stumping for Vans

At Avenue A and St. Mark's Place.

May!



Today!



Previously on EV Grieve:
Goodbye yellow brick ad

Part of Levi Johnston's "Playgirl" photo shoot probably took place at the Cooper Square Hotel

The tweet showed up few hours ago...



In case you've been following this story.... Anyway, maybe this isn't even the real Twitter account for the 19-year-old father of Sarah Palin's grandson.

Police presence on the Bowery

BoweryBoogie had a report yesterday about a man who was shot on the Bowery near Bleecker early Saturday morning.

The Post had a little more on the incident in today's paper:

A gunman opened fire early yesterday on the Lower East Side, wounding two men.

The victims, both in their 30s, were shot on the Bowery near Bond Street at about 4:40 a.m., police said. One was hit in the leg, the other in the arm.

Both were treated at Bellevue Hospital -- but refused to cooperate with investigators looking into what sparked the shooting.

On Saturday morning, there was a strong police presence...



...to set up pylons for the street construction on First Street and the Bowery that blocked traffic for much of the day....

Sorry that I missed the most-important news story of the weekend -- or maybe ever

According to the Post: Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth claimed yesterday to have gotten its hands on a leaked script for "Sex and the City 2." Here's what they say happens:

* The situation looks bleak for Bradshaw, whose marriage with Mr. Big unravels after they lose everything in a financial scam.

* Seeking work, Mr. Big ends up in London, where he's living in a rundown apartment, but cheats on Carrie — who dumps him before finding out she's pregnant.

* Miranda quits her law practice after getting sued. She and her husband Steve decide to open a restaurant.

* Besides the characters' heavy financial losses, tough times in the real world will also be reflected in the film's wardrobe choices, which an unnamed production insider says will be "less over-the-top but still stylish."

Fun!

A good day for a sidewalk sale

On 11th Street and Avenue A. Just a little bit ago.

Twas six weeks before...

Not really ready for the holidays...which may be why I didn't even notice that holiday lights went up last week on East Fourth Street and East Third Street...(and probably elsewhere too...)

Why is the Pizza Shop closed?

Tonight on Avenue A near Seventh Street...



...and how long has the Cabin Down Below been made public for mere mortals?

The Bowery, 9:55 a.m., Nov. 14

Noted

From Page Six today:

New York's homeless could be kept warm this winter in expensive furs owned by Ruth Madoff -- if PETA has its way. The anti-fur campaigners have written to US Marshal Roland Ubaldo asking for the Madoff skins to be donated to the homeless. More than 100 Madoff items will be sold off today at the Sheraton New York to reimburse the Ponzi scammer's thousands of vic tims. PETA's Dan Mathews said in a letter to Ubaldo, "By donating them to the homeless, you'd be able to highlight the difference between need and greed."

Report: "the tide seems to be turning for young galleries of the East Village and Lower East Side"

Bloomberg News had this report the other day:

Wandering around Manhattan’s scruffy Lower East Side galleries, I kept hearing three words rarely uttered in the more polished Chelsea district these days: Everything is sold.

The global financial crisis punctured the art bubble last year, drying up cash and driving up caution. Now the tide seems to be turning for young galleries of the East Village and Lower East Side.

“It’s like the Dow,” said art dealer Simon Preston, who runs a gallery on Broome Street. “When it goes down, people are looking for new markets.”

Mr.Magoos

The Blue Magoos from the Bronx.

Stuy Town rally tomorrow

Via Stuy Town Lux Living:

First film set for Theatre 80: "The Brooklyn Heist" opens Nov. 27

Lorcan Otway checks in with news of the first film to be screened at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place....

"Projectors in, screen up, a few of us watched a film last night, great sight lines, even from the front side seats, as the screen is set back about fourteen feet or more, (I'll have to measure and let you know...) image looks wonderful... so here is the news about the opening..."

“The Brooklyn Heist” will be released on Nov. 27. From the press materials:

Desperate to improve his life, New Yorker Fitz concocts a scheme to rob a wealthy and hated pawnshop owner. Unknown to Fitz, his gang of cheerful incompetents faces competition from two other crews who plan to hit the joint on the same night. Each group has a unique, hilarious style in this satire on heist capers that uses stylish cinematography, editing and art direction to explode filmic stereotypes. A stellar cast including Danny Masterson (“That ’70s Show”), Leon (“Get Rich or Die Tryin’”) and Dominique Swain (“Lolita”) brings to life this stylish spoof of the beloved heist comedy genre.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Films to return to Theatre 80

Saving what remains of the neighborhood

Community activist Susan Howard has a column in this week's issue of The Villager. It begins:

What is a neighborhood? A place where you feel a sense of belonging as you walk down the streets? Where you know your neighbors and local shopkeepers? Where your children go to school? Where you play, garden or just shoot the breeze? Where you can sit on the stoop, in the park or in a neighborhood hangout and listen to music, gossip and lore?

That’s the way I remember the Lower East Side, before all our vacant land was sold for the development of luxury housing in an 80/20 scheme. Before it was marketed to the white upwardly mobile as a cool place to live. Before the speculators arrived to scoop up the existing buildings to turn them into luxury rentals and condos, and before many of our squats and gardens were bulldozed for more of the same. Before the largest tract of land, once promised for artists, low-income housing and community facilities, was sold in another 80/20 scheme for the development of a luxury community, Avalon Christie, before the high-rises, hotels, high-end eateries and boutiques.

Sure, it may just look like a hole in the ground now...

This abandoned hole-in-the-ground project at 427 E. 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue has been on the market...



At one point five residential floors were going to be added to the existing storefront. Dunno what happened to those plans. Here's the listing:

East Village residential rental development opportunity, with FOUNDATION already in place. The foundation was poured prior to the June 2008 421-a deadline, enabling the full property tax exemption benefits. This site has plans for a six story (plus cellar and roof), 12 unit, rental building, w/ a total of 12,952 gross SF (10,741 SF above grade, 2,211 SF below grade). A Condo plan is also available. Another option is to file an “alt plan”and develop the property to custom specifications while still maintaining the 421-a tax benefits. This is a unique project for a developer or user and is ready to go. Priced at $178 per gross buildable square foot, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Here's what it could look like!

And now, my collection of bus/truck booty

Why does this annoy me?

On St. Mark's Place.

Rectory also part of St. Brigid's renovation

We've noted the progress on the renovations at St. Brigid's. However, we never heard if the plans including repairing the rectory next door to the church on Avenue B.

The other night, we noticed that lights were on inside the rectory.




So we asked Edwin Torres, chairman of the Committee to Save St. Brigid's, what was happening with the rectory.

The rectory is part of the renovation. It will be fully restored and will serve several functions, one of which will be the home for the pastor. The current church I attend does not have a rectory and the priest rents an apartment [nearby]. It will be a luxury to have a rectory.

P.S.

We've always liked this aerial shot that Gothamist published back in 2006....




Previously.

Great homes for sale: 1840s townhouse on East Ninth Street going for $4.3 million

One of my favorite buildings in the neighborhood has been on the market for several months now... This 1840s townhouse on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Avenue A is going for $4.3 million. Here are some listing details:

When it comes to historic houses, remember: They aren't building any more of them. This is a three-story town house with basement, 20 feet wide, built in the 1840's, with a large, leafy backyard. Period details include French doors, wide plank floors and exposed ceiling beams. Currently zoned as a 3-family home but could be configured as a 1-family or a 2-family. House is partially renovated and is currently occupied. Only 2 sales of this property in the past 75 years.

In 1998, it sold for $640,000.