The photography of Flo Fox

A friend recently introduced me to the work of acclaimed photographer Flo Fox... I asked her via Facebook if I could post a few of her photos from the 1970s and early 1980s in NYC... she agreed... and here's a sampling...








All this is even more remarkable given her background... Fox, who grew up in Woodside, Queens, was born blind in one eye.

Here's an excerpt on her from a profile in Alternative Photography:

According to her, she was an automatic photographer because she never needed to close an eye to take a picture. She lost the vision in her other eye in 1975 and was declared legally blind just at the time that she photographed herself nude for Playboy and Penthouse. It was at this time that one of Flo’s sisters was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Soon thereafter Flo began experiencing numbness in one of her hands and legs and had herself tested for MS. The results were positive. She has remained determined to not let this news change anything in her career as a fine arts photographer. This has not been easy with her direction in the medium which is predominately street imagery of people and places predominately set in New York City.

When asked how her disabilities have affected her work, Fox said that she started seeing interfering patterns in 1975 and soon thereafter could no longer focus on an image because of dead nerve endings. As her MS progressed, Flo’s muscle tone deteriorated and she went from using a cane to a motorized scooter.

Check out this interview on Tom Snyder...



You can watch part 2 here.

There are more photos on her website here. Or maybe you could friend her on Facebook.

Cat Days of August

Spotted this kitty out in Red Hook.

Standing outside the Copper Building (waiting on a friend)

Oh, nothing really to note here at the Copper Building at 13th Street and Avenue B... just seeing how easy it will be to look into someone's apartment from street level...






Thought maybe we'd get a response out of EV Grieve reader Despiser of the Copper Crapper too...

The Wall Street Journal on Avenue C

As The Wall Street Journal notes today:

[W]hile the night life has turned Avenue C into a top party destination for young professions and college students, the added noise and traffic is causing increased friction between residents and revelers.

Older residents who moved to the neighborhood in the '60s are now trying to keep out new bars. They have taken their complaints to the Community Board 3, which is restricting the number of new establishments that can sell alcoholic beverages.

According to the community board's website, Avenue C between Houston and 14th streets, an area with 23 liquor licenses, is deemed to have "greatly diminished the quality of life" for residents.

Some say the night life helps the area. "I understand sometimes there is too much noise," said Benjamin Alter, owner of Arcane, "but to me, the more business you have in the neighborhood, the better it makes the economy for the neighborhood."

Yes! Woo!



Anyway, let's flashback via the Times to 2005:

"C will keep its edginess for five more years," predicted Melvina Goren, a partner at Porch, 115 Avenue C (Seventh and Eighth), a candlelit bar known for its large backyard. "And then the scene will move on to Avenue D."

Well, any thoughts on that prediction?

Cafe Hanover back in business on St. Mark's

The marshals paid a visit to the new Cafe Hanover in the old Mondo Kim's space back on July 20.... and, as several readers have noted, they have reopened ...



[Thanks to MT for the photo!]

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

NYC murder rate up 17% so far in 2010 (Runnin' Scared)

Is this finally the economic collapse? (Fortune)

Hmm.. not so cheery with the headlines so far... We need a cheery song!



Update on saving the community gardens (The Gog Log)

Watering on East Houston (BoweryBoogie)

Arby's quickly shutters in landmarked building (Eater)

The Grumbler questions the no-shoes rule (The Grumbler)

Resident discards mattress WITHOUT bedbugs (NYC the Blog)

Sleeping on the sidewalk to beat the heat in 1910 (Ephemeral NY)

New Belgian place that isn't German on Second Avenue gets more Belgianie (DNAinfo)

East Village Radio livestreaming tonight's White Rabbits show from East River Park (The Lo-Down)

And the man surrounding by police officers on First Avenue near 10th Street in the photo below? He allegedly stole a bike.



This happened last Thursday... via justindisgustin's Flickr page ...where there are more details (and photos!) about the incident.

DBGB, Pulino's and Gemma helping peddle Sala on the Bowery

A few weeks ago, we made note of the "restaurant available" sign on the Bowery and Great Jones...right there on Sala's wall...



For unknown reasons, we never actually explored that listing... until now...and tapas specialist Sala is on the market...



As you can see, lots of big-time eateries nearby...it's almost as if all those places are part of the deal. No, you'll just have to make do with the two liquor licenses that Sala has...

East Fifth Street co-op with Japanese maples out back reduced now by 40 percent

Here's a lovely little one-bedroom at 513 E. Fifth St. ... with a private backyard... You could roll out of bed and practically be in Sophie's... or maybe hop the fence and be in Joe's...






I suppose there are other amenities too.
Per Corcoran:

Investor Friendly Coop with private back yard! Great Investment Opportunity, rent out right away! No board approval, all cash required. Prime East Village renovated one bedroom with a huge sun flooded private garden, totaling over 1100 sqft. This newly renovated one bed/one bath coop offers a tranquil indoor space with plenty of pre-war details, including exposed brick, hardwood floors and high ceilings. Recently renovated kitchen and bath create a nice relationship of pre-war detail with modern amenities, such as Bosch dishwasher, washer and dryer and well appointed closets with storage space. Move from the beautiful indoor space directly into your outdoor oasis, which has been designed by a landscape architect and features wood decking, a separate fieldstone patio, and Japanese maples among other year round and seasonal plantings.

This coop is located around the corner from Tompkins Square Park as well as several other East Village gardens, restaurants, and shopping. There is no board approval and flexible purchasing is allowed, purchasing for someone else, investment, guarantors and pied-a-terres are all fine. This building is pet friendly.

And the price continues to fall...since February, the price has come down some 40 percent, according to Streeteasy...

02/17/2010 -- Listed by Corcoran at $650,000.
03/24/2010 -- Price decreased by 8% to $599,000.
06/10/2010 -- Price decreased by 17% to $499,000.
08/05/2010 -- Price decreased by 15% to $425,000.

No takers yet for this oasis? Maybe it's the neighbors?

Don't give anyone any ideas

Along the ConEd substation on Avenue A. I'm sure some developer would love this corner to, uh, develop.

Here comes the fear again: 505 E. 12th St. back on the market

A reader noted that a For Sale sign went up 505 E. 12th St. (the former Mundial and Totem space) ... which, perhaps, means the new bar on May's CB3/SLA meeting is no longer a go... the "corp to be formed" here was not approved by the CB3/SLA committee...

Now someone else can take a shot here... According to the listing:

BEAUTIFUL EAST VILLAGE LOUNGE WITH KITCHEN
Approx. 1400 sq ft plus 500 sq ftS back yard, 30 foot store front, and full basement

Price: $140,000
Rent: $7,500
10-year lease

As a reader/nearby resident has said about this space: "Another bar opening up in the Mundial space is my worst nightmare."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another nightmare bar for 505 E. 12th St.?

Last night's CB3 recap: Residents 1, Bar Owners 0

12th and A gets the brown paper treatment

Meanwhile, on the corner of 12th Street and Avenue A, paper has gone up in the windows of the long-dormant space that once housed the Raven...




Unfortunately, we don't have any more details on what's going in here... However, the folks behind the proposed Mexican cantina (El Camion) here have moved on, sources tell us. As you may recall, the El Camion brass gave very little notice about an open house on a Friday night at 5 back in May. The CB3/SLA committee later denied their request for a liquor license transfer.

Abandoned eatery served eviction papers

Saw these papers up at Matsukado on Second Avenue near Sixth Street... the eviction notice is dated last week, though the short-lived Japanese restaurant closed in May. Maybe the owners kept the keys...

Today's sign of the apocalypse

"Introducing The Hopsicle Experience, a frozen can of beer, sliced in half and served like a Push Pop for big kids," now at Diablo Royale Este on Avenue A near 10th Street. (Source — who else? UrbanDaddy!)

First Avenue continues to entertain

After workers repaved First Avenue... adding bike and bus lanes and what not, we thought that the work had been completed along this corridor

...not so...EV Grieve reader Blue Glass noted some of the work in these photos last evening around 6 when the cone squad arrived at 11th Street....there was a lot of slow-motion back and forth, taking a few men nearly 30 minutes to put out eight cones. And some work commenced ...








And why are they cutting First Avenue after just repaving it? As Blue Glass suggests, at this rate, the city will be done with the First Avenue renovations sometime around 3020.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Looking at the First Avenue's new bike lane and "floating lane"

From a reader: 'A TON of blood' on Seventh Street

A rather alarming e-mail from a reader:

"Biking down 7th btw C and D this morning, saw a TON of blood on the street. Starts right in front of the Flowerbox building and then goes about midway down the block, probably dragged by car tires. Could have been roadkill, but didn't see a squirrel or rat...Hear anything?"

Yikes! No.... anyone?

2 Cooper Square residents have that "random drunken girl puking her guts out" at B Bar to look forward to

[Photo by Patrick Hedlund via DNAinfo]

On Monday, Curbed noted that the DOB slapped early Bowery ruiners the B Bar with a stop-work order...the offense: the addition to the eatery's wall around the outdoor dining space.

Per Curbed:

The high-priced 2 Cooper Square tower across East 4th Street, a luxury rental rising 15 stories with a pool on top, is about to open with views directly down into the restaurant's prized courtyard.

And!

Earlier this summer more rows of cinder blocks facing East 4th Street went up in an attempt to keep prying eyes off the drinkers and diners partying under the downtown sky, even though we thought the Bowery was all about seeing and being seen these days.

Patrick Hedlund followed up on the item for DNAinfo, speaking to B Bar manager Melissa Beck. The wall, she said, is to help muffle any sound coming from the eatery's outdoor space.

She added that the owners previously removed speakers from the garden space to keep the volume down, and that the wall extension acts as a way to contain the noise with so many new families moving into the neighborhood.

"After 11 p.m., it turns more club-ish," she noted of the garden.

According to Department of Buildings records, the stop-work order remains in place due to the construction being done without a permit.

The DOB did not immediately respond request for comment about the whether the addition will have to come down.

And the B Bar manager was dismissive of Curbed's prying eyes theory from the incoming 2 Cooper residents.

"What are they going to look at?" she said. "People eating dinner, or the random drunk girl that's puking her guts out? It's not like we have a strip-tease section."

Noted!

Enjoying some 2 Cooper Square ephemeral

Speaking of 2 Cooper Square... we just came across the old launch party invite and early promo piece for the nearly complete residences at East Fourth Street...

Ah, the early slogan... "Be a part of New York's next Meatpacking District!" (Not to mention "Square was never so cool.")



And the party was at the B Bar... very neighborly!



Meanwhile, I'm still trying to figure out the symbolism of the accompanying artwork...Hmm, a form-fitting dress, a come-hither look. Hey, is she trying to seduce potential renters?!

But seriously, at first glance, I thought she might be holding a 2 Cooper Square cake...

The going rate for New York history on the Bowery: $22,500 per month

As far as we know, plans are still in the works to turn the former Amato Opera on the Bowery into a theater/bar/restaurant... The people behind the V Bar said their plans are at least one year away...

In any event, on Monday, NYC the Blog had a link to the Amato Opera listing...



Youch... $22,500? Good luck...

Village Fabics closing Aug. 31

And a reliable source says that the landlord has already found two takers who will pay double the current rent here on First Avenue and 11th Street.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Closing sale at Village Fabrics

Village Fabrics to close next month

Sapporo East closed for "emergency construction"

Here on 10th Street and First Avenue at Sapporo East...



...there are dueling signs: One apologizing for the "emergency construction" as well as a stop-work order ...



The DOB says there is no permit for the work being done here...

40 Avenue C getting another renovation

40C on 40 Avenue C between Third Street and Fourth Street closed about this time last year for renovations...it became Batista, a 1950s-style Havana club...

And as of this week, Batista is seemingly getting a gut renovation...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Miniatures for dwellers of the urban underbelly (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

A look at Hendrix 40 years later (NME)

NYU takes it expansion summer tour to CB2 (Runnin' Scared)

Anxious about LES gentrification, 1977 (Patell and Waterman’s History of New York)

And now — 3 Sheets Saloon (BoweryBoogie)

Pics from Dog That Bites Everyone at Csquat (Slum Goddess)

Save our community gardens! (The Gog Log)

Jill goes to Rock Rock Rockaway Beach (Blah Blog Blah)

Making-that-small-East-Village-space-livable piece everyone is talking about for some reason (Core 77)

And via EV Grieve reader Lambert Jack... recently spotted on Attorney near Houston.... Jerry's folks piggybacking on Sammy's posters...




By evening, the flyer had been torn down. Maybe Jerry had been found...

Your opportunity to help shape CB3's liquor license future

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Community Board 3 is hosting a Policy Meeting of the SLA & DCA Licensing Committee

Thursday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. -- University Settlement at Houston Street Center -- 273 Bowery (at Houston St)

We will review and evaluate changes to Community Board 3's existing policies and procedures guiding the Board's approvals/denials of all types of liquor licenses for establishments within the CB 3 district. All previous "resolution areas" will be reviewed.

We want to hear from YOU!

Please fill out a "Request to Speak" form by 7 p.m. Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes.

· What are your plans/visions for the area?
· What are your concerns, problems?
· What do you want to retain in our neighborhood?

Here's the current policy.

Some pretty big picture questions up there...What do you want to retain in our neighborhood? We could be there all night.

This comment from Daria yesterday sums up what a lot of people have been saying here in recent years:

I used to look forward to new restaurants, excited like, to see what new places we'd have to eat at. now i feel like, "let's see what new places they are building for THEM."

that pretty much sums it up. stuff that used to open around here used to excite me because I felt like they were for those of us that live here. And now I feel like they are for those who don't.

Meanwhile, the current system seems arbitrary and dysfunctional for granting licenses... Like on Avenue B, Sigmund Pretzel Shop, which closes at 8 p.m., was denied a license to sell beer and wine... Meanwhile, a few doors down, Billy Hurricane's gets the OK for a two-level bar featuring a signature drink that will be limited to two per person. (Yes, I realize that this was a transfer from Midway/Rehab... and not a new license... still)

Sin Sin meets the neighbors

This is a brief report on the meeting that took place last Wednesday night starring Sin Sin, the NYPD and local residents...the summary is courtesy of the East Fifth Street Block Association...

During the course of the disorganized meeting, various residents reiterated some of the problems they were experiencing as a result of Sin Sin's method of operation, ranging from people partying in their cars, to crowds on the street, trash and waste deposited by patrons, violence from patrons ... These were not new items being discussed, as they were brought to light recently at CB3 and other meetings.

Sin Sin owner Phillip seemed unable to muster any kind of serious commitment to dealing with these problems. He did say he would hire an additional bouncer, but only when pressed. His attitude waffled between saying that Sin Sin takes every reasonable measure to ensure quiet ... to denying that Sin Sin was even responsible for the behavior on the street.

He was promptly told that most everyone in the room has personally witnessed the mayhem emanate from Sin Sin. ... We left the ball in his court, asking him to write out his proposal to remediate the problem, asking him to specifically address security and patrons loitering on the street, and to look at his programming to see if changes could be made there.

Lt. Ferguson was nearly as bad as the club owner. He recounted statistics that the block association has known for years, and was responsible for bringing to the officials' attention. When asked what the police would/could do for our community, he seemed at a complete loss and said that they were overwhelmed with this sort of thing throughout their/our precinct. He gave out numbers to call ... but his inability to commit to dealing with this problem was disheartening.

The upside of the evening is that there is now an official record, witnessed by the police of the unwillingness of the bar to try to remediate the problem, AND their persistence in denying that they are the cause.

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

East Village losing its Nathan's/Pizza Hut/Arthur Treacher's mashup

The northwest corner of Second Avenue and 14th Street is fairly unremarkable... You got your Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo...



Maybe not for too much longer... that block is on the, eh, block...



As the ad says, "Same great place. Brand new look."

A new look that doesn't include the current tenants. The space can be chopped up into several pieces... and even the second floor may be available...