New Cooper Square Hotel art installation baffles

A reader passed along an item of interest... During the weekend, "workers installed this rather odd 'art' installation on the Cooper Square Hotel's outdoor patio, otherwise unused during the cold weather months."

So, what is it?

The reader has a few (classic) guesses:

"A bicycle frame hung in effigy, perhaps a driver's road rage fantasy revenge for the perceived insult of bicycle lane proliferation. The desk chair swing set is more mysterious still: dreams of lost childhood, while trapped in corporate cubicles? Finally the roped-off area suggests either a crime scene or the intentionally exclusive velvet ropes (without the velvet, since times are hard) of the nightlife scene, a barrier which non-model females and non-celebrity males can only pass by offering a credit card; it's hard to say which interpretation is more depressing."

Watch Billy Leroy throw someone into a coffin and nail it shut

Billy Leroy tells us about an independent film project that he's working on called "Don Peyote." Michael Canzoniero directs. While it started out as a small film, the production received funding... and it's turning into some much larger... it stars Dan Fogler and Anne Hathaway.

Anyway, here's a scene that features Billy (and the fellow in the German helmet is Clayton Patterson; the young woman is Billy's daughter Celina Leroy).

Here's the set-up for this scene shot outside Billy's Antiques on East Houston:

"We jump on Dan. I beat him up and throw him into a coffin and nail it shut... It's all part of a nightmare scene he has after ingesting hallucinogenic drugs. Wish I could do this to some of the yuppies that wander into Billy's."

The movie is still in production. Here's a snippet of it.

[Photos by Isak Tiner]

About the Hot Chicks Room

We noted a few days back that the Upright Citizens Brigade had unveiled some signage at their new home on Avenue A at Third Street ... Including!

While it's a nod to this skit (thanks Erin!) ... a few commenters are not amused ... Like!

Anonymous said...
Are you people not looking at this unfunny, SNL obsessing, new-jack cornball, out-of-place, cargo-short and frisbee throwing, annoying piece of shit sign? I will spit on all these mothrfuckers as they wither in their adidas and converse and cold-weather sandals, as their nasally laughter and unfunny jokes penetrate my soul.

Enjoy your signs, they will soon be sent back to the college campus graveyard where they belong.

What's left of Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-a-Place — and come back soon

On Sunday, we posted some photos sent along by EV Grieve reader Tom from the fire-damaged stretch of stores on 14th Street and Avenue A ... The high winds knocked over the plywood... offering a peak at what's left inside... here are a few more shots we took on Sunday...

... and yesterday...

And yesterday afternoon .... workers were putting the plywood back...

[Bottom photos via Bobby Williams]

And per Tom in the comments:

Last summer I had heard from the manager of Petes-A-Place that they weren't planning to reopen until October. I wondered why it would take that long. But I guess it's understandable if they're going to do zero work during the winter.

A Mars Bar moment

On Saturday, we posted a photo of the new mural outside the Mars Bar...

Goggla shot some video of Jane Knox working on her mural Friday evening...

In case you were away for the long weekend

RIP grace (Sunday)

It snowed (Monday)

A Hamptons Market Place is opening on First Avenue (Monday)

Coyote Ugly is still not open — and here's why (Sunday)

EV Grieve favorite Donohue's Steak House is back open (Saturday)

Tonda randomly open this past weekend (Monday)

We spoke with Minnie McSorley (Saturday)

Someone tagged 35 Cooper Square (Saturday)

Yummy House closed on Third Avenue (Monday)

People ate outside on the Bowery because it was warmish (Friday)

And Lady Gaga walked around without pants on, though this isn't really news (Monday)

Silent night

After mentioning Friday that the lights were still on at the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree... they were extinguished this past weekend... Didn't even get to be lit up for Presidents' Day...

Avenue A, 5:29 p.m., Feb. 21

Horus Cafe may want to consider reinforcing their awning

Sixth Street and Avenue B.

Reminders

Also for more Bowery history.... the Bowery History exhibit curated by Rob Hollander for the Lower East Side History Project and the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors closes on Wednesday. It's in the public space on the second floor of the Whole Foods on the Bowery.

Today in pop stars walking around the Lower East Side without pants

[And thanks for the e-mails about this. I think. More via Pop Dust and BoweryBoogie]

Photo via Splash.

Watch out for the Big Bad Wolf on the Bowery, Little Red Riding Hood

He'll tear down your grandmother's historic house and build a condo-hotel-luxury apartment complex-dorm...

This morning on the Bowery at East Fourth Street.

Once more, with feeling

Tompkins Square Park this morning.

The East Village gets a taste of the Hamptons, sort of

Hamptons Market Place, with two locations on the West Side, is taking over the former Olympic Deli space on First Avenue at 13th Street ...

And the new owners have cleared out where the flowers were once sold on the 13th Street side...

...exposing part of the building's original features...

We've moved on from the @EVLambo

Via EV Grieve contributor Bobby Williams.

Tonda randomly open this past weekend

Tonda on East Fourth Street near Avenue B has been closed the past two weekends... We've asked people associated with the pizza place for comment, though have never received a response... seems a given that the place has closed.

Or not!

This past weekend, Tonda was randomly opened with an all-night happy hour, per their sandwich board. However, I didn't see anyone inside on Friday or Saturday night... and some of the gates were down — not very inviting...

This is all perplexing... I feel badly for anyone who still works here... and why not just be honest with the neighborhood?

Yummy House DOA

Yummy House next to Nevada Smith's on Third Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has closed...

A candle for Grace on Avenue B

We've received several e-mails since our post this morning about a DOA found on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street under the scaffolding at St. Brigid's. Several people have said that the victim's name is a homeless woman named Grace. Police sources have said no foul play was suspected in her death.

Tonight at the scene, someone set up a lone candle to mark the spot where she died...

Updated. 11:05 p.m. Colin Moynihan has more on the story at the Times:

A woman found dead on an East Village sidewalk Sunday morning was known to several people in Tompkins Square Park only by a first name, Grace. She was a regular in and around the park, they added, and often slept outside.

A man who said he had befriended her in the past few days said he had called for an ambulance on Sunday morning when he was unable to wake her.

“She was a very beautiful person,” said the man, who identified himself only as Tony, “and she had a beautiful heart.”

Returning to the scene on Avenue B

This morning, we noted police presence on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street... where a police officer told a reader that someone "found a body."

We stopped by the scene this afternoon... and found the following...

A cat vs. dog showdown on Avenue B

From EV Grieve contributor Bobby Williams.