Monday, November 12, 2012

51 Astor Place puts away its giant crane

You know that big crane over at 51 Astor Place...


On Saturday morning, workers disassembled the thing...





Another ceremonial step in the construction of the 430,000-square-foot tower... after workers packed it up...


... we jogged alongside, waving and tossing flower petals as it headed out of the neighborhood ...


Previously on EV Grieve:
51 Astor Place demolition begins July 1; 17 months to build new black-glass tower

East Village — the new Midtown?

Zoltar officially welcomed to the East Village


Awww...

EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken says hello (sort of); Flea Market Cafe closes for renovations

Didn't notice this one... On Avenue A, the concepts keep changing at the former Avenue A Sushi, which closed in the spring of 2010. It has been the Avenue A Bistro Bar. The Avenue A Bistro Cafe. Anyway, it's now called La Lune, a hookah bar serving Lebanese cuisine...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Avenue A Sushi is confusing us

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The first sign of the incoming Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken has arrived on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and East First Street...


The Blue Ribboners are aiming for a beer-wine license at this month's CB3/SLA meeting next Monday...

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Oh. Just a photo of these guys repainting the Phebe's sign on the Bowery at East Fourth Street on Saturday...


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And on Avenue A, the Flea Market Cafe is closed for renovations, as the sign shows...


To be honest, we've lost track of what's happening with the cafe. There have been a lot of rumors about its future, including new ownership.

Halloween City unceremoniously closes

Well, like many area businesses, Halloween City in the Shoppes at Red Square on East Houston closed on Oct. 28 pre Sandy's arrival.

And the store never reopened.


The store seemingly didn't move too much merchandise. No last-minute Halloween shoppers this year. We thought they would have at least thrown some post Oct. 31 sales. What else do you do with, say, all those Mitt Romney masks?


Freak On, Halloween City...

Sunday, November 11, 2012

[Updated] Nino's is back open, but...


We noted the other day that Nino's on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place had closed... either for renovations or to become something else... No one ever got a straight answer ... anyway, a sanitized Nino's is now back open (no xmas decorations or fountain drinks so far) ... a reader said that he tried it, and the pizza didn't quite seem the same... and he didn't recognize the workers... Anyone else try the new Nino's?

[Interior photo by Shawn Chittle]

A game of cat and mouse, and the squirrel won

Tompkins Square Park today. Photos by Bobby Williams...



This afternoon on Avenue C

Noted


One way to give rid of a storm-damaged car: Leave the keys on the hood. Photo by Bobby Maher.

Unless someone just forgot their keys on the hood...

14 photos of the post-Hurricane Sandy blackout in the East Village

Many readers sent photos from the blackout after Hurricane Sandy. I didn't have the chance to post them at the time. So... here's a look back... thank you to everyone who shared their work...

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Photos by Shawn Chittle.



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Photos by Michael Rosenthal.





(C) 2012 Michael Rosenthal

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Photos By Kevin Shea Adams
@kevinsheaadams
Find more photos of his photos here.





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Via Downtown in the Dark. Find more photos here.




Street fair! Street fair! Street fair!


Our friend esquared™ sends this along from this morning at Astor Place... Does the timing seem strange for a street fair?

From the EVG Twitter account



A reader noted that there wasn't any line just a few minutes ago... As of 9:30 or so, Mobil on Houston and Avenue C was awaiting a delivery... and no one in line. Does everyone now finally have gas? (So to speak...)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Noted


Any idea why Con Ed would have such heavily armed NYPD personnel outside the substation on East 14th Street and Avenue C....?

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Today in rats dying getting on the L train


Yep. Photo by Bobby Williams.

Religious zealots target Zoltar


Outside Gem Spa today...

Reader request: A granny bike for a homeless woman

Via the EV Grieve inbox...
Does anyone have or know where I can get an old granny bike (a small ladies step through) with a front basket and back carrier? I know sweet this 76 yr old French homeless woman called Jacqueline who lives down at the east river on 20th st and ave C. If you ever walk around the Stuy Cove you may have seen her. She is disabled and lost her bike during the storm (which was her home and only means to get around). I promised her I would get her a bike this weekend and I am willing to pay for it if it's not too expensive ... or maybe someone has one that they are throwing out.

Anyone... let me know via the EV Grieve email

7th annual Lantern Fesitval tomorrow afternoon


In the Green Oasis Community Garden on East Eighth Street between Avenue C and D...

And we can build this dream together


Tompkins Square Park late yesterday afternoon. Photo by Bobby Williams.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Associated back open on Avenue C



The grocery at East Eighth Street suffered heavy losses ... But the workers got the place up and running again ... Beating the early grim predictions of being out for a month...

Lone Justice served



Not my usual thing... but I always liked this band, Lone Justice ...here doing "Shelter" at the Ritz in December 1986.

Frustrated tenants meeting tomorrow at Knickerbocker Village

We've been following the developments of Knickerbocker Village, the 12-building affordable housing complex on the Lower East Side, via updates at The Lo-Down. The complex has mostly without power and heat in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Per The Lo-Down this morning:

The complex, which spans two city blocks on Monroe Street between Catherine and Market, includes around 700 tenants over the age of 60. There are a couple dozen home-bound seniors who require daily attention. On Tuesday, a 105-year old woman died after her oxygen machine malfunctioned. The woman, who did not live at Knickerbocker Village but was staying with her son, could not call for help because there was no phone service. Her son had stepped away from the apartment briefly to care for other family members.

A frustrated resident forwarded us the following note and meeting announcement to help spread the word about the situation here.

We are speechless with the non-management support with this no electricity and heat for 12 days. There must be a way to pump the water out in better speed and amount — and also equipment replacement. Did they not have a back-up plan for this amount of residents?

[Click image to enlarge]

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[East 7th Street this morning]

Avenue C business owners rebuilding (The Villager)

Sandy-related death toll rises in NYC (Runnin' Scared)

Volunteer relief efforts in the Rockaways this weekend (BoweryBoogie)

Getting and using insurance after the hurricane (Curbed)

Update on Knickerbocker Village (The Lo-Down)

Sandy, queen of darkness (The Gog Log)

Scenes from Sandy (Slum Goddess)

The new 84 E. 10th St. (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Union Square holiday market returns (Gothamist)

Author of 'The Help' just bought James Iha's place on East 10th Street (The Observer)

Andy’s Chee-Pees closes on West Eighth Street (Flaming Pablum)

GoLES volunteer opportunities today

Time Warner Cable upate

Info clinic this a.m. on Hurricane Sandy recovery

From the EV Grieve inbox... sorry for the short — someone just sent it to me...


... and presented by a lot of people...

[Updated] Nino's Pizza has closed


Another item we meant to note sooner... Nino's Pizza, a longtime favorite hub on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, closed at the end of October. There's paper over the windows, and we saw the tables and chairs stacked up on the sidewalk.

Back in March, we noted that Nino's was for sale. According to the listing, "owner retiring and looking for a quick sale." No mention of key money, though the rent was listed at $13,200 a month...

We heard that another pizza place was taking over, but no one has officially confirmed that... hopefully it won't be a franchise (Papa John's, etc.) and that the new owners keep the walk-up window. Ray's is the last one left on Avenue A.

Updated 9:25

Added a photo of Nino's fountain drinks machine... Gojira mentioned it in the comments.



And via a reader in the comments:

[The new owner] He said he will still have pizza and mediteranean food and that it will still be fast food. He said that they were going for an industrial look with a communal table.

He said that he would apply for a beer and wine.

Helping Hurricane Sandy pets

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Ten days have passed since Hurricane Sandy battered all five boroughs of New York City, Long Island and coastal New Jersey. While enormous governmental and nonprofit relief efforts brought food, water, blankets and baby supplies to the hardest-hit areas where residents remain without power and basic amenities, food and supplies for companion animals remain especially scarce.

In fact, many residents remain huddled in damaged homes, still unable to venture very far for supplies. They are very grateful for any provisions to care for their furry family members. Carloads of supplies have been emptied with such astonishing speed that reinforcements are a critical need. That's where together we can help.

With the support of Bayou Rescue, a national nonprofit group founded during Hurricane Katrina and based in North Carolina, and The Lo-Down, a group of Manhattan residents and business owners are collecting pet food and supplies, as well as cash donations to purchase them. A caravan of vehicles and volunteers has been coordinated to deliver supplies to areas in need including the shore towns of Staten Island, Queens, and Long Island on Sunday.

Here’s what you can do:

Donate supplies (in Manhattan): Saturday, Nov. 10 from noon to 3 p.m., bring dry dog and cat food (in 5-10 pound bags), canned dog and cat food and cat litter to one of two locations.

• Downtown: Ruff Club dog club, daycare and boarding facility, 34 Ave. A in the East Village.

• Uptown: Instinct Dog Behavior & Training boarding, training and rehabilitation center, 1795 Lexington Ave. in East Harlem.

Donate funds to help us purchase supplies: Make a tax-deductible financial donation to Bayou Rescue by visiting BayouRescue.org/donate. Please note “Hurricane Sandy Pets”
in the memo section of your check to ensure your donation is properly routed.

Mystery Lot progress report


EVG reader Katja sends along an update here at the former Mystery Lot. Any further east on 14th Street, and this might by a lake now.

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot likely facing a luxurious end

The last days of the Mystery Lot