Breaking: Death Star getting some life

As this photo from ‏@Ewingweb shows... workers are putting in some shrubbery, trees, etc., this afternoon outside 51 Astor Place... hopefully there will be some sun left for the green things.

Is a Ramones movie in the works?

Linda Ramone, the widow of late Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone, told Rolling Stone yesterday that she has various offers to do a movie about the band.

Per the article:

Ramone is not sure yet about the basis for the film – whether it will be a full-band biopic celebrating the New York group's rise in the mid-Seventies or told from Johnny's perspective based on his autobiography, 'Commando,' which was published last year. The foundation for the movie will depend on whether the controlling sides of the band's music agree. "If we could get together with my other side, I have a partner, so we'll see," she said.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Annette “Mistress Evil” Moccaldi
Occupation: Dominatrix
Location: 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue
Time: 1:30 on Saturday, March 9

Oh boy, where should I start. I’m from Brooklyn. I was born in Park Slope but I was raised in Canarsie. When I was around 12 I started coming around here. I found Washington Square Park first, and that was crazy for me. It was great and so different.

And then, when I found the East Village, I was elated because I found utopia. I didn’t think it could get any better than that and it did. I was happy. Very happy. I couldn’t believe it because it was so bad where I grew up. I couldn’t wait to get away and see something different. And boy was it different. People liked each other here and it didn’t matter what race or what color you were. Everybody was different and everybody got along.

Like a lot of us, I was doing a lot of drugs. I was experimenting. I started young. When I was 12 I started drinking and smoking weed and stuff like that. Then I started smoking angel dust and eventually that turned into heroin. And then I started shooting dope and everything blew up.

When I started getting high, that was when I started living on the street. Doing the needle exchange. Things really got bad when I was in my late 20s and into my 30s. That’s when I started living in the squats or anywhere I could find. I went to Brooklyn a lot to squat. I did tent city. It was just a bunch of tents. I lived in the band shell in Tompkins Square Park. I lived anywhere I could find where people wouldn’t bother you. Everybody looked out for each other. There would always be people to look out for you. There were always predators around too but I knew enough people to kind of escape that kind of thing. It was kind of cool. It was bad but it was also great. I still have my friends from there to this day.

Then I went to Rikers Island and that was terrible. I went into rehab for a year and a half. I have nothing to hide. I’ve done it and I’ve been [off drugs] for maybe 14 years.

I still dominatrix. I retired briefly, but that didn’t last long because I needed the money. I started in the strip clubs and I didn’t like that because I felt like I was being objectified, so now I tell people what the fuck to do. That’s fun. I’m the boss. And I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do. I don’t do anything out of my boundaries.

I have to live in Harlem now. Everything is getting better for me except for the fact that our neighborhood has changed. My boyfriend and I are both really bummed about it because now we’ve got our shit together, we could do something about this, and this is what we’ve got to come back to in the East Village. It wretches my guts. Everyday I’m looking around on the train. Where are all these people coming from? This used to be the dump that nobody wanted to live in.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Longtime laundromat on East 10th Street closes on Friday

Back in January we heard that the laundromat on East 10th Street near Second Avenue that has served the neighborhood for so many years will be closing ... We heard that the landlord was asking for an "insane" rent hike.

A reader tells us that Friday is their last day in business. Mimi and her son are saying their goodbyes now to longtime customers.

"Such a nice family. It's really sad to see them go," said the reader.

As for this space, you can probably count on either more ramen... or an upscale eatery from a name chef. Right?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rent hike KOs East 10th Street laundromat

New gluten-free Italian cafe in the works for East Fifth Street

Back in January, the nearly four-month-old Ballaro Bakery closed on East Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Now, as EVG contributor peter radley notes, another cafe is set to give the space a go...



As the sign shows, it will be something Italian. (Sorry.) The website listed isn't up and running yet... Perhaps this is related to Risotteria, the gluten-free Italian cafe and bakery over on West Bleecker...



Porchetta.Hog and Ballaro Bakery barely lasted in this space. Perhaps this place will break the losing streak.

Report: Jennifer Esposito to star in reality pilot for E!

As you may know, actress Jennifer Esposito opened her gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, soy-free, peanut-free, allergy-friendly, organic bakery on East 10th Street on March 2.

Now, as Deadline Hollywood first reported late yesterday afternoon, the proprietor of Jennifer's Way Bakery will film a pilot for E!

Per Deadline: "[T]he pilot will chronicle Esposito’s duties running the place while juggling the other aspects of her life."

Esposito, who was diagnosed with Celiac disease five years ago, will also serve as the executive producer.

Also, per Deadline:

"The untitled project is a spinoff from the cable network’s upcoming docu-reality series 'Playing With Fire,' which premieres Sunday. Esposito is among those featured on the show, which follows the personal lives and careers of tastemakers and chefs inside New York’s culinary scene."

She would join the folks at Obscura Antiques & Oddities on Avenue A as East Village reality TV stars... (and, perhaps, Billy Leroy, now starring in "Baggage Battles.")

h/t EVG reader Gary

Previously on EV Grieve:
Actress Jennifer Esposito's Jennifer's Way Bakery opening soon on East 10th Street (46 comments)

[Photo via the Wikimedia Commons]

The highs and lows (ins and outs?) of parking a Smart car in the East Village

Photos by EVG regular Derek Berg

Crash expected at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

On Saturday, a handful of graffiti artists quickly put up a tribute to legendary street photography Martha Cooper in honor of her 70th birthday. Brooklyn Street Art said that the tribute would be up for "an incredibly short time, possibly only days" on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall.

Very true. A tipster told us that Crash (aka John Matos), one of the artists who worked on the Marty tribute, starts a new mural here today.

Fog and steam

Photos today via Bobby Williams...


[East 11th Street near B]

Reader report: Marshal seizes Subway (sandwich shop) on East 14th Street

A reader notes that the Marshal has seized the Subway on East 14th Street (IHOP Way!) near Second Avenue...



Three East Village Subways have closed in the East Village now dating back to October... the one on Second Avenue near East Ninth Street... and the one on First Avenue near East 14th Street (though that one did later return under new management).

Too much competition from $1 pizza ... and 7-Eleven?

Report: East Village bank manager allegedly stole $300k from a customer's account

A bank manager at Sovereign Bank on Avenue A at East Fourth Street was arrested after allegedly stealing $300,000 from a customer's account, the Post reports this afternoon.

He was arrested last Thursday at the 9th Precinct. He reportedly returned the money to the account. Police charged him with four counts of grand larceny.

The Post inexplicably notes that the manager is 5-foot-2, which we will inexplicably mention here as well.

Landmarks Commission wants more info about hotel planned next to the historic Merchant's House

The developers who want to build a 9-story hotel next door to the Merchant's House on East Fourth Street returned to face the Landmarks Commission today. (Plans call for demolishing the one-level garage/repair shop adjacent to the circa 1832 Merchant's House.)

Curbed's Jeremiah Budin was there. The developers discussed how the construction could occur without compromising the structural integrity of the Merchant's House.

And the end result? Another meeting!

The Commission found the presentation to be, if not completely convincing, very thorough. Ultimately, though, they decided that they would need more information, possibly from some sort of expert third party, to determine whether or not the construction would pose a real threat.

Read the whole Curbed post here.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Early this morning on St. Mark's Place]

CBGB Film Festival shopping at SXSW (Billboard)

A visit to Fabulous Fanny's on East Ninth Street (The Wall Street Journal)

More drama for Finale at 199 Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

Highlights from last night's CB3/SLA meeting (The Lo-Down)

Peacefood Cafe opens outpost on East 11th Street and University (DNAinfo)

Casa Havana disappears on 8th Avenue (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Lawsuit at Hotel Chelsea (Curbed)

And if you have 10 minutes to spare... Joe Franklin interviews Joey and Marky Ramone in 1988...

A good sign at the Native Bean?

Back in September 2011, a "for rent" sign went up above Native Bean at 50 Avenue A... Per the listing, it's a 10-year lease at $10,000 per month.

Well. Now 18 months later, workers have removed the "for rent" sign. (On March 1.)



And in its place last Thursday, a new Native Bean sign now greets passersby...



While the listing remains online, a tipster who frequents the cafe believes that they are staying put. Plus, as the tipster notes, the Native Bean has just added new menu items, such as a grilled chicken sandwich and caramel apples(!). Plus! They just installed a small aquarium.

We haven't heard any official confirmation. Ali, the owner, is currently away.

Be the only resident in this East 10th Street building

The plywood and scaffolding came down here at 84 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue in November ... exposing a rather ugly glass front...

Here's what it looked like a few years ago...



Anyway, retail spaces are available. (There used to be retail here — 99X.) And now the residential portion of the building is on the market. Here's the listing per Bond:

**This is an amazing apartment in a great neighborhood.** **As the only residential unit in the bldg, it is very private.** **Located in a Prime Greenwich Village area, it is close to the best dining & nightlife (and not too far from the subway & Union Square).** **There are many charming features as well: hardwood floors, high ceilings, skylights throughout, lots of windows, washer/dryer in the unit, separate kitchen w/ dishwasher & a huge private roofdeck.** **Stunning 2BR/2.5 Bath Loft w/ Tons of Space!!** **This is a great deal for the area...a must see for anyone & everyone!!**

And what is "a great deal for the area"?

$7,500 a month. (A listing with a different realtor had it going for $8,500.)

A few photos.







As Jeremiah Moss wrote back in November, "These buildings between Third and Fourth Avenues were once the epicenter of the Abstract Expressionist movement in the 1950s." Read that post here.

And I wonder if anyone ever figured out that rooftop noise here?

An update on Biker Bill's whereabouts

[Photo by Clayton Patterson]

Here's an update about Biker Bill, a regular through the years at Ray's and in Tompkins Square Park ... and a familiar figure at Bob Arihood's Neither More Nor Less...

People haven't seen him in some time ... Clayton Patterson passes along a message from Biker Bill yesterday:

I was involved in a hit and run. I have a broken arm and broken hip. I'm in the Richmond Center for Rehabilitation in Staten Island. I would like someone to come visit me at 91 Tompkins Ave., Staten Island NY.

And no word if Biker Bill ever started a Twitter account.

Happy birthday Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac was born on this date in 1922...

In his honor, a photo of Kerouac that Allen Ginsberg shot in the East Village outside Tompkins Square Park...


The caption reads:

Jack Kerouac wandering along East 7th street after visiting Burroughs at our pad, passing statue of Congressman Samuel "Sunset" Cox, "The Letter – Carrier's Friend" in Tompkins Square toward corner of Avenue A, Lower East Side; he's making a Dostoyevsky mad-face or Russian basso be-bop Om, first walking around the neighborhood, then involved with The Subterraneans, pencils & notebook in wool shirt-pockets, Fall 1953, Manhattan.

You can find other photos online that Ginsberg took of Kerouac and Williams Burroughs in the East Village ... like this one from Ginsberg's apartment at 206 E. Seventh St.

RIP JoBear la Stuffing

In early March, Goggla spotted this on East Second Street near Avenue B ... the note around the neck read "can't bear it anymore."



Now! Someone has cut the bear from the tree... and added this sign...



Previously on EV Grieve:
A brief history of humiliating Teddy bears in the East Village

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Tompkins Square Park yesterday, via Bobby Williams]

88-year-old old artist Taylor Meade has to live like this during the luxury renovation of his building (BoweryBoogie)

Judge tosses Bloomy's soda ban (Reuters)

Meet Pastor Richard Del Rio, who's running against Rosie Mendez (DNAinfo)

The end of the Rawhide (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Great photos of when Domino was still a sugar factory (Curbed)

Controversial Bow already closes on the Bowery (Eater)

Norfolk Street synagogue won't tear itself down (The Lo-Down)

...and more from the No 7-Eleven chalkers last night on Avenue A...

Report: DOH temporarily closes the Sunburnt Cow on Avenue C

[File photo]

The DOH has temporarily closed drunk-brunch hotspot the Sunburnt Cow, reports Serena Soloman at DNAinfo this afternoon.

Inspectors found 56 violation points during a visit on Friday, including "the space not being considered 'vermin proof' and its toilet facility not being well maintained and having no toilet paper," per the DOH website.

Owner Heathe St. Clair blamed the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery for the failed inspection. The bar-restaurant on Avenue C was one of the many businesses along Avenue C to suffer from extensive Sandy-related flood damage last fall.

[Updated] Excavation continues outside the former Cabrini Center on Avenue B

On Friday, a resident who lives adjacent to the former Cabrini Center noted the unbearable jackhammering taking place in the building's parking lot off Avenue B at East Fifth Street. The health care facility for elderly patients is being converted into luxury residences.

Today, another resident passes along photos of the ongoing excavation (pointing out that few of the workers chose not to wear hard hats for this job). The nearby resident refers to the work here today as "obscenely loud."









Here's a little video action of the work...



Not sure what's going on out back... workers jackhammered out the former parking lot. One local joked that they were putting in a pool. Hmm. More likely the pump service room, the water room, etc., in the basement.

DOB permits show 81 units here, including a rooftop "public recreation space" as well as retail space.

Previously.

Today's lost and found

EVG reader Kyle spotted this on Avenue B and East Sixth Street this morning... I'm currently wearing it. Still. Let me know if you can prove that it belongs to you.

[Updated] Con Ed apologizes for the 'inconvenience' of waking you up at 4:30 a.m.

Twitter lit up again early this morning (or, late last night depending on your schedule) with reports of various weird alien noises, explosions, 747s landing nearby. That kind of thing. Similar, but not as loud as in the early-morning hours of Feb. 27.

Super weird alien noises and sirenish sounds coming from Stuytown right now, can't sleep! #stuytown #eastvillage

— Calvin Morrissey (@calvinmorrissey) March 11, 2013

@evgrieve hear anything about a punishingly loud buzzing noise at 4:15 last night near 14th and B that lasted an hour? Destroyed my sleep.

— David M. Goldstein (@dmg924) March 11, 2013

One resident did speak with Con Ed around 4:30 a.m. They were releasing steam pressure.

@lilyalta @evgrieve #stuytown was a release of steam pressure from our steam station. Sorry for inconvenience

— Con Edison (@ConEdison) March 11, 2013

And they are sorry for the "inconvenience," as you can see.

From a follow-up with Con Ed: "It was not planned. Was due to equipment issue."

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village residents ask: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT NOISE LAST NIGHT?

'Urgent community meeting' to discuss bar opening at 14 Avenue B

Flyers went up yesterday with notice of a community meeting on Sunday night ... of particular interest to residents of the southern stretch of Avenue B and the side streets.

First item of business:

• "We need to mobilize for the last step to stop a new nightclub from opening at 14 Avenue B."

That would be the so-called Epic City Pub, from the folks who owned Urge on Second Avenue. (Read more about this here.)

Lost track of this one. The full Community Board 3 denied this application last September for a variety of reasons, including that there are at least 12 full on‐premise liquor licenses within 500 feet of this location. (Find the meeting notes here via a PDF.) The bar is currently seeking a license directly from the State Liquor Authority. (There was a petition earlier.)

Other items to discuss on Sunday night:

There are also applications in the works for 173 E. Second St., currently home to the Klean & Kleaner laundromat ... and possible new location for The Living Room. This was on the March CB3/SLA docket, but the applicant withdrew.

Plus, there's an unknown applicant aiming to take over the former JujoMukti Tea Lounge at 211 E. Fourth St.

The meeting, sponsored by the East 4th Street A & B Block Association, will be held from 6:30-7:30 in the community room at 535 E. Fifth St.

[H/t to Ray LeMoine for the photo]

The 'East Village3' is ready for you; for that 'Industrial Chic feel'

[March 2012]

Back last spring, GRJ, a fund co-founded and co-managed by brothers Graham and Gregory Jones, closed on the 78-unit, three-building package of 50-58 E. Third St. for $23.5 million.

In April, 17 residents of the buildings received letters that stated, in part: "It has been agreed with the impending new owners that your lease will not be renewed and that you will be expected to vacate at the expiration of your lease." More such letters followed.

The residents banded together and formed a tenants group; local politicians came out to offer support during a rally on May 7. However, as one former resident put it, the Big Real Estate Machine was too great to overcome. In the end, we're not sure how many of the longtime tenants ended up leaving the three buildings.

Heavy construction began in the fall... and now, the first of the renovated units are available to rent this month. Per the Streeteasy listing:

"The Walk-Up Reinvented"

BE THE FIRST TO LIVE IN EAST VILLAGE LUXURY. Situated in the Heart of the East Village, the Three Buildings at 50-58 East 3rd Street (at 2nd Avenue) have been dubbed the "East Village3" aka The #EV3. These newly renovated units boast superior finishes throughout. The contrast of exposed brick, high-gloss cabinets and stainless appliances give the building an Industrial Chic feel. Each bedroom is equal sized and every roommate has their own bathroom, with private storage above.

Absolute brand new gut renovation to the entire building. From top to bottom these apartments are designed for optimal living. The apartment features include, Oak Floors with a dark Walnut Stain, stacked Bosch Washer/Dryer, LG Fridge, GE Dishwasher and Microwave, imported Cesar Stone counter tops from Italy, white high gloss cabinets, high hat lighting, 3 Real Full Bathrooms, waterfall sinks in the bathroom, extra storage space, crown moldings, exposed brick, video intercom, secure key fob entrance, plus the building is under 24/7 video surveillance for extra security.

Here's what that looks like...







There are three, three-bedroom units available, ranging in price from $4,900 to $5,150.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Three apartment buildings sold on East Third Street

Advocate for East Third Street buildings moving to Washington Heights

More about the lease renewals at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St.

Tenants at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St. banding to together in face of building sale

More drama at 50-58 E. Third St.; 'heavy construction' awaits tenants who stay

And now the renovations really begin at 50-58 E. Third St.

Flea Market Cafe reopens today, and here's the menu

[March 2]

The new-look Flea Market Cafe was unveiled at the beginning of March, as we noted here. A few readers and regulars of the bistro grumbled about the cleaned-up interior — someone even thought that it looked like a "Pier 1 showroom" now.

But how about the menu? It's now online. (Click on images to enlarge.)











The Flea Market opens tonight... the new owners are from 10 Degrees around the corner on St. Mark's Place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11

Last remaining plywood removed from the Economakis him, revealing NO GARAGE

A tipster sent along the above photo, noting that the last piece of plywood outside 47 E. Third St. — the former tenement that Alistair Economakis renovated for his family — was recently removed. The address was the site of a bitter landlord-tenant fight dating back to 2003.

Several neighbors were convinced that the former 15-unit tenement would include a garage. There was an application for a curb cut, but the city never approved the request.

Last May, City Councilmember Rosie Mendez told The Villager that the Economakises are leasing part of the ground-floor space to a medical facility ... and the garage would serve that facility.

Anyway, the tipster said that he or she couldn't quite tell what was behind the plywood all that time. "It just looks like a black wall." No hidden doors?

[November 2011]

Previously on EV Grieve:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion

More coverage here.