A July 4 holiday weekend

[A July 4-related photo shoot for Dragon Fly Productions at Professor Thom's via Gregory Patrick]

It was a mostly fine weekend hereabouts, patriotic or otherwise.


[On the Bowery]

It was quiet.


[First Avenue]

Except for the fireworks, the official ones … and the illegal ones.

One of the hawks joined a rooftop fireworks viewing party on East Eighth Street.


[Photo by EVG reader Mike]

We don't really have much to show for the weekend.

We took a photo of a mannequin in the trash. We saw the Moon. And Mars, just barely.

We read the Fourth Amendment that someone took the time to write on the plywood on the East 11th Street side where Mary Help of Christians used to be. (Someone also wrote the First Amendment out too.)



We did not sit here, however tempting, on East 13th Street.



We unnecessary used the "noir" setting to take photos of the sky from Avenue C way back on Thursday



We wondered if the quinoa made the move safely to Avenue B.



We set a spring trap for our neighbors.



We wondered about this photo of a Citi Bike in the trash on East Houston at Norfolk that a reader emailed us.



There was probably more. But we'll leave you with the Chillmaster taking you into the night …

Week in Grieview

[2nd Avenue bus on fire lane photo from July 4 via Derek Berg]

LIGHTNING STRIKES (Wednesday)

Painting the Dodge heading West (Tuesday)

We will miss First Avenue Pierogi and Deli (Wednesday)

Pricing for new condos at 227 E. Seventh St. (Tuesday)

99-Cent Discount Center latest lost-lease casualty on East 14th Street (Monday)

Your new Dunkin' Donuts has arrived on Cooper Square (Monday)

Golden Cadillac closes (Wednesday, 29 comments)

Sketchy pink boxes alert (Tuesday… Thursday)

Closing date for BP station on Second Avenue (Monday)

Exclusive: It was the the Fourth of July (Friday)

Bass thief (Thursday)

Rendering reveal for 76 E. Houston St. (Thursday)

Financial help for Citi Bike (Wednesday) … not to mention a valet service (Thursday)

Opening for new St. Mark's Bookshop pushed back (Tuesday)

Retro crotch grab at Mousey's (Thursday)

The Mobil station reopens (Monday)

The townhouse at 356 E. Eighth St. is back on the market (Thursday)

Check out this "charming studio" (Wednesday)

Transforming Eleventh and Third (Tuesday)

… and you always post photos of macaws on East Ninth Street …


[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

And check out the placement of the Times with the photo of Brazil star Neymar … Was the macaw's owner rooting for Colombia?

Headless Duane Reade shopper now has a head

Some closure on one of the most important news stories ever. Live from the Duane Reade on East Second Street and Avenue B.

Last weekend!

Monday!



Now!



----

Role model…

[EVG file photo]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Headless Duane Reade shopper giving East 2nd Street the creeps

Sunday afternoon mannequin coverage

East 3rd Street between Avenue A and Avenue B …

Also, a question…

@evgrieve Does this count as a Christmas tree? pic.twitter.com/A4U9TAO0ZH

— Eden Brower (@edenbrower) July 6, 2014

Yes.

The Hole on the Roof Gang, perhaps?

Someone knocked off the Popular Community Bank on Delancey Street near Essex Street.

From the Post:

Daring thieves sawed a gaping hole in the roof of a bank on the Lower East Side on the Fourth of July — as rooftop revelers nearby were distracted by the fireworks show on the East River, police sources and witnesses said.

The Moon and Mars last night from 2nd Avenue

[Photo via Felton Davis]

Felton Davis was set up at East Third Street and Second Avenue last night for the conjunction of the Moon and Mars.

And just one astrophotographer, Kristan Enos, was able to get the Moon and Mars into a single shot… (you can just make out Mars at the top of the image…)


[Click image to enlarge]

And here is the waxing gibbous moon — 58 percent illuminated and just past first quarter phase! — at 12:20 a.m. via Bobby Williams…

See the conjunction of the Moon and Mars from the East Village tonight

[Photo by Felton Davis from June 6]


Local astronomy buff Felton Davis passed along the following …

If it stays clear I will set up at my usual location of East 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue at 8 tonight for the conjunction of the Moon and Mars. I'll try to bring an eyepiece that allows us to see both of them in one view.

The fireworks of the East Village from July 4

James and Karla Murray shared a few photos of the unofficial July 4 firework displays around the East Village from last night… (seemed better than the real thing at times!)





And can we still get in on that $1,000 reward?

Reader report: Avoid couple with stroller asking for milk money for the baby

An EVG reader shared the following with us from yesterday …

I've been approached by this young African-American couple several times in the past year. They are pushing a stroller with a one-to-two-year-old child. They always look sullen and ask for "money for milk for the baby." I always reply "Sorry." Today, when I politely declined, the woman came after me, followed me into a store on 2nd Ave & 4th St. threatening that she would "...knock my fucking head off the next time she sees me." They are usually walking up 2nd Avenue. The police were called. I don't know if the police were able to catch up with them.

This on the heels of the return of the "my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas" scam guy.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village grifter alert: Beware the broken vodka-bottle scam!

East Village grifter alert: Beware the man with the sob story who offers you a wedding ring as collateral

Snowy afternoon grifter alert

Reader report: 'my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas' scam guy back in action

Repercussions from saying 'I see you standing there' all day long

We've told this to Zoltar a thousand times. You can't pester people all day long. Play it cool, you know.

EVG contributor Derek Berg noted this tense, 90-second stare down outside Gem Spa on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place this morning.



Perhaps there is some history between these two. Keep an eye out…

Speaking of 'I see you standing there' …

Just noting the arrival of two new NYPD surveillance cameras … on East Seventh Street and Avenue A … and East Seventh Street and Avenue B …



Workers installed the one on Seventh and B on June 26.

So please be mindful — we hear that these cameras really do add 10 pounds.

H/T Dave on 7th

Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

Photos this evening via Bobby Williams ...



[Headline H/T President Whitmore]

A July 5th flea market extravaganza on East 12th Street

From the EVG inbox...

East 12th Street Market between 1st Avenue and Avenue A has its 5th of July BASH 12 - 6 pm!

Vending, facepainting and kids balloons! Open mic. Bring food for the potluck and come see our vendors!

VENDING:
Charmed by Starr ~ New Age, jewelry, curio items
Beyond Vagabond ~ Herbal Soaps and honeys, healthy sweets
Afrooklyn ~ One of a kind art, hand designed Afro-centric clothing
Black Market ~ Handmade wood furniture, curios, oddities
Jay ~ Vintage jewelry and accessories
Miss Carol's Accessories ~ Children's clothing and items
Lynxx Entertainment ~ Face painting, balloon animals, baskets.
And MORE!

BELLY DANCE by Tandava Arts at 4 pm!

You can find all this over at the East Side Community High School at 420 E. 12th St.

Today in bus shelter news

Just noting the arrival of another Cemusa wading pool bus shelter on Second Avenue at East 13th Street …



And bonus photo…

In case you want to watch some fireworks tonight

[Outside Elsewhere Espresso on East 6th Street via Derek Berg]

As you probably know, the July 4 (that's today!) fireworks return to the East River ... first time since somebody moved them to the Hudson River in 2009.

Anyway! Here's a roundup of some of the Where-to-watch-the-fireworks roundups:

• Brooklyn Vegan

• Curbed

• Gothamist

• DNAinfo

Or, if you'd rather watch from a TV set in a bar, NBC will broadcast the fireworks live beginning at 9 p.m.

And now, enjoy Siouxsie & The Banshees with "Fireworks" from 1982...

How you can earn up to $1,000 today!

By providing the NYPD will information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons possessing or distributing fireworks!

We MAY have info about neighbors who made a stop at TNT Fireworks Supercenter off Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania …

Last night at 8:09

Photos by Bobby Williams

INCOMING

Just after 8 p.m

Photo by Rob and Mike

This man reportedly stole a bass guitar from Otto's

Surveillance video at Otto's Shrunken Head on East 14th Street has ID'd the dude in the above photo as the person who apparently took a bass guitar belonging to multi-instrumentalist Claude Coleman Jr.

Coleman, who played drums for Ween, was performing with his band Amandla on June 21 when the instrument was stolen.

Here's more about it from a June 30 post on Facebook:

We're looking for this man — he's been identified as the thief who stole my instrument on June 21 ... after everyone cleared out of the stage area. I was in the front of the bar with a friend, and the guy walked right behind me. He also nicked our drummer's practice pad, and is seen walking away with it.

This gig bag isn't mine — however the venue assures me they've watched the video again and again and this is the man who handles the instrument and walks away with it. I guess he switched bags perhaps. If this bloke with the man-boobs looks recognizable to anyone, please contact me. Again, no charges will be filed, I just want the return of the instrument.

Read more about this today at the Daily News.

"The sentimental value is priceless," Coleman said of the bass.

Report: Citi Bike to test a valet service on Avenue A and East 7th Street

[Worst PhotoShop ever by EVG]

That's the word from amNY:

Citi Bike is taking a page from restaurants and hotels by testing a valet service at a dock where people can avoid the frustration of trying to find a place to park their ride.

The weeknight valet service, which will launch at a dock on Avenue A and 7th Street on Monday, will be manned with at least two employees who will remove bikes once the dock fills up so that a couple of spaces will be always be available from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Perhaps this will help you avoid doing the "checking-all-of-the-Citi Bike-stations dance."

Reader report: 'my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas' scam guy back in action

From an EVG reader last night:

Tonight I was approached by the infamous "wife and kid are in the car" scammer on East 6th Street and Avenue A. It was about 10:30 p.m., and he asked me if I live in the area ... He then told me his wife and child were stuck in his car, and pointed across the street to an SUV, and said if he showed me his birth certificate and gave me his iPhone, could I...

I interrupted him there and said "I've heard about you," and began to walk away. "You bitch!" He screamed at me. I turned to look at him, more shocked and amused than threatened, and he yelled "You dirty bitch!" Then I yelled as loudly as I could: "WHY AM I A BITCH? BECAUSE I BLEW UP YOUR SPOT, YOU SCAM ARTIST?"

The reader said that his description matches one left by an EVG reader several months ago: He's in his 30s or 40s, slightly balding, about 5-9, 160 pounds with dark beady junkie eyes.

Last night, the reader also noticed that he has a tattoo on his right forearm — the name Rosa spelled out vertically in capital letters. Per the reader: "He could be white or Hispanic. He was also wearing one of those straw fedoras so many dudes wear in the summer."

A well-placed EVG source told us back in March that this man had been arrested at Penn Station.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village grifter alert: Beware the broken vodka-bottle scam!

East Village grifter alert: Beware the man with the sob story who offers you a wedding ring as collateral

Snowy afternoon grifter alert

Rendering reveal for new building going up adjacent to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[EVG photo from Saturday]

As we first reported back on Saturday, workers erected a sidewalk bridge along the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall … obscuring the artwork in the process.

Approved plans call for a two-story structure to rise from the empty lot adjacent to the wall at 76 E. Houston St. and Elizabeth Street, which previously housed Billy's Antiques.

Renderings arrived on the sidewalk bridge Tuesday …





And from the looks of things, the mural wall will remain intact.



Meanwhile, through a handy blogging portal, you can still catch a glimpse of veteran Bronx graffiti artist Cope2's mural.



This does make it tough for wedding photos, unfortunately. Plan accordingly!


[EVG photo from June 21]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Deal off to bring Crif Dogs to the former Billy's Antiques space

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

A drive by Mousey's Bar on Avenue C in 1976

George Cohen shares another photo with us.

I took this from the taxi I was driving. I saw Mousey's Bar, a little island in a pile of rubble, i.e. Avenue C and 13th St. in 1976.

As I raised my camera to my eye, this guy comes to the door, sees me and grabs his crotch.

That was the shot.

Indeed.

Today, Campos Plaza stands at this location.

As for Mousey's ... according to Jimmy Peanuts, Mousey's had the best stickball team of any bar in the neighborhood.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Meanwhile on St. Mark's Place in 1968…. (22 comments)

East 8th Street townhouse back on the market, now seeking $4.5 million

[Image via Leslie J. Garfield]

The townhouse at 356 E. Eighth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D is back on the market. Last time around, the house, not yet vacant, wanted $3.75 million. But times have changes. And so has the price and occupancy.

Per the listing at Leslie J. Garfield:

536 East 8th Street is a vacant townhouse situated between Avenue C and Avenue D. With an allowed FAR of 4.0, the building offers prospective purchasers the chance to develop the property to approximately 7,200 square feet.

The property is currently configured as a garden duplex with two floor-through units above measuring approximately 3,000 square feet. With a rapidly growing condominium and home sales market in the East Village/Alphabet City, the opportunity to develop either high-end apartments or a luxury home for use or resale is strong. Incredibly low taxes on the property make the opportunity for development additionally appealing.

Urban gardener

Perhaps you've seen this man from the East Sixth Street overpass ... tending a plot of lettuce, herbs and other things alongside East River Park and the FDR...

[Updated] Sketchy pink boxes starting to fit right in!

After less than a week on East Village streets, we noticed that people have welcomed those sketchy pink boxes to the neighborhood…



DNAinfo's Lisha Arino dug into these boxes, so to speak, and spoke to some property owners who said they had NOT given permission for the sketchy pink boxes to be installed on their land.

And the response from the company?

Our Neighborhood Recycling manager Bernard Jones insisted that the company, which has a warehouse in Jersey City, got permission from all property owners to install them.

“We tell them exactly what we’re doing and it’s up to them to say yes or no,” he said.

And what about the clothes, shoes, etc., that people leave in them?

[Jones] added that the company plans to resell donated clothing to other clothing vendors, as well as to companies that use the clothing to make rags. The signage, he said, makes it clear the organization is not a charity.

“It doesn’t say ‘donations.’ It says ‘recycling,’” he said.

The Department of Sanitation could not say whether the Our Neighborhood Recycling bins are illegal, per DNAinfo.

Updated 9:50 a.m.

BoweryBoogie reports that the Department of Sanitation has swung into action against the Sketchy Pink Boxes.

Updated 1:45 p.m.

A reader says that the box along the Verizon building on East 13th Street has been removed...

Previously on EV Grieve:
About those new sketchy pink boxes around the East Village