"It's with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of our 14th Street location. For 7 years we called this home, making friends from all over the world that share the same love for NUGS. We're not throwing in the towel just yet, but in order for us to return in the future we have to take these necessary actions now. "
Monday, September 21, 2020
Closings: Brazen Fox, the Nugget Spot, Hu Kitchen, Mancora and Apna Masala
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Week in Grieview
Thank you
Saturday, September 19, 2020
Last night in Tompkins Square Park
'May she remind you to keep going'
12th Street hosting a voter registration drive this weekend
The East 12th Street Block Association, in conjunction with the community gardens between Avenue A and Avenue B and the East Village Vintage Collective, is hosting a voter registration drive this weekend (Saturday and Sunday!) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be two locations for registrations on each side of the street (one is to be in front of the El Sol Brillante community garden).
Per the invite: "As this is such a crucial election, we must do all we can to ensure people are registered and VOTE."
The East Village Vintage Collective, pictured above, is at 545 E. 12th St. between A and B.
St. Brigid is now hosting a flea market on Saturdays
Founded in 1856, the Saint Brigid School was one of seven city Catholic schools marked for closure by the Archdiocese.
To date, the Archdiocese has not stated its plans for the space. Mary Help of Christians hosted a weekend flea market before the property was sold for what became Steiner East Village.
Report: Father-son bandits busted for alleged ATM heists
Friday, September 18, 2020
'Nonsense' you say!
Baby Kong arrives at the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden
Thanks to a Good Stuffed Animal Samaritan, there's now a Baby Kong in the Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden
Back in February we had the story about how Kong, the stuffed animal that longtime East Village resident Nefertiti Jones had as a child, ended up in the Community Garden. (Link to the story is below.)
Unfortunately, Kong went missing earlier this month. As Jones wrote in an Instagram post, "I am heartbroken my beloved Kong was stolen ... Kong who was loved by so many people and had become a permanent fixture on Avenue B was taken a few days ago. If you have seen him please bring him back."
Now though, someone placed a Baby Kong in the spot with a note...
The note reads in part: "I offer hope and health to all who care for me. Hopefully, mommy and daddy Kong come back to visit. If not, I am here to carry their legacy!"
H/T Briar and the 6th & B team!
The Merchant’s House Museum reopen to visitors on Saturday (tomorrow!)
More history: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."
Construction watch: 24 1st Ave./101 2nd St.
Nearly seven have months have passed since we checked in on the 101 Condominium, Rybeck Development's condoplex on First Avenue and Second Street.
There has been a lot of progress — despite the work stoppage during the COVID-19 PAUSE. The 7-story, 23-unit residential building, looks to have reached the top, as this Second Street view shows...
The work includes Saturdays, which has annoyed some neighbors. This past Saturday, a nearby resident wrote in to say: "They are using concrete pumps on diesel engine trucks — the engine never turns off and gets very loud during the pumping process — plus foghorns and car horns to communicate."As for what's to come, the studios are starting at $895,000. The listed amenities include a full-time doorman, fitness center, lounge area, grill & wet bar and an "immaculate indoor/outdoor park."
Two addresses — 24 First Ave. and its property mate 99-101 E. Second St. — were demolished to make room for the 101.
No. 24 's previous occupants included the cabaret Lucky Cheng's (1993-2012) and Club Baths, the first openly gay-owned bathhouse (1971-1983)... and Cave Canem and La Nouvelle Justine in between.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Building that housed Lucky Cheng's on 1st Avenue now on the auction block
• Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property sell for $12 million
• 7-story residential building pending at the former Lucky Cheng's space
• Demolition permits filed to bring down former Lucky Cheng's building on 1st Avenue
• The 411 on the 101 Condominium
Has Spiegel closed?
Elsewhere in NYC: Pearl Diner reopens for curbside dining
An adjusted menu of basic, diner-style classics, as well as the restaurant’s well-loved breakfast menu, is now available for in-person service as well as delivery via apps like GrubHub and Seamless.The Saturday reopening was a joyous occasion for longtime fans and newcomers alike. "They were all regular customers that showed up," [owner Alex] Pritsos said. “"We also had one or two tourists from Italy. Apparently one of the hotels nearby is now hosting some Italian tourists."
The Pearl opened in 1962, and is one of the last standalone diners in Manhattan. As Nick at Scouting NY said about the Pearl's neon sign: "at night, [it] makes New York City look like New York City."
[Photo from 2010 by James & Karla Murray]
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Thursday's parting shots
Grant Shaffer's NY See
Jules Bistro will not be reopening on St. Mark's Place
Jules Bistro, the casual French spot at 65 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue, will not be reopening coming out of the COVID-19 PAUSE.
The latest obstacle for Punjabi Grocery and Deli
For nearly nine years, the construction zone eliminated parking spaces for cab drivers, who were a sizable share of Punjabi's business, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal or break. Those who did stop faced getting a ticket. Plus, there has been an overall decline of cab drivers in the Lyft-Uber era.
• Never-ending construction continues to hurt Punjabi Grocery & Deli
• Taxi Relief Stand arrives on Avenue A; Punjabi Grocery & Deli relieved
• Concern again for Punjabi Grocery & Deli on 1st Street
• At long last a taxi relief stand for East Houston and 1st Street outside Punjabi Grocery & Deli
These local streets will now be open during the week for dining
Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday that 40 city streets participating in the Open Restaurants program on weekends can now operate during the week.
• Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street (Organizer: Becaf LLC aka Poco). Hours: Mondays-Fridays noon-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.
• Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue (Organizer: Derossi Global). Hours: Mondays-Fridays 4-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.
• Bleecker Street between Mott Street and the Bowery (Organizer: Von Design Ltd). Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays 5-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.
• Bond Street between Lafayette and the Bowery (Organizer: il Buco). Hours: Mondays-Fridays noon-11 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays noon-11 p.m.
The Open Restaurants program is set to end on Oct. 31st, but, as Gothamist noted, Mayor de Blasio has suggested that he wants to make it permanent, calling it "a stunning success."
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Wednesday's parting shot
Milking this police report for page views
Avenue B, 2 p.m., Sept. 16
"Meteorologists expect the graying effect to be ... present until the smoke is eventually pushed off the coast by a cold front on Friday," Gothamist reported.Upper level winds continue to spread smoke from the West Coast #wildfires across much of the northern half of the CONUS, reaching well into the Atlantic Ocean! Skies will continue to be hazy as a result. Meanwhile, #HurricaneSally is impacting portions of the Southeast. pic.twitter.com/LadTkwIs21
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) September 16, 2020
After 46 years, the Ukrainian Sports Club has left the East Village
The Ukrainian Sports Club of New York moved away earlier this week from the East Village after 46 years at 122 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
Ulana Pryjmak, the Club's communications director, provided this background on the organization that hosted everything from banquets to book readings here...
For the last several months the location of the Ukrainian Sports Club of New York (YCK) has experienced extraordinary changes due to gentrification of our neighborhood thereby having very little interaction with its members.
Moreover, our New York Ukrainians soccer team players find it difficult traveling into Manhattan. Our home base for our adult soccer games is in McCarren Park in Brooklyn, which is an area that would be a more appropriate and exciting new home for YCK.
In the past few years, we have taken several remarkable steps to remain here in Manhattan as this has been our home for the last 46 years. The YCK purchased the building at 122 Second Ave. in late 1974 upon selling our soccer field in Flushing, Queens. At that time, this building was a commercial one, fully rented, except for the ground and second floors with commercial and residential tenants on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors.
The club has meant the world to thousands of people over the last five decades. It always welcomed members and their guests with a smile. It is a unique location in the heart of the East Village.
Upon entering the building, you would walk down a long hallway with blue and yellow stripes (symbolizing the colors of the Ukrainian flag), to a lobby that has an amazing mural of printed articles and photographs of the NY Ukrainians soccer teams over the years.
On the other side is an impressive wall of outstanding trophies that their athletic teams have earned and show off with pride. Climbing up a few steps would be a classic and timeless no-frills bar, playing sports on any or all of their 3 TV monitors.
Although we sold the building back in 2016, but remained in the back of the ground floor, the decision to move out of our Manhattan home has been a very difficult one. Our rental lease has expired and we are ready to find a new permanent location. We have many unforgettable memories here that we will hold on to forever.
Rest assured, we have exciting changes ahead. We will continue to function with our respective adult and youth athletic programs during this transition and will wholeheartedly support you, our community, along the way.
Here are some photos from the move this week...We will dearly miss our 122 Second Ave. home but look forward to finding another remarkable location for our organization to continue thriving for generations to come.
You can keep tabs on the Club via Instagram.
Reader report: Coyote Ugly looks to be taking the former Blind Pig space
As we first reported yesterday, Coyote Ugly permanently closed its home of 27 years at 153 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
Workers who were clearing out the space said that the saloon would be moving to 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
EVG reader Brian Van confirmed that Coyote Ugly was on this month's Community Board 6 agenda for a new license at 233 E. 14th St. — the former Blind Pig.
The Blind Pig, the sports bar/pub (home to Arsenal supporters in the English Premier League), closed after service in June 2019. As previously reported, the owners of the 13-year-old Blind Pig were hit with an untenable 50-percent rent increase.
In announcing the closure, Coyote Ugly CEO and founder Lil Lovell said that they there would be a new NYC Coyote Ugly. She didn't disclose the location, only saying that it will be “a little bit nicer” and have “better bathrooms.”
Jewels is the new tenant for the former Ben & Jerry's space on St. Mark's Place
They quickly took over 24 St. Mark's Place after Ben & Jerry's officially closed at the end of July.