Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo on St. Mark's Place by Derek Berg) ...

 • City tries again with release of a Value Engineering Study for East River Park (Thursday) 

• Barnyard Cheese Shop returns; Brix Wines moves a storefront away (Monday) 

• Packing up the last of The Pyramid Club (Thursday) 

• At the first East Village Flea of 2021 (Tuesday) 

  A look at Full Tank Moto Cafe, now open on Monroe Street (Tuesday) 

• Easter in Tompkins Square Park (Monday) 

• Reopenings: Indochine, Kindred and Van Da (Wednesday) 

• This week's Gallery Watch looks at "There's the Air" by Clare Grill at Derek Eller Gallery (Friday)

• Halftime at NY See (Thursday) 

• Fresco will not be reopening at 138 2nd Ave. (Tuesday)

• "Diamonds, Razors & Champagne" debuts at 3rd & B’Zaar (Friday) 

• Vinny Vincenz Pizza has closed (Monday) 

• This photogenic East Village wisteria now has its own jigsaw puzzle (Tuesday) 

• Doc Holliday's turns 27 while closed during the pandemic; "We will be back" (Wednesday) 

• The Hayaty Hookah Bar space is for rent on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Rendering watch: 650 E. 6th St. (Wednesday) 

• Report of a balcony fire on 7th Street (Sunday) 

• 45-47 2nd Ave. has a new owner (Thursday) 

• Back to the 1980s (again) for "Russian Doll" (Friday)

• Partial reveal at the 101 Condominium (Monday)

... and William Klayer spotted DJ Mike Márquez at 7 a.m. for an early Twitch live stream in East River Park by the fogged-in Williamsburg Bridge...

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Vinnie is missing [UPDATED: Vinnie is home safe]

Per the flyer:

Vinnie, very beloved, very friendly, and very dumb, not sure he knows his name but responds to treat-shaking. Gray and white striped. Wearing collar/nametag, microchipped. Probably got over wall to East 2nd Street cemetery or East 3rd Street backyards. Reward!!! 917-446-8822. Missing since late Saturday night, 4/10/21. 

Updated noon:

Vinnie is safe and sound now and hanging out in the living room...

Sunday's opening shot

Dense fog advisory until 10 a.m.! 

Thanks to Jeanne Krier for this photo, which includes the Con Ed Building on 14th Street to the left...

Saturday's parting shot

Thanks to EVG reader Doug for this photo on Stuyvesant Street at 10th Street...

A presentation of work by Ed Shostak/Rose Royale

An EVG reader just made me aware of this exhibit: Ed Shostak/Rose Royale: A Queer Perspective From Postminimalism to Social Practice, Selected Works: 1963 – 2020. 

Shostak, a longtime East Village resident, died on April 8, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. He was 78. 

Per the reader: "He was an artist stemming from the Warhol Factory. We didn't know to what extent until after he died and his loft on Houston and Avenue A was chock-full of work and over 3,000 photos chronicling EV nightlife."

The exhibit, at the David Richard Gallery, 211 E. 121st St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, is only up through Friday. However, this is the first of several planned shows here to feature Shostak's work. 

Here's more via the gallery's site: 

It is unusual to uncover an artist of his pedigree for which so little is publicly known after establishing himself amidst the visual arts most notable institutions. Shostak cloistered himself in his downtown loft relentlessly working and opting for a less mainstream practice. This exhibition is the first look at many of his late works.

For those who are interested in reconsidering the parallel arcs of art history, examining and expanding the boundaries of the established canon of Post War art, Shostak's work will be a revelation. His work addressed so many of the known formal and conceptual concerns from that period, but through a queer lens. 

Eventually, he abandoned convention, favoring a more expansive view of the possibilities that an artist's practice could include by embracing a queer social practice and advocacy for the transgender community.

This presentation is not a retrospective of his artwork but is comprised of completed sculptural works, drawings, studies, performance, documentary images and films to illustrate and map two key aspects and threads of continuity throughout Ed Shostak's artistic career and life. 

While the imagery may have changed over the decades, the exhibition is organized to map these threads regardless of the subject matter, form or media. In fact, it becomes apparent that his personal life and art practice were inextricable — one and the same — and ultimately, the artist became both the subject and the art. 

Shostak had gone full circle from his childhood performances in the family living room to navigating the art world as a gay man and then to activism and politics to become not only his alter ego, but to be himself— transgender.

The gallery's hours: Wednesday-Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.  You can view some of the selected works and watch videos with curators Isaac Aden and David Eichholtz at this link.

How to download this Stop Asian Hate poster

Dragon76 recently painted this Stop Asian Hate mural on Chrystie and Hester (75 Chrystie St.) on the Lower East Side. 

East Village Walls, who sponsored this work, has teamed up with the artist to make free digital prints available to download via this Dropbox link. 

A free print was also going to be available today (4/10) at BAMBŪ at 124 Hester St. while supplies last. 

Per East Village Walls: 

Display it, share it, protest with it.

Be the change. Be the voice. Be active.

Do more.

We can all make a difference because it's time to stop the hate.

Awareness, Solidarity, Action.

The Welcome to Chinatown site has more information on ways to help businesses in this neighborhood. Think!Chinatown is another good resource. 

Photo by @elliephantdreams via @EastVillageWalls

Nurse Dolly

Dolly Parton reimagined as the cover nurse on blink-182's "Enema of the State" album for the COVID-19 era ... wheatpaste by SacSix as seen outside 7 Avenue A.

Friday's parting shot

Have a good weekend. And Merry Christmas. 

Photo on First Avenue and Sixth Street today by Goggla.

Details about a day of 'Free Fashion' tomorrow

The folks behind the Lexus Flea are hosting a clothing swap tomorrow (Saturday!) afternoon at Lucky, the bar at 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.

It's being billed as "a day of free fashion." Drop some clothes off, and take some with you. There is a one-drink minimum at the bar.

7th Street freeze-out

 

The Acute, the East Village-based duo, released a new video a few weeks back ... check out "NYLA" (and enjoy some winter flashbacks on Seventh Street!) ... you can find the band on Instagram here ... and Bandcamp here... hopefully we'll see them live in Tompkins Square Park one of these days...

Gallery Watch: 'There's the Air' by Clare Grill at Derek Eller Gallery

Text and photos by Clare Gemima 

There's the Air, 

Derek Eller Gallery, 300 Broome St. 

Clare Grill delivers a deeply woven sadness through the formation of beautifully crafted oil paintings in her show There's the Air.

The work is fragile and joyful, fast but considerate, and made me feel instantly calm even amongst Grill's vast range of strokes covering each and every inch of her canvas. 

Grief weighs heavily in the narrative that informs Grill's paintings, and when you look closely at the named work you can find hidden forms like boots and brown bananas in Gull and adolescent-looking butterflies flying around in Emaline (oil on paper). 

When I read more about how this artist works and what she aims to communicate through her work, I actually began to notice more recognizable illustrations that were child-like, or even infantile in nature. 

Abstraction is so rampant in Grill’s works that once you process her sensibility around color, shape and composition and start to see shapes like the ones I mentioned above, it feels as though you've been captured in her own sorrow. 

You can feel the work change after a while of contemplating it. It makes sense to learn that these works were made while the artist experienced what I can only imagine being intensive sadness. 

Grill can work on a piece for months or even years before the painting is given a name. So while this show centers around grief, a newness comes from these paintings' existence. Once named, they are almost like the gift of a child. The light at the end of a tunnel, or some other terrible cliche grief quote.  

Grill's works are full of texture and incredibly satisfying renderings of shadows and light sources. Colors vary in hues and opacities and showcase an exorbitant talent for abstract painting. 

Although fun and unruly at first glance, this body of work is actually dealing with a lot of serious stuff — a true testament to an effective and thought-provoking show.

There's the Air is on view at Derek Eller Gallery, 300 Broome St. between Eldridge and Forsyth, until April 24. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and by appointment.

 

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

'Diamonds, Razors & Champagne' debuts today at 3rd & B’Zaar

3rd & B’Zaar, the mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, is hosting a new art show this month.

Diamonds, Razors & Champagne opens today at noon. The show, curated by Leopold Masterson and featuring the work of some 20 artists, will be up through April 23. 

Hours: noon to 8 p.m. daily with a closing-night event on April 22.

And coming soon: the space will become the Spring Into Pride market for the month of May. Stay tuned for more details on that.

3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year as a group of local merchants, artists and designers hosted a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February.

Member orientations start Sunday at the 6BC Botanical Garden

It's orientation time at the 6BC Botanical Garden ... on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The orientation dates for 2021: April 11 (Sunday!), April 17, May 2 and May 15 .. from 1.30- 4  p.m. ...

Per the garden's website:

Orientations start with a workday, so please wear work clothes and leave pets and small children at home (just this once!) 

We take membership responsibilities seriously. Please read our rules. 

If you feel you cannot fulfill your obligations, please do not join, although you will always be welcome as a guest or volunteer. 

Keys will be given out at the end of the workday.

Back to the 1980s (again) for 'Russian Doll'

The cast and crew for the Netflix series "Russian Doll" were back in and around Tompkins Square Park yesterday. 

As previously noted, season two will once again do a time warp, and there are scenes set in the 1980s. 

As such ... a few props from along Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C courtesy of Stacie Joy...

... and in Tompkins Square Park... where the crew recreated a small segment of Tent City (and not the first production to recreate this time period)...

... and a few more photos via Steven...

Thursday's parting shot

A moment today on a break during the "Russian Doll" shoot ... with new cast member Annie Murphy of "Schitt's Creek" fame... decked out to fit the 1980s time zone for season two of the Netflix series ... photo by Derek Berg (and we have more set pics TK)...

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC ...  

City tries again with release of a Value Engineering Study for East River Park

Five days after East River Park Action (ERPA) filed a lawsuit against Mayor de Blasio and the Office of Management and Budget for the entire Value Engineering Study without redactions ... the city released a (mostly) unredacted version yesterday.

You can find a copy of the 300-plus-page report here. We haven't had a chance to comb through it just yet to learn what it was the city didn't want people to see. Concerned residents are curious why the city denied the existence of the report before releasing a mostly redacted version. We'll see how they did on the third try. (Blacked-out sections now are said to be for security purposes.)

Some background. About the lawsuit (BoweryBoogie was first to report on it):

A lawsuit filed April 2 asks for full disclosure of the much-discussed but largely unseen Value Engineering Study. Joining the lawsuit brought by East River Park Action attorney Jack Lester are Manhattan Borough President candidate Lindsey Boylan; and City Council candidates Christopher Marte, Erin Hussein, and Allie Ryan. The political club Grand Street Democrats also joined along with community activists. 

They seek transparency, accountability and a re-examination of the massive flood control project to find alternatives that will preserve parkland. 

On Monday, Justin Brannan, the chair of the City Council Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts, also called for the release of the report without redactions. On Tuesday, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera tweeted that the report was being released "thanks to advocacy from my office & the Community Advisory Group."

City Hall will be releasing more materials from its ESCR value engineering review today thanks to advocacy from my office & the Community Advisory Group.

We'll review these materials carefully and support the CAG in efforts they make around this needed resiliency project. pic.twitter.com/BkyEqbjmGQ

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) April 6, 2021

As previously reported, ERPA's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request and an appeal finally unearthed the three-year-old Value Engineering Study. (This after the city denied there was such a report.) 

However, following the appeal, a heavily redacted version of the study — the oft-cited factor behind the city's change of plans in September 2018 to bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet — was released in February.

On March 2, the group's attorney, Jack Lester, appealed to the Department of Design and Construction, the Office of Management and Budget and NYC Parks to see the entire study, not the mostly blacked-out version.

The city's current plan, which has been met with outrage by community members, will raze the 57.5-acre East River Park, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill meant to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. Work is expected to begin later in the spring, though the first round of estimates doesn't look promising. 

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. According to various reports, the city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be completed in 2025. 

Meanwhile, on April 18, ERPA is hosting a march that starts in Tompkins Square Park at noon...

 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

•  Report: Lowest bids for East River Park construction are $73 million over budget 

• East River community group gets action on release of (heavily redacted) Value Engineering Study

• Advocacy group: The city's Value Engineering Study for East River Park does not exist

Packing up the last of The Pyramid Club

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Tuesday marked the final loadout at the now-shuttered Pyramid Club at 101 Avenue A. 

After a year-long closure during the pandemic, the owners of the iconic East Village venue decided that they would not reopen the two-level space. 

I was there to see manager Maria Narciso, her fiancé, general manager and house DJ TM.8 (aka Quirino Perez), and filmmaker Rob Barriales, who often shot at the club, remove the famed window mannequin, the party sandwich boards, velvet rope stanchions as well as monitors, speakers and supplies (plus the 1980s electronic game Simon!).

"If it wasn't for the community love and support, the Pyramid Club would not have lasted 41 years," Quirino said. "We're moving on, taking that spirit with us to our new homes. Together, we can keep the Pyramid Spirit alive forever."

Of note is the fact that the club was recently listed on Loopnet for rent as a retail space here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. That listing, first posted on March 6, has subsequently been removed, but you can view the cached version here.

This past Friday, someone affiliated with the building removed The Pyramid Sign from the doorway.

To keep up with what's happening with Pyramid parties going forward, check this link. 

Previously on EV Grieve

• Exclusive: Iconic East Village venue The Pyramid Club will not be reopening after year-long PAUSE

45-47 2nd Ave. has a new owner

There's a new owner for 45-47 Second Ave., a 6-unit building that dates to 1867 here between Second Street and Third Street.

A tipster notes that house flippers David Luttway and Dana Lowey Luttway (via HOLLISWOOD2AVE LLC) are now the owners.

Several of the residences are currently vacant, and two other remaining tenants are in rent-stabilized units without leases, per the real-estate listing. 

As the Westside Rag has noted, Dana Lowey Luttway "is known for her skill at flipping upscale townhouses." It's not known what their plans are for this building. There was an original $9.9 million asking price.

There are currently two commercial spaces (one vacant) and one with a lease until December 2022. That would be Timbuktu, a tranquil shop that specializes in items from Morocco. 

H/T Upper West Sider! 

Wednesday's parting shot

First light today ... looking toward the Con Ed building on 14th Street... thanks to Jeanne Krier for the photo!

Gotta get up, gotta get out: 'Russian Doll' returns for Thursday filming

While there have been reports of "Russian Doll" (aka "Black Gumball") filming around the city, the East Village remains a prime locale for the time-looping Netflix series now shooting its second season. 

Crews will be back tomorrow... with notices pointing to the east side of Avenue A from Fifth Street to 10th Street, the north side of Seventh Street from Avenue A to Avenue C and the north side of Eighth Street from Avenue B and Avenue C...

Thanks to Steven for the photos...

Reopenings: Indochine, Kindred and Van Da

This is an update to a post that we first published on March 7 ... and again on March 17. Several more bars-restaurants have reopened after a winter break ... several of the places closed in December when Gov. Cuomo ended indoor dining (at 25 percent) on Dec. 13. Indoor capacity moved to 50 percent on March 19.

Recent additions to the list include Indochine, Tarallucci e Vino, Van Da and Kindred, which reopens today with a new chef and expanded selection of housemade pasta dishes, per Eater.

The recent reopenings include: 

• Ace Bar, 531 E. Fifth St.

• The Ainsworth, 64 Third Ave. 

• Amor y Amargo, 445 E. Sixth St.

• Avant Garden, 130 E. Seventh St. 

• Barcade, 6 St. Mark's Place

• Cherry Tavern,  441 E. Sixth St.

• Empellón Al Pastor, 132 St. Mark's Place at Avenue A 

• Good Night Sonny, 134 First Ave.

• Huertas, 107 First Ave.

• Indochine, 430 Lafayette 

• Josie's, 520 E. Sixth St.

• KGB Bar,  85 E. Fourth St.

• Kindred, 342 E. Sixth St. 

• Ladybird, 111 E. Seventh St.

• Lucky, 168 Avenue B

• Lucy's, 135 Avenue A (photo of Lucy below by Lola Saénz)

• Mary O's, 32 Avenue A

• Mister Paradise,  105 First Ave. 

• Mona's, 224 Avenue B 

• The Penny Farthing, 103 Third Ave.

• Phebe's, 361 Bowery at Fourth Street

• Proletariat, 102 St. Mark's Place

• Ruffian, 125 E. Seventh St.

• San Marzano, 117 Second Ave.

• Saramsam, 111 E. Seventh St. 

• Sophie's, 507 E. Fifth St.

• Superiority Burger, 430 E. Ninth St.

• Tarallucci e Vino, 163 First Ave.

• Tile Bar, 115 First Ave.

• Van Da, 234 E. Fourth St. 

• The Wayland, 700 E. Ninth St.

Van Da photo by Stacie Joy

Rendering watch: 650 E. 6th St.

There doesn't seem to be much activity over at 650 E. Sixth St., where a new residential building is in the works (for some time). 

The previous building on the lot, a four-story apartment building, was previously demolished here just west of Avenue C to make way for a 6-story structure that will apparently house five residences.

A rendering of the new condoplex is now on the plywood... 

This comes more than five years after the building's new owners filed plans for the project. (The DOB OK'd the new building permit in December 2017.) The completion date on the rendering is fall 2022.

As New York Yimby noted in January 2016: "The 8,491-square-foot project will include 7,761 square feet of residential space, which means units will average 1,552 square feet apiece, indicative of condominiums."

Public records show that this building changed hands for $2.8 million in August 2013. The new owner is named East Village LLC in the filing.

This will be the second new building in the corridor ... joining the one just starting on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and Avenue C.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Report: Plans in the works to convert 650 E. 6th St. to condos

A Penny Arcade 'History' lesson this Saturday via the Tompkins Square Library branch

Get ready for a career-spanning virtual session with Penny Arcade this Saturday afternoon via the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street:

Per the Library:

We are very excited to host a performance of Penny Arcade, New York's undisputed queen of the underground, and the grande dame of downtown performance art. 

This bespoke segment created specifically for the Tompkins Square library will focus on a survey of Penny's 50-plus year residency in the East Village and her larger-than-life mentors.

The session, titled "My Life As History," is from 3-4 p.m. this Saturday. You can register here to receive the online meeting link (Zoom).

The performance is designed and directed by Steve Zehentner and Arcade, and co-hosted by the Hudson Park Library.