Conspiracies: Where are all the fliers?

Last night, I saw several fliers around the neighborhood for the July 11 protest at 47 E. 3rd St. When I went by where the fliers had been (dramatic pause), they were gone! It's possible, of course, that the fliers were removed by local shopkeepers or people interested in going or neatniks. Or! Someone is purposefully taking them down so that no one knows about the protest...

Which you can read more about in Patrick Hedlund's Mixed Use column in this week's The Villager.

Dark star

Houston and the Bowery.

Come on in, the shopping's great!

As Urbanite reported (via Jeremiah) on Monday, the Strand Annex on Fulton Street will close after the summer. Why?

The Annex, purveyor of discounted books both new and used, has been at its current location for 12 years. But store owner Fred Bass says that recent construction in the area has decreased customer traffic and lowered profits.
“We were doing very well with that store, and then they started the construction, which really hurt our sales,” Bass said. “The lease was up, and of course the landlord wanted the normal increase. But we figured the construction will last at least another year, and we just felt that it wasn’t viable to do that.”

Another year? Good luck. I made a joke in April about 2078. That seems realistic. I see this mess on Fulton Street every weekday. It's only getting worse. This is an area you want to avoid. And I know people who do, unfortunately. If something like the Strand is giving up, what about some of the other smaller shops?  They need the business.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Been on Fulton Street lately? What a treat! 

All Fulton Street-related posts are here.

Dorms, dorms -- everywhere

Michael Stoler provides a New York dorm update in today's Sun, the alarmingly titled "From Condominiums, Dormitories May Rise."

As he writes:

Fordham University is aiming to increase the population at its Lincoln Center campus by 2,500 students, to 10,500; New York University's long-term plan calls for 1,000 new students locally, and the City University of New York has reported record high enrollments for the past eight years, and now claims 230,000 students citywide.

The New York State Education Department reports that more than 475,000 full- and part-time students receiving school credits were enrolled at colleges and universities in the five boroughs last fall, up from 417,000 in 2000.

With the sales of residential condominiums sluggish of late, industry leaders say some will be redeveloped to serve as residential dormitory halls. In March, NYU purchased Gramercy Green, a newly completed 21-story, 300-unit building at 316 Third Ave. at 23rd Street. Originally planned as a residential condominium, the building is slated to open in the fall, providing housing for 900 undergraduate students as well as faculty.

He reports that renovations are under way at the former residential tower, the Booth House, at 318 E. 15th St., between Second and First Avenues. In February, Arun Bhatia Development Corp. paid $56 million to New York Downtown Hospital for the 129,000-square-foot property.

The New York Sun has learned that the developer plans to convert the property into dormitory space to house students and faculty of the New School, a university comprising eight schools with a total of 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students.

Meanwhile, a little closer to home:

On the Lower East Side . . . construction is nearly complete on a new dormitory for the School of Visual Arts. The 20-story, 80,000-square-foot building is situated at Delancey and Ludlow streets on the former site of a Duane Reade. The new dormitory will house 350 students in a building that will be leased to the school for 40 years with an option to purchase at the end of the lease.

I don't have a problem with students...But. I have a problem with how the student population changes the types of businesses a neighborhood attracts. This means more things that cater to the taste of students. Yogurt shops, for instance. Chains like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Things that will drive up rents. And force out the (remaining) mom-and-pop stores.

Dumpster of the Day

Ninth Street between Second and Third Avenues. Very tidy!

EV Grieve: South Florida edition (continued, unfortunately)

Last item on the trip, promise.

So! If you do happen to find yourself in the Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., area . . . and don't feel like working on your skin cancer, I recommend spending time at the Pelican on the Pier, an old-school, open-air bar that I wish were closer to home.

Here's what the Miami New Times had to say about the place. That's a pretty accurate account.

Cheap beer, fresh fish, good views. And some interesting characters.

Meanwhile, let's see if anyone is paying attention...Man, Caruso is annoying.

Piece of cake: July 11, 8 p.m.

[I've been away, so in case this has already been covered...]

Tompkins Square summer movie series begins tonight

And I'm ready to defend Better Off Dead as a great movie.

EV Grieve: South Florida edition

Just spent a few days at the usual place in South Florida. Wouldn't write about a short vacation except that what's going on there fits in with the theme of this site.

Been going to this part of Florida for several years now, an unassuming area north of the madness populated with mom-and-pop motels and resorts and beach clubs that were probably really grand in, say, 1973. I love the lively little pool- and ocean-side bars in these places, where many retired New Yorkers and other locals mingle with the tourists. There's often a glorious feeling of community spirit.

But. For how long? There is no escape. The high-rise condos and hotels have been making their way up the beach in recent years. Someone needs to start a blog about the (possible) end of days here.

Guess who came to build some of the condos? The locals seem to appreciate him. (I actually took this shot of the Trump billboard in May 2007.)

In March 2002, the Times had an article on the condo boom in the area:

''I had a guy who bought a unit here, get this, who worked at U.P.S. his entire life,'' said Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development, the city's largest landowner. ''If you saw the guy on the street, you wouldn't think he had a dime to his name. But he was a shareholder when U.P.S. went public and he is a millionaire. He bought a $400,000 unit with $80,000 down.''
Several years ago, envisioning just that sort of demand, Mr. Dezer's father, the New York developer Michael Dezer, started buying up all the property he could, including blocks of bargain-rate motels dotting the oceanfront, offering rooms for $39.95 per night with free cable television.
''Every owner, I was after him to sell to me,'' said Michael Dezer, who with his son has since bought 27 acres of prime oceanfront real estate here and replaced the old motels with 11 hotels and resorts.
The latest father-son project is a collaboration with Mr. Trump, the Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residence. It is a $600 million condominium and hotel development where units start at $350,000 for a studio and go up to $5 million for a penthouse with pool.

Meanwhile, I'll celebrate the people and the places that make this area what it is. (Yes, pretty cheesy. Still.)

The poolside bar entertainment at the Monaco Resort.

At the Thunderbird Beach Resort.

Finally. Overheard poolside. A young man from Kentucky bragging about a wealthy New Yorker he knows:

"...and he owns a house on six acres on the Lower Manhattan River in downtown New York."

Jimmy Carter, Jesus and the Lower East Side

The Sep. 17, 1984, issue of Time magazine included this brief:

After three days of hammering and sawing, Jimmy Carter, 59, looked more like a seasoned construction worker than a former President, with good reason. While most Americans were using Labor Day to putter around the house or relax, Carter and about 40 members of a Georgia volunteer group spent their holiday renovating a six-story tenement building in downtown Manhattan. "I'm liking the work," said Carter, who was joined on the second day by former First Lady Rosalynn, 57. "I've done a lot of carpentry before, but not like this. The tallest building in Plains, Ga., is two stories high." After work the former Chief of State read from the New Testament at a local Baptist church, whimsically relating his group's good deed to the Bible: "If Christ came to New York he would probably spend lots of time on the Lower East Side -- before it's gentrified that is."

So much potential for a smartass reply.

Looking at the signs and window displays along Fulton and Nassau Streets

I began my walk on Nassau Street in front of the Tiny Towel Spa. (Or is it The Towels Were in the Dryer Too Long and Shrunk Spa?)


The sign for Samuel's Hats on the other side of Nassau has an air of high society about it. According to their Web site, "If you are planning to attend the Kentucky Derby or you need a hat for any special occasion please take a look at our new arrivals by the greatest American and European designers. " I just don't see too many women wearing these kinds of hats these days.

The sign remains, the store is no longer in business. This is now the new home of Hat Corner.

There are several discount stores along Fulton Street (I should just call it Fulton -- there isn't much Street left with all the construction) and Nassau Street. The area reminds me a little bit of 14th Street between Third and First Avenue several years ago, when there seemed to be 99-cent shops every few storefronts. With all the fancy condos and hotels cropping up in the Financial District, I'm afraid there won't be much need for mom-and-pop stores selling, say, plastic backscratchers, Spanish-language greeting cards and off-brand detergent.

Ralph's has been here for nearly 35 years, I'm told. By the way, the door to the right of Ralph's is marked 82 Nassau Street. According to New York Songlines, "This was the address of the South Baptist Church; Herman Melville may have written "Moby-Dick" in a building in the church's courtyard, reports Literary New York. Later, in March 1878, the first telephone exchange was opened here by the Bell Company."

Been curious what this building was on Nassau Street before someone slapped the NATALIE on it.

Love the jazzy, roaring-20s look of the Wendy's sign. Adds a touch of class! Now, must order a Triple Stack with cheese.

There may be a Sophie's under here somewhere.

An exercise studio for nuns? Or mimes?

Yes, I know Dress Barn is a national chain with affordable clothing for women. That name, though. Sounds like the place to shop for the Sadie Hawkins dance.

Always like the 1-2 punch of a fried chicken chain and fitness center side by side.

More random storefronts along Nassau Street selling affordable shoes and clothing. How long will they last with the neighborhood becoming more and more affluent?

Aces

Friday afternoon video salute

As we prepare to start the weekend, we pause for a quick salute to the lone Republican who was brave enough to come out in support of the Republicans last Friday at the Bowery Wine Co. protest. Here's to you, good sir.

Bar Show hopping

Unfortunately, I'm away this weekend. Otherwise, I'd be hitting the Javits Center for The Bar Show 08. As the site says, "The Bar Show is the Only Trade Show specifically for Professionals representing the Bar, Nightclub, Restaurant, and Liquor Store Industry. The Bar Show means business!"

Well, I'm not in the bar business. But! I love going to bars! I'm certain the ownership from all my favorite neighborhood places will be going...to learn the latest ways to dazzle me with laser-light shows, interactive ads and Port-O-Pong! It will make getting drunk even more delicious! And entertaining!

So what will be going on during the convention?

Big Apple Showdown-Flair Bartending Competition - This show will be presented both days on the Main Stage and will feature participants from all over the world who will demonstrate the wildest bottle flipping, shaker spinning and glass tossing on the planet.

DJ CHEF Spinnin' the Beats While Cookin' the Treats. DJ CHEF is the only entertainer who simultaneously cooks & dejays for special events around the globe.

31 st ANNUAL NYC BIG APPLE GRAPPLE INTERNATIONAL PRO ARM WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD ON SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2008

Port-O-Pong Tournaments!

Plus, there's the exhibit hall. This caught my attention:

FogScreen is currently working with bars and nightclubs to help them promote and advertise brands in a never before seen way. Consumers can now interact and walk through ads, providing advertisers with endless possibilities for engaging audiences.

Hmm, interesting! I don't understand this whatsoever!



Meanwhile, to get in the proper mood: