Fare warning

From the EV Grieve inbox:

Dear God. There are Lady GaGa ads on the screens in the cabs.

[Image via Eric Alba.]

Welcome back

Now that most everyone is back from the Thanksgiving holiday... Per the Glum Friend of EV Grieve, who had to travel, this is the first best part about returning to NYC. The ride back in from JFK or LaGuardia... and the first glimpse of the skyline from the road....




The second best part is likely when the cab drops him right off at his favorite bar...

Friday night on St. Mark's Place

According to witnesses on Friday night, the fellow here was seen on St. Mark's Place between Third Avenue and Second Avenue.



He was having a difficult time standing...and not nodding off...



Soon, paramedics arrived, and took him to St. Vincent's.





Photo Credit: Vautrin

9th Precinct sees slight increase in overall crime for year; 74 of 76 NYC police precincts see lower numbers

As the Times noted yesterday:

Police Department statistics show that the number of major crimes is continuing to fall this year in nearly every category, upending the common wisdom that hard times bring more crime.

According to the article, there has been a decrease in overall crime in all but two of the city’s 76 police precincts.

So how about our 9th Precinct? I took a look at the city's weekly crime statistics for the period ending Sunday.

As you can see, there is actually an increase in crime in several categories. The numbers of rapes (12 in 2009; 8 in 2008) and burglaries (267 vs. 192) have increased in 2009 compared to 2008. The total number of crime complaints has increased from 1,363 last year to 1,402 this year. (And at least six of those reported crimes can be chalked up to the "Spiderman-like thief" who burglarized the same East 10th Street building earlier this year...)



However, as we've said before, it's important to keep these numbers in some perspective. For instance, robberies in the 9th Precinct have decreased by 80 percent since 1990.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Post notes a "90 PERCENT SURGE IN BURGLARIES" in the East Village

East Fifth Street suddenly has new views

A new listing popped up Trulia (via HotPads) the other day for a $1 million condo on East Fifth Street in the 10009 zip .... complete with a Google street view of Fifth Street and Avenue A.

And the photos that accompanied the listing looked like this...



... with hotties in the pool and steam room!



Obviously a mistake giving the description is for something swank in Long Island City. Or maybe that last bender at Sophie's lasted a little longer than I remembered.

City leaders take another step toward making NYC completely sanitized

From the City Room:

Citing high rates of graffiti, the City Council voted unanimously on Monday to gradually ban the use of rolldown metal security gates, a move that would eliminate what has been an enduring if forbidding feature of the urban streetscape.

Image via City Rag.

Headline writer in deep shit

Up at the Post, there's the sad story of an 81-year-old Lower East Side woman who was critically injured during a fire in her Grand Street apartment. And here's the paper's treatment of the story online...



Hmm, I always appreciate direct headlines that tell me what the story is going to be about, but...

Help an EV Grieve reader find a new neighbor who isn't a jackass

EV Grieve reader Andy is looking for some help. After seven years, his very cool neighbor moved out. He lives in a typical EV tenement on East Seventh Street. These apartments are small, so if you get a douchey neighbor (bellowing at his blaring flat-screen, for example), you’re fucked. So if you — or a cool, quiet, considerate adult — is looking for an apartment, contact Andy at:

andy [at] penetrationinc [dot] com

SERIOUS inquiries only.

Here’s the info from Andy:

EV APT $1,525. Jr. 1 bedroom on East Seventh Street. 2 rooms approx 11 x 12 (kitch, bed) + bath nextdoor to me (apts share a wall in both rooms). Fresh paint, newish all white bath, sunny southern skyline views, 6th floor walk-up. Quiet. Avail now. Oh, and, if you go through the broker I know, there is NO FEE!

The floorplan is up above...

That special time of year when Rolf's ConEd bill quadruples

The holiday lights are up again at Rolf's, the German eatery on Third Avenue at 22nd Street. You'll find the usual: Some 70,000 light bulbs and Victorian-era tchochkes. Despite what the photos below show, it seemed a little less over the top than in previous years.

And please do not stare at any of the photos for too long: You may suffer a seizure. Or turn into a toddler.













Anyway, definitely worth seeing once. It gets awfully crowded with the office party crowd. So pick your time...

Previously on EV Grieve (who likes to use that same ConEd joke):
'Tis the season for keeping ConEd in business: The holiday lights are up at Rolf's

Max Fish turns 20 this week; will open Miami outpost (temporarily)

Ludlow Street mainstay Max Fish opened on Dec. 2, 1989. And to mark the occasion... Slamxhype has the story:

In celebration of the legendary New York City bar’s 20 year anniversary, Aaron Bondaroff, Al Moran and Ulli Rimkus bring the downtown institution Max Fish to Miami for the week of Art Basel. Taking over a functioning bar space in downtown Miami, the team will be recreating an art installation out of the core elements of the Lower East Side location and importing it’s colorful cast of characters for the week.

And Slamxhype also included this Max Fish video from CityCapture.com.

Village Green bares its fangs

Some day soon, these menacing-looking fangs coming from our favorite eco-indulgent condo on East 11th Street...







...will help provide shelter to the citizens of VG...



Previously hereabouts.

Bravo Pizza coming to Union Square

Bravo Pizza is opening its seventh NYC location... coming soon to the Zeckendorf Towers on the northwest corner of Irving Place and 14th Street. It's at the former site of Rhyme & Reason, the card shop, which closed in September 2008.



As far as we know, a Chipotle is still going in the corner space.



Meanwhile, the folks at pizza parlor Amore's (who are always hiring cashiers) must be thrilled with the competition directly across the street.



Makes sense to have two pizza parlors so close to each other along this stretch. We have a Duane Reade and a Walgreens; a P.C. Richard and Best Buy; Trader Joe's and Whole Foods; an NYU dorm and an NYU dorm and an NYU dorm within a short few blocks.

And this means that Bravo has locations at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue; 19th Street and Fifth Avenue; and Park Avenue South at 21st Street. Is there a market that big for deep-dish pizza ...?