(Updated) Female cyclist dies after getting struck by bus on Delancey and Ludlow

Here's what ABC-7 is reporting now:

A woman riding a bicycle was struck by a school bus and died from her injuries on the Lower East Side Tuesday.

Authorities say the woman was hit by the bus, operated by Atlantic Express, just after 4 p.m. at the intersection of Delancey and Ludlow streets.

There were reportedly two children on board the bus at the time. Officials say neither was injured.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

BoweryBoogie has more.

UPDATED:
NY1 has more horrific details.

A witness says the woman was riding her bicycle on Delancey when she hit a pothole and fell behind the bus, which then backed over her.

"She was just trying to get away from the school bus and the school bus just kept driving, and it was getting closer and closer to her. And everybody's screaming at him, 'There's somebody behind you!' And she was trying to avoid the pothole, but once she hit the pothole, that's when she fell over," said one witness.

Police say there is no criminality at this time.

According to StreetsBlog:

The intersection is just a few blocks away from the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge. Since 2008, volunteer group Adopt-a-Bike Lane has been advocating for a protected bike path on this stretch of Delancey. "This is tragic news -- no one should risk his or her life to get to and from the most popular bridge for biking in the country," said Adopt-a-Bike Lane coordinator Marin Tockman. "We can only hope that in the wake of such sad news that our city officials do something to improve this essential corridor."

BikeBlogNYC notes that this tragey occurred just two days after the fifth annual Memorial Ride throughout the city to remember those cuclists who were killed on the streets in 2009.

I'm not a cyclist...it seems like Delancey leading up to the Williamsburg Bridge is treacherous at best. Per Boomshanka at StreetsBlog:

delancey is a mess, and always extremely dangerous for bikers and pedestrians. i don't ever cross against the light, and sometimes don't even when i have a walk signal.

theres definitely been a policy decision made that moving traffic on and off the bridge gets priority over safety. even tonight traffic police were waving cars through reds in front of me as i was crossing the street with a walk signal.

the only traffic enforcement i routinely see is a block-the-box ticket trap on orchard and delancey, taking advantage of the poorly timed traffic lights at allen. not only is this unfair to drivers (i can see that and i don't drive) but it makes the orchard/delancey intersection extremely dangerous for pedestrians.

Is Le Souk still doing business on Avenue B?

Last fall, troubled hookah hotspot Le Souk closed after losing its liquor license in a long, contentious battle.

And this rather final sign greeted potential Le Soukers....



But, in recent weeks, that sign has disappeared. Meanwhile, all the usual Zagat/Time Out/accolades stuff remains in the front windows...along with a menu. (The photo below was taken on Sunday.) If you didn't know any better walking by, then you'd think the place might still be open. And maybe it is.



A trusted EV Grieve reader reported that Le Souk was open for business this past New Year's Eve. Said the reader:

"[I]t must have been hired out for a private party, because I understand they can't sell alcohol, but perhaps they can give it away? There were black-tie Secret-Service-looking bouncers out front too. It was just as loud as usual at 2 am ... but with fewer people, and all in much fancier dress. Not too surprising seeing as how it was NYE."

So far, we've been unsuccessful in tracking down anyone who may have been at this alleged soiree... Is this the first in a line of other private parties to use the Le Souk space?

Field & Stream FINALLY checks in on the falling moose head/caribou story; tsk-tsks entire New York media

And they're not all that amused by our moose/news-gathering prowess! In his Field Notes blog for the magazine, Chad Love wonders ....

The bars most of us frequent don't have a theme aside from "cold beer here" and don't attempt fashion statement other than perhaps a "wipe boots before entering" sign. They're just bars. Places to hang out, grab a beer and shoot the bull. And if they've got dead animals hanging on the wall you can be sure we can appreciate or — at the very least — correctly identify what they are.

Not so in New York. For the hipsters who inhabit our cultural capital, dead animals on the bar wall are merely ironic statements of urban cool, and if no one actually knows what those animals are, just call it a moose. Everyone else does.

Later, he notes:

How an animal so obviously not a moose can be misidentified by pretty much the entire world is a good example of how quickly stupidity can go viral.

First it's misidentified by the bar owner who put it up, then by the patron upon whose head it landed, then by said patron's lawyer, then by the (not one but two!) NY Post reporters who wrote the story, then by the wire services and blogs who picked up the story. So now, a few days after the story was first published, Google "stuffed moose attack" and you will discover tha New York City's killer moose has gone worldwide....

First, noted, Mr. Rugged, Shoot-the-Bull Outdoorsman! Second, how soon before some enterprising fancy cocktailer or restaurateur names a dish or drink the Stuffed Moose Attack?

Previously on EV Grieve:
When moose attack at hipster LES hotspots

PETA gets involved in falling moose/caribou head circus

Photo of dead East Village artist used for new trends piece on smoking in bars

You probably know about that epic "Hey-people-are-illegally-smoking-in-some-bars" trends piece the Times ran on Sunday...(I didn't read it either.)

As Gawker's Foster Kamer wrote on the "problem with 'smoking in New York' trend pieces," NYTPicker noted that, in an "eerie and unfortunate mistake," the Times' article was accompanied by a photo of Jeremy Blake, the East Village artist who committed suicide in the summer of 2007.

Here's part of the NYTPicker post:

NYT contributor Douglas Quenqua reports on a supposed trend of nightclub patrons flouting the law and lighting up in local trendy nightclubs -- a "new brazenness," Quenqua calls it.

New? Maybe, but the NYT's use of a nearly three-year-old image of famous painter Jeremy Blake smoking a cigarette at the Beatrice Inn doesn't illustrate the point. As many NYT readers know -- and the paper itself reported in a 647-word obituary -- Blake committed suicide in the summer of 2007, at the age of 35.

Blake, whose paintings appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson film "Punch Drunk Love," is believed to have killed himself by walking into the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 2007, despondent over the suicide death one week earlier of his girlfriend, the video game creator Theresa Duncan.

The use of the Blake photo raises a couple of interesting questions. Why would the NYT run a photo of a well-known artist -- knowing that many readers would recognize him -- without identifying him in the caption? And why would the NYT run a nearly three-year-old photograph to illustrate a story that purports to document a recent phenomenon?

At the time of their deaths, Duncan and Blake lived in an apartment on East 11th Street adjacent to St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.

For further reading on Duncan and Blake:
The Golden Suicides (Vanity Fair)

Conspiracy of Two (New York)

On this date in 1980: "London Calling" is released in the United States

The Post has a piece on the anniversary. (It was released in the UK on Dec. 14, 1979.)

And you probably already know about the cover.... well, if not, Pennie Smith shot Paul Simonon on Sept. 21, 1979, at the Palladium...which is now an NYU dorm...

UPDATE:
At Flaming Pablum, Alex recalls buying his vinyl copy of "London Calling" at the Disc-O-Mat on Lexington Avenue between 57th & 58th streets. Which is now a Payless shoe store. Seems about right....

Cafe Hanover will now open on [ ]

Way back in like December, we (citizens of the East Village) were promised that the Cafe Hanover — the gourmet deli portion of the mammoth three-story karaoke/billiards/gourmet deli palace at the former Mondo Kim's on St. Mark's Place — would open on Dec. 18....



...now though, a sign is covering up the 18....



...given that the 12 is past due too, someone may as cover that up as well....

Previously on EV Grieve:
2U (or U2) Karaoke is now open on St. Mark's Place; Hanover Cafe coming soon

STILL no need to thank me (and book your rooms by FEBRUARY 31!)

From the EV Grieve in-box... You may recall this offer the first time around last November...

Hello E.V. The exclusive offer for a complimentary night for you and your readers at The Surrey Hotel is nearing a close! The Surrey is one of the newest and most artistically robust hotels to debut in NYC in recent years, The Surrey. The hotel debuted on November 12 in Manhattan's most exclusive neighborhood, the Upper East Side, and it premiered with an extensive art collection—including works by Jenny Holzer, Jimmie Martin, Richard Serra, Donald Sultan and William Kentridge—and 3-star, in-room dining by Cafe Boulud.

Built in Beaux-Arts architectural design, The Surrey has just concluded a $60+ million dollar re-creation by renowned architectural and interior designer Lauren Rottet, FAIA, IIDA. Beaux-Arts/Art Deco custom-designed furnishings and fixtures fill the walls of this 1900s structure with pieces such as hand-painted armoires and ornate walnut cabinetry. Sprinkled throughout the 17 floors, guests also encounter captivating black & white photos of New York and unexpected graffitied pieces.

The Surrey features 190 salons, including 30 suites, a Penthouse and a Presidential suite, that range from 350 to 4,500 square feet. At the heart of all salons and suites is the handcrafted DUX bed by Duxiana, engineered for perfect support, and dressed in Sferra bedding.

As an introductory package for your readers, are pleased to present you with a complimentary room when reserving a minimum of two-night stay. To reserve your room at The Surrey simply click and use the Promotional Code: SOCGO at check out. This offer is valid for stays starting November 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010 and must be booked by February 31, 2010 with rates starting at $549 per night.

Feb. 31? I think they're fucking with us...

Previously on EV Grieve:
No need to thank me

Slow watch for trash cans

First Street at Second Avenue.

Daily News reporter bravely walks on St. Mark's Place wearing a pair of jeggings

Over at the Daily News today, reporter Issie Lapowsky wore a pair of denim leggings around town. Then wrote about it. She took them for a spin on St. Mark's Place, but no one apparently tossed FroYo at her or threw up on her shoes boots...the caption to the photo below reads, "A stroll through the East Village in C&C jeans was not an uplifting experience — though it did win some attention."



According to the article, she did, however, successfully wear them to a class at Yoga to the People.

East Village vintage stores doomed?

According to the Post yesterday:

It's a nightmare for hipsters!

The East Village's vintage-clothing shops are about to go the way of leisure suits and flapper dresses, as a wave of closures hits home.

The latest blow to the corduroy-wearing set came [Saturday] when O Mistress Mine -- which counted Madonna, Paul McCartney and Marc Jacobs as customers -- closed its East 11th Street shop after some four decades in business.

Its owner, finding the city too expensive, is moving to cheaper space in Hoboken, NJ.

"I just couldn't make it," Wanda Hanlon said last week as she packed up her furs, beaded bags and gowns.

The article also notes that "Atomic Passion, which opened on East Ninth Street 17 years ago, may close in February if its landlord doesn't lower the rent. 'This has been the worst year we've had since 1992,' said co-owner Justin Vogel."



This Page 3 trends piece also noted that Loves Saves the Day and Poppet (East Ninth Street) closed last year. (No mention of Howdy Do, though.)

While the closure of these stores is a sad, troubling development, the article makes it seem as if you'll never be able to find another Wrangler snap-button western shirt from the 1970s anywhere in the neighborhood. The article doesn't mention any thrift/vintage shops that remain, such as Physical Graffiti on St. Mark's Place, Buffalo Exchange on 11th Street and No Relation on First Avenue. (And you could do a piece on any mom-and-pop shop with a specialty struggling now in NYC.)

Plus, there's more to it than higher rents/bad economy, at least in the case of vintage clothing stores. There's also the mindset of the younger generation, the privileged post-NYU/wherever-they-came-from crowd.

For instance. Late one Saturday afternoon this past summer, I bought a bunch of books and albums and a stupid shirt from a veteran sidewalk vendor on Second Street. I said that I was surprised such seemingly good items remained so late in the day. He shrugged and said "the kids who have moved into the neighborhood don't want used stuff. Everything has to be new. I call them the 'Ikea Generation.'"

An unemployed friend recently took a stack of clothes over to Beacon's Closet to try to get some cash. She said that they didn't want any of the vintage stuff. The only thing the store bought was a Banana Republic shirt that her sister gave her.

Or maybe more people are scoring vintage finds at thrift stores away from NYC. Like my unemployed friend who returns from visiting her parents far away with $2 shirts that would run about $200 at Cheap Jack's.

Or maybe we can just blame all this on Bloomberg, which is always fun. This all falls in step with the Bloomyberg mindset: Unique vintage stores don't fit in with his vision of a suburban American city.

Whatever the case, the neighborhood continues to slowly slip away....

Dunkin' Donuts closes on Second Avenue; only 428 left in NYC

Several readers have noted the closure of Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. Serving up Double Chocolate Cake Donuts one day, windows papered up the next. Perhaps it's just a renovation, though you'd think they'd put up a sign or something...



Of course, Dunkin' Donuts is the most dominant (prominent?) chain in NYC with 429 locations, according to the last report by the Center for an Urban Future. This includes two locations right near the Second Avenue spot...First Avenue (below) and 14th Street...




All this reminds me of this fellow below who apparently really liked Dunkin' Donuts...taking the time to memorialize it in paint...

And this little piggy cried "Wee! Wee! Wee!" all the way home

The former Birdies space (and previously, Flor's Kitchen) at 149 First Avenue near Ninth Street...



...is now something called This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef, which doesn't seem to be open just yet...(But there is a "How are we doing?" sign in the window with the name....)




Anyway, an alternative for those meat lovers who don't want pork at Porchetta over on Seventh Street...?

FYI:
Birdies closed after nearly two years last October.

Some photos of the new Cooper Union building that you may not have seen

No, not the one above. I took that last fall. Inhabitat has an "exclusive" look at the newish Cooper Union academic building. (Exclusive? Never mind the various photo essays that Curbed has posted in recent months...like this one...and this one...or these "exclusive" photos last fall from TrendLand...)

Still, the Inhabitat feature does have a few shots that I haven't seen before, such as these on the roof...

As the article notes:

Green roof gardens and terraces provide insulation to the interior spaces of the building while minimizing the "urban heat island" effect so prevalent in Manhattan. They also reduce the flow of storm water runoff and pollutants into city sewers.

Yeah, and some Cooper Union student totally has some weed growing in here...



Oh, and there's this shot too...

A Building lobby renovation update: One month anniversary!

This is how it looked on Dec. 14:



And this is how it looked this past weekend...



Hey, I know that it takes time to renovate a new lobby.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A Building residents forced to use the service entrance (Dec. 7)