Block party

There was some kind of mini photo shoot happening on Second Avenue at Sixth Street in front of Block Drugs a little bit a go... For some reason, an attractive young woman in jean shorts jumping around in front of a photographer made people slow down and watch...

Noted

It was all about a bit of bed head and sexy, smudgy eyes on the Marc Jacobs runway. The designer wanted models to have a dirty look as if the hair and makeup had been slept in. “This look is what you’d see on a girl from the East Village or St. Germain des Pres — an existentialist with a modern twist,” said Nars Cosmetics founder and Creative Director François Nars in a news release.
[Via L.A. Times, image via]

Yankees pitchers and catchers report today; meanwhile, take me out to what's left of the old ballpark...

Today at noon, pitchers and catchers report to the Yankees complex in Tampa. Back up hereabouts, workers continue dismantling the old Yankee Stadium. I checked in at the The Demolition of Yankee Stadium Web site for the latest...(from yesterday):




[Photos by Bobby Jackson]

As Eric Okurowski at Stadiumpage.com noted:

"[I]t seems like they are making progress. At this point the seating plank for the field and loge levels has been demolished. The upper deck is basically intact except for what seems to be the last section. The stairwell 'pod' next to the left field end has been removed which caused that part to be demolished. Most of the exterior remains. If I were to guess, there will still be a considerable amount of the structure left when the season begins in April. However, if the pace is increased, it could be done before then."

Here are some rather haunting images that Eric took:




View the rest of his photos here.

In the Financial District, Mariah Carey helps usher in the start of the bikini bar war

For years now, the duff-and-tumble Nassau Bar on Nassau Street has ruled the FiDi Bikini Bar scene...



Now, though, a new player has emerged on the scene: Hook and Ladder II, sibling of the Kip's Bay Hook and Ladder, on John Street near Water Street (and right around the corner from the luxury rentals at 200 Water)...



According to the signs, this rather humdrum spot is celebrating a (rebranding) "grand re-opening"...



...featuring the "Hook and Ladder II bikini bartenders," one of whom looks a lot like Mariah Carey in a firefighter's uniform ...



(Oh, wait! That IS a picture of Mariah Carey... nice of her to lend her image to the gang at Hook and Ladder II!)

Perhaps this new feature at the Hook and Ladder II will make up for the loss of Gramaldi's as an amentity for those Wall Street boys looking at 200 Water Street...

The Coop and the Caddy

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Alexa for passing along the link the Cadillac CTS commercial that features the new Cooper Union Building...



Wow, check out their drive on the FDR... where is everyone? It's like a scene out of "I Am Legend."

Sign on Avenue A tells us not to do ... something

Any ideas what this sign is trying to tell us on Avenue A near St. Mark's Place?

Death and Company has a cold-hearted new doorman

On Sixth Street. And we should probably think of a name for him or her...

What the old Butcher Bay is fetching

A few weeks ago we reported that East Fifth Street's Butcher Bay was for lease... but there weren't any details on the Tower Brokerage site... now the eatery is listed... $170,000... with a $6,000 monthly rent.

Former Xunta space leased

Speaking of former bars/restaurants for lease... Xunta, the former Spanish tapas joint at 174 First Avenue near 11th Street closed last October...



According to the Tower Brokerage site, the space has been (rather quickly, wouldn't you say?) leased...



No word just yet on the new tenant...

Professor Thom's teary temporarily closed signage has a sponsor

Can't recall too many closure banners with a sponsor.



And the bar on Second Avenue near 14th Street is expected to reopen next Monday, Eater reported.

Reminders: Benefit for Mosaic Man tonight at Theatre 80

The Villager has all the details... Slum Goddess has more on it here... As a matter of fact, Eden and John's East River String Band are one of the groups playing a set...

Reminders tonight: Mardi Gras Benefit Celebration Ball for the Lower East Side Girls Club

More details here.

EV Grieve's weekend recap

Avenue A loses a tree

Why you've been humming Lou Reed songs during the Olympics.

MTV wants LES residents with serious roommate issues.

A TV pilot was shot in the Tompkins Square Park dog run

Fuck Feet First

What off-duty models do

Valentine's Day bacon and cheese recap

The Big Black Bus on Avenue A

TSP's ice age

Village Green's project runway

On Sunday, I thought there was a big Open House or something at Village Green, 11th Street's very first "eco-indulgent" condo. Seemed as if management busted out the velvet ropes to make potential condogoers feel as if they were entering a self-important hookah bar or something. Just needed a few bouncers with clipboards and headsets...



Then yesterday, there were huge lines to get in! Is there really a demand to get those remaining units?





Seriously. What? I made my way up front... and... It's Fashion Week! Uh, at least Eco Fashion Week!...



Guess it makes sense to hold this show here, in a building billed as environmentally friendly with LEED-Gold certification ...

There was a guy with a clipboard and headset... and only letting in people on some list. I'm never on any lists. So, uh, I kind of snuck in...

Anyway, roughly where the gym will be on the ground floor to the west of the lobby ...



A runway was set up for designer Joann Berman...and away it went, with eco-friendly designs made with organic materials and recyclables and what not...










That's Berman in the sunglasses below after the show...



In the end, though, I was not as successful sneaking up to see the $2 million penthouse...

Chico's tribute to Mom on Avenue B and Houston

Yesterday morning, Chico and friends started their new mural on the liquor store on Avenue B at Houston...



They're also putting up new local ads on Houston...



Later yesterday, Chico had wrapped up his work...



This is a tribute to the owner of the great liquor store here. She passed away earlier this year.



No word yet on the fate of the store. Her nephew is weighing the options, I'm told. Scoopy had an item on this store. As he reported: "The nephew is currently trying to locate the paperwork for the old tenement, the upper floors of which have sat empty for some 20 years. 'Maybe there's some money in the building, a secret hideaway — could be, I didn't say there is,' Chico quipped. As for 'Mom,' he said, 'She used to give everybody credit. She was a hard-working woman. She would lock the gates. She was open till midnight.'"

Long dormant Dance Tracks soon to be home to a vintage clothing store

Looks as if the former Dance Tracks, which closed in November 2007, finally has a new tenant here on Third Street near First Avenue.



Here's what a source tells us:

-- This will become a vintage clothing store that buys and sells, kind of like Buffalo Exchange.

-- That the woman who owns the store also has other locations, kind of like Buffalo Exchange.

The source thought this could be part of a vintage store chain.

In any event, a worker was renovating the space the other night... and there are clothing racks brought in...





Last we looked, the rent here was $9,500 a month... and at one point, as East Village Podcasts pointed out, a wine store was opening here.

[Top photo via EVP]

Valentine's Day tragedies: When you mix up Gramercy Cafe and the Gramercy Tavern

We heard about this third-hand... So we can't verify the authenticity of it. But! A man from out of town was here this past weekend to be with his girlfriend. She is new to the city, and was interested in trying one of Danny Meyer's highly regarded eateries, such as the Union Square Cafe or Gramercy Tavern.

Anyway, some details were apparently lost in translation, and the couple arrived here at the Gramercy Cafe on 17th Street and Third Avenue for an early Valentine's Day weekend dinner on Saturday...




Not all was lost. After realizing their error, they made their over to the Gramercy Tavern on 20th Street near Park Avenue South... they eventually got seats at the bar...

East Village Tagging Committee finally welcomes 52E4 and the neighborhood's first gated driveway

To be honest, there's bit of a backlog. At the gated driveway at the 15 stories of condo on the Bowery near Fourth Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Welcome to the neighborhood!: First tag spotted on the new Cooper Union Building