A tribute for Tony Curtis on East Sixth Street

Between Avenue A and Avenue B....

And now, a daytime shot of the incoming Papa John's

Courtesy of EV Grieve First Avenue correspondent Blue Glass.

On First Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Previously.

Things to look forward to today! Seven inches of rain?!

Yikes. Per The Wall Street Journal. (Note to self: When did I start getting my weather news from the Journal?)

Also! If you're you're out and about today, then I'd welcome any photos that you might have of this apocalypse. (And this includes photos of the new Papa John's on First Avenue.)

So I'll post weather photos like this... but, uh, better. (Don't worry — it's mine, so I can be mean about it.)



Meanwhile, something to listen to while you bag the sand...

The Staple Singers - A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall Fal Found at abmp3 search engine

Tony Curtis, 85

Tony Curtis, born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx, died just after midnight. Read the Times obit here.



Curtis, as press agent Sidney Falco in EV Grieve favorite "Sweet Smell of Success," at Elpine Drinks at 46th Street and Seventh Avenue. (Read more on this at Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

[Top photo via]

The photography of John Marshall Mantel

I've only recently been introduced to the work of East Village resident John Marshall Mantel, a freelance photographer who shoots for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Here is a selection of his work that I like from his photo blog...

Papa John's invades First Avenue

Well, the cabbie-favorite Medina on First Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street shuttered back in April...



...and now, a Papa John's is opening in the space at 120 First Ave.



[author unsure of what to write now]

Meet the woman selling NYU to the East Village

Capital's Sarah Laskow checks in with a profile on Alicia Hurley, NYU's vice president for government affairs and community engagement, in a piece titled "Thank you for not hating NYU."

Lots of interesting passages. Here are two from the intro:

With this latest expansion, N.Y.U. is trying harder than ever before to present a friendly face to a neighborhood that for decades has rallied against its development projects. The anger about N.Y.U.’s expansion focuses on the insistence of the university — an entity whose profile is increasingly global, and corporate — that it belongs in the Village, one of the few places in Manhattan, as long-time Villagers say, where you can still see the sky.

Hurley is N.Y.U.’s primary ambassador to its neighbors, and when she descends from the 12th floor of Bobst, she carries that chilly corporatism with her, in the form of a coterie of lawyers, sharp PowerPoint presentations, and bland, purposeful phrases to describe plans that will mean, in some cases, tearing down homes.

[Photo by Sarah Laskow]

There is some cheaper beer at Queen Vic

We noted the opening of Queen Vic on Monday... and many of the comments regarded the eatery's pricy pints of Bass and Guinness for $8.50... Maybe the owners heard us. As the chalkboard sign shows out front, they can be more thrifty....

Sludge metal band looking for drummer, vocalist

Spotted on the Bowery...




If interested, then here's the contact info:



Meanwhile, Rush! Maybe a little too early in the morning for this, but...

East Village rezoning receives key approval

This arrived in the inbox from the The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP):

The City Planning Commission voted to approve rezonings in the Far West Village (Washington and Greenwich Streets) and the East Village (3rd and 4th Avenue corridors) ...

Each of these rezonings will go a long way towards protecting and reinforcing the residential character of these neighborhoods, and preventing inappropriate development.

Please note, however, that approval of these rezonings is NOT yet final, and does not yet take effect. They must still be approved by the City Council, which will consider and vote on them in the next few weeks. Once approved at the Council, their provisions will take effect.

The 3rd/4th Avenue rezoning will never again allow buildings like the 26-story NYU dorm on East 12th Street to be built...

The Post helpfully diagrams yesterday's AC accident

Here's their story. As for the photo illustration that accompanied the piece in the paper, a little cartoony...but effective...

Protest planned for reconfigured Avenues

[Image via Neighborhodr]

The reconfigured First Avenue and Second Avenue (bike lanes, bus lanes, pedestrian islands, etc.) have been a popular topic in recent months... and now an LES resident is organizing a protest about the changes...

As you can see from the flyer above, there's a protest planned for Friday, Oct. 15... I contacted Leslie Sicklick, whose name appears on the signs. She's helping organize the event...

Her background:
I was born and raised on the Lower East Side. I am a third-generation Lower East Sider. My dad's parents came here from Russia and lived on the Lower East Side since the 1920. My mother's mother came to the Lower East Side also in the 1920s. Unlike many people, my parents did not move and raised me and my brother down on the Lower East Side. I grew up in the bad days of the 1970s, so I have seen the neighborhood change. I have also been a driver since 1995, often taking my mom, who is handicapped, shopping.

On why she's doing this:
My father raised me to get involved and, if you don't like something, take a stand, which is what I am doing. My biggest complaint is, because of the bike lanes, New York is becoming impossible for drivers. I used to go to 1st Avenue for dinner, shopping and was able to park my car. My other complaint is with how dangerous some bike riders are and how nasty they are. I was walking across the bike lane on 1st Avenue and was almost hit. I was yelled at — that I should get out of the bike lane. Who the hell are these bikers? They probably have not even been living in East Village for very long. What are my rights? I have lived here all my life.

Also, there are fewer spaces for businesses to deliver food, packages. Do bikers bring in business to the City? No they don't, and many stores are losing business because there is less space for people to park and come into the stores.



What she hopes to accomplish:
I guess what I hope to accomplish is to get the message out there to Mayor Bloomberg to change bike lanes so they are not against the sidewalks where people are trying to cross. Bikes don't stop like cars do for lights — they keep going. Bike lanes also attract people on rollerblades, skateboards, runners ... I am not saying all of them are bad.

By Mayor Bloomburg, the idiot, doing this is punishing drivers and rewarding bad behavior of bike riders. Bike riders never stay in bike lanes. Also, how many bike riders are out there compared to drivers? I'd also like to know what is going to happen in the winter when there is snow and ice. What a waste.

This is New York, not Amsterdam. I believe Mayor Bloomberg is killing New York, and changed any character it used to have. I don't miss the City being so bad, but at least it had some character.



Previously.

The sum of all fears

Awful news yesterday, of course: An AC unit fell six stories from an apartment window, bouncing off an awning below and striking a 67-year-old man on Second Avenue.

While reading through the retweets about this story on Twitter, a theme quickly emerged: Many people said that getting hit in the head by a falling AC was their worst fear/nightmare. Well, sure — why not?

Life always hangs in the balance, particularly in an urban environment. So there's always something to put the fear in us, often driven by the media ... getting mugged ... worrying about terrorism ... falling cranes... exploding manhole covers... finding bedbugs... seeing your new neighbor move in with a drumkit...

As for falling objects, well, in a bit of gallows humor, I told @Eden_Brower that yesterday's incident took my mind off thinking about cars hurtling out of parking garages and landing on me. For awhile, anyway.

Perhaps this is a good reminder ... maybe you want to walk on the other side of Ninth Street where the parking garage is between Third Avenue and Second Avenue....

Roastown Coffee aiming for a liquor license

The CB3/SLA agenda for October is out... and it looks pretty... quiet... Only 18 items as of right now... Here's the whole shebang....

SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m. — JASA/Green Residence - 200 East 5th Street at Bowery


Renewal with Complaint History
Spur Tree (LLD3 LLC), 76 Orchard St (wb)

Applications within Resolution Areas
Ichiban 71 Clinton Inc, 71 Clinton St (op)
On the C Pub Inc, 185 Orchard St (op) (removal from 129 Ave C)
JujoMukti Tea Lounge (JujoMukti Inc), 211 E 4th St (wb) (Mamlouk)
Totale Pizza (Totale Pizza Inc), 36 St Marks Pl (wb)
Tre (Jersey Boys LLC), 173 Ludlow St (alt/op/addition of tables & chairs to back patio)
Habibi Lounge (Zaika Restaurant Corp), 198 Ave A (alt/op)

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
Roastown Coffee St Marks (Roastown Coffee St Marks Inc), 133 2nd Ave (trans/wb) (Pizzanini)

Hmm, so the incoming coffee place wants to serve booze too? Only to pair with desserts, right?

TKR Planners Inc, 108 E 4th St (trans/rw) (Knife & Fork Rest & Wine Bar)
Corp to be Formed, 58 E 1st St (trans/op) (The Elephant)

New Liquor License Applications
Project 6 LLC, 87 Stanton St (op)
Wackywok (Panasia Kitchen Ltd), 129 Ave D (wb)
Rivington Parlor LLC, 155 Rivington St (op)
Amazing 66 Restaurant (Amazing 66 Group Inc), 66 Mott St (wb)
Yuba Group LLC, 105 E 9th St (rw)
Mama Juana Cafe, 107 Norfolk St (op)

Hey, the old Tonic place. What happened to that restaurant with blind waiters that was gonna open here?