Breaking! Papa John's now open on First Avenue

And there were a handful of high school students inside... There will be much more on this developing story with our live team coverage the next 96 hours.

Previous coverage here.

Something 28,998 square feet or so coming to Cooper Square (and goodbye Cooper 35 Asian Pub?)

Well, the lot that we've been keeping an eye on at Sixth Street and Cooper Square...



...has been sold. Curbed has the details about the all-cash deal for $8.5 million. "What's to come? We don't know! But here's a hint: 'The combined lot size is approximately 4,833 square feet, in a C6-1 zone, with a total buildable of approximately 28,998 square feet.'"

Anyway, all the best to the new owners. As Chris Flash pointed out in the comments: "That corner lot is a sink hole. The building standing there had to be taken down before it collapsed and every time they pave this lot with new cement, it sinks further. Go take a look -- it's very strange...."

The lot's address is 35-39 Cooper Square. ... The address for the Cooper 35 Asian Pub is, uh, 35 Cooper Square... hard to imagine this parcel staying put between the Cooper Square Hotel and the new development...


[Photo via Yelp]

Helping save Ruby's

A petition is making the rounds to help try to save the venerable Ruby's on the Coney Island boardwalk. You can find the petition here. Many of the boardwalk's remaining longtime businesses have been giving the boot this week...

There's more coverage at Grub Street ... Amusing the Zillion .... Eater ... Jeremiah's Vanishing New York ... Kinetic Carnival ...

[Image via Ruby's]

The Lee expects full occupancy by March 31

Been awhile since we heard any updates on the Lee, the low-income housing development and training center on East Houston and Pitt Street developed by Common Ground, a Manhattan-based nonprofit.

BoweryBoogie had a report back in February on how the 12-story building was shaping up. Staring at it from the street today, it looks awfully close to being completed...





We asked the folks at Common Ground for the latest.

"The Lee is nearing completion and many applications for the low-income units have been received," Lyle Churchill, the senior director for external affairs at Common Ground, told me via e-mail. "The building will 'rent-up' in phases, and we expect full occupancy by March 31, 2011."

He also said that the tenant composition remains as originally stated upon the start of construction in 2008: "In providing stable homes for 263 adults, Common Ground will reserve 104 units for formerly homeless individuals, 105 units for low-income workers, and 54 units for young adults at risk for homelessness."

For more on The Lee:
Morphing on East Houston (The Times)

The original news release on The Lee is here.

All is quiet on the East Houston Street construction front — so far

Speaking of East Houston Street.... Construction crews started their road work on the eastbound lanes on Houston below Essex on Oct. 13. As you'd expect, it's a noisy, messy scene... though I have yet to hear anyone talk about it... Something residents and motorists just have to put up with, so no sense in complaining about it?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to East Houston: Construction, hell, rodent control stations

Long-threatened East Houston reconstruction starting this month

The empty corners of Fifth Street and Second Avenue

Rhong Tiam on the northwest corner of Second Avenue shuttered back in August... and, on the southwest corner, Saturday night marked Sin Sin's last day in business... Walked by last evening for the first time since both places have been closed... and it seemed, well, dark....

I'm curious how much longer these prime corner spaces will remain vacant.... word is the Sin Sin owners will reboot with a new concept sometime soon. (Sin Sin owner Philip Quilter didn't respond yet to an e-mail asking about future plans.)

dob 111 hasn't been open lately

I haven't seen Michael Huynh's French Vietnamese place on St. Mark's Place open the last few nights... Have you? (I took this photo last evening...)

The eatery opened back in March... they were turned down for a beer-wine license in the spring.... Apparently, it is BYOB here now...

[Updated: Fork in the Road has more on this story...including that this space went on the market during the summer.]

Duane Reade puts out its Christmas decorations

Roni says 'Goodbye St. Mark's!'

Roni, the women's designer clothing boutique, has shuttered its location at 119 St. Mark's Place....



...Sunday was its last day... there are still three other Roni locations in Manhattan...



... on Prince Street, Broadway between Bond and Bleecker and Bleecker near Seventh Avenue... curious why management shuttered the East Village location...

Cynthia Nixon getting her 15 minutes of house fame with former Warhol residence?

This afternoon's Twitter rumor has SATC star Cynthia Nixon buying this East Sixth Street home between Second Avenue and First Avenue... home to Andy Warhol at one point...



We featured it back in June... It's going for $2.4 million. Per the listing:

Built originally as the historic St. Marks Lutheran Church, 321 East 6th Street is uniquely situated affording three exposures including oversized parlor floor windows. Many original details have been retained including the well-shaded high-stoop and second entrance below, wood-burning fireplaces, crown moldings, parquet and hardwood floors, and grandiose 13-foot ceilings. Use these two distinct and handsomely appointed floors as currently configured or join the two to create an expansive and gracious lower duplex. ... Of note, this property was once owned by Andy Warhol in the late 1960’s.

More thoughts on the M15 Select Bus Service

Thanks to a reader for these thoughts...

Still happy with the ride, not so happy with the ticketing process. Seems like too few machines per stop. Understand that two or three is probably fine during non-rush hours, but when there's a rush and people have to line up for the machines, they get frustrated.

This is exacerbated when (1) a machine is broken, (2) you're waiting for the ticket to print--altogether would say that the actual ticketing process from time you press button until when you get the receipt takes >3 times as long as sticking a card in bus Metrocard reader--(3) people get especially frustrated when the bus comes but they are still lined up to get a ticket--old habits die hard, and people feel like they should be able to just walk on the bus and use the reader, and (4) the bus closes its doors and leaves while you're waiting to get a ticket from the sidewalk machine--have only seen this happen when another bus is coming right up, but it sure feels bad.

MTA seems to be dealing with by running extra buses and/or placing empty buses where they can fill in gaps--e.g., if you see a bus at 14th and 1st SE corner with "Next Bus Please", it's probably an SBS bus waiting for a delay, and the dispatcher at 14th Street stop will occassionally call up (seems like they can also get called up to stops farther on the line).

Again, the ride is faster--and probably will get even better as there's more enforcement of the bus lane. But the above is frustrating, and although was once a believer in the sidewalk ticketing, a bit more of a skeptic now. Time will tell.

Afternoon at the Beekman

Near City Hall.

Breaking: It's Election Day!

Remember, if you don't like the results of today's elections, then you can also help develop a new political party... A reader sent along a shot of one of the detailed, tiny-type flyers that seem to be everywhere, such as this one on Houston and First Avenue...



The discussion is Thursday night at the Ukrainian Restaurant on Second Avenue...

[Updated] Destination Bar robbed

Via the bar's Twitter feed...



We just reached out to one of the owners of the bar here on Avenue A and 13th Street for more information.

[Updated] An owner to get back to us this morning... He wants to hold off on releasing any further details for the time being...