Open Road Park closed now on 12th Street

An EV Grieve reader told me that the NYC Department of Education has closed the popular Open Road Park ... the park, adjacent to the East Side Community High School on East 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, is a major space, of course, for skateboarders...

Three skateboarders stood rather glumly outside the fence on the 11th Street entrance last evening. None of them had any idea what was happening with the park...

I'm told the school closed the park on Monday. I reached out to the folks who look after Open Road. Via Facebook, they said, "Sorry, we don't know right now. The school is figuring out next steps."

Meanwhile, I sent an email to the address listed on the flyer. It bounced back, noting that "Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently."

[Updated] In time for summer, the travelers return

Last Wednesday at this time, we were discussing the seemingly empty space in Tompkins Square Park where the summer travelers typically congregate...the discussion was fueled, in part, by a piece in the Times titled In East Village, Harbingers of Spring Are Missing.

Since then, the travelers have seemingly returned. Bob Arihood noted some travelers sleeping on East Fourth Street the other day ... Melanie took a photo of a group on Second Avenue... and we've all seen more and more of them arrive on Crusty Row...

And, as these photos by Bobby Williams show, some travelers were enjoying a nice day in Tompkins square Park yesterday...

The Lo-Down has an op-ed today on what the displacement of the travelers means for the East Village. You can read that piece here.

About the arrests in Tompkins Square Park Saturday afternoon

At Neither More Nor Less, Bob Arihood reports on the multiple arrests that occurred in Tompkins Square Park Saturday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. in the stretch of walkway between the chess tables and Crusty Row.

In addition, as this video shows, the NYPD escorted a press photographer out of the Park for having used his cell-cam to photograph one of the arrests.



Meanwhile, Bob's post also has more information about Lisa, who was recently arrested while sitting at the chess tables — and not playing chess. Despite what you may have read elsewhere, Bob's original reporting was accurate.

Miracle (Grills): A Ricky's and not an eatery opening on First Avenue

As Jeremiah first noted yesterday, a Ricky's is opening at the long-dormant Miracle Garden space on First Avenue near Seventh Street...

... and the store will also fill the retail space at the newish apartment building at 92 Seventh St., the site of the Miracle Grill's former garden...

An interesting turn of events... the space had been on the market as a restaurant...





Given the adjacent Foodie Row of Seventh Street, Foodie Row Watchers figured this space was destined for something artisanal or drizzled or food trucked...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Miracle Grill garden not-so-suddenly looks like a condo

Former Miracle Grill space on the market

One restaurant, two buildings

Exit 9's short exit on Avenue A

As we reported back on June 2, Exit 9 had announced that it was leaving its home of 16 years on Avenue A. At the time, a commenter said that the gift shop would be moving just down the street.

Yesterday, our friend Jen Doll at Runnin' Scared had the scoop that the shop would open at the former Urban Roots space one block to the south. The new space is expected to be ready in September.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exit 9 exiting from Avenue A

Today's sign of the apocalypse: Sigma Burger Pie

Lauren Shockey at Fork in the Road caught this signage on West Third Street at the former home of the Fuelray Bar & Lounge ... Sigma Burger Pie promises "a fraternal order of food."

At least it's safely tucked away between LaGuardia and Thompson... Anyway, we feel for you.

Where's Ben from Neighborhood Barbers?

A reader sends along an email with news that Ben has quit his chair at Neighborhood Barbers on East Ninth Street for a new job. The other barbers won't provide any forwarding information, and the resident would like to find Ben, who has been his longtime barber... Anyone?

[Photo via]

Cleaning sidewalks, with hopes of raising $1,000 by July 1

Spotted on 11th Street near Avenue A by Shawn Chittle ... alongside the Mary Help of Christians flea market lot...

An afternoon at the opera, kind of

And a few photos from earlier today by the Tompkins Square Park pop-up piano... where members of the Amore Opera performed as part of Make Music New York day... (Photos by Bobby Williams)

And Bob Arihood has a rather funny photo involving a can of Four Loko during this... right here.

Diddy is lost

Photo by Bobby Williams.

There's an artist in here somewhere...

Earlier today, we noted that famed camouflager Liu Bolin would, uh, camouflage himself in Kenny Scharf's mural on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall today...

Here's a photo via The Wooster Collective...

[Photo by Samdarko Eltosam]

You can find more photos here.

A Christmas in June game changer

To be honest, we were expecting some kind of October surprise this June. And today, on the first official day of summer, we got it.

After an emergency Board of Directors meeting, Gruber MacDougal, spokesperson for the International Coalition of Tree Tossing in the Spring (ICTTS), has announced that the organization has adopted a new name.

Please welcome the International Coalition of Tree Tossing in the Spring and Summer (ICTTSS).

Why did this happen? Sources say that it is because of a tree sighting on the Bowery upstairs at the Sunshine Hotel, first spotted by Goggla back in April. Although it looks to be an artificial tree, ICTTSS officials feared the backlash if this tree got tossed after June 21.

MacDougal, who is in London after unsuccessfully bidding on Picasso's Jeune fille endormie at Christie’s International, wasn't immediately available for comment.

Police swoop in on student outside PS 19

Just after 3 this afternoon, EV Grieve reader Sarah reported a strong police presence outside PS 19/Asher Levy School on First Avenue at 12th Street. According to witnesses, there were 15 police officers on the scene. Witnesses noted that the police searched the backpack of a boy, who looked about 12 years old, and found nothing.

People are now Making Music

Oh, in case you were wondering why people were randomly making music today... it's because today is Make Music New York, which according to the publicity stuff, is "a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on June 21st, the first day of summer. MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 460 cities around the world — a global celebration of music making."

EV Grieve reader Sam notes a band called My Glorious Mess is now playing on East Third Street just East of First Avenue...

And yelling "Free Bird" isn't really funny anymore.

Here are two more shots of My Glorious Mess via jdx ...

Here's the website with the rundown of all the performances in the East Village this evening.

A suspicious cooler?

A reader, Emily, came across this unattended parcel on 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... and decided that it looked rather suspicious... so Emily called 311, whose operator then called 911... And a response team is on the way...

Liu Bolin will camouflage himself in the Kenny Scharf mural today

Well, all sorts of things happening this week at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall ... To the news release!

Liu Bolin Camouflages Himself in Popular Kenny Scharf Mural

On June 21, world-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Liu Bolin will camouflage himself into a popular Kenny Scharf mural for his first live painting/ performance piece in the United States. The work will mark the first time Liu Bolin will collaborate with another contemporary artist. Kenny Scharf's colorful, spray-painted Houston Street mural has received an incredible amount of both attention and accolades since it went up on the corner of Houston and Bowery in Lower Manhattan on December 10, 2010.

"Bringing together two of the most influential contemporary artists of our generation, both who truly represent their cultures, is an important moment in New York City’s art world” explains Marc and Sara Schiller from Wooster Collective. "We're thrilled that this once in a lifetime project has come together and can't wait to see the results."

The performance was conceived by the New York based curatorial group Wooster Collective, and Eli Klein Gallery who is bringing Liu Bolin from China. It is supported by Goldman Properties, the owner of the property and longtime supporters of public art throughout SoHo.

We don't know what time this is happening just yet...

Bolin at work in Paris:

[Image via]

5 developments to watch (and worry about!) this summer

As you probably know, today is the first day of summer... and a good time to look ahead at five East Village developments that we're keeping tabs on...

1) 9-11 Second Avenue.
This parcel that includes the Mars Bar will be demolished sometime in August to make way for a 12-story high-rise.

[Curbed]

2) 51 Astor Place

Prep work for the demolition of the former Cooper Union engineering building starts on July 1. Expect to see an un-neighborhoody-looking black glass-black granite office building here in 17 months or so.

3) 347 Bowery

Back in January, Eastern Consolidated announced that Paris-based Louzon Group bought 347-349 Bowery. The group has plans to construct a 72-room boutique hotel at the site with a restaurant "operated by one of the most famous Parisian brands."

Meanwhile, Louzon officials haven't announced any kind of timeline for the new hotel. We expect to find demolition permits at the DOB one of these days for the Salvation Army's East Village Residence, which closed here at East Third Street in August 2008.

4) 35 Cooper Square

This one is a mystery. The people at the Arun Bhatia Development Corporation, who specialize in dorms and luxury condos, haven't made public their plans for the parcel of land on Cooper Square at Sixth Street. But they were seemingly in a hurry to demolish the historic 35 Cooper Square.

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

5) 500 E. 14th St.

We've been talking about this space where Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-A-Place were lost to a fire. There's only speculation now about the future of this corner. The only activity at the DOB is for the new boardwalk-quality sidewalk shed.

[EVG reader Tom]

Plus:

— 75 First Avenue. A modified (and shorter) version of this rendering is expected here at Fifth Street.

— The BMW Guggenheim Lab on East First Street/Houston

What's next for the the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall?

We were curious how much longer Kenny Scharf's mural would stay up on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall. Scharf started his mural back in late November.

Now we know... thanks to this handy-dandy news release ...

Tony Goldman is pleased to announce the Inside Out Group Action: "Lakota, Dakota Nation" at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall.

This is the sixth project at this historic wall after the Kenny Scharf spray paint mural; it will be presented on June 23, 2011. The Inside Out Group Action: "Lakota, North Dakota" will highlight the Standing Rock and Pineridge Native Reservations — some of the most important Native American reservations whose impoverished and forgotten communities have suffered unspeakable hardships. The Lakota, Dakota Nation group action is to show that the people in this community are still struggling to hold onto their native way of life.

Community leaders work with their people to teach their traditions, history, and ceremonies - knowledge which is critical to their collective survival. The Inside Out Project "Lakota, Dakota Nation" is intended to shine a light on this rich culture, for which they are fighting daily.

Inside Out is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world.

The INSIDE OUT project is a creation of the artist JR, recipient of the 2011 TED Prize.

How will people view this project? Someone bombed the Scharf mural three times.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Latest addition to Kenny Scharf's mural: Security cameras

And on the seventh day ...

Would you pay $150 for Momofuku Ko reservations?

We spotted this item last evening at Eater.

Someone is looking to command $150 on Craigslist just for the pleasure to get into Momofuku Ko this Saturday night. The rest is up to you!

Scenes from today's march in the East Village against rent hikes

Earlier this afternoon, dozens of residents joined Council Members Dan Garodnick and Rosie Mendez for a March and Rally for Fair Rents ... The group met at the northeast corner of 14th Street and First Avenue ... and then marched to The Great Hall at Cooper Union.

EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams documented the march...

The Rent Guidelines Board's final vote happens next Monday at the Cooper Union's Great Hall.

For more on the story... DNAinfo ... The Local East Village ...