Breaking: Engine fire on Delancey

On Delancey at Suffolk... thanks to ‏@davidshankbone

Joe Strummer mural vandalized

Not sure when this happened here on Seventh Street at Avenue A ...

Really?

Don't fuck with Joe.

First sign of Schwimmer Manor

Workers at 331 E. Sixth St., site of David Schwimmer's future six-story home, are making noticeable progress now... Yesterday, the house made its first appearance above the plywood...

And more bricks were arriving this morning...

Anyway, moving forward, we should probably come up with a name for the house... a way to refer to it in future posts. Going with Schwimmer Manor at the moment. But that's a little meh. Anyone?

Going in deep at 51 Astor Place; plus, survey results!

Just checking in on the progress over at 51 Astor Place... Bobby Williams took this shot yesterday...

Meanwhile. Good lord! We forgot about our exclusive poll from a few weeks ago ... in which we asked what you would rather see at 51 Astor Place — green space/empty or the Death Star.

Here's how you voted America. (And parts of Canada) ...

Hmm, only 218 votes ... (and thank you for checking in Texas, Florida and Nebraska...)

Note: There is a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. Or not.

The Coen Brothers returning to the East Village

People seemed to enjoy their company last time (aka, a few weeks ago) ... the "Inside Llewyn Davis" crew is filming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday... on parts of Second Avenue between Sixth Street and Ninth Street ... and Sixth and Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

The tow truckers will start towing Sunday night for all this...

And a recap: The film follows a protagonist loosely based on singer Dave Van Ronk, a friend of Bob Dylan’s. Oscar Isaac stars as the title character while Justin Timberlake co-stars as another folk musician. Carey Mulligan and John Goodman are also in the film.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Coen Brothers want to dress up East Ninth Street

Here's your Boukiés signage

[Bobby Williams]

Workers put up the new Boukiés signs yesterday here on Second Street and Second Avenue... the new Greek eatery from restaurateur Christos Valtzoglou opening in the spring...

...already more inviting looking than the previous establishment here on the corner...

Billy Leroy will battle baggage starting April 11

So you know that the iconic tent that houses Billy's Antiques on Houston at the Bowery is coming down to make way for a two-story brick building ... the place is now closed... Proprietor Billy Leroy told us in December that he'd be keeping busy in the interim by, among other things, serving as co-host on a new antiques reality show called "Baggage Battles" on the Travel Channel.

And we just received the show's official news release.

So, from the EV Grieve inbox...

Ever wonder what happens to your lost luggage? Travel Channel provides a glimpse into the very profitable business of bidding, buying and reselling unclaimed property in the new original series “Baggage Battles,” premiering with a special one-hour season opener featuring back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, April 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The weekly half-hour series follows three teams of savvy “auction specialists” who travel to some of the most important and unknown auctions where their bids are based on sight unseen instincts. The season premiere will kick off at Miami International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, and then the auction pros will jump across “The Pond” to London.

NY1 features Avenue C sinkhole

Posted this photo by Bobby Williams from Avenue C at 13th Street early last week... and tonight, the sinkhole made its New York TV News Debut... over at NY1, who reported on its NY1 For You feature:

Pedestrians who routinely walk along Avenue C at 13th Street know to avoid a huge crack in the sidewalk which they say is slowly caving in. But with a school around the corner the cavernous hole is a danger to those who aren't aware of it.

"It's extremely dangerous," said one concerned parent.

"If you don't know that the hole is there it's dangerous for people with children," said another.

Pedestrians say the deep hole has been this way for a while and they've seen no attempt by the city to repair it.

When a rat plays possum

So. Here's what we have from Tompkins Square Park today.

A red-tailed hawk in the tree. A rat, possibly stuck, maybe either dazed or playing possum. Rat out of the hole. Rat in tree to be dinner.

Photos by Bobby Williams.

The great white Houston-Bowery mural wall

Well, the FAILE mural here at Houston and the Bowery is now... very white. Someone finished whitewashing the wall today in preparation for the next installation...

Vancouver now has an East Village

From the EV Grieve inbox...

One of Vancouver's Historic Neighbourhoods Has a New Name - The East Village

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — (Marketwire - March 1, 2012)
Running along East Hastings Street from Commercial Drive to Renfrew Street and including the Powell Street light industrial area, The East Village is distinguished by its vibrant, multicultural population. Local residents are served by more than 400 businesses, which also draw other city dwellers and suburbanites into the area.

Businesses in The East Village range from the essential to the exotic. There are stores, services and eateries — many independently-owned — that serve the day-to-day needs of local residents and visitors. But you can also find unique items, such as one-of-a-kind delicacies for foodies, exceptional flies for fishing enthusiasts and the factory store of Canada's most famous boot-maker.

Soon to appear on distinctive street banners, The East Village name was devised by the Hastings North Business Improvement Association (HNBIA) with the help of the local community.

"People really liked The East Village name because it's in keeping with our friendly and progressive neighbourhood," says Patricia Barnes, Executive Director of the BIA. "We are also fortunate to have an active, independent business sector that contributes to the village experience."

What dessert to pair with Rodell Napoleon

Spotted earlier on Seventh Street... But only for the sophisticated traveler...

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

Ed Sanders on the good old days (The Lo-Down)

Who was that large man lurking in the hallways, knocking on doors and taking photos at 118-120 E. Fourth St.? (Occupy East 4th Street)

The Lower East Side as a quarry (BLDG BLOG ... via Curbed)

East Village Community School students learning to cook healthy stuff (DNAinfo)

Bill's Gay 90s closing, moving (Tripping with Marty)

127 years of the mutton chop at Keen's (Eater)

Endangered local signage (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Renoir’s The Umbrellas makes first NYC appearance since 1886. (Nonetheless)

Remembering Jackie Curtis in Tompkins Square Park (BoweryBoogie)

Claim: Former Life Cafe space will be split in two

[Photo yesterday by Michael Sean Edwards]

Last week, we spotted a "for lease" sign up at the Life Cafe space at 10th Street and Avenue B...

Owner Kathy Kirkpatrick closed the 30-year-old cafe last September ... while the two landlords completed long overdue repairs. Life "spans a space belonging to two different buildings with two different landlords whose dispute over the price of the work contract has prevented construction from starting," as The Villager reported last fall.

So a tipster tells us that the Life Cafe configuration will be split into two separate spaces... which probably makes sense since there are two landlords involved...

So far... we've only spotted one listing ... this one at NYREX...