La Isla has closed for good on East 14th Street

Since our post last Wednesday on the possible closure of La Isla on East 14th Street near Avenue B... several readers, including DJ Xerox of copycat, have confirmed that they closed due to a big rent hike...

The La Isla Cafe on Delancey near Pitt remains open...

Reader report: bakery-coffee shop in the works for 68 Avenue A

[Bobby Williams]

Here along the stretch of empty Avenue A storefronts between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street... a reader tells us that a bakery/coffee shop is in the works for the space with the brown paper over the windows... the cafe will be taking just part of the space left vacant when East Village Pharmacy lost their lease and moved down the block...

The cafe looks to be called Croissanteria at 68 Avenue A... and they're on the August CB3/SLA docket for a beer-wine license ... the meeting will take place on Aug. 20. We'll have more on the August docket later...

Why the New York Marble Cemetery is throwing fancy parties

[EVG file photo]

There's a feature in The New York Times today on the New York Marble Cemetery ... and why the historic cemetery on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street is hosting weddings, Vogue fashion shoots and Stella McCartney fashion events...

Per the article:

The cemetery’s trustees, descendants of some of the people interred in the vaults — the last burial was in 1937 — have allowed events to be held on the grounds to help pay for badly needed repairs and restorations.

The aim, said Caroline S. DuBois, one of the trustees, was “how we could make the cemetery pay for itself.”

“That has morphed into a business.” The fee for a wedding is $2,500, she said.

Officials at the cemetery, which was established in 1830, did turn down a promotional party for a tequila company.

However, regardless of how upscale some of the events may be...

The neighborhood’s old grittiness has not disappeared entirely. [Gardener Gresham] Lang said he sometimes found hypodermic needles on the grass. A mulberry tree near the ruined wall is now “the underwear tree” because residents of a homeless shelter nearby “throw underwear, condoms, among other things” into the cemetery.

Previously.

Topless advocate Moira Johnston still making headlines this summer

[Second Avenue and East 11th Street; reader submitted]

Via Gothamist yesterday, we've learned more about East Village topless advocate Moira Johnston ... who we first wrote about back on May 18... as you probably know, she has been raising awareness that it's OK and perfectly legal for women to be topless in the city....

The Daily Beast featured Johnston in a post this past weekend... (Probably NSFW)

According to the article, her advocacy campaign started in January ... after a yoga studio banished her for taking off her top in class. "Some of the other yogis complained to the owners about her bare breasts, but Johnston thought it unfair that men be allowed to go topless in Downward Dog while women are forced to keep their mammaries in their Lululemon tanks."

Since then, she has filed legal complaints against 13 yoga studios.

Meanwhile, you've likely seen her walk around the neighborhood ... she told The Daily Beast that she has received mostly positive comments from passersby ... except for "the man who told her he’d just gotten out of prison and was going to hurt her."

"I considered carrying mace [after that encounter], but that's absolutely not a common occurrence," Johnston says, adding that she's never been groped or assaulted. "Most people are fairly respectful, at least in terms of my physical space."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] There is a woman who has been walking around the East Village topless

Shocking revelations: People like looking at photos of topless women on the Internet

Reader report: Flood causes damage to under-renovation 315 E. 10th St.

Neighbors were buzzing about the under-renovation 315 E. 10th St. last week... Jose Garcia tells us about the following that neighbors said happened last Wednesday...

"Just as they were putting the finishing touches on 315, there was a flood that apparently did a good amount of water damage on multiple floors to several of their brand new apartments. There were all kinds of cleaning-service vans around ..."

No word from the workers on the extent of the flood damage.

As you'll recall, the city OK'd a one-floor rooftop addition here in January hours before the Landmarks Preservation Committee approved the East 10th Street Historic District.

Developer Ben Shaoul has been converting the building from nonprofit use to residential.

Previously.

[Photos by Bobby Williams]

Today in Urban Bike Etiquette Signs: 'Stop being a dick'

EVG reader Ryan spotted this sign on Seventh Street in front of Big Bar this past weekend...

"Douche bag

Your bike is in the basement of 'big bar' because they are very kind. Stop being a dick + locking your bike to our bikes."

What the rent is for the former Luca Lounge space on Avenue B

I can't tell you exactly when the Luca Lounge closed on Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street... I'm guessing it was in April?

In any event, the space is for rent...

Happened to spot the listing at the Croman 9300 site... and it refers to the Luca Lounge as "legendary" ... which must explain why the asking rent is $19,995 dollars per month...

Meanwhile, the Luca Bar remains open on St. Mark's Place...

521-523 E. 12th St. sells for $10.9 million

On Friday, Eastern Consolidated reported that it "represented the seller and procured the purchaser in the sale of this 5-story, 40 unit walk-up apartment building" at 521-523 E. 12th St. The building between Avenue A and Avenue B was sold for $10.9 million.

According to public records, an entity called JMS Village LLC purchased the property from EL-LOU Holding Company. The JMS contact on the documents is Jack Avid, whose name came up in two Village Voice articles about SROs being converted to tourist-class buildings back in the late 1990s. You can find those articles here ... and here.

More noticeble progress at the incoming Ludlow Hotel

Back in the spring, work resumed at 180 Ludlow, a four-plus-years-in-the-making eyesore that will one day be the 20-story, 170-room Hotel Ludlow...

And there's noticeable progress at the site...

[Via @mCase513]

In October, Curbed reported that BD Hotels — the team involved with the Maritime, Chambers, Greenwich, Jane and Bowery hotels — bought the stalled site for $25 million.

We'll find out soon enough if the Lower East Side can absorb yet another hotel... another hotel that figures to be a nightlife destination ... and what impact the double-whammy of luxury with the Ludlow next door will have on surrounding businesses...

Anyway, for more on the drama background here, you can check out BoweryBoogie and The Lo-Down.

Week in Grieview

[East Fourth Street. Photo by Bobby Williams]

'Heavy construction' promised for any remaining tenants of 50-58 E. Third St. (Thursday)

Dining at the IHOP at 4:15 a.m. (Monday)

Construction starts at the Mystery Lot! (Monday)

St. Mark's Bookshop crowdsourcing funds to move (Wednesday)

DOT removing bike racks on Astor Place (Tuesday)

Looking at short-term rentals on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

170-174 E. Second St. hits the market for $16.5 million (Tuesday)

Demolition starts at the former Charles Theater on Avenue B (Thursday)

Looking at the East Village Brownstone on East 12th Street (Wednesday)

Two new restaurants open on Extra Place (Tuesday)

And photos galore from the derecho of the century.... here and here and here...

[Bobby Williams]

The poor, potential geyser got overlooked by the derecho! (Thursday)

[Updated] Perhaps the greatest missing bike flyer ever

[Click to enlarge image]

East 10th Street and Third Avenue last night via the Bagel Guy.

Per the sign, possibly a fake but still entertaining — "no reward."

"I don't even want this bike back. I just made these flyers to tell you that I hate you, bike thief. I hope you ride my bike without a helmet and get hit by a monster truck. I hope my bike takes you straight to Hell."

Updated:

Ah, so the sign is old... but apparently people are still putting them up... perhaps to help sell these T-shirts. Per the comments, the flyer is the work of David Shrigley.

When the shoe repair shop is closed

Drop-off service? Avenue C near Seventh Street.

(Just another) Saturday night on Avenue A...

At East Ninth Street... photo by Shawn Chittle.

Hieroglyphs on Avenue B

A photo via Dave on 7th showing Sixth Street and Avenue B... now that Avenue B has been repaved, it's time to tear it up again...