Free tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Donnie Darko,' pizza

The Films in Tompkins series continues tonight with the time-traveling weirdorama of "Donnie Darko," plus pre-movie music by The Rad Trads. And! A Two Boots 25th Anniversary Event. Which means free pizza.

As for the movie, which I recall seeing at the Pioneer Theater adjacent to Two Boots during the two years or so that it played there ... here's the trailer for the tragicomedy....



And a bonus song from the soundtrack... Tears for Fears circa 1985...



And as we've cutted-n-pasted (heh) all summer long:

Free. Gates Open at 6 p.m. Music Starts ½ Hour before the Start of the Film (sundown)

Aug. 9 — The Big Lebowski, Music by Main Squeeze Orchestra
A Two Boots 25th Anniversary Event with Free Pizza!

Aug. 16 — Poltergeist, Music by Timbila

Aug. 23 — (rescheduled from July 26) Goldfinger, Music by The Luddites

Dates subject to Rain Delays.

Films In Tompkins is sponsored by Ella, The Blind Barber, Two Boots, Grolsch, GalleryBar, Tower Brokerage and NYC& Company.

[Updated] Black Iron Burger remains closed for renovations

Several readers asked us what was going on over at Black Iron Burger on East Fifth Street near Avenue B. It hasn't been open in recent weeks. It closed on July 11 for some summertime renovations ... the original outgoing message said that they'd reopen on July 19.

However, the space is still closed... the outgoing message still says July 19... and we haven't heard any updates on when BIB may reopen...

[Via @zmack]

Updated 8-19 — Black Iron is back open as of this weekend...

Fresco now open on Second Avenue; not serving mashed potatoes

Back on May 18, Jeremiah Moss noted the rather cryptic symbol on the window of the former Estroff Pharmacy on Second Avenue near St. Mark's ... He asked, Fro-yo? Mashed potatoes? (The sighting also brought on an anxiety dream) ...

We were going for a mashed potato shop too...

[Via JVNY]

Anyway, it is gelato, as we later learned, and Fresco opened on Tuesday, reports EVG reader Brian T., who passed along these photos...

One EVG regular tried a sample and gave it an A+ ... or, if it was the Summer Games, a 15.8777.

Tompkins Square Park in the rain this afternoon

Photos by Bobby Williams.

238 E. Fourth St. off the market; will Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz be our new neighbors?

Back in April, the newish luxury home at 238 E. Fourth St. (just west of Avenue B) hit the market ... $8.5 million for the 6,500 square-foot condo with paparazzi shield private garage, south-facing garden, "whimsical powder rooms," "a glass and steel Juliet balcony overlooking charming, and historic 4th Street," etc.

Anyway, as of around 1 today, the listing was no longer available on Streeteasy...

And the listing is no longer on the Town Real Estate site ... So, did the owner change her mind and pull the home from the market? Or did someone buy it...? (Though you'd think it would be listed in contract then...)

Maybe someone with a lot of money who looked at the house before came in and bought it ... and it's all being done really quietly and stuff... maybe people like Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, who the Post noted checked out the space in April ... Per the listing:

This residence is over 6,000 square feet and built to fulfill every need for both exquisite, over-the-top entertaining and to the same degree for total discretion and privacy, whichever is preferred at any given time.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is this home fit for James Bond?

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[Spotted on the plywood on East Ninth Street... photo by Bobby Williams]

New owner for Downtown Express, The Villager, Gay City News, etc. (Crain's)

The Recyclarium outside P.S. 63 on East Third Street (The New York Times)

Check out Faith47's new mural on East Second Street (The Lo-Down)

The former Hong Kong Supermarket is going to be a lousy looking Marriott Fairfield Inn (BoweryBoogie)

Remembering the wonderful Les Desirs Patisserie in Chelsea (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

A year of plagues at the Chelsea Hotel (Living With Legends)

Google Maps now shows NYC subway service alerts (The Verge)

Old Penn Station was torn down 50 years ago this week (Curbed)

Bike thefts up by 25% in City (Gothamist)

The East River Rats on 1906 (Ephemeral New York)

News release on the 8th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (MarketWatch)

...and the New York Central Framing Annex has moved from 102 Third Ave. ...

...around the corner to East 12th Street...to the New York Central Art Supply Warehouse...

A bar/cafe/restaurant is taking over the former space at 102...

Noted

Looking at this morning's headlines...

Per a broker in the article: "Right now, he said, the average rent for a one-bedrooms in Williamsburg is $3,300, $2,875 in Long Island City and $2,800 in the East Village."

Photos by Dave on 7th.

Sidewalk shed arrives for former Cabrini Center

A reader alerted us this morning that the sidewalk shed would be going up outside the former Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East Fifth Street and Avenue B ... currently under renovation to residential use...

What's going on at 185 Avenue B?

Last Wednesday, demolition crews arrived at 185-193 Avenue B to start work on the former theater-church... (photos from last week are here and here...)

The building is now all snug in a sidewalk shed, slowly coming down piece by piece...

There are still plans waiting approval at the DOB for a mixed-use seven-story building ...

Meanwhile, the sign on the sidewalk bridge offers up details above the space's future:

"[A] new seven-story mixed use building is being built that will include a 12,915 square foot community facility condominium in a portion of the cellar and ground floor, to be used by Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Elim, Inc., as well as a 35,426 square foot residential apartment condominium, consisting of 40 studio and one-bedroom apartments in a portion of the cellar, ground floor and the entirety of floors 2-7."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Revival planned for church and theater on Avenue B

Inside the Charles

Former landmark countercultural theater now for rent on Avenue B

7-story building in the works to replace former countercultural theater/church on Avenue B

Let's take a look inside McSorley's on Aug. 1, 1970

And outside... two protestors from NOW ...

Women were not allowed in McSorley's until Aug. 10, 1970.

[Photos via a reader via JP Laffont/Sygma/CORBIS]

Out and About in the East Village

Starting today, we're introducing a new weekly feature by East Village-based photographer James Maher... it's a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village. And in a rather odd coincidence, our first subject happened to work at Mama's Food Shop, which closed for good this past Sunday.

By James Maher

Name: Mike Stupin
Location: Mama’s Food Shop, 3rd Street between Ave A + B
Time: 6:15 pm on July 25

"I live across the bridge in Bushwick. I’m a big bike rider. I work food delivery. Pretty much all I do right now is read and deliver pizzas and soul food. It’s probably the best job I’ve had in a long time. You get to ride your bike around and they feed you.

I keep having adult jobs and quitting them. I went to school for art curation and I was pretty good at that I think, although it’s hard to say. Since then, I’ve been working in architectural reclaim, but I don’t know man, there’s something about the internship structures that I don’t like.

Delivering to pantsless people is very common. It’s not just guys; it’s everyone, all the time. People of every shape and size answer their door pantsless. Every once in awhile they get embarrassed and apologize and I’m like, ‘don’t worry about it.’ It’s kind of what I do, I put on pants so you don’t have to. Strangers love that joke. I’ve got one customer that I’ve never, ever seen wearing clothes. She’s always in a towel or a bathrobe. It doesn’t matter the time of day.

There are a bunch of characters in the East Village. One of the privileges of this job is that I get to meet them. I do have an order up though so I need to run out of here."

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Report: NYPD searching for serial mugger

Cops are looking for a suspect that they say has robbed 16 people since May... mostly in the Lower East Side and East Village...

Per WABC-TV:

In each case, the suspect approaches victims in various locations, displays or simulates a weapon (firearm or knife), threatens the victims and demands personal property. The victims were not injured as a result of the robberies.

All the incidents happened late at night and also included thefts of cell phones and other electronics.

And here is WABC's report...

Breaking the East Houston plain

Just noting that the incoming 12-story residence at 21 E. 1st St. is now visible (pretty much!) from East Houston...

... growing next door to 7 Second Ave., the lone survivor of the Second Avenue Slaughter...

...and a little less subtle when you round the corner... this thing really seems to be going up in a hurry now...

[Yesterday... by Bobby Williams]

Because it's never too soon to start thinking about Halloween costumes

An update on the Shoppes at Red Square... So the Blockbuster closed here along East Houston back in the spring... then the Sleepy's next door moved into the Blockbuster space ... now, signs appeared last week for the new (seasonal?) business coming to the former Sleepy's space...

The store opens in September... Meanwhile.

I took these photos Saturday night along Avenue A a look at the Halloween City website to see what they sold ...

And — woo! Queen Amidala! Let me join your alliance to free Naboo from the Trade Federation...

... and because someone will bring it up...

Any other thoughts on hot Halloween costumes for 2012?