EV Grieve

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

One of these years someone may finally do something about 'the Grand Canyon of E. 4th St.'

Meant to mention this earlier... NY1 had this report last Wednesday ... about a big-ass crack in the sidewalk on East Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (on the north side, a little closer to C)...

Residents say that they've been tripping over "the Grand Canyon of East Fourth Street" for years.

"I think it's terrible," said one resident. "Anybody could fall break their leg or something. It's terrible. That needs to be addressed."

Calls to 311 have yielded zero results.

Per NY1:

According to the city's Department of Transportation, it's the property owner's responsibility to fix the sidewalk. It turns out that the sidewalk sits in front of a city housing authority building. After NY1 told that to DOT, inspectors went out to take a look at what needs to be fixed. DOT said it'll start the process to make that happen.

Place your bets on when something may finally happen. Dibs on 2018!

Watch Jimmy McMillan 'Debate' in the East Village

Yesterday, Animal NY debuted the latest video extravaganza from Rent Is Too Damn High Party candidate Jimmy McMillan. (He's still in the race!)

The 7-plus-minute opus (Curbed said that the video is "too damn long") was shot in the neighborhood... and you might see some familiar faces... Animal notes that Christalle Fellix, McMillan's daughter, who serves as the Rent Is Too Damn High party president, plays a featured role ...

Animal NY has more here with McMillan on the mayoral race.

Meanwhile, watch the video here...

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Things have been a little quiet over in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off East First Street... in part, two of the restaurants here, Extra Place and Heidi, have been closed... a sign on the door points to a renovation...

Extra Place at No. 8, a namesake restaurant with 50 seats serving Mediterranean fare, and Heidi at No. 6, a smaller Swiss eatery with 20 seats, opened from the same owners in July 2012.

We reached out to restaurant reps to see when they might reopen. (Yelp already lists that Extra Place is restaurants closed. No mention of the renovations on the restaurants' website or social media.)

In July, CB3 dropped the hammer on the restaurants, denying renewal of its beer and wine license. Here's CB3's official CB3ease:

BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board #3 moves to deny the renewal of the beer wine license for Extra Place America LLC, 8 Extra Place, between Second Avenue and Bowery, because
1) the applicant has violated its stipulation that it will not serve alcohol outside of its establishment,
2) the applicant has usurped a public pedestrian plaza for its private use in violation of New York City Department of Transportation restrictions by setting up an illegal sidewalk café in said public plaza, and
3) the applicant has used its license illegally by serving beer and wine to its patrons outside of its establishment and allowing its patrons to consume beer and wine outside which they had purchased within its business.

The SLA currently lists two liquor licenses for the address... one is active; the other is not.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Monday, September 23, 2013

Fall shadows

East 11th Street.

After 5 years, time to repair fire hydrant outside the Miracle Garden on East 3rd Street

[Via Facebook]

There has been a long-standng problem at The Miracle Garden on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Basically, every year, volunteers obtain a permit to use the hydrant on the street to water the garden... unfortunately, the hydrant has a crack in it... and just as much water ends up on the sidewalk and street as it does in the garden...

Despite five years of calls to the city, FDNY, local elected officials, etc., etc. ... the hydrant remains cracked... and wasting so much water in the process...

This new video, released Friday, sums up the situation in 80 seconds...

Please help us fix the hydrant (1 min. & 20 sec.) from Artola Digital on Vimeo.

[Updated] Asbestos concern at the Neighborhood School

We've heard from some parents over at The Neighborhood School/PS 63 on East Third Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

As we understand it, officials from the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) announced last week that they will begin removing asbestos from the building this fall ahead of a 2- to 3-year school renovation... the removal will occur after school hours starting at 4, which will disrupt a fair number of programs

From an email from a parent that is in circulation:

[Last] week my fellow parents and I were alarmed to find out that the scaffolding surrounding our school is there to take out asbestos and remove lead paint. I was even more upset to discover that no work was done over the summer and that the contractor wants to start now when school is session. We cannot allow this to happen!!! Asbestos and lead that are airborne due to construction pose serious health threats.

There's a meeting this morning with school officials to begin to address these issues (available parents are encouraged to show support outside the school, per the above flyer) ... there will be also be a Neighborhood School community meeting on Thursday morning at 8:40 with SCA reps.

The parents hope to postpone the work until next summer ...

Updated 9 a.m.
Serena Solomon has more details on this story over at DNAinfo.

Cornell Edwards Way

[Saturday morning]

On Saturday morning, the office of City Councilmember Rosie Mendez led a co-naming ceremony on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

It is now also known as Cornell Edwards Way.

This is in honor of Edwards, who opened The Flower Stall at 143 E. 13th St. in 1967. He passed in April 2011.

It Was Her New York wrote about Edwards and his role on the block for so many years.

"Cornell wasn't just a neighbor to the people on his block. Cornell was a neighbor to his neighborhood."

It Was Her New York shared three stories about Edwards in October 2011. You may find those here ... here ... and here.

Reader rumor report: 504-508 E. 11th St. has been sold

A tipster shares this report... which we're posting verbatim...

As if 11th Street wasn't under enough stress with that plastic scourge from the 'burbs, 7-11, on the verge of puking up its burnt weenies and Slurpees all over the corner of 11th and A. Now it seems that the nearby building of 504-508 E 11th Street has been recently sold to a real estate investment cabal with big plans to cash in on the current East Village real estate feeding frenzy.

And there's certainly copious amounts blood in the neighborhood waters these days. Word has it that the new dollar sign eyed owners intend to clear the 28 unit building of its tenants asap, "renovate", and then jack up the rents to the grotesque amounts commanded by landlords utilizing the rapidly fading vapors of EV hipness to entice the legions of eager neighborhood newbies waving fistfuls of dollars. Boy howdy, what could cooler than having a brand spanking new 7-11 right on your corner!

To date, nothing in the NYC property records indicates that the building has recently changed hands. But, given the frenzy described above, it's certainly not surprising to learn that a deal is in the works ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your guide to construction hell on East 11th Street

The Halal Guys are now open on East 14th Street and 2nd Avenue

A recap from Saturday... This past Friday, the fellows with the popular food cart on 53rd and 6th opened an outpost on the northeast corner of East 14th Street and Second Avenue... they are open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

We are excited to share that we will be opening a new cart in the East Village on Friday. Look for us the NE corner of 14th St. and 2nd Ave
— THE HALAL GUYS (@HalalGuys) September 19, 2013

Sunday, September 22, 2013

At the 1st annual Nuyorican Poets Cafe Block Party

Yesterday, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe commemorated 40 years of presenting poetry, music, theater and other events to the neighborhood... EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there on East Third Street to capture some of the event...

First sunset of fall

Photo via Bobby Williams

Zoltar feels the cold shoulder of the Key Master

See?

Outside Gem Spa on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Photo by Hugh Burckhardt, who does an excellent job of documenting the neighborhood from his blog More Than Usual.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gem Spa stunner: Zoltar now has Key Master competition; doomsday predicted

Week in Grieview

[At the first Nuyorican Poets Cafe Block Party yesterday, photo by Stacie Joy]

Illegal penthouse disappears on East 6th Street (Thursday)

The Joe Strummer mural returns (Friday)

Astor Place ready for its reconstruction (Wednesday)

Peephole season at this community garden (Friday)

David McWater vs. residents at CB3/SLA meeting (Tuesday)

An improvement at 14th and First (Monday)

A mural for LES Jewels in Venice Beach, Calif. (Thursday)

Out and About with Christopher Tanner (Wednesday)

St. Mark's Bookshop looking for help (Tuesday)

The big plans for SPURA (Thursday)

When Tompkins Square Park had a Milk House (Monday)

The story of the old glass at the new Standard East Village lobby (Tuesday)

7-Eleven AC update (Thursday)

East Village murals of the early 1990s (Tuesday)

Stand-up comedy in an East Village apartment (Friday)

Fake fed robs real couple (Wednesday)

Citi Bike docking station posts are always fun (Thursday)

That early-morning sky

Photo by Nick Solares.

The NFL took my baby away

Eh. You can do much better than that headline.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Halal Guys are now in the East Village

We now have a cart open today in the East Village. It is found on the NE corner of 14th St. and 2nd Ave. It will be open from 11am to 11pm.
— THE HALAL GUYS (@HalalGuys) September 20, 2013

The fellows with the popular food cart on 53rd and 6th have opened an outpost hereabouts... per the above tweet... they announced this back in June.

Reader report: Jazz legend Giuseppi Logan jumped on East 9th Street

EVG reader Bayou talked with a bloodied Giuseppi Logan in Tompkins Square Park... The 78-year-old Logan, a familiar sight in the Park with his saxophone, said that he had been attacked earlier in the morning on East Ninth Street ... He said the assailant(s?) didn't take anything — because he didn't have anything... Bayou brought him bandages and a little something to eat... The soft-spoken Logan didn't provide any other details.

-----

For further reading in the Times from April 2012:
Giuseppi Logan’s Second Chance

Prepping for the NYC Pizza Run in Tompkins Square Park

Oh. The NYC Pizza Run starts this morning at 11 in Tompkins Square Park.

From the website!

What does participating entail?

Participants will run four laps around the park, counterclockwise. The total distance of the race is 2.25 miles. After lap 1, lap 2, and lap 3, there will be a “pizza station” set up where participants must stop to eat a slice of pizza before they can continue with the next lap. The first person to complete the run will be crowned the NYC Pizza Run Champion!

It costs $50 to enter, which includes an official race bib, the pizza and drinks afterwards at Common Ground. Also! "A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF)." And the slices come via Pizza by Cer té – "Manhattan’s first green pizzeria."

Dave on 7th, who took these photos, wonders if the participants will be running by the folks waiting in line for a free meal this morning...

Anyway, if you don't like NYC Pizza Runs, then move to...

Washing day

On the Bowery this morning.

Speaking of 7-Eleven... there is a "No 7-Eleven" rally tomorrow at 1 on Avenue A and East 11th Street...

Friday, September 20, 2013

Come dancing

The Julie Ruin with "Oh Come On" ... the new record from Kathleen Hanna's latest band came out the other week...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Avenue C & East 6th Street via Michael Sean Edwards]

More about Stik and his new mural on 9th and A (Artlyst)

The Fab! Festival is Sept. 28 (Off the Grid)

Eating at Kura on St. Mark's Place (The New York Times)

Soundtracks from Tom Waits, Nick Cave, John Cale, Neil Young, Sonic Youth and more (Dangerous Minds)

Check out the film scores of John Zorn (Anthology Film Archives)

Madonna in '83 (BoweryBoogie)

PS 64 creates a dance studio out of a former shower room (DNAinfo)

A look inside Davey's Ice Cream on First Avenue (Eater)

Exhuming Dee Dee Ramone's "Funky Man" (Flaming Pablum)

A $60 million penthouse for the Puck Building (Curbed)

A look at Colony Music today (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

... and EVG regular peter radley shared these from 51 Astor the other day ... where he spotted a red-tailed hawk in action...

Gem Spa stunner: Zoltar now has Key Master competition; doomsday predicted

In a sad and shocking power play that has reverberated throughout the neighborhood, Zoltar now has a game-of-chance companion in the form of Key Blaster outside Gem Spa.

Stunned passersby were naturally stunned to see that Zoltar was no longer the only game in town, or at least here on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place.

"This is like really fucked up and stuff," said EVG reader Jim, who asked that his first name not be used in association with this post mostly because he was swearing. "First, they put the Lottery thing [Play Center] next to Zoltar. Then there is the display of like those Kardashian mags Us Weekly and OK! Are they purposefully trying to take away business from Zoltar?"

As for Key Master, a so-called "prize merchandising game," contestants compete to win such prizes as Macy's Gift Cards, iPhones, iPods [Ed note: Do they still make these?] and iPod Minis [Ed note: Do they still make these?].

You may also win presumably real $100 bills [Ed note: Do they still make these?] ... which might be a bad idea to have on display considering what some roughnecks with skateboards have done here in the past...

In case you've never been on a cruise ship, here's how Key Master works: You use a joystick for horizontal movement and a large button for the vertical alignment. Then! You manipulate a "key" so that it lines up perfectly with a "lock" holding a prize. If you successfully guide the key into the lock, then you win the prize. (OK, I just totally lifted that from this fellow's blog.)

A tutorial. (God, whatever you do — turn down the volume!)

Takeaway: Key Master is dumb! Long live Zoltar!

It's peephole season people!

Oh, what a bad headline! Anyway! Since 2005, East Village artist J. Kathleen White has created a set of peephole dioramas that she displays along the fence in the Ninth Street Community Garden at Avenue C.

And the 2013 edition is now on view, as Bobby Williams discovered yesterday...