Week in Grieview

[Second Avenue, photo by Grant Shaffer]

About the new exhibit space at the former deli on East 12th Street and Avenue C (Thursday)

Renovations for HiFi (Wednesday)

Out and About with Nico. D. Smith (Wednesday)

Continuum Coffee closes (Monday)

It kinda snowed for a minute! (Tuesday)

The Strand and sprinklers (Thursday, 35 comments)

Jill Anderson closing on East Ninth Street (Wednesday)

Fair Folks & a Goat opening shop on East 11th Street (Monday)

Where to get coffee before 6 a.m. (Friday)

A "Missed Connection" at Veselka, maybe (Monday)

Idle Hands expands on Avenue B (Thursday)

Oaxaca Taqueria closes Extra Place location with move to East 7th Street (Tuesday)

The East Village of Michael Sean Edwards (Friday)

More changes for 37 St. Marks's Place (Tuesday)

CB3 not into Ben Shaoul's rooftop addition on East Fifth Street (Friday)

A look at the Jefferson's progress (Thursday)

Missing the Mars Bar, still (Tuesday)

New York City's first holistic vapor lounge is opening in the East Village (Monday)

Empire Biscuit (Tuesday, 71 comments)

Important questions on East 12th Street

A lone Christmas holiday tree stand sits, seemingly discarded, on East 12th Street near First Avenue. Is it from last year? Or in place for this coming Christmas holiday?

Today in photos of a Green Bay Packers fan getting into a cab on East 14th St.

A proper gentleman always removes his Cheesehead Hat upon entering a motor carriage.

Uh, go Giants?

9:21 a.m., East 11th St. and Avenue A, Nov. 18

[Photo via VH McKenzie]

The East Fifth St. Tree Committee reveals its policy about carts

By now, some people may know better than to chain a bike to the tree guards on East Fifth Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square … to be fair, they have no mercy for your cart either.

You've been warned! Bam.



Photos yesterday by Derek Berg

Previously on EV Grieve:
The East Fifth St. Tree Committee back in action

The East Fifth St. Tree Committee is alive and well, and they do not mess around

And now, a word from the East Fifth St. Tree Committee

Strike a pose

Today's red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square Park… photos by Bobby Williams.

The first nice Sunday of 1987 in the East Village

Spotted this over at the always-interesting Flaming Pablum and wanted to share it here… It's a video from Nelson Sullivan titled "The first nice Sunday of 1987 in the East Village."

We've posted some of Nelson's videos from this era before, like here … and here.

A commenter at Flaming Pablum noted that Sullivan's archive is now at the Fales Library at NYU.

Sullivan died of a heart attack on July 4, 1989.

Noted

Kick is right… First Avenue at East 14th Street...

Brody is missing

An EVG reader passed along this flyer to post … spotted this morning up on East Ninth Street near Avenue A...

So this time we went waaay over there

The Cramps in 1981 doing a cover of Hasil Adkins' "She Said."

The Strand using sprinklers to evict the homeless — now in comic form

As DNAinfo first reported yesterday, the Strand installed an outdoor sprinkler system to drive away homeless people sleeping under their red awning along East 12th Street, according to employees. (Management had said the sprinklers were there to clean off the sidewalk.)

The incident prompted Strand employee Greg Farrell to draw a comic based on his firsthand experience of the situation.

The comic is posted at the blog "Strand Ask Us," a nine-part account of the labor struggle that took place between the workers and management at the bookstore in the spring of 2012. (A book on this is due next year from Microcosm publishing.)

Farrell said that the sprinklers were installed this past summer. "So, in fairness, there was no risk of anybody freezing to death at the time."

Updated 2:17
At Vanishing New York, Jeremiah Moss discusses the sprinkler situation ...:

So many of the corporations in the city do horrible, inhumane things every day, on a much larger, often global scale, than spraying water on the homeless. Boycott the businesses that rely on sweatshop and child labor. Boycott the businesses that commit horrifying daily acts of animal cruelty. Boycott the businesses that deliberately destroy the fabric of our communities--and our environment. Do not boycott the Strand. To attack the Strand and not Apple, Amazon, The Gap, and others like them, is a gross misplacement of anger and energy.

The East Village of Michael Sean Edwards

EVG contributor Michael Sean Edwards shared some recent photographs with us from around the neighborhood… and we're sharing them with you… (click on image to enlarge, yes)





















Through the years, we posted some of the 1970s-1980s photography of Michael Sean Edwards (like here ... and here) Find more of Michael's photos here.

Reader mailbag: Where is a good place to get a cup of coffee in the East Village before 6 a.m.?

[Free ad for the EVG favorite the Stage]

OK, technically it was a Twitter mailbag… as the question came via a tweet… Anyway!

Can we talk about how hard it is to find a cup of coffee in the East Village before 6 am? Any recommendations for 24-hour spots?

Well, many of the coffee places (whatever you might like — 9th Street Espresso, Mud, The Bean, Think, Everyman, Third Rail, B Cup, Ost, etc., etc.) tend to open at 7 a.m. and beyond.

So. Quickly. Rays's Candy Store, Gem Spa, Sunny & Annie's…

How about it? (Unacceptable answers include 7-Eleven and "Make it at home your self lazyass.") We know that people don't seem to be too opinionated about coffee and coffee shops, right? Don't be too shy!

-------------

We often get reader queries ... asking for help with, say, donating clothes or books ... or finding an East Village-based caterer... If you have a question for the masses, then try the EV Grieve email...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe (45 comments)

Reader mailbag: What do I do about my new neighbors who smoke pot all the time? (52 comments)

Free Cooper Union presents #TwoWeeksOfLeaks

From the EVG inbox…

Free Cooper Union has received a collection of anonymously leaked confidential documents pertaining to The Cooper Union’s Board of Trustees and the Administration of Jamshed Bharucha. For the next two weeks we will be releasing one document per day to our press contacts.

Bharucha and the college’s trustees have claimed to run a transparent and accountable administration, yet the community has unilaterally been barred from participation in decision-making and access to financial and organizational information. On Nov. 11, the Board prematurely cancelled the election of a student representative because the process adopted by students was too democratic. Transparency without accountability means nothing, and Cooper’s Board has demonstrated that they are accountable to no one.

In addition to documents queued for release in the next two weeks, Free Cooper Union is calling for additional leaks pertaining to the mismanagement perpetrated by Cooper Union’s past and present Board and Administration. Information may be emailed to cooperunionsos@gmail.com or sent to our voicemail at 917-746-5634.

In celebration of open flows of information, on Nov. 24 from 6 to 9 pm, students will be performing a second reading of the Board transcript leaked this summer by The Village Voice at e-flux, 311 East Broadway.

And here is yesterday's selection:

Today’s document is a guide of “Helpful Information for Administrative Assistants” to former president George Campbell. The guide is highly indicative of the oppressive corporate culture and the luxurious wasteland of hierarchy and bureaucracy that have come to characterize Cooper Union’s administration:

“Office Cautions:”

“The blinds in the Reception Area must be drawn to the same level at all times...This is the President’s pet peeve.”

“Unless you like being admonished by the President about using his office as a highway, it’s advised that you refrain from [walking through] while he’s around.”

“When ordering lunch, ask to have all salad ingredients brought separately (GC is allergic to cucumbers, Lawrence and Ronni do not eat onions). That also allows you to construct the salad yourself and make it look nicer.”

“He likes weak coffee, black. Place coffee thermos and mug to the left of his computer.”

“Hotels: Dr. Campbell likes to stay at nice hotels when on College business: Ritz Carleton is his favorite, especially while in LA (he always stays at the Ritz Marina Del Rey when in the LA area — make sure to book the executive level suite, ocean view room).”

“Cars: Dr. Campbell prefers to drive a luxury SUV during the winter and a luxury Cadillac in the summer/spring or in warm climates. If a luxury car isn’t available, order a convertible. He likes to have a car on almost all of his trips as he prefers to drive to different venues.”

CB3 not into Ben Shaoul's zoning variance for 515 E. 5th St.

News on the never-ending saga regarding developer Ben Shaoul's additions to 515 E. Fifth St. On Wednesday night, Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee voted to recommend that the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) deny the zoning
variance application filed by Shaoul's reps.

Members of the Tenants Association of 515 East 5th Street say that the CB3 vote will clear the path for the case to be heard at the BSA. "It might take a month or two for all the necessary paperwork to change hands, but the decision probably won't be made until the middle of next year," said one Association member.

A recap on the situation here: The BSA had previously ruled that Shaoul needs to remove the 6th and 7th floors. However, his attorneys had requested that the city grant a zoning variance to "permit the constructed enlargement, minus the penthouse, to remain."

Given the seven-plus-year history here, this is likely far from being resolved. The extra floors were added in 2006.

You can read more about the history here at the Post, Curbed, DNAinfo and The Villager.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Never-ending battle wages on over additional floors at 515 E. Fifth St.

CB3 hearing on illegal rooftop additions at 515 E. 5th St. re-scheduled for another month

Never-ending battle over additional floors at 515 E. Fifth St. promises to keep being never-ending

'Beautifully executed meditations on neighborhood life' at Dorian Grey Gallery

From the EVG inbox...

The work of legendary neighborhood artists James Romberger and Rick Prol is on exhibit at the Dorian Grey Gallery on East 9th St. The show has been extended through Nov. 23. The works are beautifully executed meditations on neighborhood life.

Find a preview of the show, as well as background on Romberger and Prol, right here.

[Image: James Romberger, 2nd Street Lot, Pastel on paper, 2004 via Dorian Grey]

Evening on Avenue A

Photos by Bobby Williams

OK, who dropped the bag of whippets?

EVG reader Sam S. spotted these on East Fifth Street... We have them now in case you need to finish making the whipped cream for your sundaes, or pies or biscuits.

Lunch break

Ah, fall! Me. You. The leaves! And a red-tailed hawk eating a rat in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo today by Gail George.

Report: The Strand used sprinklers to prevent the homeless from sleeping alongside the store

DNAinfo reports that the Strand used sprinklers to prevent the homeless from taking shelter at night alongside the bookstore on East 12th Street at Broadway.

"It was to keep people from sleeping out there," said a Strand bookseller who asked that her name not be used. "People used to sleep over there and in the morning we have to put out the book carts, so it was a little bit difficult and uncomfortable for some people."

However, a store manager denied that the sprinklers were intended to drive away the homeless, rather that they are used for cleaning the sidewalk.

And a reaction from Marcus Moore of Picture the Homeless: The sprinkler tactic was "an attack on the homeless population" and "this is not what caring people do to each other."