EV Grieve

Saturday, January 4, 2014

That photogenic 51 Astor Place

A small film crew remains camped out on the southeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place… with various cameras pointed toward 51 Astor Place… all I got out of a crew member — they are there to shoot "a time-lapse project."

Noted

This was lying on the sidewalk outside the John Varvatos store on the Bowery this morning… Speaking of CBGB … the CBGB movie came out on DVD/Blu-ray this past Tuesday. Soundtrack aside, I still haven't talked with anyone who liked the film…

Friday, January 3, 2014

After Hercules

As you may have noticed, it snowed. Here are some photos of that snow…

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Via EVG contributor Bobby Williams...

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…and Derek Berg...

Today in Velociraptor tracks on East Houston Street

Uh-oh! Photo courtesy of EVG reader Paul G.

I melt with you

A little pop song to melt your cold, cold heart (cuz of the temps today!) Talulah Gosh with "Talulah Gosh" circa 1987.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[7 a.m. today on East 10th Street, via Bobby Williams]

Revisiting "Hard Luck Town," a neighborhood shantytown from the 1930s (Off the Grid)

McSorley's still has it (The New York Times)

Jeremiah's de Blasio inauguration highlights (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Mayor de Blasio stays the course with Seward Park project appointment (The Lo-Down)

El Sombrero safe for now (BoweryBoogie)

Hawk vs. a REALLY big rat in Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

Store priced out of Bushwick finds less-expensive new home on Essex Street (DNAinfo)

History of Hamilton Fish Park (Ephemeral New York)

Despite below-zero wind chills, people wait in line for cronuts (Eater)

It snowed (Gothamist)

... and when Lenny Bruce smoked DMT... (Dangerous Minds)

The 'Sushi Defense' rests: Housing court sides with landlord in 6-year apartment battle

An East Village resident, who has used a so-called "sushi defense" to keep her rent-stablized apartment, has lost her last court battle, the Daily News reports today.

Back in October 2012, State Appellate Division judges ruled 3-to-2 that Masako Mogi could stay in her $992-a-month studio at 409 E. Sixth St., where she has lived since 1980.

Her landlord had been trying to evict her for six years. The landlord's attorney offered records showing that Mogi used a below-average amount of electricity — evidence she spent most of her time in a second home in Vermont.

For her part, though, "Mogi testified that she often eats out, orders takeout or makes sushi, which doesn’t require much juice."

As the Daily News notes, the Court of Appeals ruled that the Appellate Division "used the wrong standard for evaluating the case and bounced the matter back." And now, a Housing Court judge ruled in favor of her landlord, who will, of course, be charging much more than $992 a month.

According to Streeteasy this morning, a 1-bedroom unit in the building is going for $2,800.

[Image via the Daily News]

This weekend at La MaMa: 'The Shell-Shocked Nut'

From the EVG inbox...

An Alternative Adaptation of The Nutcracker, set in the East Village, inspired by true stories.

Conceived and directed by Martha Tornay, artistic director. East Village Dance Project with choreography and direction by Dante Brown, Victoria Roberts-Wierzbowski, Martha Tornay, Hilary McDaniel-Douglas, Naomi Goldberg-Haas in collaboration with the performers.

Performed by 25 youth performers (age 4-19) from East Village Dance Project,and a group of professional performers, including Dante Brown|Warehouse Dance, Project in Motion, and a host of East Village luminaries and guest artists.

Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Clare Farris, Duke Ellington, Steve Wonder, David Lowery, The Ramones and more…

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
"The Shell-Shocked Nut" (premiere) is very loosely based on E.T. Hoffman's "The Nutcracker," set in the East Village, with the urban theme of post-traumatic stress and the joy of being alive. Two main characters: A war vet and an elementary school student travel the familiar streets and locations near Tompkins Square Park and meet characters of all sorts.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
In late October 2012, when SuperStorm Sandy hit Avenue C, there was a need to celebrate something positive. The Avenue C Studio, located at 55 Avenue C between East 4th and East 5th Streets was not flooded inside, but out in the street was chaos ... and the studio lost heat and electricity.

Inspired by requests from some of the young dancers to learn material from "The Nutcracker," East Village Dance Project decided to embark on the process of creating a local version which would be built on the theme of stress and recovery. Using Tchaikovsky’s classic score as a jumping off point, "The Shell-Shocked Nut" reworks the story and choreography to make a uniquely Avenue C style creation. In December 2012, for three days, parents and caregivers came to the studio to see a 35-minute work in progress that was the much needed uplifting of spirits

Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.
Jan. 4 and 5 at 3 p.m.
Ellen Stewart Theatre
66 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and Bowery
212-475-7710
Tickets: $20 adults, $15 seniors, students and children 12 and under
More info here

Concern about Sapporo East

A reader pointed out yesterday that Sapporo East, the always-reliable Japanese restaurant on First Avenue at East 10th Street, hasn't
been open of late. No one seems to recall the last time they were up and running. There aren't any signs on the restaurant, which opened in 1983, indicating a holiday break or closure. The phone rings and rings and is eventually answered by a generic greeting.

The restaurant closed in August 2010 for "emergency construction" … though there were signs up pointing to the temporary closure.

Anyone know what's going on here?

While writing for Fork in the Road last April, Robert Sietsema named Sapporo East one of the "Six Miracles of East Village Ungentrification."

The year in East Village photos 2013 (Part 1, probably)

I'm a little late with the onslaught of year-end listicles this Listicle Season. Anyway, here are some of the photos from the site in 2013... got a little carried away, so I may break this into two parts. Or just be really lazy and only do the first six months of last year! Thank you to everyone who shared photos ...