Thursday, February 5, 2015

The 4th annual Poetic License starts tonight at the Wild Project



The Poetic Theater festival starts tonight at the Wild Project at 195 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... here's a quick overview via the EVG inbox...

Now in its fourth year, Poetic License is Poetic Theater Productions’ annual festival of new poetic theater, which has grown from five days to three weeks, features two fully realized mainstage productions of thrilling new poetic plays written by company members, a reading series of six new works of poetic theater, and three special events: Love Redefined, an evening of new work devoted to non-traditional love; Breaking Our Silence, a celebration of LGBT voices; and Generation Now, a showcase of youth voices in poetic theater.

POETIC LICENSE 2015: subconscious kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday, Feb. 22. Performances are at the Wild Project. Tickets to each event are $18; the 6@6 Reading Series is free. Tickets can be purchased from OvationTix on 212.352.3101 or online at www.poetictheater.com.

Rent this charming 5-bedroom duplex on East 7th Street where a hammock awaits out back



Over at 264 E. Seventh St., on the lovely block between Avenue C and Avenue D, you can rent a new-to-market five-bedroom duplex in a 1842 Greek Revival house (one of six along here).

Let's check out the Spire Group listing:

This is a rare unit in a charming brownstone on one of the most scenic blocks in the east village. It's directly across the street from the beautiful Flowerbox Building [EVG note: This is a selling point????]. This is an absolutely enormous duplex with a private patio, leading down to a large private garden.
• Enormous living/ dining with white washed exposed brick wall
• 12 foot ceilings with halogen dimmer lighting
• Large Eat in kitchen on top floor leading out to private patio with staircase down to garden
• On top level, one large bedroom, one enormous one
• 2nd private exit to garden on bottom level
• On garden level, 3 large bedrooms

The asking rent is $5,500.

While the inside looks all fine and dandy... the garden is the selling point... (not sure if the hammock is part of the deal)...



If you like the rental, then consider buying the whole building, which has been on the market for the past five months. The current price is $4.395 million.

Per the Streeteasy listing:

No. 264 "offers a rare opportunity to create a unique single family townhouse with approx. 4,000 additional square feet available to enlarge the house to a total of 8,200 buildable square feet."

So it's possible your rental might be on the short-term side... ditto for the charming brownstone in its current state.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Reader report: Nike building a pop-up shop on the Bowery for the NBA All-Star game



Crews are erected some kind of structure this afternoon on the Bowery at Great Jones… home of the Downtown Auto & Tire until April 2012…



A tipster said that workers are building a "Nike sneaker box" ahead of next week's NBA All-Star game in NYC…



Quite a production at the moment… No word just yet when any of this goes live…



This corner space previously housed the Deth Killers of Bushwick pop-up shop.

Updated 6:25 p.m.

Goggla shared a few photos from this evening…





[Updated] Man armed with boxcutter attacks 4 around Union Square


[Image via the NYPD]

An apparent argument on an uptown 4 train early this morning sparked a slash attack that left 3 people in the hospital, police said.

The Daily News reported that the spree started when the attacker cut a man during an argument around 1:30 a.m. on the 4 train. The man left the train at Union Square, where he preceded to slash two other men as well as slap a woman in the face.

DNAinfo noted that the attacks happened after the victims refused the suspect's request for money.

Per DNA:

As the suspect left the station, climbing the stairs near the Food Emporium at 10 Union Square East, he asked a 46-year-old man for $2, police said. When the man refused, the suspect slashed him on the right side of his face.

The suspect then crossed 14th Street near Fourth Avenue, demanded a dollar from a 59-year-old man who was waiting for the M14 bus and then cut the man's face, police said.

EMTs took the three victims to Bellevue, where they are reportedly listed in stable condition.

According to an NYPD report cited by the Daily News, the suspect is "a heavy-built and clean shaven black man with a missing tooth, 5-foot-9, 180-pounds, age 20-25."

He was last seen wearing red and white sneakers, a black knit hat and a grey hoodie.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

Updated 2-6 6:30 p.m.

Police have arrested and charged a man in the attacks, CBS New York reports.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher
Name: Adrianna Grezak
Occupation: Photographer, Photo Editor
Location: 4th Street and 2nd Avenue
Time: Tuesday, Jan. 13

I emigrated from Poland when I was seven and I grew up in a town in northern New Jersey that was a majority Polish immigrants. I emigrated in the 1990s, when people were still coming over here.

This is the only Polish stereotype that’s true for my family – my father’s in construction and my mother’s a cleaning lady who started her own cleaning service. That’s always been inspirational to me, watching someone start their own business from scratch in a new country, like both my parents.

I moved to New York City in 2007 to attend NYU. I studied anthropology. Well, I studied a bunch of things like every other kid interested in human thought. I started off with psychology and then I realized that there were other fields that covered that, so I switched over to anthro.

I was at NYU through 2011. The recession was an interesting time to be in New York City, watching all these businesses close and get replaced by Starbucks and 7-Elevens. I like supporting small independent businesses, especially since they’re disappearing. Especially the immigrant thing, because I’m a little biased. If I notice that it’s run by immigrants, then I’ll go there. And attending NYU, this was before the recession hit, the students were kind of going crazy, not worrying about finances, whereas a year later that’s what the conversation was about. All of a sudden every student was very aware with what was going on in the economy and how that affected them directly.

I’m really lucky to live in the East Village ... I rent a room from someone who bought her apartment in the 1980s. NYU dorms weren’t for me because I’m a quiet person and I wasn’t really into the scene. She’s a professor at a different school and she posted a listing as an NYU off-campus housing that nobody really used, which is why I found it.

It’s funny that I told her, ‘Yeah this is great for the two years that I’m in college.’ Three years after that and I’m still here. I’m not leaving. We get along great. It’s a true two bedroom with a dining room and a living room. People say, ‘Oh you live with somebody from a different generation from you.’ But it has brick walls and we don’t hear each other. You don’t see these apartments anymore. It’s a true old-school apartment.

When I graduated my first job was actually connected to anthropology ... working in publishing. I left the publishing job in 2012 [to pursue photography], and especially then everyone was saying, ‘It’s really hard. You’re not going to be able to do it.’ I think back to my mom’s personal story, being an immigrant. She was able to create her own business. I guess I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Yeah, I had a lot of anxiety about it. It’s something I love to do regardless of whether I’m paid for it, so that helps.

I started off by exploring different avenues in photography and what is good now about all these different technologies is that e-commerce is a giant thing and that’s how I got my foot in the door beyond doing some gigs with portraits. I started off doing fashion photography and product photography for different consignment stores. I worked for INA NYC.

That job helped me get my current job. My title is production specialist, but it’s kind of a photo-editor job at a company called 1stdibs, which is actually in that new building on Astor Place — the Jeff Koons building. 1stdibs is an online marketplace and their tagline is ‘The Most Beautiful Things on Earth.’ It’s tables, antiques, fashion.

I saw the building being built and obviously there are a lot of negatives about it being built there. I think a lot about how the East Village has changed, but on the flip side it took me awhile to get long-term employment and [this] helped me. There are two sides of every coin. The fact that all these new businesses are coming in, it’s personally helped me, whereas I also completely agree and see the negatives of it.

In some ways I guess [studying anthropology] connects to my interests in photography. It was always something that I did, kind of an impulse to take photographs. I’ve done it with disposable cameras before digital cameras were a thing.

I’m interested in people’s diverse experiences and that’s what I try to do with my photography. I’ve been drawn to demonstrations. I’ve photographed them for a few years. My first one that I really set out to capture was the New York City Postal Service rally, where I snuck my way in the press pit. It helps that I’m a tiny girl who no one really pays attention to.

The goal of my new project at On Second Avenue is to show people different sides of New York City ... especially as an immigrant, even though I’ve been here for almost 20 years and now that I’m living my white-collar life. But I grew up working class, and I still kind of feel like an outsider. That’s one of the reasons I love living in the East Village because it’s so diverse. You hear all different kinds of languages here.

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

Black Seed bringing bagels to the former DeRobertis space on 1st Avenue


[EVG file photo]

After 110 years at 176 First Ave., DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closed its doors this past Dec. 5.

And news broke yesterday who the next retail tenant will be here between East 10th Street and East 11th Street: Black Seed bagels.


[Image via Facebook]

Per Zagat:

The new outpost, designed by the hOmE group, will maintain many of the original details of the iconic bakery including the tiled floor and handcut tile walls. The new space also feature a wood-fired oven like the flagship as well as original tin ceilings. Expect expanded sandwich and coffee options although no word on what those items will be just yet.

A Black Seed opened on Elizabeth Street last April ... and there were soon insane lines out front.

Here's Gothamist with more on the Montreal-NYC hybrid bagels:

Black Seed's bagels are smaller than most of those currently on offer in the city, boasting a bigger hole and more crust-to-innards than their puffier NYC counterparts.

Anyone else want to weigh in on Black Seed's bagels?

The East Village Black Seed location is supposed to open in the late spring.

The economy, age and health concerns reportedly weighed on their De Robertis family's decision to sell the building.

While the next tenant is known, there isn't any word just yet who actually bought 174-176 First Ave. The building had a $12 million price tag.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ugh: The 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe closes after Dec. 5 (43 comments)

[Updated] 110-year-old DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe looks to be closing once the building is sold

174-176 First Ave., home of DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe, is for sale

Let's take a look at the DeRobertis in-house bakery

Former Terroir space quickly converted into Fifty Paces on East 12th Street


[Image via]

The original East Village outpost of the wine bar Terroir at 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue closed after service this past Saturday night.

And as promised, Hearth chef-owner Marco Canora quickly turned the space around — the new venture, Fifty Paces, debuts tonight, as Eater first reported.

We'll head to Eater (who also posted the menu) for more:

The drink menu at Fifty Paces is still focused on wines by the glass, served in either three or six ounce pours, and also includes a few sherries and ciders, and a handful of beers ... The food menu, meanwhile, now consists of dishes "inspired by" the food at Hearth. It's an on-trend bar menu, with small snacks, toasts, and large shared plates like pork ragu sloppy joes, yoshi fried chicken, and braised rabbit legs with polenta.

Fifty Paces will also serve some of the broth that Canora sells at Brodo, the newish to-go spot on First Avenue.

This Terroir closed after six years following a business split between Canora and Paul Grieco, who will continue operating three of the other wine bar locations in the city.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Terroir closes tomorrow night on East 12th Street; new concept on the way soon

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

It's the Full Snow Moon



EVG regular Grant Shaffer took this tonight in Tompkins Square Park...

Hey, where's Jupiter???

Some background via Universe Today:

February’s full moon is aptly named the Full Snow Moon as snowfall can be heavy this month.

And!

The Full Moon celebrates Jupiter’s coming opposition by accompanying the bright planet in a beautiful conjunction tonight.



And here is the moon from 2:03 a.m. overnight via Bobby Williams and his EV Observatory...

The Williamsburg warehouse fire 4 days later



EVG reader Daniel Root was back in East River Park this afternoon ... where you can see FDNY crews still pumping water onto the smoldering ruins of CitiStorage, a record storage facility, in Williamsburg.

The fire broke out early Saturday morning at 5 N. 11th St. (at Kent Avenue).

Officials reportedly said this afternoon that it might be days before authorities had any information on how the fire started.

According to various published reports, such as NBC New York, the warehouse primarily stored records for more than 100 health care organizations and law firms, according to Recall Holdings, the parent company of CitiStorage.

The Times reported that charred medical records, court transcripts, legal letters, sonograms, bank checks and more — many marked confidential — were found around the neighborhood.

"They're like treasure maps, but with people's personal information all over them," Spencer Bergen, 24, said of the half-charred scraps that he said he had seen strewn around the Williamsburg neighborhood as far inland as Berry Street, several blocks from the warehouse.

The fire required more than 60 units and 275 firefighters to get under control.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Scenes of the 7-alarm fire in Williamsburg from East River Park

A sign from...?



EVG reader Rik Rocket notes an upward pointing icicle stalactite on the cross at The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... it's a sign, right?

Free rat (prevention) training



Via the EVG inbox...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition


[Yesterday in Tompkins Square Park via Bobby Williams]

Sheldon Silver's 21-year reign as speaker comes to an end (New York Post)

The secretive, sleazy process to replace Sheldon Silver (The New York Times)

Longtime Silver crony is overseeing property-tax cases (The Real Deal)

Meet Carl Heastie, New York's new Assembly Speaker (New York)

Penny Arcade talks about her longtime home (The Lo-Down)

Late nights at Ichibantei on East 13th Street (The New York Times)

Tompkins Square Park posers (Gog in NYC)

Snack Dragon closes Orchard Street location (BoweryBoogie)

The NYC skyline from Union Square in 1849 (Ephemeral New York)

NYC’s first gentrification movement was all about pigs (The Real Deal)

Vintage NYC films (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Philip Glass will score "The Fantastic Four" (BoingBoing)

... and one more photo from yesterday in Tompkins Square Park ... this one via Derek Berg...

Reader report: Icon Realty new owner of 57 Second Ave.


[Image via Massey & Knakal]

The 10-story building at 57 Second Ave. between East Third Street and East Fourth Street hit the market last November for $30 million.

Now a resident writes in: "On Friday, we all received a letter attached to our doorknobs that our new landlord is T&T Realty Management, but their email address is from Icon Realty." (We didn't spot the transaction just yet in public records.)

And in a separate comment that someone left yesterday on the post from November:

"They want names, birthdates and more info from occupants. The big story for this building hasn't been written yet. Buyouts are my guess."

We hear that 28 of the 33 units are currently occupied ... and all tenants are either in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled units.

Meanwhile, the original sales listing noted that the two retail tenants — Alex Shoe Repair and Allied Hardware — were on a month-to-month lease, paying roughly $38 a square foot "in an area that commands rents in excess of $150/SF."

According to the building tipster, the family who owns the hardware store has already been handed vacate orders.

Previously on EV Grieve:
57 Second Ave. hits the market for $30 million

Security guards and Stop Work Orders for Icon Realty-owned East 12th Street building

At 205 Avenue A, where the NYPD stops by 'almost every weekend'

Happy holidays from 128 Second Ave.

Interior demolition continues at the former Yaffa Cafe, soon to be home to a Portuguese restaurant



A crew has been working this past week (or so) at the former Yaffa Cafe at 97 St. Mark's Place, where there are approved permits for interior demolition of the space.

An EVG tipster passed along the above photo from yesterday, showing some of the Cafe's former contents piling up out back.

Last month, CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for the owners of St. Dymphna's, the neighborhood pub at 118 St. Mark's Place, to open a restaurant here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

We don't know too much about the new concept just yet. However, according to the minutes (PDF!) from the January CB3 meeting:

• it will operate as a full-service Portuguese restaurant, with a kitchen open and serving food during all hours of operation
• its hours of operation will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays
• it will not commercially operate any outdoor areas

Yaffa Cafe closed after 32 years last fall, in part because the legality of the back garden came into question.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled

More about Yaffa Cafe closing

St. Dymphna's owners look to take over the former Yaffa Cafe space on St. Mark's Place

Hummus Place closed for renovations on St. Mark's Place



The chickpea specialists at 109 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue closed yesterday ... the sign on the door notes they are closing for renovations...



There isn't any mention of a temporary closure on their website or social media properties. A call to the restaurant yields a "voice mailbox full" message.

Hummus Place expanded into the adjacent storefront back in April 2009.

Washington Heights tapas outpost aiming for former Cafe Cambodge/Arcane space on C


[EVG file photo]

Marcha Cocina in Washington Heights is on the February CB3/SLA committee agenda to open an outpost at the former Cafe Cambodge/Arcane space at 111 Avenue C near East Seventh Street.

According to paperwork (PDF!) on file ahead of next Monday night's meeting, the applicants are proposing hours of noon to midnight from Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant configuration shows 19 tables accommodating 38 people and a 10-seat bar.

Here's what Time Out said about Marcha Cocina, located at Broadway and 171st Street:

Named after Spanish slang for “nightlife,” this Washington Heights tapas joint is geared toward hungry night owls, with modern Spanish small plates and cocktails until the witching hour. Slip into a sunny yellow banquette for bites like cocas (Catalan flatbread) layered with serrano ham and wild mushrooms, chicken-and-plantain-stuffed croquettes and crispy shrimp dipped in smoked paprika aioli.

Cafe Cambodge opened here in February 2014 ... after the owners revamped the space from its 6-year run as Arcane.

Another pizza-random-food-item place has apparently closed at 35 1st Ave.



Looks as if that's it for Stars, the latest operation to try making a go of 35 First Ave. following Empire Pizza II, IL Gusto Italiano and Farid's Middle Eastern Grill Food & Pizza, among others.

EVG regular Spike notes that the Marshal recently paid a visit to the establishment between East Second Street and East Third Street...



Aside from pizza, Stars offered gyros, kebab platters, Philly cheesesteaks, grilled chicken, hamburgers, turkey burgers, etc.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another pizza concept, awning for 35 First Ave.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Today



Photo via Rob & Mike

London calling



Map of the London Underground in the trash on Second Avenue and East 11th Street...



Photos by Vinny and O.

Here's a look at the new condos coming to East 1st Street



Work has commenced at 64 E. First St., where a 6-story residential building will rise from the ruins of the former La Vie club here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Last April, New York Yimby reported that there will be six residential units (likely condos) — "two duplexes, one spanning the cellar and first floor, and another located on the sixth and penthouse levels; each of the other four residences will be full-floor."

The units will average a roomy 2,250 square feet.

And now, the plywood sports the rendering of the building…



… a closer look … (the building doesn't lean to the right — apparently we were when we snapped the photo)…



DOB permits show that Ekstein Development is behind the project. The architect of record is GF55, whose other neighborhood contributions include Jupiter 21 at the site of the former Mars Bar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
La Vie has closed; neighbors rejoice

Former La Vie space on East First Street will be demolished

Getting rid of the rats at the former LaVie ahead of a new 6-floor residential building

Here lies the remains of La Vie

Destination Bar has closed on Avenue A, will reopen as Destination Bar



The bar on the northwest corner of A and 13th Street closed for good after service yesterday.

But this closure won't be for long — at last as far as the name goes.

Back in October, CB3 OK'd the sale of assets to the current owners of Local 138 and Iggy's Keltic Lounge on Ludlow Street.

According to minutes (PDF!) from the October CB3 full-board meeting, the new owners are retaining the Destination Bar name.

No word yet on a Grand Reopening.

Destination Bar opened in the summer of 2009 in the former Boysroom space.

H/T ‏@nyev_eliza

[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza is now Little Gio's on 1st Avenue


[EVG photo from November]

Little Joe's Pizza opened back in November at 26 First Ave. just south of East Second Street.

Upon visiting the pizzeria, the nice folks there said that they previously worked for the venerable Joe's Pizza.

It turned out that Little Joe's owner's husband Sergio worked at Joe's for 13 years … and there wasn't any official connection to Joe's.

So perhaps to clear up any confusion between the two...

On Saturday, an EVG reader received a Facebook notification that Little Joe's had changed its name to Little Gio's …



The change had been made on the pizzeria's website as well…



… and the new sign/awning is in progress…



Little Joe's or Gio's, we like their slices…

Updated 5:44 p.m.

Apparently there was much more to the name change.

Eater reports:

According to Joe's Pizza owner Joe Pozzuoli, Jr. he sent several cease and desist letters to Little Joe's, but all were ignored. "To protect our brand and to limit confusion, we took legal action," Pozzuoli tells Eater, "and the court granted us a preliminary injunction" against Little Joe's. The latter is banned from using the word Joe in "any manner" as it relates to operating a pizzeria, under the threat of having to pony up a $5,000 security bond, in addition to any settlement.

H/T EVG reader Matt!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza now serving up slices on 1st Avenue

Unidentified Flying Chickens isn't apparently long for this East Village world


[EVG file photo]

The East Village outpost of the Jackson Heights-based Korean fried chicken restaurant opened this past July at 60 Third Ave. near East 11th Street.

Apparently the place is not much longer for this world. There's a new applicant seeking a liquor license for the address, according to materials (PDF!) on file ahead of this month's CB3/SLA committee meeting next Monday night.

There's not much information just yet. The applicant's name happens to be an owner of Taproom 307 on Third Avenue near East 23rd Street.

UFC did make it longer than the previous tenant. Last spring, Apiary, the nearly 6-year-old restaurant, closed here for a revamp. After a splashy, well-publicized makeover, the new place, Après, closed after just three weeks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Après closes 3 weeks after debut; Unidentified Flying Chickens on the way in

Astoria Bier & Cheese closer to bringing craft beer and grilled cheese to Broadway



Help wanted signs are up on Broadway near East Ninth Street... where a new cafe called Milk and Hops has been in the works since last summer...





We don't know too much about the concept. Paperwork (PDF!) filed ahead of the August 2014 CB3/SLA committee meeting revealed that Milk and Hops would serve grilled cheese sandwiches (among other items) and craft beer. The owners are behind Astoria Bier and Cheese, which has two locations out in Astoria.

Mi Garba signage arrives on 4th Avenue



As noted a few weeks back, the first U.S. outpost of Mi Garba ("I like it" in Italian) is opening at 129 Fourth Ave. just south of East 13th Street.

As the Post reported:

The flagship 1,000 square-foot space ... will include a restaurant with 10 tables. There will also be Tuscan food and wine for sale along with a boutique offering fashion items, including custom-made shirts and jackets.

Anyway, coming soon announcements for Mi Garba, which sounds like a good concept for an airport, are up in the windows.

This storefront has been (mostly) empty since Dryden Gallery moved out two and a half years ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tuscan food specialist opening 1st U.S. outpost on 4th Avenue for some reason

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Week in Grieview


[Photo on East 5th Street via Derek Berg]

Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (Wednesday, 73 comments)

How to help The Bowery Mission this winter (Friday)

Beer Pong, Blizzard Edition (Tuesday)

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks moves to East Second Street (Thursday)

Open Pantry closes after 45 years on Second Avenue (Friday)

The buildings at 128-130 First Avenue are for sale (Monday)

The latest in the Wind Chimes Saga (Monday)

Happy No. 82 Ray! (Wednesday)

FroYo fizzles out on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Before it snowed, Whole Foods Market® Bowery ran out of shopping carts (Monday)

Wannabe Penistrator sticks it to the Man during the snow (Monday)

Ahead of possibly historic blizzard, Key Food shoppers pretty much making a mess (Sunday)

Villacemita, serving authentic Puebla Mexican cuisine, announces itself on Avenue A (Monday)

An Imperial AT-AT Walker in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

C & B Cafe now open on East Seventh Street (Wednesday)

Japanese dining taking over the Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor space on East 13th Street (Monday)

The Bourgeois Pig closes on East Seventh Street with move to the West Village (Thursday)

The new-look men's room at d.b.a. (Wednesday)

A look at the recently revealed 536 E. 13th St. (Thursday)

A cloud over A



Photo the other day on Avenue A by Grant Shaffer

Report: Police say man destroyed $100k of artifacts at the Church of the Immaculate Conception


[Photo via the Daily News]

Last Wednesday night, police say a man broke into the Church of the Immaculate Conception on East 14th Street near First Avenue and smashed the stations of the cross and other religious artifacts worth an estimated $100,000.

According to the Daily News today, police caught Michael Torres, 20, inside the church around 10 p.m. Torres, described by the NYPD as "emotionally disturbed," had been at Immaculate Conception earlier in the evening for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He reportedly returned and broke into the church.

Bedford + Bowery has more photos and a report here.

Hey it's winter, so there's snow in the forecast



An excuse, really, to post this photo that I liked from last Monday along Second Avenue by Derek Berg…

Also! WINTER STORM WARNING!

Winter Storm Warning in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

The National Weather Service in New York has issued a Winter Storm Warning for snow, sleet and freezing rain, which is in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

Locations: The New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas, northern Nassau and Northwest Suffolk Counties, and southeastern coastal Connecticut.
Hazard types: snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Accumulations: snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches, along with around one quarter of an inch of ice.
Winds: northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
Temperatures: in the upper 20s.
Visibilities: one quarter mile or less at times.
Timing: tonight through Monday.
Impacts: hazardous travel due to reduced visibilities and significant snow, sleet and ice accumulations.