Monday, January 30, 2017

Pichi & Avo wrap up new work at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall



After a week of work, the Spanish street-art duo PichiAvo have completed their piece on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall today...the first in NYC for them.

Some detail ... the two are known for fusing classic ancient gods with contemporary urban art



...and a look at the mural from last night...



The mural, titled "Urbanmythology" according to a news advisory from Goldman Properties, will be up through May. (I've also seen the mural titled "Urban Homeric Hymn to Poseidon.")

Noted

Spotted on the streets...

14th Street at First Avenue...



...the Bowery at Third Street...



10th Street near Avenue A...



Avenue B at Sixth Street...

Community meeting set to discuss Mt. Sinai's plans for an expanded facility in the East Village



As you probably know, major changes are coming to the Mount Sinai Health System, starting with a transformation of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary on Second Avenue and 14th Street...


[Rendering via Perkins Eastman]

We won't rehash all the coming changes (outlined in this post). There's an FAQ page as well that may have details you are looking for related to health care and the construction.

Tomorrow night, City Council member Rosie Mendez and CB3 are hosting a meeting to learn more about the construction timeline for the new Mount Sinai Downtown Beth Israel.



Reps from Mount Sinai's Real Estate and Community Affairs Departments will be on hand for the discussion, taking place from 6-7:30 p.m. in the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 310 E. 14th St. (in the third floor conference room).

The hospital's downsizing from its campus on First Avenue and 16th Street is part of a $550 million plan by Beth Israel’s owner to adapt to a changing health care landscape where patients are using more outpatient care and spending less time in hospitals, as previously reported.

Mount Sinai will sell the 16th Street property, which has a current reported value of $600 million. Beth Israel reportedly has outstanding debt of some $200 million.

Kenneth Davis, president and chief executive officer of Mount Sinai Health System, previously stated that it will cost $250 million to build the new hospital and upgrade the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary on Second Avenue and 14th Street.

Previously

Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen is now open daily on 7th Street


[EVG file photo]

Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen, the basement cafe that serves as a fundraising arm of the St George Ukrainian Catholic Church just up East Seventh Street, has expanded its hours.

They are now open daily here at 33 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.


Here's a look at their reasonably prices menu items...


And as you can see, they also have an Instagram account... to keep you posted on their daily specials...



And volunteer work...


Previously on EV Grieve:
At the Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen

Updated: East 12th Osteria closes on 1st Avenue, moving to the West Village



East 12th Osteria looks to have permanently closed. Someone removed the sign from the front door here on First Avenue at 12th Street...



EVG reader dwg said the dining room was cleared out on Friday.



Back on Dec. 12, the State seized the space for nonpayment of taxes. Eater reported that restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine owed more than $190,000 in unpaid taxes.

However, without any notice, East 12th Osteria then resumed service several days later.

The restaurant opened in March 2013.

Updated
From restaurant's website: "East 12th Osteria will be moving to the West Village, and would henceforth change name to Osteria."

A spokesperson for the restaurant told us in an email:

We opened 2 days after NY State Department of Taxation and Finance shut us down. We've paid the principal amount months back, it is the interest and other fees that we're trying to negotiate down. 120% interest is a lot.

Having said that, earlier this month we chose to close down East 12th Osteria because we found a bigger location in the West Village, and will be opening sometime in the summer.

East 12th attracted regulars Ron Chernow... Preet Bhararra and Scott Stringer, lots of NYU faculty and gallery owners. We thank our supporters in the East Village — a warm welcome awaits them at our next Osteria, opening soon just a few avenues away.

New bakery on the way for the Whole Foods Market® Bowery



Renovations continue at the Whole Foods Market® Bowery ... where there's a temporary entrance to the store on Houston and the Bowery... the reason — the arrival in March of a bakery on the premises...



The current bakery seems rather scattered back by the salad bar region.

Unrelated, avocados are on sale five for $5.

Gramercy Cafe closes; Gramercy Kitchen coming soon



Heading a few blocks outside the East Village for a moment... multiple readers passed along word that the Gramercy Cafe on Third Avenue and 17th Street had been dark all weekend.

Signage soon arrived at the 24/7 diner... telling patrons not to worry...



The other sign thanks Elias and his team for 24 great years... and notes that the corner spot will soon be known as Gramercy Kitchen...


[Photo via Harry Weiner]

The interior looks to be in some disarray...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Valentine's Day tragedies: When you mix up Gramercy Cafe and the Gramercy Tavern

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Sunday's parting shot



The view downtown at sunset via Bobby Williams...

Week in Grieview



Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

At Ray's 84th birthday celebration at Ray's Candy Store (Tuesday)

Astor Plate coming to Astor Place (Friday)

Chester Kawalec, longtime grill man at the Stage, has died (Thursday)

Pourt softly opens on Cooper Square (Monday)

Office space on St. Mark's Place back on the market and still ghost free (Friday)

Last look at the old Lanza's (Thursday)

An Obama tribute on Bond (Thursday)

Developers pitching the city for 4 more floors at former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (Monday)

A winterized Bowery Market, now down to 3 vendors (Tuesday)

Checking in on 'Urbanmythology' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall (Thursday)

Sushi and pizza coming soon to the Bowery (Wednesday)

MTA announces public workshops to discuss the upcoming (2019!) L train shutdown (Wednesday)

Malcriada, a Latin gastropub, opens on Super Bowl Sunday (Wednesday)

114 E. 7th St. sells for $13.8 million (Wednesday)

No Malice Palace remains closed for now after the death of its owner (Monday)

I love you to gigabits: Pop the question, see your names on a LinkNYC kiosk (Tuesday)

Construction watch: 127 Avenue D (Tuesday)

For rent signage arrives at the former Sigmund Pretzel Shop space on Avenue B (Monday)

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Details on tomorrow's 'Lower East Side Rally Against Hate' in Tompkins Square Park



Via Facebook...

SAVE THE DATE! "Lower East Side Rally Against Hate" on Jan. 30 (Monday)

Tompkins Square Park — entrance on East 7th Street & Avenue A

Join Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, elected officials, faith leaders, and community organizers to stand together against the Trump Administration's Executive Orders targeting Muslims and all immigrants.

Time: 6:30pm until 7:30pm
Join together to tell Donald Trump #NoBanNoWall

Find more details here

Also today at 2 p.m. — #NoBanNoWall rally in Battery Park City. Details here.

Report of a fire last night on 6th Street



Several readers passed along word of a fire last evening on the fifth floor at 619 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The FDNY tweeted the alert at 8:31 p.m. ...


...with the under control message coming 15 minutes later...


I do not have any other information, such as injuries, cause or extent of the damage.

Here's a look at the building this morning... one window is boarded up on the fifth floor...

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Today in photos of a Donald Trump piñata



Photos on Fourth Avenue today by Derek Berg...



No word if these are available in bulk...

Spiritual Sounds on Sunday

Via the EVG inbox... tomorrow (Sunday) at 5 p.m. ... St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery...

Reports: Brooklyn man suspected of rape arrested at Beauty Bar on 14th Street

Police arrested Brooklyn resident Brenton Maughn-Tulloch after a reported rape early Sunday morning inside a bathroom stall at Beauty Bar on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

According to Town & Village, "police said that Maughn-Tulloch was ... doing lines of cocaine with a woman when he allegedly raped her."

Here are more details via DNAinfo:

While they were in the bathroom he made a move on the woman, but when she refused he pinned her against the wall, pulled down her pants, and raped her, police said.

Afterwards, Maughn-Tulloch remained inside the bar as the woman called police, they said. Police arrested him at the bar 45 minutes later, a police spokesman said.

The 30-year-old Maughn-Tulloch was arraigned on charges of first-degree rape. He’s currently being held at Rikers. His next court date is scheduled for Friday, per DNAinfo.

The Post reported that Maughn-Tulloch was already facing charges for drug possession and credit-card fraud.

A moment at an M14 stop on Avenue A



People still read the Daily Racing Form and wait for the bus ...






Meanwhile, there is a pretty good race in the third today at Aqueduct. Can Bourbon Empire outstay Bavaro on the stretch-out?

Report: Mobile-order congestion causing problems for Starbucks



A little weekend reading... in case you didn't see the Starbucks headlines from yesterday.

Via USA Today:

The coffee chain reported disappointing sales growth on Thursday and partly blamed the “congestion” in its stores for prompting some people to leave without buying anything. Starbucks said the popularity of its mobile order-and-pay option, which was supposed to make getting a drink easier, has caused bottlenecks at the areas where people pick up their drinks.

CEO Howard Schultz, who is leaving that role in April to become executive chairman, said the issue has “created anxiety” among some customers.

No word on the number of people who just enter and exit a Starbucks to use the restrooms.

A reading from 'American Girls' tonight at Love Gang on 9th Street

Writer Nancy Jo Sales is reading from her latest book, "American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers," a look at how social media has changed the lives of girls and presented them with unprecedented challenges, tonight at 8 at Love Gang, the clothing boutique at 436 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... via the EVG inbox...



Read our interview with Love Gang co-owners Cara Bloch and Carmen Ruiz-Davila from December here.

Friday, January 27, 2017

'Star' power



Slowdive is back with new material after a 22-year hiatus.

The reunited UK shoegazaers are touring this spring, with a stop at the forthcoming venue Brooklyn Steel on May 8. Those tickets went on sale today. The above track is the recently released "Star Roving."

EV Grieve Etc.: Nest action in Tompkins Square Park; Subway Therapy on the LES


[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]

Contract to defend Mayor de Blasio and aides to cost city $11.6 million (The New York Times)

Taste testing the two new Vietnamese restaurant options in the East Village (Eater ...previously)

Christo and Dora nest action (Laura Goggin Photography)

"Subway Therapy" project at 107 Norfolk St. through Monday (amNY)

About the pronunciation of Houston Street (The New York Times)

Musician Tor Miller's favorite EV places (The Guardian)

Robert Sietsema picks his choices for best East Village Mexican restaurants (Eater)

Subway and bus fare will remain $2.75 following MTA vote (Curbed)

Jonny Detiger’s "Amplified Space" continues through Feb. 9 at Howl! Happening on First Street (Official site)

The "Universal in the '70s" film series includes Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie" and Monte Hellman's "Two-Lane Blacktop" (Metrograph)

Debbie Harry for Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in the 1980s (Dangerous Minds)

... and unfortunately we found about this after the first show... the Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street has launched a John Zorn-curated monthly music series for 2017...


About that new cube on Astor Place (and the return of Mud Coffee)



You may have noticed the arrival of a new cube-like kiosk on Astor Place yesterday.

There were all sorts of theories about it (CorTen Steel LinkNYC kiosk, "Game of Thrones" Winds of Winter bus shelter, Amanda Burden-Christ map room, etc).

Anyway, here's the official release about what's happening here via the EVG inbox...

Coming soon, Astor Plate! A new food and beverage kiosk created by Perry Mallas serving healthy Mediterranean comfort food, coffee and beverages, all organic and locally sourced wherever possible. Astor Plate is also bringing MUD Coffee back to Astor Place.

Although the MUD Truck is now retired, MUD is delighted to once again be part of Astor Place ...

To design and create the kiosk Perry has collaborated with the same creative team at Patrick Nash Design that designed and built Flatiron Green and Benvenuto Café. Visually, the kiosk references the neighborhood’s artistic character and reflects the design profile of Tony Rosenthal’s iconic Alamo culpture, which turns 50 this year. The raw steel finishes and bold geometric forms of Astor Plate will create a natural and inviting ambiance, appropriate for this quintessentially urban environment.


Astor Plate is expected to open in March.

Up in vapor: Beyond Vape has left St. Mark's Place



Two weeks ago we repotted that Beyond Vape, the upper-level shop at 19-23 St. Mark's Place, was closing at the end of the month.

Well the vapors have already cleaned out of the space that they started leasing in 2013. At that time, this was the first East Coast location of the California-based chain. Today, there are seven NYC locations of Beyond Vape. Potential costumers here are being directed to the Union Square store.

Meanwhile, next door, the for lease signs have been removed from the windows of Grand Sichuan, which closed back in the fall. Perhaps the two spaces will be combined for a really big _______.

Office space on St. Mark's Place back on the market and still ghost free



Back in July 2014, a unique "for lease" sign arrived for the basement office space at 92 St. Mark's Place just east of First Avenue.

Among other amenities, the sign boasted that the office had "Real see-thru windows" ... "Real walls!" ... and! "No ghosts!"

Well, the sign has returned...



And there still aren't any ghosts...



As I recall, this space was off the market for a long while after the fire on the first floor in August 2014.

H/T @aureliovoltaire

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Thursday's parting shot



A view from the East Village perch of Bobby Williams... looking to the southwest toward the Jenga-like, 57-story residential building currently under construction at 56 Leonard St.

An Obama tribute on Bond



You may have noticed the tribute to former President Obama this past week on a gate outside 42 Bond St. between the Bowery and Lafayette.

This installation is the creation of Scott VanderVoort, who previously created a tribute to Steve Jobs and David Bowie on the same fence.



As with Jobs and Bowie, you get a young and older version depending on the direction you're headed...





You'll get a much better idea of all this via VanderVoor's Instagram account...

Checking in on 'Urbanmythology' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall



Despite the crummy weather, the Spanish street-art duo PichiAvo (above) started work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall at the beginning of the week, as expected.

The official release about the new work — the first in NYC for the two — said it would be complete by Feb. 4... here's how it's looking this afternoon (the tape is part on the never-ever-ending East Houston reconstruction project)...



The mural, titled "Urbanmythology," will be up through May.

RIP Chester



We just heard that Chester, the longtime grill man at the Stage on Second Avenue, died yesterday.

Roman Diakun, who owned the Stage for 35 years up until its closure in March 2015, shared the news.

We don't know too much about Chester's family or background. A few health-related issues caused him to retire several years ago.

We'll update when we hear any further information.

This from the Stage Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart that we deliver the sad news that Chester Kawalec (our grillman) has passed away yesterday. The viewing will be at Arthur's Funeral Home on Friday Jan.27th, 2017 between 6 and 9pm, located at 207 Nassau Avenue in Brooklyn. R.I.P.

H/T Sheila Rothenberg