Report: NYU student dies jumping in front of L train at 1st Avenue

[Photo on 1st Avenue today by EVG reader Laura]

More information is now available about the emergency response early this afternoon at the L train station on First Avenue and 14th Street.

According to the Post, an 18-year-old NYU student was killed when he jumped in front of an oncoming train around 12:05 p.m.

The student, whose identity was not released, died at the scene, per the Post.

A happy hour talk about the Small Business Jobs Survival Act

[Image via Facebook]

Via the EVG inbox (which was actually via Facebook!)... this event is Wednesday evening (tomorrow!) from 7-9.

At long last, the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) is getting a hearing. Come celebrate, meet and mingle, and strategize next steps for this important event and beyond.

Jeremiah Moss and others will be speaking on the importance of this historic bill. David Eisenbach, the anti-REBNY candidate for Public Advocate, will talk about his work and what we can do to get ready for the public hearing later in October.

Dream Baby is giving #SaveNYC an extended happy hour: $4 for beer and well drinks, $2 off everything else.

Dream Baby is at 162-164 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Jeremiah Moss talks more about the SBJSA in this EVG podcast. And this recent Gothamist post explores the SBJSA. And from The Villager newspaper, here's a piece titled Will the S.B.J.S.A. get a fair hearing?

[Updated] The future of the former Great Jones Cafe

Applicants vying for the former Great Jones Cafe space will return before Community Board 2's SLA licensing committee tonight.

Here's the background info as presented via CB2:

The Great Jones Cafe - Returning
(OP) Licenses: — J.F. Jones, Inc., d/b/a Great Jones Café, 54 Great Jones St. (100% Corp Change) (OP – Restaurant)

Great Jones Hospitality LLC, comprised of Anthony C. Marano, Scott Marano, Jonathan Kavourakis and Byron Burnbaum, is becoming the primary investor in J.F. Jones Inc. d/b/a Great Jones Café after the death of James Moffett. Anthony Marano owns the building. Great Jones Café has been open since 1983 and has continually had a liquor license since then. The hours of operation that are presented are from 11 AM to 4 AM 7 days. There are 8 tables, 31 seats and 1 bar with 5 seats. They state they are a restaurant with background music. There is existing sound proofing. One employee will be designated to ensure that at all times the sidewalk will not become a nuisance to neighbors.

The principals have agreed to a new kitchen venting system and have expressed a willingness to reduce the hours of their license to 2 am Sunday through Wednesday and 4 am Thursday through Saturday. Negotiations and stipulations are ongoing.

The applicants appeared before CB2’s SLA committee on Sept. 4. (For starters, they will keep the name the Great Jones Cafe.) During that meeting, Kavourakis (aka Chef Big Sexy), whose résumé includes stints in the kitchen at The Stanton Social (Chef de Cuisine) and Vandal (executive chef and partner), described the menu for the new venture as "modern American" with "very approachable foods" and "a place where it's comfortable to eat every day." (He noted that the Cajun cuisine served at the Great Jones Cafe is "not trending now.")

Two local residents, including longtime Noho power broker Zella Jones, spoke out against the application, sharing concerns about the 4 a.m. close (Great Jones Cafe also had hours until 4 a.m.) as well as the noise from the kitchen exhaust that overlooks the sidewalk.

In the end, both the applicants and CB2 agreed to a layover on the application to allow time for Kavourakis and company to explore a new venting hook up and reconsider the hours of operation.

Tonight's CB2 SLA meeting starts at 6:30 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 151-155 Sullivan St. (at Houston Street), Lower Hall.

Moffett, the longtime owner of the Great Jones Cafe on Great Jones Street west of the Bowery, died on July 10. The restaurant never reopened following his untimely death.

Updated 5:30 p.m.

Avi Burn of Pinks and Pinks Cantina is also one of the applicants. He shared some addition information.

"Chef Jonathan is aiming to create a menu that people can eat several times per week. We felt Cajun food — while amazing and hearty — is a once-in-a-while treat for many people. Nevertheless we will pay homage to the old menu with some GJ classics and some inspiration from the old menu."

Burn said that the "not trending" quote about Cajun food was taken out of context.

Here's more:

The idea was really to keep as much of the spirit of place as possible. We will clean up, make some cosmetic changes, re-do the food and drink menu while keeping some classics and aim to offer a great update to a classic neighborhood restaurant.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A request not to leave any more bread at the Great Jones Cafe

RIP Jim Moffett, owner of the Great Jones Cafe

New owners vying for the Great Jones Cafe space

East Village history at the Tompkins Square Library branch this month

There are several local history programs of interest on the schedule this month at the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B

Here's an overview via the EVG inbox...

• Wednesday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m.: 16mm Film Screening: La Dolce Festa (1977; 28 mins.) Dir: Kathleen Dowdey. A documentary on the traditions, preparation and rituals of the San Gennaro Festival. 16mm film from the special collections of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

• Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m.: Author Talk: Alice Sparberg Alexiou and Kerri Culhane. Culhane, an architectural historian who wrote the report that led to the designation of the Bowery as a historic district in 2011, will engage Alice Sparberg Alexiou (author of "Devil’s Mile: The Rich, Gritty History of the Bowery") in conversation about the Bowery’s past, present, and future, followed by time for questions and answers. The program is presented in partnership with the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors.

• Friday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m.: The East Village in the 1980s: a conversation with: Penny Arcade, Clayton Patterson, Chris Rael. Moderator: Andy McCarthy, a reference librarian at the Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy at NYPL, and a former NYC doubledecker bus tour guide.

• Exhibition: From Oct. 19 through Nov. 1 the Tompkins Square Library will present “A Look Back on the East Village of the 1980s.”

This vigorous and enthusiastically researched show will focus on the creative counter-culture of the surrounding neighborhood in the 1980's. It will present important, vital highlights from the night club scene, along with the music, theater, and art activity of that period — a period in which the East Village was recognized nationally and internationally for its sometimes famous and sometimes infamous personalities and places.

In conjunction with the show, the Tompkins Square library has been working with material from the New York Public Library special collections, and with the Fales NYU Downtown archive. Of significant interest are the many photographs and fascinating ephemera and reproductions from the East Village in the 1980s.

Find the branch's full rundown of October activities here.

Why El Jardín del Paraíso is temporarily closed

El Jardín del Paraíso, the community garden that spans the block of Fourth Street to Fifth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, has been closed since late last week.

Here's what Kelly Krause, a press officer for the Parks Department, had to say about the situation:

El Jardín del Paraíso has been closed temporarily at the request of the NYPD due to recent criminal activity in the area, unrelated to the garden. We hope to reopen the garden in a couple weeks.

Thanks to @artisanmatters for the photo!

Milestones for LinkNYC; ongoing concerns about tracking movements

VentureBeat takes a deep dive on LinkNYC as the Wi-fi network passes several milestones.

Two years after the deployment of prototypical kiosks in Manhattan, Intersection ... is ready to declare them a success. The roughly 1,600 Links recently hit three milestones: 1 billion sessions, 5 million users, and 500,000 phone calls a month.

“We have an opportunity to communicate with people as they navigate their day,” Intersection senior consumer marketing manager Amanda Giddon told VentureBeat in a phone interview. “My mandate is to help make Link a part of the community through content and content strategy — really, anything that [makes] New Yorkers feel like tourists in their own city [or] even help tourists feel like New Yorkers through useful, actionable information.”

And in a piece from earlier in September, The Intercept explores if LinkNYC kiosks are tracking your movements.

Since plans for LinkNYC were first unveiled, journalists, residents, and civil liberties experts have raised concerns that the internet kiosks might be storing sensitive data about its users and possibly tracking their movements. For the last two years, the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a small but vocal group of activists — including ReThink LinkNYC, a grassroots anti-surveillance group, and the anonymous Stop LinkNYC coalition — have highlighted the kiosk’s potential to track locations, collect personal information, and fuel mass surveillance.

Now an undergraduate researcher has discovered indications in LinkNYC code — accidentally made public on the internet — that LinkNYC may be actively planning to track users’ locations.

Monday's parting shot

Today Libby Schoettle (aka @phoebenewyork) created this Girl Power installation (via the LISA Project NYC) on the 11th Street side of the Little Tong Noodle Shop at First Avenue...

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo.

A note for a bicycle thief

EVG reader Lauralynn had her bike stolen from 10th Street near Avenue B.

The photo shows her effort to spread good vibes — even to the thief.

Bike thief,

Here is the key to the lock that was on my bike.

Enjoy the bike as much as I did, or sell it to buy whatever you so badly need.

Be well.

Playground renovations underway in Tompkins Square Park

Workers arrived this morning to start renovations on the Tompkins Square Park Avenue B children’s playgrounds.

EVG correspondent Greg Masters shared these photos...





Per Greg: Contractors are installing fences cutting off access to the paths in the area, such as the entrance at Avenue B and Seventh Street, as well as the path around the Don Robert's Garden.

The contract is for one year, a worker on the scene told Greg, but the job could be completed earlier.

Previous District 2 City Council member Rosie Mendez had allocated capital funds to renovate the adjacent playgrounds along Seventh Street and Avenue B at the Park's southeast entrance.

According to the Parks Department website: "This project will reconstruct two playgrounds with new play equipment, safety surfacing, spray showers, seating and fencing.

And a schematic from the website...



The Parks Department was to supplement the funding with its Parks Without Borders initiative that would lower the fences from its present height of 7 feet to 4 feet, a move that stirred plenty of concern.

Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver was reportedly going to make the final determination on the fence lowering. That was in March 2017. We'll try to find out what the final verdict was on the fence's height.

Updated 10/2

In an email, a Parks official said that the new fence height will be 4 feet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to brainstorm ideas to renovate the Tompkins Square Park Playground (27 comments)

Reminders: Meeting on possible improvements to the Tompkins Square Park Playground

Join Rosie Mendez to discuss improvements to the Tompkins Square playgrounds tomorrow night

Community meeting set to discuss lowering the playground fences in Tompkins Square Park (28 comments)

Report: There's opposition to lowering the playground fences in Tompkins Square Park

Feltman’s moving away from Theatre 80 on St Mark's Place

Today is the last day to enjoy a hot dog at the Feltman’s of Coney Island outpost at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place.

Feltman's owner Michael Quinn shared the news with me via email.

"Grateful we are for the last several years at 80 St. Mark's, unfortunately, we have outgrown the location — but stay tuned because we’ll be back bigger and better in a yet undisclosed space," Quinn said.

He started selling hot dogs from inside the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 in August 2016. Shortly after, Gothamist declared that Feltman's served NYC's best hog dog.

Feltman's is named after Charles Feltman, purportedly the inventor of the hot dog as well as the restaurant that was located in Coney Island from 1870-1954. (Read more about Feltman at the Coney Island History Project here.)

Quinn is particularly proud that, starting last year, McSorley's began serving Feltman's hot dogs. "The first time they added a food item in over 50 years," he said.

Upon opening on St. Mark's Place in 2016, Quinn said that he had found a good match with Theatre 80 operator Lorcan Otway.

"Lorcan and I are both native New Yorkers and historians who believe in the preservation of NY history and small businesses," Quinn said at the time. "Lorcan told me that he loves that fact that Feltman's is going from what was the largest restaurant in the world at Coney Island to the smallest kitchen on St. Mark's Place."

And moving forward: "We ask you to please support Theatre 80 and the William Barnacle Tavern."

Liquiteria closing 2nd Avenue outpost after 22 years in business

EVG reader Kiki shares this photo and tip — the Liquiteria on Second Avenue and 11th Street is closing after service on Friday.

No reason was cited for the closure — just a thanks to Liquiteria's customers and neighbors.

Doug Green started Liquiteria here in 1996, long before the juice/smoothie craze took hold. Green sold the business several years ago to a group of investors who then opened three more outposts. Those nearby locations at 13th Street and Fourth Avenue and Sixth Avenue at Eighth Street will remain in business.

Tropic Bowl brings the açaí bowls to 1st Avenue

EVG reader EJ brings news of a signage reveal as Tropic Bowl is getting ready to set up açaí shop on First Avenue between Second Street and Third Street.

Don't know too much about this operation just yet ... other than that they'll be serving the South American superfood that has received various levels of hype through the recent years.

This storefront was previously Taxi Parts Inc. (You never know what you might find in your açaí bowl!)

A few Moxy East Village details

The developers of the Moxy East Village issued a news release late last week to announce that the 13-story hotel in partnership with Marriott had topped out on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. (Workers actually planted the flag atop the building in July.)

In any event, the media statement provides more info about the hotel, which is expected to be ready for vacancy action in late 2019:

Moxy East Village reflects its vibrant, ever-transforming neighborhood. Designed in collaboration between Stonehill & Taylor and Rockwell Group, the hotel's design concept is based on urban archeology and references the city's past, present and future. Conceived as a vertical timeline, each floor reveals a different layer in Lower Manhattan's history, creating a sense of discovery for guests.

Standing 13 stories tall, the stylish and affordable Moxy East Village will feature 286 cleverly-designed bedrooms, technology-savvy amenities, community based cultural and fitness programming, a well-equipped 24/7 gym, and co-working spaces. The hotel will include four new eating and drinking establishments for guests and locals, including a cellar level restaurant and lounge, a lobby bar and lounge area, an elevated twist on a traditional Grab & Go, and an outdoor rooftop amenity.

The foundation work got underway here in August 2017. Workers demolished the five residential buildings that stood here in the fall of 2016.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall

Full reveal at 363 Lafayette

Just noting the recent full reveal over at 363 Lafayette St., the 10-floor, mixed-used office building at Great Jones...



Ironstate Development is behind this project. (Their work in the neighborhood includes The Jefferson, the condoplex at the site of the former Mystery Lot.) The 363 website lists that seven of the 10 floors have been leased. The sidewalk-level retail that stretches back to Bond is available as well.

This was a long-vacant parcel that partially housed the Jones Diner until September 2002.


[EVG photo from 2015]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Jones Diner lot on Lafayette primed for new development

[Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]