A bluegrass brunch option

On Saturdays (like today!) this April, live-music venue Coney Island Baby is hosting a Bluegrass Brunch at 169 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street... 2-5 p.m., and no cover charge... food service is via the recently opened Chinese Graffiti next door.

Friday's parting shot

The grilled cheddar cheese and tomato on Challah at the Odessa.

Reign of 'Fire'

Here's some minimal wave from the early-19 release by Boy Harsher... the video is for "Face the Fire."

April 12

Spotted today on Avenue A today between 11th Street and 12th Street... with the April issue of Mojo (featuring "guest editor" Keith Richards) as the means for authentification.

Learn the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs tomorrow (Saturday!)

Tomorrow afternoon from 1-5, the Ukrainian Youth Association is hosting a class on learning the art of decorating pysanky – Ukrainian Easter eggs. Dyes, beeswax and a stylus are used to decorate the eggs with traditional Ukrainian designs. You can take what you make home with you.

The class is at the Ukrainian National Home, second floor, 140 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. All the details are on the above flyer.

A visit to the Pyramid Club on Avenue A

[Angel working the front door]

Interview and photos by Stacie Joy

Setting up for an evening event at the Pyramid Club, 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, is serious business.

The iconic space has two floors, although only the top floor is open at the time I drop by to chat with Maria Narciso, club manager. She’s getting the DJ, sound and lighting techs squared away while providing the door person tickets, and briefing security on the night’s plans.

I ask about her history with the nearly 40-year-old Pyramid, the current state of affairs in nightlife and what she sees for the future of the space, which served as a defining club of the East Village scene in the 1980s. (Find more comprehensive history here and here. As Tricia Romano wrote in 2014: "[The Pyramid] served as a safe haven for freaks, geeks, weirdos, queers, and dreamers to come together and create. Sometimes it was bad; sometimes it was beautiful. But it was never boring.")


[Maria Narciso]

Were you a Pyramid regular before working here? What drew you to the Pyramid Club?

I wish I could say I was a Pyramid regular before working there. Actually, I was born in Manhattan but raised in Texas, and always dreamed of one day returning. I kept up with NYC and, because of my love of 1980s music, I kept in touch with happenings at the club.

Once I returned, I found the Pyramid Club Facebook page and started following it. My connection with the Pyramid is actually a love connection. I met the general manager Quirino Perez (resident DJ TM.8), we went on a date, and then I went to the club. I fell in love! I started to hang out there, as his girlfriend, then I saw a need for a hands-on person to assist him, and I was hired. [Congratulations to Maria and Quirino are in order — they are now engaged and hope to be married at the club.]


[Quirino Perez with Narciso]

You’ve described working here as a labor of love. Why is it important to you to keep the spirit of the Pyramid alive?

I’ve enjoyed many clubs in many cities and countries, but I never encountered something magical like the Pyramid: The foundation set by the original promoters, the community the drag queens and punk rockers created, the values, the inclusiveness — I found it all so intriguing.

I think it’s amazing that our community consists of young, old, gay, straight, rich, goths, and everything in between, yet everyone respects themselves and those around them. We are a community, a family, and that is priceless. When we say, “Come as You Are” we really mean it.



There are many regular evenings here throughout the month, including No Return Post Punk Society, Defcon NYC Industrial and the Rapture Dark Thursday 80s Dance Party. What is consistently the biggest draw for the Pyramid?

In a city with many options, we are blessed to have a regular following who come every weekend, regardless of the event. Each event/promoter has their own following and everyone is able to blend in and enjoy both levels, even when the music genres are different. It's not surprising to see goths dancing at one of our Madonnathons or our Class of 1986 “Pretty in Pink” Prom, and see neon-covered young people dancing to post-punk or industrial music.

It’s an amazing environment where everyone can actually dance like no one is looking/judging, and I believe it’s what has kept us successful. Besides the community factor, consistency is what works for us. Our patrons know what to expect, cover is always the same, drink prices are low compared to other venues in the area, music is always 1980s with a little 1970s and 1990s, everyone is treated equally, and our staff is very friendly.


[Nette Moreno, coat check and bartender]


[Vicky and Russell]


[DJ Mike Stalagmike]

While the Pyramid is well-known name to longtime residents, do you see it resonating with a newer generation?

Believe it or not, there are many longtime residents, some living just blocks away, who are surprised to find out we’re still open! Many find us online, or walking down Avenue A, and share stories of their experiences back in the 1980s. A lot of the newer generation express interest in the nostalgia of the 80s.

The music reminds them of growing up listening to what mom and dad played on the car radio. It’s amazing to see groups of 20-somethings, dancing along with patrons that have been coming over for two or three decades, or entire families coming over to dance! Sometimes we find ourselves educating them on particular artists, songs or genres. For example, someone asked about a picture of a lady on our walls, and it was Boy George.



What’s next for the Pyramid Club? Are you hopeful for a 50th anniversary?

If the owners don’t decide to sell, and we are blessed with good health, then we’ll do this until we can’t anymore. It saddens me to see news about businesses shutting down, and their patrons reminiscing. We’re living in very uncertain times; the neighborhood is in constant change. A 50th anniversary would be EPIC!

---

The Pyramid Club is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. and is available for private events at other times.

Wagamama is closing its East Village location

After nearly 18 months in business, Wagamama is shutting down its East Village location.

This outpost of the London-based chain that serves Japanese-inspired cuisine opened on the corner of Third Avenue and 11th Street in October 2017.

Here's the message posted to the Wagamama website: "As of april 12 we will [be] closing our doors. we wanted to say thank you, east village for being our neighbor. don’t worry, you can get your noodle fix at either our location on 25th and 5th or our newest location at 39th and 3rd. we look forward to seeing you soon."

On the surface, this seems to be a bit of a surprise: a well-known restaurant brand opening in a location surrounded by a large college population (NYU, Cooper Union, the New School) in a well-travelled corridor. (Not exactly a sleepy side street.)

This closure comes several weeks after Wagamama's 11th Street building mate Martina bid farewell to their space. Danny Meyer's attempt at a quick-serve pizzeria opened in August 2017.





In 2014, this previously rather drab and dormy-looking residential building received a facelift and rebranding to become more luxurious with rents going upwards of $10k a month.

The retail spaces underwent a major rehab after M2M closed here back in February 2017.


[EVG photo from June 2017]

Meanwhile, the Smith appears to still be doing big business in this complex.

Previously on EV Grieve:
55 Third Ave. sells for $57 million — AGAIN

Someone actually paid $57 million for this East Village building

Reimagining this 12-story East Village building, now on the market

NY Copy & Printing forced out of longtime E. 11th St. home, opening second location on E. 7th St.

Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group planning Martina for 55 3rd Ave.

A few details about the Wagamama coming to 3rd Avenue

The Kati Roll Company says goodbye to the East Village; 2nd Avenue outpost is now closed

[Photos via Steven]

That's all for the East Village location of the Kati Roll Company... the purveyors of Indian street food papered over the windows and announced their closure yesterday here at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place...



This comes after the quick-serve restaurant cut back their hours last month to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week while staying closed on weekends. (Kati's original hours were 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.)

Landlord Icon Realty has had this space on the retail market. The asking rent is now $13,000 a month, down from $15,000 last month...



The Kati Roll Company opened here in November 2016. They still operate seven other locations in NYC and London.

The longtime previous tenant at the address, The Stage, the 35-year-old lunch counter, closed in March 2015. Stage owner Roman Diakun had been involved in an ongoing legal/eviction battle with Icon Realty, who took over as the landlord. (You can read that background here.)

H/T to EVG readers Lola Sáenz and Tim for also sharing this closing news!

Boulder patrol: Granite blocks now surround Astor Place

[Photo by Derek Berg]

When the boulders started arriving yesterday at Astor Place, I thought we were in for another immersive fan event for "Game of Thrones" ahead of its premiere Sunday on HBO®.

That's not the case, though. The Astor Place Instagram account explains:

Today the @nyc_dot placed new granite blocks around the perimeter of the Astor Place South Plaza, and soon-to-be portions of the North Plaza. While it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ponder if these might be our latest public art, they are in fact new additions to enhance the safety of pedestrians and visitors using the plazas. The actual public art, cafes and seating remain just as open and accessible as always, except it’s now even safer for all to enjoy.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Astor Place NYC (@astorplacenyc) on Apr 11, 2019 at 1:30pm PDT

'Spiritus Mundi' at the 292 Theatre/Gallery

[Pastel on paper by Regina Bartkoff]

A group show of paintings and drawings — titled "Spiritus Mundi" — opens Saturday evening over at the 292 Theatre/Gallery, 292 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D...



The opening reception is Saturday from 6-9 p.m. And the exhibit is up through June 29. You can check out the gallery Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. or by appointment.

The Starbucks on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street closes on Monday

Store closing signs are now up at the Starbucks at 145 Second Ave. (Thanks to Steven for the photos and tip!)

Per the signage, this outpost closes on Monday here on the northwest corner at Ninth Street...



This was expected, as the storefront was recently listed for rent. (Price is "negotiable.")

No word on why this location is closing.

Last June, Starbucks announced that it would close 150 "poorly performing company-operated stores" in 2019, "mostly [in] urban areas that are densely populated with Starbucks locations," as CNN reported.

This makes the second local Starbucks in recents months to shutter. The outpost on Broadway at Ninth Street closed in early January.

Other EV Starbucks are located on First Avenue at 13th Street, First Avenue at Third Street and Avenue A at St. Mark's Place. The 23-year-old location on Astor Place received a major interior renovation last fall.

Previously on EV Grieve:
145 2nd Ave., currently a Starbucks, is for lease

Spring comes alive in East Village community gardens this Sunday

Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is hosting its sixth Spring Awakening on Sunday in honor of the neighborhood's community gardens.

The day of garden-related activities begins at 11:30 a.m. at El Sol Brilliante on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

You can follow the parade route below with the help of the twisty green arrow... the parade wraps up on Avenue C and Ninth Street at La Plaza Cultural and the Ninth Street Community Garden ...



Find more details at the LUNGS website.

Workers on the clock at 250 E. Houston St.

The renovations are now in the rooftop-clock phase at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The west-facing clock wall is undergoing a makeover now...





The original Red Square developers, Michael Rosen and Michael Shaoul, reportedly put the clock in this spot to cover the water tower and elevator shaft. The distinctive clock is a take on MoMA’s "Askew" watch that features a random sequence of numbers. (Hungarian graphic designer Tibor Kalman created this version.)



The Dermot Company, which bought the 13-floor building for $100 million in 2016, has stated they are "creating a more updated style and fit for the cool East Village neighborhood" with the renovations at the retail-residential complex.

While the 18-foot statue of Vladimir Lenin, which stood atop Red Square for 22 years was removed in 2016 (before eventually returning not too far away), the clock appears to be in the renovated building's plans.

Renderings of the new-look No. 250 include the clock with the numbers still out of sequence...





Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold

New ownership makes it official at the former Red Square on East Houston

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future

Long-vacant retail space hits the rental market at 250 E. Houston St.

Former Red Square lobby gets the plywood treatment on East Houston

Timna is now closed on St. Mark's Place

On March 22, Timna chef Nir Mesika announced on Instagram that the Israeli-Mediterranean restaurant at 109 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue was closing after service on April 14.

Apparently Timna decided to wrap up their nearly four years in service early. Yesterday, EVG correspondent Steven spotted the contents of the restaurant — including chairs and kitchen equipment — stacked on the sidewalk...



... and getting loaded into a waiting truck...



Later yesterday the space was looking desolate...



As for reasons behind the closure, Mesika wrote: "This is undeniably a very difficult decision, which I did not really want to make but was really forced to make. Financial issues and all sort of disagreements have led me to deal with running the restaurant without support, to such extent that it can no longer be sustained."

Reader mailbag: 'Ever hear sirens and wonder?'

On Monday night, there was a report of a fire in an apartment at 70 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Thankfully the damage was minimal, though the tenant had to temporarily relocate.

This incident prompted a building resident to share this public service announcement:

If you were home, it was scary. Smoke. Flames. Lots of firefighters.

There is only one fire extinguisher (by the trash) for the entire building, which is basically all wood construction with a brick shell. One kitchen accident, faulty appliance, overloaded outlet or untended candle – and it all goes.

Even if the fire is small, smoke and water damage would make at least half or all of the building inhabitable. Bye-bye apartment.

Picture coming home to everything gone or evacuating in minutes (like those of us who were home thought we might have to Monday night) and not being permitted to return, and you know it’s time to — get a fire extinguisher for your apartment!

Saifee Hardware, First Avenue at Seventh Street, has a good selection ... as well as Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.

Residents believe a faulty hot plate was the culprit for the fire scare, which led the resident to offer another tip: Check outlets, stove and unplug appliances — like hot plates — not is use.

Wednesday's parting shot

Go straight to hell boys...



Seventh and A.

A 'Lucky 20' reminder: Group show opening reception tonight at the Theater for the New City Art Gallery

Tonight is the opening reception for "Lucky 20," a group show curated by East Village resident (and EVG contributor) Lola Sáenz at the Theater for the New City Art Gallery, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

The exhibit features works — paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media — by artists who live or have worked in the East Village/Lower East Side. (The show includes photos by James Maher, who, for five-and-a-half-years, contributed the feature Out and About in the East Village to this site. We miss you James!)

The opening reception happens tonight (April 10!) from 5:30 to 8. And the gallery is open for viewing daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. through May 11.

Previously.

Review documents are now available for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project

[East River Park view from Monday]

Back on Friday afternoon, the New York City Department of Design and Construction released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, quietly moving forward (via a tweet at 3:59 p.m.) the public review phase for the $1.45 billion project to stormproof the east side.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the East Side Coastal Resiliency (#ESCR) project has been completed and is now publicly available on the City’s dedicated ESCR website https://t.co/DtglzMVDjW pic.twitter.com/gJRPKwaYCl

— NYC DDC (@NYCDDC) April 5, 2019

There are hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents with footnotes and collateral materials (the table of contents alone is a unwieldy 32 pages).

To date, Patch is the only media outlet that I've seen cover the release of these documents.

For starters, you can find all the materials at this link.

The documents offer several alternatives to protect the east side, though, as stated, the preferred method is the updated one unveiled last fall that caught community groups, residents and local elected officials by surprise ... the one in which the city plans to "lift" East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020.

However, to do this, the city will need to close East River Park for up to three and a half years, shutting down the current amenities, cutting down many of the trees and rebuilding the recently renovated running track, among other things.

City officials have said in various presentations that this approach will provide a reduced construction time, resulting in an operable flood protection system for the 2023 hurricane season.

The city is accepting public comments through Aug. 15, which might be enough time to make it through all the documents. This link has details on how — and where — to comment. (Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the city is offering any quick recaps/overviews of the various alternatives to burying the park — you've have to wade through pages of impenetrable copy. I'm still going through the materials myself.)

A public hearing is set for July 31 with the City Planning Commission along with the Office of Management and Budget and the Parks & Recreation Department. More on the when and where closer to the date.

Meanwhile, the newly formed community group called the East River Alliance continues to help organize various East River Park stakeholders and to ensure that the design and reconstruction "reflects our community’s needs and values."

The group is hosting an informational meeting tonight between 6:30-8:30 at PS15, The Roberto Clemente School, 333 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. Alliance members have been documenting life along the East River Park on Instagram. As they note, this is the last spring to enjoy the Park for the next several years...

View this post on Instagram

Great weekend to enjoy one of the last springs in the East River Park for some time before the city rips everything apart for some long overdue flood protection. However there are still serious questions about the plan. Come join the East River Alliance at our next general meeting to learn more about how you can fight back and advocate for our LES community: Wednesday, April 10th, 6:30-8:30pm, PS15, The Roberto Clemente School, 333 East Fourth Street, NYC. #eastriveralliance #lowereastside #ps15nyc #robertoclementehighschool #les #saveourparks

A post shared by East River Alliance (@eastriveralliance) on Apr 7, 2019 at 11:18pm PDT

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: The reality of storm-proofing East River Park in 2020

Storm center: Questions linger over updated plans for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project

Report: Landmark Theatres now booking films at the Quad on 13th Street

[EVG file photo]

Back in December, distributor, producer and real-estate magnate Charles S. Cohen bought the Landmark Theatres chain from Mark Cuban.

So perhaps it isn't a surprise to learn that Landmark Theatres is now booking the films nearby at the Cohen-owned Quad Cinema (an EVG favorite) on 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, as IndieWire first reported last evening.

Moving forward, the fourplex theater — Manhattan's first multiplex when it opened in 1972 — will be known as the Landmark Quad Cinema.

Per the IndieWire article:

[The Quad has] played specialized films for most of its existence, but never with the clout and expertise of Landmark. Still, it’s unlikely to vault ahead of its Lower Manhattan competition.

And...

Under Landmark, it remains to be seen whether the Quad will continue to provide a haven for viable titles that don’t conform to 90-day theatrical windows and don’t want to four-wall screens to play them. In New York City, reportedly the IFC Center is the only other theater willing to provide this opportunity to select distributors.

Consistent with Cohen Releasing’s acquisition of primarily foreign-language titles, the Quad has played many first-run subtitled films. One question to be confirmed is the continuation of repertory programming, which has previously been a priority for Cohen. ... According to Cohen, the Landmark Quad Cinema will continue to showcase restored and classic films.

As previously reported, Cohen bought the Quad Cinema in 2014. The theater reopened after extensive renovations in April 2017.

Landmark operated the Sunshine Cinema on East Houston Street until January 2018. The theater, which dates to 1898, is awaiting demolition to make way for an office building.

And one more tidbit from the IndieWire piece: Regal's Union Square theater will temporarily lose six screens this summer to renovation. Meanwhile, as first noted on Sunday, the Regal Essex Crossing is now open.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A quick look at the all-new Quad Cinema

A look inside the former Sidewalk

Gut renovations continue inside 94-94 Avenue A, previously home to the Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant for nearly 34 years.

As you can see, workers have stripped down the interior of the former restaurant space on the Sixth Street side ...


[Photo by Steven]

As noted in previous posts, the new owners of the bar-restaurant space are hospitality veterans Laura Saniuk-Heinig and Alyssa Sartor. (Saniuk-Heinig was the general manager at the Bar Room on East 60th Street; Sartor co-owned August Laura in Carroll Gardens.)

A live music element is expected to continue when the new place opens, but most details haven't been made public.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The building housing the former Sidewalk sells on Avenue A

New owners set to take over the 33-year-old Sidewalk Bar & Restaurant on Avenue A

Tuesday's parting shots

Some chilly spring shots today via riachung00 from along Ninth Street/Stuyvesant Street...

In the ruff: Repairs continue at the small dog run in Tompkins Square Park

Several EVG readers have shared photos from this past week showing repair work underway in the small dog run in Tompkins Square Park.

Work started last Thursday...


[Photo from Saturday]

... and is expected to be complete for a reopening on Thursday...[Updated: Saturday is the new reopening date]


[Photo from today]

One regular noted that the renovated space will include artificial grass designed specifically for dogs. More details on this later.

All photos here by Steven. And H/T Derek Berg for first reporting on the coming changes!