6 posts from January 2020

[Key Food, randomly enough]

A mini month in review...

• Trio responsible for the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison (Jan. 17)

• About those detailed East Village drawings at the new Trader Joe's on 14th Street (Jan. 15)

• RIP Matthew Maher, longtime owner of McSorley's (Jan. 13)

• Exclusive: Video shows chaotic moments after fatal shootings on Avenue A (Jan. 10)

• How to help save the Lower East Side Ecology Center's community compost program (Jan. 9)

• A Visit to Don Juan’s Barber Shop on 4th Street (Jan. 8)

Won't You Be My Neighbour?

The Dutch quartet Neighbours Burning Neighbours just released two new songs, which are well worth seeking out (if you like the screech of, say, Sonic Youth and early Siouxsie and the Banshees).

The video here is for a 2019 single called "Hesitate."

At the Tribal Soundz reunion

An array of musicians gathered last night to celebrate the legacy of Tribal Soundz, the community-oriented world music store that had a 10-year run until 2008 at 340 E. Sixth St.

Nora Balaban (pictured below), who opened Tribal Soundz in 1998, invited the musicians and speakers to perform at the East Village Playhouse — the site of the former music shop between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the packed playhouse for part of the nearly four hours of music...




[Akim Funk Buddha]


[Rima Fand]


[Deer France]


[Francis Jacob]

... and here's a clip of an ensemble featuring members of the bands Timbila and mbiraNYC ...

Reminders: First East Village Photo Club meeting is tomorrow

Reposted from Jan. 23...

Updated 1/31

The Tompkins Square Library will be closed tomorrow for repairs. So the meeting is taking place at the Ottendorfer branch, 135 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Same meeting time: 11 a.m.

Susan Schiffman is looking to start a photo club for interested East Village residents.

Schiffman, who has been photographing the apartments of rent-stabilized tenants living in the East Village for her Instagram account, I Am a Rent Stabilized Tenant, shared this overview:

I want to invite people who love to take photos to come together to meet, to share and to talk about photos they have taken or seen or projects they are thinking about starting. Maybe we can put a show together.

We have a space to meet once a month at the Tompkins Square Library. It would be great if you could stop by and join the conversation about photography.

Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions. You may email me here.

We will meet the first Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon. The first meeting is Saturday, Feb. 1. If you would like to share your photos, then please bring prints or photos on a usb drive.

You may catch up on Susan's posts for EVG here. She was also featured in The New Yorker this past summer.

Pillow talk

In lieu of snow this January... here's what appears to be pillow stuffing in parts of Tompkins Square Park...



The stuffing arrived some time between 7-8:30 a.m., per Vinny & O, who shared these photos.

Updated 10 a.m.

EVG reader Annabelle points out the faux snowscape can be traced to a single pillow...

Partial reveal of the explosion site condoplex

Workers yesterday afternoon started removing the construction tarps from the new building at 119 Second Ave. (aka 45 E. Seventh St.) ...



The Morris Adjmi-designed building, which will include 21 condo units as well as ground-floor retail, went up on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.

In the spring of 2017, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and No. 121 that landlord Maria Hrynenko owned.

Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the blast. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.

Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband Michael died in 2004, and the others rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to cut corners, according to prosecutors.

"What the defendants did, in a matter of speaking, was roll the dice with the lives of many people. The results, as we know, are catastrophic," Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus said on Jan. 17.

As for the new building, given its location within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission needed to approve the plans, which they did in August 2018.

Residential units are one, two and three bedrooms. No word on pricing just yet.


[Rendering via Morris Adjmi]

The property will include a commemorative plaque that honors victims Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and Moises Locón, 27.

In October 2017, city officials unveiled new street blades that co-name the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after the two men.

Updated 8:45 a.m.

Goggla shared these photos... the reveal continues...





H/T Andrij!

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Trio responsible for the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison (Jan. 17)

• Convicted gas explosion landlord Maria Hrynenko out on bail; contractor, plumber remain behind bars (Jan. 18)

The Izakaya opening a 2nd East Village location

The Izakaya NYC, the low-key Japanese tapas bar at 326 E. Sixth St. that opened in 2015, is ready to debut a off-shoot on Fourth Street — aptly called the Izakaya NYC on 4th.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got a quick preview of the space between Avenue A and Avenue B on Wednesday evening...





They were expecting to be ready to open tonight at 215 E. Fourth St. Haven't seen the menu just yet.

The Izakaya team also operates Diner at Nowadays, the indoor-outdoor space on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood.

No. 215 was previously Chouchou, the Mediterranean-Moroccan bistro that the Marshal seized last summer after two-plus years in business.

Spätzle alert: Zum Schneider's kitchen will be open for a few weeks longer

[EVG file photo]

As we first reported last month, Zum Schneider is leaving its home of 20 years on Avenue C and Seventh Street at the end of February.

The landlord, listed as 229 East 7th Street HFDC, would reportedly not renew the biergarten's lease.

Feb. 25 is the last day they're open to the public. This coming Sunday, Feb. 2, was previously listed as the date for closing their food service.

However! Zum Schenier announced yesterday that their kitchen is now open until Feb. 16. Via the EVG inbox:

We have some good news. We managed to make some arrangements for the kitchen to stay open for an additional 2 weeks. Yes, more Haxen, Reiberdatschi, Spätzle and sausages. Last day for our kitchen will now be Feb. 16. Until Feb. 9 we'll have the full menu and after following with a limited menu until Feb. 16.

We will then close the place for three days to get ready for the last hurrah KARNEVAL FINAL where some snacks will be available such as warm sausages, Obazda, Leberkäs, bread and more.

We're excited and look forward to serve you our Bavarian specialties for a bit longer.

Prost und an guadn!

Zum Schneider is searching for a new NYC home "with a landlord who appreciates our tenancy." They've already announced that they will once again host their Oktoberfest tent along the East River this fall.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Last Christmas for Zum Schneider on Avenue C: Biergarten on the move in 2020

• More details about Zum Schneider's February closing date on Avenue C

Thursday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Noted

This has been making the rounds ... first spotted by Brooklyn Vegan: Dr. Martens have paid tribute to CBGB, the iconic Bowery club (not restaurant at the Newark Liberty International Airport) with a line of boots "to relive the mayhem from its heyday."

You can find the two styles at the Dr. Martens website.

And as BV noted, Dr. Martens previously paid tribute to Joy Division, New Order and Sex Pistols with a line of boots.

Police looking for trio in vicious Jan. 1 attack on 9th Street and Avenue A

The NYPD is asking for the public's assistance in locating three suspects who are wanted in connection to an early morning assault on Jan. 1.

According to police, a 25-year-old man was assaulted by the three men near Ninth Street and Avenue A at 4 a.m. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital with a fractured skull and broken nose. According to the NYPD, the beating left the man with a traumatic brain injury.

Police sources said that the attack could have been the result of a prior dispute.



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. All calls are strictly confidential.

Are you missing your pet parrot?

Several readers noticed an exotic bird out in the wild this morning in Tompkins Square Park nearest to the entrance at Seventh Street and Avenue B.

EVG reader Clint was able to corral the bird, and now has it at home for safekeeping...



Per Clint: "It is a black-headed caique. It's very friendly and tame. It was obviously someone's pet and well cared for."

Does it belong to you?

Updated 1/31

Clint has not found the owner yet. There is a lead that it may belong to someone at St. Brigid's. Clint is talking contact there today.

Workshop next week will offer free legal resources for East Village small business owners

Several local organizations are joining forces to provide small business owners in the East Village with free legal resources during a workshop next week at Book Club on Third Street.

Via the EVG inbox...

Many small businesses and commercial tenants have concerns about non-rent charges and how they impact the bottom line.

Cooper Square Committee, East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) and Brooklyn Legal Services will bring free legal resources to neighborhood businesses and commercial tenants.

Join us for one or both of our upcoming sessions on non-rent charges. Lawyers will be available after each session to do one-on-one consultations.

Bring your commercial lease and your questions!

Morning and evening session available:

Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Book Club
197 E. Third St. near Avenue B

Now hear this: About the new book of East Village bar quotes from Billy the Artist

[Image via @Instagram]

Billy the Artist is never without his sketchpad, which aided him with his latest project — a book of illustrations with snippets of conversation titled "Things You Don't Hear Twice: Quotes From the East Village."

The copies just arrived ahead of a signing this Saturday at one of his favorite neighborhood haunts — International Bar on First Avenue.

In a recent exchange, he shared a little about the book and his thoughts on the East Village ...

I’ve lived in the East Village for 30 years and have always loved the vibe and people here ... I almost always have my sketchpad on me and would draw in my various East Village bars and, of course, hear the craziest quotes from my friends or strangers. I would write down the quotes in the back of my sketchpad and that’s how this book became a reality.

Living and working in my studio in the East Village I need to get out and be with people — be it in the afternoon or night. As I’ve gotten older, I tend to like the daytime in a bar because it [attracts] more regulars.

This book has been in the making for a long time, and both the quotes and illustrations I hope remind everyone how great the East Village was and still is.

[Image via @BillytheArtistNYC]

Billy the Artist will be signing copies of his book this Saturday (Feb. 1) from 2-6 p.m. at International Bar, 102 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.