A moment with Christo on 9th Street

Late yesterday afternoon, after a failed attempt to snatch a pigeon midair, Christo stopped for a moment on Ninth Street and Avenue A ... staring down some locals, including Steven, who snapped these photos ...



... and showing off those tail feathers...



Christo and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have been active of late as they're prepping their nest(s) for summering in 2020. Goggla, as always, is documenting their movement. Find her photo site here.

Last weekend for this depiction of 1980s Times Square at Howl! Happening

Jane Dickson’s exhibit, "Hot, Hot, Hot," ends its residency at Howl! Happening tomorrow (Sunday!).

The show features "a series of rarely seen and moody paintings of Times Square peep shows from the 1980s." And here's more via the Howl! website:

Dickson’s history and legacy are rooted in Times Square. She worked and lived there from 1978 to 2008 documenting her daily lived experiences and observations as a young woman. In photos, drawings, and paintings that utilize unconventional industrial and domestic materials as surfaces — including carpet, sandpaper, and black plastic bags—she captured a time and place that was notoriously lawless, squalid, and vibrantly alive.

Read more about her work at this link.

Howl! Happening is at 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

The hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow.

---

I like her work and backstory... here's more via an interview from January 2019...

Friday's parting shot

Late afternoon on Avenue A... photo by Steven...

Discarded Mannequin Butt

Spotted on Avenue C at Fifth Street this evening by @Jason_Chatfield ...

To here knows when

NYC's Peel Dream Magazine has a new record, Agitprop Alterna, due out on April 3 via Slumberland. The video here is for Pill. RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, (early) Stereolab and Rocketship.

EVG Etc.: The story behind the Hard Swallow on 1st Avenue; the return of Citi Bike's e-bikes

[A St. Mark's Place classic]

Coronavirus fears in Chinatown (The Guardian)

The story of how Sasha and Lee Lloyd "overcame abuse, homelessness, depression, and betrayal" to open The Hard Swallow on First Avenue (Vice ... previously on EVG)

Citi Bike's e-bikes gradually return to the fleet (Streetsblog NYC)

Amelia and Christo are keeping busy in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

The emerging designers at pop-up Café Forgot on Sixth Street (i-D)

In case you hadn’t noticed: With the rise in streaming services, more TV shows are filming now in NYC (CNN)

About "Our Friend, Jean," an exhibit featuring a sampling of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s early works from a group of collectors who knew him intimately (hyperallergic)

The Lowline, the proposed subterranean green space on the LES, remains dormant for now (The Lo-Down)

The history of the LES through music (The New York Times)

Norman’s Sound & Vision, which left the East Village in 2012, has closed its shop in Williamsburg (Brownstoner)

Blinded by Extell's One Manhattan Square (Gothamist)

A retrospective of the groundbreaking artist Ed Emshwiller (Anthology Film Archives)

And happening this evening... via the EVG inbox...

Winter's low visibility conditions make for a difficult time to bike, commute or walk your dog in traffic.

Join Transportation Alternatives for a #DoggyDaylighting Awareness event at Boris and Horton to support life-saving street redesigns that can increase safety for our most vulnerable road users.

FREE! #DoggyDaylighting Awareness Event for the Bike Avenue B campaign
Friday, Feb. 21 @ 5:30-7 p.m.
Boris & Horton, 195 Avenue A (at 12th Street)
**Dogs are not required for the event, but their participation is welcome indoors at this dog-friendly venue.

NYPD's body-cam footage shows the deadly police shooting on Avenue A and 7th Street from Jan. 9

[Screengrab via the NYPD]

The NYPD yesterday released the dramatic body-worn camera footage from the deadly police-involved shooting early on Jan. 9 at Seventh Street and Avenue A.

As previously reported, two men, identified as Earl Facey and Richard Reid, got into an argument inside the Hayaty Hookah Bar at 103 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The fight escalated outside the club, when the two men — each reportedly carrying a .22 caliber handgun — fired at each other in a wild exchange that left bullet holes in adjacent businesses. (The video the NYPD released yesterday includes surveillance footage of the two men shooting at each other.)

The chase ended in front of 113 Avenue A, the address of Ray's Candy Store, where Facey was said by police to shoot Reid in the torso. Two uniformed officers who were on patrol nearby shot Facey on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street. Facey later died at Bellevue.

The release of the body-cam footage and subsequent narrative offered by the NYPD provides more details about the deadly encounter. In the video, the officers from the 9th Precinct are identified as Liam Murphy and Christopher McLaughlin. The officers arrived as Facey shot Reid, according to Det. Martin Brownlee of the NYPD's Public Information Division who narrates the video.

Facey did not comply with commands to drop his weapon and lie on the ground, Brownlee said. "He walked away from the officers still holding his firearm with his hands in front of him..."

According to Brownlee, as Facey walked south on Avenue A, "he outstretched his left arm." At this point, both officers fired at Facey. He was struck in the left hand and back, and fell to the ground in the crosswalk. Murphy fired two rounds and McLaughlin one.

The NYPD said that they are "releasing this video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident."

The video contains disturbing images — viewer discretion is advised.



As we exclusively reported on Jan. 10, Francisco Valera, a photographer and photojournalist/videographer, who lives in a front-facing apartment on Avenue A at Seventh Street, captured the aftermath of the shooting.

He shared this two-minute video that shows the moments after both Facey and Reid were shot. (The first 15 seconds of the video were filmed sideways.) In the clip below, two officers have their guns drawn, crouching behind a trashcan, looking toward Facey, in the green jacket lying in the intersection.

An unidentified voice can be heard yelling "two shooters down" and telling officers to "holster up." Officers can also be heard commanding passersby to "back off" multiple times.

In the street outside 113 Avenue A, officers are performing CPR on Reid, on his back in the white jacket. An unidentified man is seen pleading with the police. "Officer, please put him in a car. Put him in the car — you don't have a fucking second!" The sounds of an ambulance can be heard in the distance. The man turns to the north on Avenue A toward the approaching ambulance. He pleads with the officers again to take Reid to a hospital in an NYPD vehicle: "There's traffic because of this! What the fuck are you all doing!"

Viewer discretion is advised.



Police have said that both men were reputed gang members and have been linked to prior shootings.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: Video shows chaotic moments after fatal shootings on Avenue A

Idlewild Coffee Co. coming to 5th Street

There's a new tenant for the empty retail space at 300 E. Fifth St. at Second Avenue ... a sign is now on the door for Idlewild Coffee Co. ...



Idlewild takes over from another coffee shop — Southern Cross Coffee, which closed this past September after two and half years in service.

No word on who the owners are at the moment. They do have a placeholder website up...

Thanks to Steven for the photos and tip!

Thursday's parting shot

Door to door on Avenue A today via Derek Berg...

A Visit to Odessa Restaurant

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

When Dennis Vassilatos and I set a date and time for me to interview him and take pictures at Odessa Restaurant, 119 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, the nighttime manager figures that after 9 on a chilly Tuesday will work. He expected this to be a quiet time, which would give him a chance to talk for a few minutes.

However, when I arrive, the phone keeps ringing, the fax machine keeps spewing out orders, and the Seamless app tablet pings on the regular.

I listen as customers phone in specific orders: two Odessa burgers delivered, must be well-done, with extra ketchup. This person calls back to remind Dennis that they need extra ketchup. There's a Turkey Club to stay, plus a newspaper to pass the time. Dennis searches behind the counter for suitable reading material. One order of mashed potatoes with brown gravy and a side of broccoli to go, which Dennis wraps up with a smile.





Dennis, 64, loves the neighborhood and speaks with appreciation about his customers, saying he’s never had an argument, that he can “get along with the stones.” He likes his regulars especially. “They order the same food each time and value consistency.”



Dennis thinks of them like family. “The guys in the kitchen, they already know what to make when they see a regular coming. Makes things easy! The new, young people mostly come in on the weekend... They are not demanding and pretty easy-going with minimal problems.”







After one more order comes in — waffle fries with hot sauce — Dennis has a moment to talk about his time at Odessa, an Avenue A mainstay since the 1960s.



How long have you worked here?

Almost 30 years now — since 1990.

How did you come to work at Odessa?

I came to America almost 45 years ago, in 1976. I was born on a Greek island called Kefalonia, and I had been studying economics, but when I took the college tests I scored only good enough to become a bookkeeper.

I came here on an F1 visa and studied at the New York Institute of Technology for three and a half years ... but I needed money so I answered an ad in a Greek newspaper for a summer job, and never went back to school. I worked as a manager in a West Village restaurant called Tiffany, which is now a bank. Then another place uptown before coming here to Odessa. Been here ever since.

I work nights, so I am not sure I’d be called a manager. Managers are daytime people, to make orders for food and supplies. Daytime stuff. But I assume all the responsibilities of a manager.

How long has the “new” Odessa been open?

It opened in April 1995.

When did the first Odessa open next door? (The original location closed in August 2013.)

In the 1960s, although it got a new owner in 1980 or so.

What is the most-popular item or items on the menu?

By far the Odessa Combination Dinner — pierogies, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa with sauerkraut and potato pancake. Eastern European foods. Our Greek food like spinach pie with Greek salad is also popular. And in American foods the familiar breakfast stuff like challah French toast, pancakes. Also, people like burgers.











Do you have any archival photos of Odessa somewhere in an office or drawer?

No! I wish I did. Back then people didn’t carry cameras everywhere. I am always asking customers if they have photos but no one ever does. I would like to see them.

Your chance to visit a library in a coffee shop today

As we've noted, the folks from the Tompkins Square Library on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B have been bringing their pop-up cafe branch to Ninth Street Espresso — the location a few doors away at 341 E. 10th St. — on a bimonthly basis

This is happening again today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

EVG regular Greg Masters shared the above photo and this recap after the branch's visit on Feb. 6:

The Tompkins Square Library is bringing its collection to the people with a pop-up presence. Every other Thursday, from 11-1, librarian Alyona Glushchenkova, here seen with poet Jeff Wright, sets up shop with treasures to borrow at the Ninth Street Espresso.

Today’s selection included the script for the Robert Frank film "Pull My Daisy," a book on Richard Hell’s LP Blank Generation, Ken Schless’s photo book "Invisible City," and Ed Sanders’ "Tales of Beatnik Glory," as well as the new issue of Live Mag, Wright’s poetry/art magazine.

With each visit, the library will offer books about the neighborhood, its history, culture and artists. You may even check them out right from Ninth Street Espresso.

And upcoming library-Ninth Street Espresso dates:

• Thursdays, March 5 and 19, 11 a.m. — 1 p.m.
• Thursdays, April 9 and 23, 11 a.m. — 1 p.m.
• Thursdays, May 7 and 21, 11 a.m. — 1 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street

Trash talk on 7th Street

Someone has made homemade signs pointing out who is managing the buildings on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue where the trash routinely overflows on the sidewalk...



The signs are in front of buildings owned by the Kushner Companies and managed by its subsidiary Westminster, per a tipster on the block... (they note "A Kushner Production")









Per the tipster: "They refuse to hire a super on Sundays to prevent this mess every week. And the fine from sanitation is less than what they’d pay him anyway. Saving money by trashing the hood."

Last March, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Kushner Companies, formerly led by current White House adviser Jared Kushner, planned to sell five of the 30-plus buildings in their East Village portfolio.

The company was also accused of illegally operating nine apartment buildings in the East Village and Williamsburg, according to an investigation by City Council member Ritchie Torres and the watchdog group Housing Rights Initiative. A DOB spokesperson told the Associated Press that the issues stemmed from "paperwork lapses" and characterized the investigation as "pure grandstanding."

MAD Toast House has gone out of business

MAD Toast House is, well, toast here at 332 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A tipster noted that paper arrived on the door and window yesterday, officially bringing an end to the shop that served a variety of bubble tea, sparkling water and toast-related creations. Yelp and Google both list MAD as permanently closed.

MAD opened early last June, and lasted 43 (and a third) years less than the previous tenant, Clayworks Pottery, which was forced to close in the fall of 2017 thanks to predatory landlord Raphael Toledano.

Police looking for suspect who stole 3 Phase 2 paintings from Avenue C studio

Here’re pictures of the 3 paintings 🖼 the suspect took. You can also call the @NYPDTips hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) with any information—all tips can be kept CONFIDENTIAL. pic.twitter.com/QEX69v4ZV9

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) February 19, 2020

The NYPD is searching for a man who they say stole three paintings by the late graffiti artist Phase 2 from a fitness studio on Avenue C.

According to the police and published reports, the suspect tossed a brick through the window of the A2Z studio at 67 Avenue C between Fourth Street and Fifth Street on Jan. 15 at 3:40 a.m. Police did not provide a description of the suspect — just the above video clip.

Phase 2, who was born Michael Lawrence Marrow in the Bronx, was an influential graffiti artist who pioneered bubble lettering. He died from Lou Gehrig's disease in December. He was 64.

The three paintings are valued at $18,000.

Change is coming to Kmart on Astor Place

An EVG reader shared this photo showing that a Coinstar coin-cashing machine has arrived in the basement level at the Astor Place Kmart.

Just in case you needed to unload some change.

There's also one over at the PayOMatic at 303 E. Houston St. between Clinton and Attorney.

And we'll lose the Coinstar machines — in 2023 — when the Food Emporium becomes a Target on Union Square. You know what that means!


[EVG comments screengrab]

Rock on: Remembering Bill Graham's Fillmore East

The New-York Historical Society debuted a multimedia exhibit this past Friday on Bill Graham (1931–1991), the influential concert promoter.

"Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution," on display through Aug. 23, features a large section on the Fillmore East, which had a three-year run starting in 1968 at 105 Second Ave. at Sixth Street.

The sibling to Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco brought performers such as the Doors, B.B. King, Roberta Flack, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Taj Mahal, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez and the Who to the East Village starting in March 1968.





105 Second Ave. opened in 1926 as a Yiddish theater, soon becoming the Loew’s Commodore movie house, followed by the Village Theater. In the 1980s it was the nightclub The Saint, becoming Emigrant Bank in 1995 and then Apple Bank in 2013...



The Times has a preview of the exhibit at this link. Frank Mastropolo, the author of the forthcoming book "Fillmore East: How One Venue Changed Rock Music Forever," has a preview piece here.

The New-York Historical Society is at 170 Central Park West at 77th Street.

Museum hours:

Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

View this post on Instagram

With the opening today of “Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution” at the New-York Historical Society, we decided to check for Fillmore East ads in the archives. ¶ Who knew that Pink Floyd was “the reigning number one space group in the known world!!!” ¶ Read the full story in “An Impresario Gets the Star Treatment” on the Voice homepage. #billgrahamrocks #thedoors #janisjoplin #psychedelicrock #joshualightshow #fillmoreeast #pinkfloyd #tinytim #classicrock #nyhistory

A post shared by Village Voice (@villagevoice) on Feb 14, 2020 at 6:25am PST

Chairnobyl

Chairnobyl, now on display on Houston between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Thanks to Bill Buchen for the photo!

On second thought, Jiang Diner is moving back to 5th Street

After six weeks at 104 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, Jiang Diner is returning to its previous location at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...



There isn't any reason cited on the note to patrons, other than that Jiang Diner, which offers Northwestern Chinese cuisine, including the popular Xinjiang big plate chicken, will be back on Fifth Street starting today.

So to recap: Jiang Diner, which has been a hit since opening last spring on Fifth Street, moved to the former Hot Kitchen space on Second Avenue. (According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen.)

The Fifth Street location was set to become a quick-serve establishment...


[Photo on 5th Street from Jan. 4]

So 104 Second Ave., long stuck under that sidewalk bridge, will be vacant again. As we've noted, Hot Kitchen, the Sichuan specialists, went from serving terrific food to a more pedestrian hotpot.

At the beginning of December, the restaurant started offering Japanese cuisine under the name Sushi & Sake. That venture lasted a short month.

Thank you to Steven for the photos and tip!

Previously

Demolition watch: 183 Avenue B

It appears that the four-story building that was 183 Avenue B has been demolished...



As we reported back in June, there are plans for a new 8-floor residential building here between 11th Street and 12th Street.

According to the permit filed with the city, the building will have 12 residential units with ground-floor retail.

New York Yimby pointed out that the units will "most likely [be] rentals based on the average scope of 689 square feet."

In January 2017, Corcoran listed the property with a $4.75 million ask. The building — with air rights intact — sold for that exact amount in April 2017, per public records. The DOB permit lists Richard Pino via the Tompkins 183 LLC as the owner.

Units in the building had apparently been recently renovated, per the listing at the time ...



... and there was a nice outdoor space out back....

That Thai Direct renovation is taking longer than expected

[Photo from Monday]

At the beginning of the month, we noted that Thai Direct on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street was closed for a renovation. They were expected to reopen this past Friday.

Now, management reports that the renovations aren't complete, and they're eyeing a Feb. 25 return. Once they reopen, you'll notice a revamped dining room complete with a small bar. CB3 gave approval back in December for a beer-wine license.

Thai Direct will also be debuting several new menu items.

The quick-serve establishment, which bills itself as offering a healthy take on Thai street food, opened here in September 2018.