Monday, April 20, 2020
7 p.m. on 7th Street
As previously noted, the #ClapBecauseWeCare cheer for health-care workers and first responders is especially raucous on Seventh Street between Avenue A aand First Avenue... where, since April 3, resident John the Baptist has played "The Star Spangled Banner" on his guitar from an upper floor. (An EVG regular tells us that Janie Hendrix, sister to Jimi, loves this tribute.)
Here's a video via EVG contributor Stacie Joy from a nearby rooftop last night, where the 7 p.m. cheers seemed the loudest and longest in the neighborhood to date...
New sculpture for the COVID-19 memorial on 10th Street and Avenue A
There's a new sculpture atop the COVID-19 memorial outside Tompkins Square Park on 10th Street and Avenue A... Dave on 7th shared this photo... it also looks as if it might light up...
The previous sculpture was stolen after someone vandalized the work last week. Our previous post has more background about the memorial, which arrived on March 26.
RIP Giuseppi Logan
[EVG photo from 2013]
Free-jazz legend Giuseppi Logan, a onetime East Village resident and fixture in Tompkins Square Park, died Friday at the Lawrence Nursing Care Center in Far Rockaway. According to his friend Matt Lavelle, Logan died from complications of COVID-19. Logan was 84.
Here's a brief overview via an extensive obituary at WBGO:
Logan leaves behind a small body of recorded work, but his standing in the improvised avant-garde is considerable. He emerged just as free jazz was beginning to crest as a movement, and even amidst a crowded field of iconoclasts, he distinguished himself as an original.
An April 2012 feature in The New York Times delved into Logan's mysterious past, in which he disappeared for decades and spent time in a mental institution.
His long journey eventually brought him back to the East Village, where he was a regular in Tompkins Square Park, playing a setlist heavy on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Matt Lavelle, a trumpeter and clarinetist, helped Logan get back into music with his first proper gig in some 40 years at the Bowery Poetry Club on Feb. 17, 2009, per WBGO's report. They also recorded an album for Tompkins Square Records titled "The Giuseppi Logan Quintet."
“The main thing for me, to be honest, was just to make Giuseppi feel good and to give him some money and some CDs to sell in the park,” Josh Rosenthal, founder of Tompkins Square Records, told WBGO. “He made his first record in 45 years, and that was enough. But the record was surprisingly well received.”
[Photo from 2012 by Bobby Williams]
Logan had hip problems, and sometimes got around with the assistance of a walker. The 2012 piece in the Times provided a snapshot of his typical day:
To get from Tompkins Square Park to his room on East Fourth Street, a trip of just a couple of city blocks on foot, Mr. Logan hobbles west to a northbound bus on Avenue A, then gets on a bus at 14th Street that drives east to Avenue D and then turns south. It can take half an hour. Most days, this is the extent of Mr. Logan’s universe.
Through the years, many East Village residents pitched in to help Logan. For instance, in September 2013, residents collected money for Logan after he was jumped on Ninth Street. A resident also gave Logan a spare tenor saxophone.
In 2014, someone stole his saxophone, which left him with a different instrument...
He said that he played the flute in the 1960s in Paris, but was a little rusty. Neighbors eventually secured him another saxophone.
By the fall of 2014, he was no longer spotted in Tompkins Square Park. Several years went by before we learned that he was living in a senior residence in Far Rockaway.
Logan is served by two sons, Jaee and Joe.
Here's a short film from 1966 by Edward English that shows Logan in Tompkins Square Park...
Report: Housing facility for seniors on 12th Street is 'a ticking coronavirus time bomb'
The Washington Post published an investigative piece this past weekend examining the deplorable conditions at the single room occupancy (SRO) residence at 331 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
The facility, above the Educational Alliance's Sirovich Center, which is currently closed, provides housing for formerly homeless single adults and veterans age 55 and up run by Volunteers of America of Greater New York, an affiliate of the national housing-focused nonprofit based in Alexandria, Va., and subsidized by government agencies.
Here's some content from the Post about the facility during the COVID-19 crisis:
According both to tenants and images viewed by The Post, sanitary conditions are poor, social-distancing has been lax and food is scarce. Residents described their situation as a ticking coronavirus time bomb, with even basic protective tools absent; never mind gloves and masks, there has not even been soap or toilet paper in the shared bathrooms.
On Saturday, their fears seemed to have been realized. A man, believed to be in his early 60′s, was found dead in his room by another tenant, according to a resident who was present on the site. An empty ambulance could be seen idling outside the building Saturday afternoon; by evening, it had been replaced by a city-morgue van. No cause of death was immediately available, but the man had been complaining of trouble breathing in recent days, said one tenant. He added that the man had not received any medical attention, and was seen as recently as Thursday mingling with other residents in the facility’s common area.
The Post notes that VOA-GNY runs it under a contract with the city’s Department of Homeless Services, and that the 92 rooms are "filled with former lawyers and veterans, stockbrokers and city workers, each with their own story of how they fell on hard times to end up here."
Though just one of what advocates say is a litany of problem spots in the New York area, the 12th Street SRO illustrates how coronavirus is endangering a whole class of people. The scene lacks the dramatic optics of a hospital lobby filled with patients on ventilators. But a closer look at its images — an elderly woman without food, a cancer patient deprived of basic cleaning necessities — tells both of the forsaken vulnerable in a besieged city and the people who have left them behind.
Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for Kathryn Garcia, New York City's emergency food czar during the COVID-19 crisis, told the Post that the 12th Street SRO would now be moved to a new food-delivery program that will see residents receiving a four-meal box every other day.
A four-meal box did arrive for the residents on Friday afternoon.
These local Trader Joe's outposts will close for a day of cleaning
[Outside the TJ's on 14th & A on Saturday]
Trader Joe's, which previously closed several outposts on the East Coast after staffers tested positive for COVID-19, will shut down several neighborhood locations for a day of cleaning.
Here's the schedule via the TJ's website:
• April 20 — 436 E. 14th St. at Avenue A
• April 24 — 142 E. 14th St. in Union Square AND 400 Grand St. in Essex Crossing
• April 27 — the wine shop at 138 E. 14th St. in Union Square
These are just one-day closures.
And here's the official TJ's message about all this:
At Trader Joe’s, there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our Crew Members and customers. We believe in being proactive and transparent in addressing issues, and we value information and clear communication. With this in mind, we have temporarily closed some stores related to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, including for additional, precautionary cleaning and sanitization.
We have made sure all Crew Members at the respective locations have been informed and understand the steps to take to best safeguard their own health and the health of their community. For any unplanned store closure, Trader Joe’s pays all Crew Members for their scheduled shifts.
And Pinch shared this photo from Friday, when the line for the Union Square TJ's wrapped around Third Avenue ...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Union Square Trader Joe's temporarily closed after employee is suspected of having COVID-19
A hopeful sign of things to come at Lucy's
There hasn't been any activity at Lucy's in recent weeks (except for that letter for Lucy on April 12). The bar on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street has been closed since March 14 during the COVID-19 crisis.
In recent days, however, one of Lucy's signature smiley-face signs appeared on the front door — "We will open soon" ...
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Sunday's parting video clip
Colin Huggins, unable to play his piano in public during the COVID-19 crisis, is performing live via Instagram from Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Stacie Joy captured this moment tonight ...
Week in Grieview
[Photo from 14th and A by Walter Wlodarczyk]
Posts from the past week included...
• RIP Jimmy Webb (Tuesday) Flowers and candles for Jimmy Webb, plus a tribute from Iggy Pop (Wednesday)
• A visit to the Interfaith Community Services Food For Life (Wednesday)
• Anonymous East Village restaurant owners distribute meals to neighbors in need (Thursday)
• An East Village business and local artists team up for Art Through Vintage (Friday)
• C&B is selling its tables and chairs — to make room for a larger oven (Saturday)
• Foxface introduces new offerings, including the Foxface Farm Stand (Monday)
• Report: First red-tailed hawk egg hatches this year in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)
• The annual Dance Parade will be online in 2020 (Friday)
• Someone vandalized the COVID-19 memorial on 10th Street and Avenue A (Thursday)
• This week's NY See (Thursday)
• RAINBOW (Monday)
• Nowon launching takeout and delivery service today on 6th Street (Tuesday)
• More about the layoffs at B Bar & Grill (Saturday)
• Commodities has reopened (Tuesday)
• Is this your cat? (Monday)
• An assortment of masks on East Village streets (Tuesday)
... and an addition to the mask post with @manyourstyle on Seventh and A the other day via Derek Berg...
---
Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.
This rainy morning in photos of a deserted 2nd Avenue in the #EastVillage 👋 pic.twitter.com/TQDdbBZQCq
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) April 18, 2020
Remembering Jimmy Webb
[Photo from 2017 by Walter Wlodarczyk]
Jimmy Webb, the owner of I Need More on Orchard Street, died on April 14 of cancer. He was 62.
Although he most recently lived in Murray Hill, Webb was well-known in this neighborhood as an everyday presence at Trash & Vaudeville on St. Mark's Place for nearly 18 years.
[Roses at Trash & Vaudeville on 7th Street via Walter Wlodarczyk]
Webb's passing has prompted many feature obituaries in publications as varied as Vogue to PunkNews.org, a testament to his broad influence and effusive personality.
Here's a sampling of the remembrances:
• Rolling Stone
• The New York Times
• NME
• GQ
• Vogue
• Ultimate Classic Rock
• PunkNews.org
• Just Jared
• HighSnobiety
On Tuesday night, while news of his death circulated, Jimmy Webb was trending on Twitter in the United States...
Today at the Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket
Today's vendors, who are putting in place social distancing with their sales:
• Bread Alone Bakery
• Pura Vida Fisheries
• Fledging Crow Vegetables
• Meredith's Bread
• Stone & Thistle Farm
• Back to the Future Farm
• Norwich Meadows Farm
Information taken from the GrowNYC Instagram account.
And here's a photo via EVG reader Daniel from last Sunday showing the social distancing in place...
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Meanwhile, on 3rd Street
From Third Street, a very pointed COVID-19 Urban Etiquette Sign ...
To the asshole
who keeps leaving
dirty gloves outside
my window
Suck my whole dick!
Thanks to Mark White for the photo!
Bus stop
From just before 3 p.m. ... EVG regular Lola Saénz shares these from First Avenue and 12th Street...
Apparently this passenger claimed that someone on the M15 stole her headphones, and she won't move until the police arrive to help sort it out...
More about the layoffs at B Bar & Grill
[EVG file photo]
As we reported back on April 3, nearly 70 employees of the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery at Fourth Street were laid off in late March without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.
One of the now-unemployed B Bar staffers shared the letter sent to employees and signed by owner Eric Goode ...
[Click to go big]
As one former employee said:
Eric Goode responded to employee pleas for two weeks paid leave with very little - some directions about how to apply for unemployment and a "yours truly" sign off. This termination without pay was sudden and decisive, leaving many of the staff left with nothing to feed their families. Many of these staff members have worked at 20-plus years. Mr. Goode is currently living on his multimillion-dollar ranch in California.
Goode has enjoyed positive press in recent weeks for his role as the co-director and co-writer (along with Rebecca Chaiklin) of "Tiger King," the hit docuseries that recently debuted on Netflix.
BuzzFeed News talked with several former employees in a piece published earlier in the week titled "Their Wealthy Boss Was The Director Of 'Tiger King.' They Got Laid Off And Can’t Pay Their Bills."
[F]our staff members at the restaurant told BuzzFeed News that unlike other wealthy hospitality leaders who have donated salaries and worked to fundraise for those suddenly out of work, they have heard nothing from Goode as he enjoys Hollywood attention. Goode, they say, has the wealth and cultural influence to help them at a time when they need it most.
“They have families, they have children, they have mortgages to pay, and they spent a lot of their life working for B Bar,” said Luis Lugo, a former floor manager. “You’re the director of Tiger King and you own the Jane Hotel and you’re not a small mom-and-pop shop that’s struggling. You’re someone that has the financial resources to make a difference.”
And...
“It strikes me as unjust that I worked a long time for him and didn’t get anything in return,” said Eloy Aguilar, who worked for 25 years at B Bar as a line cook. “We need economic help, not just for me but also my other colleagues.”
There is a staff-driven GoFundMe campaign here.
As reported last fall, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery — the B Bar & Grill's home since 1994. Goode, who owns a handful of hotels including the Bowery Hotel, has been assembling air rights to build a larger project on this corner space. B Bar was expected to close for good in August, per the former employee.
Previously on EV Grieve:
CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development
B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance
A football-sized cocktail to go option on 3rd Avenue
As seen outside Bar None on Third Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street... $20 for a to-go cocktail served in a football-sized container with an easy-sipping option... keep the container, and a refill is $15 ...
A free lunch for Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 on 2nd Street yesterday
In recent weeks, San Loco has created grab-n-go burrito grande meal packages for people interested in ordering food for local first responders, hospital staff or nursing home/senior center employees. (Details at this post.)
Yesterday, two local residents bought lunch for the 11 firefighters on duty for the afternoon shift at Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
EVG contributor snapped this photo of San Loco co-owner Kimo Hing with Frank, Luke and Tom from the FDNY...
San Loco's Avenue C location is currently closed, but the outpost at 111 Stanton St. is open for takeout and delivery.
Previously on EV Grieve:
San Loco's special delivery to 2 local hospitals
Instagram follow of the day
The Instagram account for the East Village Independent Merchants Association — @evimanyc — has been providing updates on local businesses that remain open... or ones that could use some support via online sales.
C&B is selling its tables and chairs — to make room for a larger oven
[Image via Instagram]
Chef-owner Ali Sahin is selling off the tables and chairs in the back of C&B Cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Details below!)
When restaurants are able to reopen for dine-in service following the COVID-19 crisis, C&B will remain a take-out only spot. However nice it was to sit back there and listen to the cafe's turntable playing some classic jazz, R&B or disco... Sahin has plans for that space.
His bread-making has gotten quite popular, and he is in the process of buying a larger oven with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.
As he noted in the campaign pitch:
I always made homemade bread for the cafe, but since the virus hit I’ve been making 30 loaves a day myself to keep the cafe afloat. What I came to realize is that the cafe needs to adapt in order to survive. I want to bring a bread oven in the back so that I can transform the cafe into a bakery and keep the essential supplies coming for the community, while keeping my own people on their feet.
Here's more from an Instagram post this morning:
It is a strange feeling getting rid of these things that gave more comfort to me the last 5 years than any bed or couch I lay down since I left my parents’ home.
Now I need to make some room for the oven as well as some cosmetic upgrades to the back room. So most of our furniture, and tableware are for sale now. Tables are $50 chairs are $30 each. Plates and bowls are $5. If you really need something like this but can’t afford it I will give you a pair for free.
Sahin has been putting in 80-hour weeks — mostly by himself — to keep C&B afloat during this crisis. He continues to pay his staff, whom he didn't want to put in harm's way by coming to work. One C&B employee did volunteer to return to work. The other C&B staffers continue to get paid.
Meanwhile, Sahin's bank informed him this week that there weren't any funds left for his small business in the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program. Eater yesterday reported on some of the NYC "small" businesses who did receive the loans, including $10 million for Shake Shack and Potbelly. [UPDATED 4/20: Shake Shack is returning the $10 million.]
oh, just a $1.6 billion dollar burger chain getting $10 million in government-loans, and which smaller independent venues got shut out from b/c there isn't any more money left in the program.
— ryan sutton (@qualityrye) April 17, 2020
no big deal. https://t.co/sZMrv4Dz0c (by @TanayWarerkar)
C&B is open Saturday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday, April 17, 2020
Iggy said knock you out
Because we need a little Iggy Pop right now (or at least I do). Here's "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)" from the 1980 Solider release, his fourth studio album.
The annual Dance Parade will be online in 2020
[Photo from 2019 by Stacie Joy]
Mayor de Blasio announced this morning that the city is canceling concerts, festivals and all other nonessential events through May — and perhaps even June — in an effort to reduce coronavirus infection rates.
Per CNBC:
De Blasio said this means the cancellation of the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which had been scheduled for May 16, and SummerStage in Central Park, which had been scheduled to begin June 22. Such events, he said, go “against everything that we need to do to fight back the coronavirus.” He’s also weighing whether to keep public beaches closed, saying “I can’t see” opening them up yet because the outbreak isn’t contained.
Among the cancellations: The Dance Parade, which sees St. Mark's Place as a main route, and the subsequent Dancefest in Tompkins Square Park. The 14th annual Dance Parade was scheduled for May 16. Organizers have replaced it with the Dance Without Borders Virtual Parade. More details on how this will work are forthcoming, per organizers.
This also means there won't be a 44th annual St. George's Ukrainian Festival on Seventh Street on the third weekend of May. There hasn't been an official announcement about this just yet.
In other news from yesterday, the Mayor says that it's unlikely that city pools and beaches will open this summer.
"If things evolve we’ll assess our options going forward, but I can't project it now because it wouldn’t be safe to project it now," he said during his morning presser.
And ICYMI yesterday: Gov. Cuomo announced the extension of New York's shutdown of nonessential businesses to May 15.
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