Thursday's parting shot

EVG regular Lola Saénz ran into Michael "Mikey" Cole today outside Mikey Likes It on Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

He was checking in on his ice cream shop, which has been closed for the duration of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Mikey has been staying home and staying healthy ... and he's looking forward to reopening again one of these days...

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.

This week, HuffPost published a three-panel comic that Grant created about small business owners. You can find that work here.

RIP Shirley Campbell

Shirley Campbell, a longtime activist and East Village resident, died on April 12. According to notices from the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association posted at her former building on Fourth Street, she died from COVID-19 complications.

Campbell, who was born in 1940, had most recently been living at a location of the New Jewish Home.

Per the flyer:

Shirley was a well-known activist on the Lower East Side. She participated in housing and other social justice struggles for more than 30 years. She was an avid tennis enthusiast who loved music, film and art.

Local State Sen. Brad Hoylman offered his condolences...

Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Shirley Campbell, who gave so much to @CooperSq, the Mutual Housing Association, and the people of Manhattan as an activist.

COVID-19 takes more than we can bear each day. May her memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/sJbPGyDMbe

— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) April 17, 2020

Her friends plan to hold a celebration of her life this summer. Will post more details when they become available.

There are now plans for an 8-story residential building on this long-empty 10th Street lot

Plans for an 8-floor residential building were filed last Friday for the long-empty lot at 351 E. 10th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

This past October, an array of city and federal officials came together during a press conference "to celebrate the commencement of the preservation and rehabilitation of project-based Section 8 housing in the East Village." During this event, officials also noted that more affordable housing was set for this 10th Street parcel.

The pending permit lists that the building will have 28 residences with amenities that include a laundry room, bicycle storage and a 40-foot backyard space.

John Scobie of the NYC-based developer Center Development Corp. is listed as the property owner. It's not clear at the moment how many of these units will be designated as affordable.

Plans for housing here date to 2005 when permits were filed for a 6-floor building with 24 units. The work was never approved though, per public records.

In the past year, the city has announced fixed-income housing plans for 204 Avenue A and 535 E. 12th St. as well as 302 E. Second St.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Details on the preservation and rehabilitation of 243 affordable housing units in the East Village

Caracas Arepa Bar returns for takeout and delivery on 7th Street

[Images via @caracasarepabar]

Caracas Arepa Bar reopened yesterday for takeout and delivery here at 91 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

You can order online or via their app or the old-fashioned way (the phone). Find their website here.Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. daily.

They're also selling a variety of meal kits ...

View this post on Instagram

⏭ We're #OPEN back where it all started! ⏮ >>>Get your "Arepas at Home Kit" ready to bake #arepas & the filling of your choice! Want to stock up for later? We got you! >>>NEW "Arepa box" also fillings & appetizers! >>>Plus our regular take-out menu with all the ready to eat food you know & #love >>> Check all we got for you on our website (link in bio) & thank you all for your love & support! Also on #Doordash⬅️ + #palanteBrincaElSapo #thefrogalwaysleapsforward #caracaseastvillage #arepastogo #venezuelanfood #nycstrong #stayhealthy

A post shared by Caracas Arepa Bar (@caracasarepabar) on Apr 21, 2020 at 7:32pm PDT

Caracas Arepa Bar proactively decided to close after service on March 14.

Despite what Google says, Tompkins Square Park is open

In case you were searching on Google to decide whether to visit Tompkins Square Park...



The Park, named after the nearby Tompkins Square Bar Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York from 1807 to 1817 and as Vice President under James Monroe from 1817 to 1825, is open. Mostly. During the COVID-19 outbreak, amenities including the dog run ... playgrounds ... handball courts and basketball courts are locked up for public use.

Still, the trees are looking good...

There's now a Twitter account that will let you know about the lines outside Trader Joe's and Target on 14th Street

With the possibility of rain, the line outside of Trader Joe’s extends maybe 15 people. Shorter than I’ve seen in a while. #EastVillage

— EV TJs and Target Line (@EV_TJsAndTarget) April 21, 2020

The account launched on Monday, for anyone who may want some neighborly info to save time standing in a line. Per the description: "Headed to the Trader Joe’s or Target on 14th St and Ave A? We’ll let you know how the line looks. Not a bot, just two people stuck in self isolation."

2:30pm : No line at Trader Joe’s, and 8 people at Target.

— EV TJs and Target Line (@EV_TJsAndTarget) April 21, 2020

At opening, the Trader Joe’s line is backed up to Dion Cleaners, but they aren’t very spread apart. Target has no line.

— EV TJs and Target Line (@EV_TJsAndTarget) April 22, 2020

The Trader Joe’s line shifted directions and is now at Dion Cleaners at Ave A.

— EV TJs and Target Line (@EV_TJsAndTarget) April 21, 2020

Earth Day's parting shot

View of Tompkins Square Park this afternoon from Seventh Street...

Noted

Someone left this message — Disconnect From Desire — along the fence at the Grace Church School yard on Fourth Avenue and 10th Street ... photo today via Derek Berg...

Where residents can get a free meal during the week

Any hungry East Village resident in need of a free meal during the COVID-19 outbreak can pick one up at one of several local public schools.

The city has been offering free grab-and-go meals for any resident Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. since the beginning of April.

Per the NYC Department of Education website: The Meals Hubs will operate for children and families from 7:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m., and for adults without children from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (There is no need to prove residency or bring any other form of ID.)

Local schools offering free meals include:

• P.S. 19 Asher Levy, 185 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street

• P.S. 64, 600 E. Sixth St. at Avenue B

• P.S. 63/the Star Academy, 121 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue





The meal features an assortment of sandwiches or wraps, a vegetable, piece of fruit and milk. (There's a daily menu here.)

At P.S. 64, where Stacie Joy shared these photos, only two people are allowed inside at a time — one at the food baskets and one downstairs waiting.

Two Boots Pizza returns today after a 17-day break

Two Boots announced a two-plus week closure starting on April 6 to regroup and give their employees a much-needed break.

The pizzeria on Avenue A and Third Street returns to service today. Moving forward, their temporary hours are 4-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

And they weren't completely off-duty these past two weeks: They served pizzas to first responders and other health-care workers via @sliceouthunger.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Two Boots Pizza (@twobootspizza) on Apr 21, 2020 at 7:09am PDT

SMØR returns to service today

[Sebastian Perez, left, and Sebastian Bangsgaard]

SMØR, the Noridc cafe on 12th Street, is returning to service today. Owners Sebastian Perez and Sebastian Bangsgaard are debuting a temporary all-day menu available through delivery, pick up and curbside ordering to ensure safety guidelines.

They'll be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. here at 441 E. 12th St. just west of Avenue A.

SMØR closed on March 15 at the start of the ban on dining at NYC restaurants and cafes.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo!

Dual Specialty Store is back open

[Photo from last night]

Several readers, both in the comments and via email, have noted that Dual Specialty Store reopened this week at 91 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (They had been closed the past week or so.)

The shop, which carries a wide variety of bulk Indian spices, herbs, groceries and beer, is open from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. daily.

And check out this photo essay of the shop via Gudrun Georges right here.

H/T Vinny & O

Need something to read? Book Club now making local deliveries via bike messenger

[Image via @bookclubbar]

Book Club, currently closed to in-store customers due to the COVID-19 crisis, is still active behind the scenes with fulfilling online orders.

Now, the shop on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is offering free deliveries via bike messenger to all of Manhattan as well as parts of Brooklyn and Queens. In stock titles will be delivered same or next day by co-owner Nat Esten, the East Village resident who runs Book Club with his wife Erin Neary.

Check out their website for more details.

Loews Village 7 appears safe for now

In recent weeks there had been rumors that some AMC locations, including the one on Third Avenue at 11th Street, were at risk of closing because of a potential bankruptcy filing.

However, according to published reports, AMC — the largest network of theaters in the country — has announced it plans to raise $500 million, improving its liquidity and pushing the threat of bankruptcy to the background.

As the Commercial Observer reported on Friday, AMC Entertainment skipped rent in April after closing all its 1,000 theaters globally in March and furloughing 26,000 workers in the United States, or 96 percent of its workforce. Their theaters are expected to remain closed through June, with hopes of a partial reopening later in the summer, according to reports.

A joint venture of ABS Partners Real Estate and Benenson Funding is AMC's landlord in the East Village, where the theater chain has a ground lease through July 2037.

The seven-screen theater is in the corridor south of Union Square that preservationists have worried will turn into a "Silicon Alley" thanks to the zoning change made for the mayor's tech hub on 14th Street.

This prime real-estate sits near the new Moxy East Village hotel. The Nathaniel, a 9-story luxury rental, arrived right next door in 2014.

I was never really a fan of the rather cinder-blocky theater, but have grown to like it in the past year or so for mainstream films. On the downside, even after the 2015 renovation the lobby is too cramped — lines for tickets and concessions spill into one another — and the carpet pattern can cause seizures.



Still, it's more comfortable and seemingly less crowded than, say, the Regal Cinemas at Union Square or Essex Crossing — locations where people think it's OK to have animated conversations throughout a movie.

Loews opened the theater on May 24, 1991 on the site of a one-story parking garage that had been built in 1868 as headquarters for the NYC Department of Public Charities and Corrections, per Cinema Treasures.

And here's a late-1970s look at the block via a photo by Mark Kane that I stole from Jeremiah Moss ... before the theater and the luxury rentals with the Westside Market...



H/T Upper West Sider!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Pretty ugly AMC Village 7 building sells for $32 million

Travels of a cello

Derek Berg first spotted the man with a cello on Fourth Street just west of Second Avenue ... the man eventually made his way to Second Avenue...



On Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place, the man offered to sell the cello, which was missing its strings and in need of repairs, to a passerby who had made eye contact with him...



They agreed on $5...



The cello's new owner then continued on his way north along Second Avenue...

Updating: Here's a map of what's open in the East Village

A volunteer effort led by the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) along with residents Perry Leung and Paul Gale has created an interactive map of what's open in the neighborhood during the COVID-19 crisis. (The site is designed by Zhi He of BetaNYC.)

The map includes telephone numbers, links to delivery and Instagram, and business-specific details (like local discounts and contactless pickup options). There's also information, confirmed via phone, about whether 13-plus supermarkets in the East Village accept SNAP/EBT and have immunocompromised hours/senior discounts.

The rest of the data comes from several EVG posts (like this one and this one) along with fact-checking calls and Instagram research done by the volunteers.

Moving forward, EVIMA will help the group maintain the accuracy of the existing data, and expand the number of businesses included on the map.

If you are a business owner and want to add or edit your information, then please fill out this form here. Find more details at this link.

And now the map...

The last night, for now, at Ben's Deli

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

"Stacie, I promise you, we'll be back," Ben says this past Sunday evening, while gesturing with his cigarette. "We have a long lease. We've been here for 45 years. We will come back. When all this is over."

He tries to finish his smoke before heading back in the deli on Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street to grab some hummus for the road, but forgets that he's wearing a face mask and has to maneuver things around in order for the cigarette to find its target.



Ben's youngest son, Gamal, is packing up some cereal and snacks for Ben's grandkids back home. Meanwhile, store employee Glenn is carting perishables into Ben's "office," his Astro van parked across the street. A few people come in to say goodbye and grab some last-minute supplies. The mood is somber.





There's still some milk and yogurt left on the shelves, which Ben offers to me as I take some final images. I know there is social distancing in place, and I am also wearing a mask, so I don't know if he can see I am moved by the shuttering of the store. I wish I could touch his arm, communicate in some way how sorry I am that this is happening.





"I worry about you and the neighborhood," he says. "There's crime now, much worse that it was before. People have no work, no jobs, and soon, no money for rent. Then what will happen? Not good. Take care, be careful."

His son steps around the figure sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the store in order to pull the gate down. Ben shakes his head, climbs in his van and takes off for home.





Previously on EV Grieve:
On Avenue B, Ben's Deli is closing for now; first time in 45 years

Reader appreciation: Mamoum's Falafel

A short and sweet reader appreciation via the EVG inbox...

Mamoun's because it still reminds me of St. Mark's Place as it was a few years ago (even though this is a different location on the block).

Mamoun's is at 30 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. They are open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a midnight close on Friday and Saturday.

Want to share an appreciation of an essential East Village business that remains open during the COVID-19 crisis? Send us an email here. (Thank you for the suggestions!)

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Reader appreciation: Le Fournil Bakery

• Reader appreciation: Abraço

• Reader appreciation: Post

• Reader appreciation: Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery

• Reader appreciation: Barnyard Cheese Shop

• Good Beer

Monday's parting shot

Photo on St. Mark's Place today by Derek Berg...