In recent days, a crew has been working on 188 Second Ave. at 12th Street ... where they have uncovered some ghost signage — LEANERS.
This was likely one of the many shops in the area specializing in horseshoes. Leaning, of course, is the throw of a horseshoe so as to lean against — but not encircle — the stake, a game popular in early saloons. In a different era, it became a place for Leaners, who have attitudes and behaviors that are very similar to those of partisans.
Fans of the Grateful Dead likely know that the band's first East Coast outdoor show took place on June 1, 1967 — right here in Tompkins Square Park during the Summer of Love. (We wrote about it here.)
A recent article about the gig on NYSMusic.com provides more details on how the show transpired and why the NYPD asked the Dead to play in Tompkins Square Park ...
[The hippies] that had descended upon Manhattan’s Lower East Side grew fond of playing their congas and bongos at the park. Puerto Ricans, the neighborhood majority, wanted their music to be prevalent and the Black community also fought for control of the musical output. Over the last few weekends, fighting at the park had become rampant.
Most recently, 38 people were arrested at Tompkins Square Park on Memorial Day after being confronted by police for sitting on the grass where they were playing music, both park violations. Per a Village Voice article from June 8, 1967, "A couple of cops went over to the park and told the hippies to shut up and get off the grass. The kids laughed, and kept singing. The cops ordered them to leave. 'They laughed at us,' patrolman John Rodd explained. 'That's when the trouble began.'"
Throw in all the other issues that the summer of 1967 undoubtedly brought and it becomes clear that local police were in danger of losing their city, as far as popular opinion went, and needed to rethink their tactics.
Part of the NYPD's plan: a free show by the Grateful Dead.
After some initial reluctance, they were nudged to accept after lead guitarist Jerry Garcia spoke up, seeing it as a chance for outsiders like them to bring another community together via music.
The NYSMusic.com post includes a 5-minute video clip that was new to me via the Associated Press that shows scenes from the Park on this June 1, 1967... and in some places (RIP the bandshell!), the Park doesn't look all that different 53 years later...
As the details on the video note: "Some 3,000 'hippies' found a place for themselves in the sun of tompkins square park to show police that they cannot be intimidated" ... please note that the first two minutes of this clip does not have any audio...
I received an urgent message one recent evening about an interactive art installation with music in Tompkins Square Park. So I raced over to see for myself.
There, I met East Village resident Uriel Guy, the creator of what's known as Touchy Blinky. It was something to behold in the heat of a summer night in the park. Uriel showed me how Touchy Blinky works by adjusting the lights, patterns, colors and music.
I had some questions, so we agreed to meet up the next time he brought it out. I tagged along with Uriel and his friends as they steered the piece from its East Third Street home to Tompkins Square Park.
How did Touchy Blinky come to be?
Touchy Blinky came about as I wanted to build the biggest Burning Man art installation that I could fit in my one-bedroom East Village apartment.
Originally I envisioned it as a musical instrument — something that people can press buttons and affect the music played, but by the time I built the buttons and light parts of it I realized I am not musical at all, and decided to focus it on the tactile and visual experience, which proved to be even better than the original idea.
It was actually planned to leave NYC for good this summer and permanently live at Burning Man and create room for other projects, but with coronavirus canceling the event, I decided to put it on wheels and share it with the neighborhood. I want to help keep the East Village — and NYC — weird.
How did you create the piece?
I wanted to create a giant musical instrument. The main considerations were to make something portable, so I can take it to places in [a car], and cool, so people enjoy it.
After prototyping a few versions, I had one that survived about a year and required tons of maintenance, so some more work later, I created the one I have now. I’m very proud that I was able to do it all on my own — design, woodwork, electronics and coding.
One of the happiest moments was when I realized I can use takeout containers with paper towels instead of having a custom-made box. That’s probably what made the project affordable and brought it to life rather than get abandoned along the way.
The name came up as half a joke when trying to find names with my girlfriend at the time, but it described it perfectly and sat well with the "this is just for people to enjoy" attitude of the project.
This version has been to Burning Man a few times, where it’s double in size, with the other half in storage there, the National Mall for the Catharsis on the Mall event, and a couple of parties in NYC and one in D.C.
What’s the general reaction to Touchy Blinky? How do you decide where to bring it?
The question I get most often is, "What is it?," which I admit I don’t have a good answer to. It seems that people like it, and I'm happy to say we're starting to get regulars. I'm very glad to meet new people from the neighborhood.
Generally, I try to find places where Touchy Blinky won't be too much of a nuisance. Mostly it's just Tompkins Square Park ... but there are walks planned soon to the Lower East Side and Washington Square Park.
Several tipsters have claimed that Professor Thom's will not be reopening on Second Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street.
The sports bar, which showcases Boston teams, has been closed since mid-March at the outset of the COVID-19 PAUSE. Meanwhile, the bar's website domain has expired and the phone has been disconnected. An email to bar bounced back as undeliverable.
A retail listing for the two-level space also arrived in mid-May, with an update on Monday. The broker describes it as a "fully vented commissary kitchen" with 4,000 total square feet.
Professor Thom's opened in 2005, and became known for hosting "Lost" viewing parties during that era of TV.
Workers in Tompkins Square Park were spotted late this afternoon putting the hoops back up in the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts... one of the amenities that the city was returning for the start of Phase 3.
And as this photo by Goggla shows, some kids were ready to play. However, any kind of organized team sports and group play are off-limits, as they remain high-risk activities.
Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, were spotted this afternoon taking a break atop the cross at Most Holy Redeemer and Nativity Church on Third Street...
Inexpensive eats favorite Punjabi Grocery & Deli reopens Friday here at 114 First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... hours have yet to be determined...
The small, no-frills shop that offers delicious fare such as curried chickpeas and saag and samosas, closed on March 21 as the COVID-19 crisis took hold in NYC. This is a very welcome return.
Post-PAUSE work continues at 15 Avenue A between First Street and Second Street.
As previously reported, there are approved plans on file with the city for a gut renovation and extension of the currently vacant building. No. 15 will receive two new floors, moving from four to six... with five residential units (likely condos) in the making.
You can see part of one of the new floors in the photo...
The new retail tenant is expected to be a wine bar from Bushwick-based pizzeria Roberta's.
Chef-owner Carlo Mirarchi told Grub Street last fall that they’ll be opening what he calls Roberta’s Wine Bar.
Roberta's got its start in Bushwick in 2008. As Eater noted, Roberta's has been on an expansion kick, with openings in several food halls, and adding two locations in Los Angeles and one in Williamsburg ... not to mention its frozen pizza business.
The retail space at 15 Avenue A was previously the Family Dental Center, which moved down to Essex Street in 2017. The retail listing at the time noted that this would be a "great location" for a restaurant.
Suki, the Japanese curry shop, is now open (as of yesterday) from noon to 10 p.m. for takeout and delivery in its larger space at 111 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
It was a short move for the restaurant, which relocated from its six-seat spot around the corner at 86 E. Seventh St.
Chef Kelly Cho opened Suki in July 2018 and received favorable notices in the Times and via Michelin.
No. 111 was previously home to Maharlika, which closed in December after eight years.
After sitting vacant for the past two-plus years, a tipster tells us that there's a new tenant for the former Santander branch on the southwest corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street.
Rumors of the new lease brings an end to ChaShaMa's tenure here. The nonprofit partners with property owners to transform unused real estate into spaces for pop-up galleries.
The new lease also brought a premature end to Darrell Thorne's current show. The Brooklyn-based designer and performance artist (and onetime East Village resident) was midway through an interactive exhibit titled "Under Glass and in Color" here. It was expected to be up through July 12, but went dark at the end of June.
This mural, titled "unalienable," went up over the holiday weekend alongside the 1st Ave. Laundry Center on Second Street at First Avenue. The work — freehand spray — is by BKFoxx.
Gov. Cuomo cleared NYC to enter Phase 3 of the state's four-phase reopening plan today.
Under this phase, personal care services — including nail and tanning salons, spas, massage parlors and tattoo shops — can open with COVID-19 safeguards in place. (Note: State regulations prohibit any service that requires a customer to remove a face mask, so no tongue piercings or facials.)
In addition, the Tompkins Square Park dog run is expected to reopen today after nearly three months ... and the hoops are said to be returning to the basketball courts — here and elsewhere in the city. However, any kind of organized team sports and group play are off-limits, as they remain high-risk activities.
NOT part of Phase 3: Indoor dining, which has been postponed indefinitely given the rise in COVID-19 cases in other states. This story was well-covered last week at Eater ... Gothamist and Grub Street.
Updated 9 a.m.
The Tompkins Square Park dog run is confirmed open... (thanks Steven!)
John's of 12th Street has been closed since mid-May due to a plumbing issue in the building that's unrelated to the classic Italian restaurant here between First Avenue and Second Avenue...
Unfortunately, it looks as if the necessary repairs and subsequent inspections are moving at a glacial pace. From the restaurant's most-recent Instagram post — five weeks ago:
Con Ed and building still resolving the plumbing issue. Hopefully the city will be able to move very quickly to get whatever inspections and such needs to be done so we can resume making the best Italian food for the world’s best customers.
John's, which opened in 1908, had been offering takeout and delivery this spring.
