The theater chain's phased reopening started last month nationwide... NYC locations were originally going to open on May 7, though that timeline was pushed up. The multiplex at Essex Crossing on Delancey and Essex is also up and running.
Other area theaters, including the Loews Village 7, Village East by Angelika and the IFC Center, all returned on March 5 with mask requirements and assigned seating.
Theater capacity in NYC is currently at 33 percent, per Gov. Cuomo. However, the capacity restrictions will be lifted on May 19... though theaters will still need to stick to 6-foot-distancing rules. Which theater operators are scrambling to interpret.
Local band Earth Dad — featuring at least two lifelong East Village residents — recently released a single titled "Good Dog" ... check out the above video with some very familiar locales.
You can find their music on Bandcamp. (And today is Bandcamp Friday — where the music platform waives its revenue share for the day.)
The annual plant and bake sale is going on this weekend at the Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden.
Per the Facebook invite:
Our annual fund raiser to help bring you events for the rest of the open season. Delicious home-made baked goods and lots of plants for you to grow at home or in your backyard are available for sale.
The sale is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the garden on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Avenue B...
Local rock trio Hello Mary — (above left) guitarist Helena Straight, bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer and drummer Stella Branstool — are playing an early show on May 21 at the Bowery Electric (ticket info here. Update: The limited-capacity show has sold out).
On that day, the band will also be releasing a new song/video — "Take Something."
Their first record, the 7-track EP titled Ginger, came out in December 2019. In an interview with Loser Zine last year, the three described Ginger as a collection of everyday experiences.
"A common theme recurring throughout the album is social anxiety, and the obstacles that come along with it, as well as the boredom that erupts from the monotony of high school." (A fresh topic, as Helena and Mikaela, both 17, are finishing up high school.)
Since then, Hello Mary has been working on songs for a new record... perhaps some of that unreleased material will get a sneak preview at Bowery Electric.
The other day, EVG contributor Stacie Joy spent part of an afternoon with the band as they strolled around the East Village. (Stella's parents, Charles Branstool and Christy Davis, co-own Exit9 Gift Emporium on Avenue A. Christy herself is an accomplished percussionist. She plays drums for Gold, who's also on the bill on May 21.)
On the walk, Hello Mary and Stacie talked about COVID-19 vaccines, strong women and role models. And they had a really good time...
You can find Hello Mary on Bandcamp here. (On the first Friday of the month, Bandcamp waives their revenue share, so bands receive all the profits.)
The video here from last spring is for Ginger's title track...
Workers from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are back at the intersection of Seventh Street and First Avenue to replace portions of the water main...
It took a while for these more substantial repairs. The "fucked-up street surface," as one nearby resident called it, has been a topic of frustration in conversations on the East Village Neighbors Facebook group (and in the EVG inbox) this late winter and early spring.
In the weeks/months after the breaks, there was a patchwork of quick fixes on the wonky-looking intersection...
Said one resident: "Basically, the second water main break warped the avenue ... They come out to jackhammer constantly, make a hole, fill it with dirt, and then it caves in. "
Then another sinkhole would form.
And after residents file a complaint: "They come, throw some asphalt onto a sunken hole, leave and nothing is fixed."
The DEP contractors then started covering the holes with metal plates instead ... and the sound of cars, trucks and buses driving over the plates overnight has disrupted the sleep of some residents living nearby.
Said the previously quoted resident: "The trucks wake me up at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 a.m. and I've started getting migraines, which I've never had."
Hopefully, the repairs that started this week will prevent any future breaks and stabilize the roadway — and put an end to the various headaches.
A reader shared the above photo from Tompkins Square Park from earlier this afternoon... and this evening... East Village resident Tom Manco of Manco Studio set up his latest upcycled cardboard installation... this one in honor of Mother's Day... photo by Steven...
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 and elsewhere...
Local artists Lee Jiménez and Joalis Silva are giving a tour this afternoon of their artwork currently on display outside the Jacob Riis Houses...
The art walk starts at 1 p.m. in the roundabout on 10th Street between Avenue D and the FDR (Jiménez's photos taken during 2020 are hanging in this area).
If you can't make it today, then take the time on another day (it should be up all summer) to check out their work inspired by the Riis community.
Photo of Joalis Silva via Instagram. The top pic in the post is part of the Lee Jiménez display.
Here's a look at the reconstruction of the McKinley Playground on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... where work started last September here adjacent to The Neighborhood School (PS 363) and Star Academy (PS 63).
Workers have put in a new playground and spray shower as well as safety surfacing, benches, lighting, play equipment, etc.
And there's a new "comfort station"...
And a view through the fence...
And for more details on the final product...
The NYC Parks website states that the project is 84-percent complete. There's a September completion date, though the rendering onsite lists a summer finish.
Back on April 16 we were today that Sly Fox was reopening at 140 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street — first time serving since March 2020.
Unfortunately, a bicycling mishap involving the bartender pushed back that opening.
However, now... the bar in the Ukrainian National Home is up and running nightly at 6 (as of May 1).
Agata & Valentina, the specialty grocery store at 64-66 University Place between 10th Street and 11th Street, has closed. April 26 was its last day here.
The date was a few weeks earlier than some folks expected. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the New York State Department of Labor in February stated that the store would permanently shutter on May 12. (H/T Bayou for that tip earlier this year.)
Argo Real Estate paid $30 million for the building in 2019, city records show. There isn't any public record of what they have planned for this space a few blocks from Washington Square Park. In March, Village Preservation reported that a 12-story building is possible.
Efforts to landmark No. 64-66 were not successful: Demolition permits were issued for this four-story building back in February, per the DOB. (The tenant on the upper floors, the Institute of Audio Research, closed in 2017.)
Agata & Valentina, which opened here in 2012, will continue on from their original (1993) Upper East Side location.
Signage/branding is up now for Osakana at 42 1/2 St. Mark's Place just east of Second Avenue...
This will be a second location for the Brooklyn-based (Graham Avenue!) Japanese-style fish market and education center, which offers a variety of cooking classes and demonstrations.
Aside from a seafood market, they'll be offereing a variety of fresh-fish and ramen options for pick-up or delivery. (Details here.)
