Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo from Union Square by Derek Berg)... 

• Volunteers at East Village Loves NYC prepare meal for Ramadan; celebrate 1st anniversary (Wednesday) 

• A look at local vaccination progress (Wednesday) 

• RIP Madelaine (Dee) Ferro (Wednesday) 

• An afternoon out with Hello Mary (Friday) 

• Cure Thrift Shop will have a new high-profile corner space (Monday) 

• Repairs finally for the "warped" intersection of 1st Avenue and 7th Street (Friday) 

• Watching 21-23 Avenue B merge and grow (Tuesday) 

• Reconstruction of the McKinley Playground appears to be winding down (Thursday) 

• Tan lines in this week's NY See (Thursday) 

• Empty 1st Avenue lot enters the surveillance era (Monday) 

• Sly Fox is open for REAL now (Thursday) 

• May Day (and Night) in the East Village (Sunday) 

• Wine bar in the works for this former dry cleaner on 1st Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Hot dog!? Crif Dogs reopens on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• In the run-up to reopening, Short Stories is renting its bar by the hour for private drinking sessions (Monday) 

• Go Fish: Osakana sets up for sushi on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• Tony's Pizza signage arrives on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

• On University Place, Agata & Valentina has closed ahead of building demolition, condo construction (Thursday) 

• Intellectual property: Thirsty Scholar giving way to the Long Pour (Tuesday) 

• Openings: Rosemary's East, an Italian restaurant at 350 1st Ave. (Tuesday) 

• Unhappy returns: A one-week respite from a sidewalk bridge (Monday) 

... and Pinch points out the nice-looking sidewalk cafe now up outside Little Poland on Second Avenue near 12th Street...

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Broadway in Bloom

A tipster tells us about a Kate Spade "Broadway in Bloom" event this morning... the brand partnered with five NYC florists to create a "visual love letter" to the city. 

And we're told these bouquets of flowers will be free for the taking at 11 a.m. on Broadway at 8th Street...

EVG Etc.: A pool finally for the East River; a fundraiser on 3rd Street for Off-Broadway

• A list of vaccine incentives in NYC (Gothamist) 

• There is finally a city-approved spot for the long-proposed floating Plus Pool to drop anchor in the East River — just north of the Manhattan Bridge (Curbed) 

• Revisiting this oral history with community organizer Carlos "Chino" García (Off the Grid)

• The "public and impermanent work" of East Village artist Tom Manco (Pavement Pieces ... previously on EVG)

• Rachel Brosnahan bringing a one-act play to the Wild Project on Third Street to help benefit the Off-Broadway theater community (Deadline) 

• Thoughts on Precious Okoyomon's installation that is ending its run at Performance Space 122 (ArchPaper) 

• Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is being sent back to federal prison after a request for community placement was denied (NBC 4) 

• New Michelin stars include one for Tsukimi on 10th Street (Eater) A map of Michelin Bib Gourmands is here. 

• Diversions: Revisiting Downtown — MTV's animated, cinéma-vérité-style series about New York in 1999 (Vulture)

Check out the solar-paneled tree lights on 3rd Street

If you happen to be walking in the evening on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, then you'll see the new solar-paneled tree lights up along the block... courtesy of the 3CD Block Association. 

Block Association reps say these lights will be up indefinitely. 

Thanks to Kathleen Keene for the photo!

Another look at DJ Mother May in Tompkins Square Park

Here are a few more photos showing the latest upcycled cardboard installation in Tompkins Square Park courtesy of East Village-based artist Tom Manco of Manco Studio.

Steven took these on Thursday evening when the Mother's Day-related work first arrived...

DJ Mother May, complete with a detailed deejay booth, is expected to be up through this weekend here at Temperance Fountain...

The Regal Union Square returns to movie-showing action

The Regal Union Square ScreenX and 4DX is now back in movie-showing mode here on 13th Street and Broadway ... complete with "CinemaSafe protocols in place."

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.

Friday's parting shot

On the Open Streets of Avenue B today, featuring a Charlie Parker tribute and chalk art for kids ... photo by Derek Berg...

Dog day afternoon

 

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.)

Bake news: The annual plant and bake sale is this weekend at the 6th & B Garden

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... 

An afternoon out with Hello Mary

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...

 

Repairs finally for the 'warped' intersection of 1st Avenue and 7th Street

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...

As you may recall, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December ... the ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street. 

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.

Today at Temperance Fountain

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...

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 and elsewhere...

Take part in this Jacob Riis Art Walk today

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.

Reconstruction of the McKinley Playground appears to be winding down

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.

Sly Fox is open for REAL now

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).

Go say hi to Andrej behind the bar...

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Hot dog!? Crif Dogs reopens on St. Mark's Place

Crif Dogs reopened yesterday — for the first time since the PAUSE of March 2020 — here at 113 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The hot doggery is now in its 20th year, having debuted in 2001.

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m. Find their Instagram here.

H/T Vinny & O. Old photo by EVG.

On University Place, Agata & Valentina has closed ahead of building demolition, condo construction

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.

Go Fish: Osakana sets up for sushi on St. Mark's Place

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.) 

Osakana, a spin-off operation from Japanese restaurant Okonomi//Yuji Ramen, first opened in Brooklyn in the summer of 2016.

This space was previously Zoku Sushi, a delivery-only service.

Photos by Steven

Wednesday's parting shot

A moment on First Avenue by Daniel Efram...

EVG Etc.: Celebrating Lower East Side History Month; Reopening restaurants to full capacity

• Woman punched in the head in a robbery while exiting the L train on 14th Street and First Avenue (PIX 11)

• A Q&A with Eric Sze, the co-owner of 886 on St. Mark's Place and founder of the grassroots initiative Enough Is Enough (Eater) 

• Events for Lower East Side History Month (Official site) 

• Asian American history in the neighborhood (Off the Grid) 

• The number of NYC pedestrian fatalities is up 65 percent in the first four months of this year (Gothamist) 

• Subways coming back to 24/7 schedule (Jalopnik) ... with restaurants hitting full capacity on May 19 (Eater NY) 

• Sheldon Silver returns to the LES after early release from prison (NY1) 

• Why Bagel Boss is expanding with locations on 14th Street and East Houston (Forbes... first on EVG)

• Amelia feeds her red-tailed offspring in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography) 

... and thanks to Nat Esten for letting us know that the Bean's new awnings arrived yesterday on Second Avenue and Third Street...

A look at local vaccination progress

This Gothamist headline yesterday read that "Most Of New York City Remains Undervaccinated." 

Vaccine hesitancy and barriers to access are cited as among the top reasons why more residents haven't received at least one dose of the vaccine. 

Per Gothamist:

About 44% of New York City residents have received at least one COVID-19 shot, and about 32% are fully vaccinated. But some neighborhoods are much further along than others. In wealthier and whiter zip codes, more than two-thirds of residents are at least partially vaccinated (one zip code in the Financial District is at 89%). Most neighborhoods in upper Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island are well below half their populations being fully vaccinated.

The article includes a map of vaccinations by zip code via statistics by the NYC Department of Health. 

Here's a look at zip codes in this area: 

10009 

Partially vaccinated: 58 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 42 percent 

10003 

Partially vaccinated: 62 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 45 percent 

10002 

Partially vaccinated: 60 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 43 percent

As of late April, appointments are no longer necessary at city- and state-run vaccination sites. The COVID vaccine finder is here. 

You can also schedule an appointment for certain vaccination sites by calling 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692). Free transportation to vaccination appointments in NYC is available for city residents 65 and older and those with disabilities who have no other way to get to a vaccination site. To arrange for transportation, call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

Mayor de Blasio has set a goal of vaccinating 5 million New Yorkers by July 1.

Wine bar in the works for this former dry cleaners on 1st Avenue

Work continues at the former Exquisite Cleaners, where a wine bar is in the works here on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Third Street. 

Jorge Arias is on this month's CB3 SLA committee agenda Monday evening for the unnamed bar "specializing in small, handmade wines." (This item will not be heard in front of the committee.) 

The questionnaire (PDF here) on the CB3 website shows that the space will have five tables for 30 guests and a six-seat bar. The proposed hours are noon to midnight daily. 

Arias operates several like-minded businesses, including the Wine Hut on Sixth Avenue and, closer to home, Urban Wine & Spirits a few storefronts away. 

Exquisite Cleaners closed last summer ... one of 10 dry cleaners in the East Village to close during the pandemic.

Plywood for the former Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

Workers put up this plywood yesterday at what was the entrance to the Grassroots Tavern at 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

We have no idea what's happening here. A DOB permit — filed in late April — simply lists the placement of a fence on the property.

We've seen some construction activity here off and on the past few years... though a look inside the door revealed a big empty space. (Once, we spotted a set of golf clubs and a grill.)

Hard to believe that the Grassroots has been gone this long already, closing after service on New Year’s Eve 2017... ending a 42-year run.

As noted many times before, No. 20, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832 here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (It received landmark status in 1971 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.)

Past lives of this subterranean space — via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.

After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months. It remains empty three-and-a-half years later.

Applicants for Ichibantei had been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for a liquor license for a new restaurant in the former Sounds storefront upstairs. There was speculation that they were also taking the GR space.

Next? Dunno, aside from a lot of tags on that fresh plywood tapestry.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

• 20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

• Last call at the Grassroots Tavern

• Behold these murals uncovered behind the bar at the former Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

Tony's Pizza signage arrives on 2nd Avenue

The signage is up now for the new tenant at 128 Second Ave. — Tony's Pizza. 

We reported last month that a pizzeria is in the works for this space between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place that previously housed Nolita Pizza ... which left last June after a year for a newer outpost down on Kenmare Street.

Not sure at the moment if this Tony is related to any other Tony's Pizza places, like the one out on Graham Avenue in East Williamsburg. 

Previously here: Kati Roll Company bowed out in April 2019 after just under three years in business. The longtime previous tenant at the address, The Stage, the 35-year-old lunch counter, closed in March 2016 following an ongoing legal/eviction battle with Icon Realty, who had taken over as the landlord.