Today in neighbors being neighborly

Spotted on a car windshield on Second Street at Avenue B:

"Just wanted to inform you that you have a rat in your car! Sorry about that : ( Your neighbors."

And it's not even the summer yet. By August the rat might be driving.

Thank you to Patty Rat for stopping to take the photo!

Nest watch: The red-tailed chicks are growing up quickly in Tompkins Square Park

Just last week, we noted that Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have three chicks in the nest this spring.

Since then, as Goggla notes, the hawklets have nearly doubled in size. (That's what a steady diet of rats and pigeons will do...)

So what's next?

Checking my notes from last year, the hawk chicks all fledged the nest the first week of June. The next two weeks should be interesting as the nestlings continue to develop their immature plumage and start exploring the branches around the nest.

Soon after, they'll start ignoring everything their parents say. 

Please visit Goggla's site for more photos of and observations about these red-tailed chicks.  

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop makes its long-awaited automat debut today

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop officially opens today after several pandemic-related delays here on the southwest corner of St. Mark's Place and First Avenue. 

As previously reported, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop features a contact-free, automat-type arrangement serving more than 30 varieties of dumplings and spring rolls around the clock. 

There's also a selection of beer and wine. Here's a look at what to expect via Eater:

Customers can either place orders on their phone by visiting the restaurant website or by using a digital panel inside the dumpling shop, where diners can simply hover their fingers above the screen to place the order ... 

Orders will be accompanied by locker numbers indicating where customers can grab their food. Red lockers indicate hot food like the dumplings and spring rolls, while the blue ones are for drinks and dessert dumplings. Customers then scan their phone on a screen located along the automat wall to access a locker once their order is ready.

Founder Stratis Morfogen recently gave EVG contributor Stacie Joy a preview...

While the ordering and pick up may all be contact-free, there are actual humans behind the scenes making the dumplings, varieties that include pastrami, bacon cheeseburger, lamb gyro, Philly cheesesteak and more. Find the menu at the Shop's website. 

There are several tables inside for dining as well as sidewalk and curbside seating. 

And while this flagship location is just opening, Morfogen already has several franchising deals in place.

Neighbors address the rooftop parties at this 6th Street building

Some residents on Sixth Street have launched a flyer campaign to help address the rooftop ragers at 330 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Per the flyers spotted on the block...

"We are a group of tenants living on 6th Street determined to address the issue of noise disturbances occurring every weekend — crowded parties on the rooftop with blasting music and guests yelling until late night."

Apparently, these have become a Friday-through-Sunday ritual these past few months.

There's an email address to receive updates on the group's action... as well as a prompt to file a complaint with 311. 

The landlord is Centennial Properties, which is the new name of convicted felon Steve Croman's 9300 Realty. 

According to Streeteasy, units range in price from $4,100 to $7,600 for three to four bedrooms. Amenities for a few units include balconies with at least one having a private roof deck.

H/T @vanishingny 

A look at the under-renovation Ideal Glass space on 2nd Street

A few readers have asked about the renovations at the Ideal Glass space at 20-22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

As reported last fall, Karma gallery is taking over this space... the latest EV expansion for art dealer and publisher Brendan Dugan, who debuted Karma on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B in November 2016. (Karma Books opened in April 2018 at 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.)

According to artnet News, who first reported on this deal, this "latest venue is set to be the crown jewel" for Karma. Why? "The ceiling height alone is enough to make a dealer salivate, and there will no doubt be a number of artists maneuvering for spots on the programming schedule."

The Ideal Glass building dates to the 1950s, when used as a glazier's workshop.

Blackout along East River Park

In recent days, someone has blacked out all the Save East River Park flyers along the waterfront...

And apparently, this was more than a random act of spraypainting... EVG reader Robert Miner, who shared these photos, said every flyer from East River Park Action was like this from 18th Street down to the Williamsburg Bridge.

Opponents of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project have been asking for a "real environmental review" of the $1.45 billion plan to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Previously

A little love for Little Poland

Little Poland has been open almost a month to the date here at 200 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Jefferson Siegel shared this photo today of the diner's nice-looking sidewalk cafe. 

The diner, which opened in 1985, has daily hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (And keep an eye out for the $7.75 breakfast special.)

The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S.

Gem Spa closed just a little more than a year ago on the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. 

Parul Patel, who had been running the store that her father Ray owned since 1986, made a gallant effort to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1920s. However, whatever financial progress she was able to make was not enough to overcome a global pandemic. 

Late last year, Patel auctioned off the Gem Spa's sign, rolldown gate and other miscellanea.

At The New Yorker this week, Michael Schulman tracked down the owners of these Gem Spa relics.

Jason Sheehy nabbed one of the big yellow storefront signs (seventy-five hundred dollars), plus a milkshake machine (three-fifty). Sheehy lives on a grain farm in Ohio, but "the East Village has always just been my jive," he said. Both items will live in his nineteenth-century farmhouse, part of which he has turned into an Irish pub, furnished with a bar and stools from O’Lunney's Times Square Pub, another pandemic casualty.

Diana Goldfeder Stewart, a graphic artist in San Francisco, bought an egg-cream sign for her kitchen (three thousand dollars). Her family operated the store from the twenties through the fifties, when it was called Goldfeder's. She grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather Nathan's chocolate-sauce recipe. ("He served what was called Goldfeder's Famous Egg Cream.") Like a lot of Gem Spa fans, she was anxious about what will replace it. "That corner — it's a magical corner for so many people," she said. "It can't be just nothing there."

As this photo from yesterday shows, nothing is here for now. The storefront is on the rental market.

Top photo from April 2019 by Stacie Joy

Trading places: Are you ready for some Unregular Pizza?

Unregular Pizza opens today at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. There was a friends and family sneak preview last evening... (thanks to Steven for the pics!)

Owner Gabriele Lamonaca, who previously worked at EV restaurants Huertas and Cacio e Vino, made headlines earlier this year for his unique bartering system. 

Lamonaca, who has wanted to open his own restaurant, started experimenting with his pizza-making skills during the pandemic. From his Harlem apartment, he whipped up a handful of pies every week and made them available via barter. 

As the Rome native told the Post back in February, he didn't want to take people's money during such difficult financial times... so he traded his creations for everything from chocolate cake to chicken Milanese.

He said there's some historical precedent for bartering. During leaner times in post-World War II Italy, "My grandmother would bake bread and press olives into oil, and trade it to neighbors for eggs," he said.

Now though you can pay for the pies, which the Post declared the best in the city. You can follow the pizzeria on Instagram. It appears that Lamonaca will still hold some pizza barters. (Update: they will have once-daily trades.)

Hours: daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Electric Burrito debuts on St. Mark's Place

Electric Burrito had its grand opening yesterday here at 81 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue.

As previously reported, the Southern California-style, to-go restaurant was created by Alex Thaboua and Will Wyatt of the cocktail bar Mister Paradise around the corner on First Avenue. 

The menu includes burritos inspired by Thaboua's upbringing in San Diego and house-made sodas. 

A rep shared more info on what to expect:

Visitors will be able to enjoy a selection of Cali-Mexican fare, including San Diego classics such as breakfast burritos, tacos and a totally authentic California Burrito that’s stuffed with french fries. 

Popularized by surfers and familiar to anyone in Southern California, this fry-stuffed Mexican-American mashup is a staple of casual California dining. Dubbed simply The California Burrito, there are slightly different takes up and down the Gold Coast with people in San Diego usually opting for carne asada. 

At Electric Burrito guests may select pollo asado, carnitas or carne asada as their base that gets rolled up with pico de gallo, cheese, and those iconic fries (guac, beans, crema and other add ons can be thrown in as well).

You can find the Electic Burrito website here. And Instagram here. Electric Burrito is open for now from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and from noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Good night: Mattress Firm closes up shop on East Houston

The Mattress Firm recently closed at 250 E. Houston St. in the row of one-level businesses here between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Previously it was a Sleepy's ... and before Sleepy's, the address served as a Halloween pop-up shop for a few years. 

And before that! Blockbuster!

Blockbuster bid adieu in March 2012. 

The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.

Apparently, not all of the retail space was part of the deal.

You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart. Other current tenants in the unpainted zone include the Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), China Town Chinese restaurant, the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, H&R Block and Kapri Cleaners.

There are several vacancies in the old and renovated retail sections. And the Y7 Studio has yet to reopen (to the left of Mattress Mart) from the PAUSE of March 2020.

Previously on EV Grieve:

You've had your last Blockbuster night on East Houston

Monday's parting shot

Amelia and Christo were taking a quick break from nest duties in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon atop the St. Nicholas of Myra Church on Avenue A and 10th Street... but a dive-bombing blue jay ruined the vibe... photo by Steven...

May 17

As seen earlier today on First Avenue and 10th Street... thanks to Goggla for the photo!

Report: Police seek 2 suspects in lobby shooting on Avenue D

The NYPD is searching for two suspects who shared a gun while opening fire from the lobby of a building at 132 Avenue D at Ninth Street. 

Fox 5 and ABC 7 have the surveillance video. No one was injured during the shooting, which took place just after midnight on Saturday. 

Descriptions of the suspects were not provided in the media reports.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Screengrab via ABC 7

On Union Square, Food Emporium makes the upcoming closing official

Closing signs arrived late last week outside the Food Emporium at 10 Union Square East ...

As we first reported back in March, this location will close on May 30, according to a WARN notice filed on Feb. 25 with the New York State Department of Labor. 

The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice. 

For now, everything in the store is 30 percent off. (And if you are looking for a Coinstar replacement.)

What's next for the Food Emporium space? In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here on 14th Street. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023.

Sources told Weiss that, despite the wait, Target wanted to lock in the location along 14th Street. The nearly 16-year lease had an asking rent of $183 per square foot, she reported.

In December 2015, Key Food acquired the Food Emporium banner name and related intellectual property assets, per published reports.

A few blocks away, Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, is opening early next year in the former Associated on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

A new era for Good Time Pilates

Good Times Pilates, which got its start at the onset of the pandemic in instructor Meg Broome's Avenue C apartment, debuts its new Lower East Side storefront studio today.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy caught up with owner Sam Miles (below left) and Broome at 158 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington...

Stacie interviewed Sam and Meg back in January (link here). Nice to see that they were able to realize their dream of growing their small business and opening their own studio.

You can find info about Good Time Pilates here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A visit to Good Time Pilates

New sidewalk debuts on the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

Workers finished putting in the new sidewalk around 45 E. Seventh St., offering a full look at the 21-unit condoplex with retail space here on Second Avenue.

As reported previously, the building sits on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015. 

EVG reader Alex R. shared this photo and video clip from late last week...

... and bonus video footage...

 

The return of a sidewalk and departure of the sidewalk bridge is good news for the nearby residents who had grown tired of the scene on this intersection in warmer-weather months. In recent years, this corner has been a gathering spot in the summer-fall for travelers/crusties. (The outside of the currently closed Orpheum Theatre across Second Avenue remains a spot for an encampment.)

Meanwhile, sales commenced last summer for the units in the Morris Adjmi-designed building at 45 E. Seventh St. Prices range from $1.35 million for a one-bedroomer and $1.995 million to $4 million for two and three bedrooms ... with the penthouse asking more than $8 million.

The property will reportedly include a commemorative plaque that honors the two men who died here during the explosion: Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón. (In October 2017, city officials unveiled new street blades that co-name this northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after the two men.)

As for more history here: In the spring of 2017, Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and No. 121 that landlord Maria Hrynenko owned.

In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. that was owned by a different landlord who had no role in the explosion. There isn't any development planned there for now, according to previous reports.

In January 2020, Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the blast. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.

Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband Michael died in 2004, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to cut corners, according to prosecutors.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion

• Moving on — and feeling lucky — after the 2nd Avenue explosion

• Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

• Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

[Updated] Irving Plaza has an announcement to make today

The recently renovated Irving Plaza is announcing something this morning at 10... likely reopening plans for the venue here on Irving Place at 15th Street... (Updated: They announced 41 shows starting in August.)

The 1,200-capacity music venue closed back in July 2019 for what was to be an eight-month rehab, which ended up putting the potential reopening right at the start of the pandemic PAUSE in March 2020.

As for the renovations, here's what Pollstar reported:

Improvements at the 150-year-old Union Square building will include revamps of the lobby area and the music hall, new bars on all levels of the venue, a new downstairs VIP lounge, and the remodeling of the mezzanine including a new box-seating section configuration located on the mezzanine. 

The venue has been in use for concerts for the past 41 years. The Polish Army Veterans of America have owned the building since 1948. Here's more history via the Irving Plaza website:

Originally, the building was four separate brownstones, which were eventually combined into a hotel in the 1870s. In 1927, the building was gutted and turned into a ballroom-style theater and christened Irving Plaza.

Over the next few decades, Irving Plaza would serve as a union meeting house, a performance space for folk dance troupes, and a Polish Army Veteran community center, as well as a venue for the Peoples Songs Hootenannies with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. 

In 1978, Irving Plaza was converted into a rock music concert hall, where EVG once saw Dogstar for some reason.

In late 2017, Michael Swier, co-owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and an original founder of the Bowery Presents, and Live Nation Entertainment created promotions and booking venture called Mercury East Presents.  Their combined venues include the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and Warsaw. The other facilities already have shows books in the months ahead.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Irving Plaza is now closed for renovations 

New Bagel Boss location now with Bagel Boss signage

Bagel Boss signage/branding is up now on 55 E. Houston St. at Mott Street (the former Oddfellows space).

This will be one of two new BBs in the neighborhood (first reported here). There's also one coming to 238 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, though no sign of signage there just yet. Both are expected to open this summer.

The owners of Bagel Boss recently discussed their expansion plans with Forbes:

Founder Adam Rosner explains that "At the beginning (of the pandemic), we got our teeth kicked in like the majority of New York City. We innovated, did a lot of shipping and now see a little spark in walking traffic."

Andrew Hazen, a partner, says it opted to expand during a pandemic because "We believe in the future of New York City, and we felt now is the perfect time to invest in it while rents are currently tenant-friendly."

In fact, Rosner asserts that he was able to secure two long-term leases in Manhattan with rents that were 35 percent to 40 percent below previous market levels.

Bagel Boss, founded in 1975, will now have 15 locations in NYC and on Long Island.  

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week include (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg)...

• Cinema Paradiso looks to bring foreign and independent films to Avenue A, though CB3 isn't completely into it (Monday)

• Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit (Monday) 

• There are 3 (!!!) chicks for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) 

• Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready (Tuesday) 

• This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park (Friday) 

• NYPL plans to expand services at all branches by mid-July (Tuesday) 

• Gallery Watch checks out My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake (Wednesday) 

• Mom is sweating in this week's NY See (Thursday)

• Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street (Thursday) 

• Sunspot! (Wednesday) 

• Another Tony's Pizza for the East Village, this one for the former Vinny Vincenz space (Wednesday) More pizza for a former pizzeria (Thursday) 

• 32 Avenue C is now shorter (Tuesday) 

• Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

• The Ukrainian Museum is back open on 6th Street (Friday) 

• Coyote Ugly makes it official on 14th Street (Friday) 

• Opinion: The overlooked stakeholders and potential bias in the Open Restaurants program (Wednesday)  

• Yubu bringing Korean food and beverages to 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches lives on in a new Avenue A location (Monday) 

• Report: Man stabbed, robbed of his e-bike in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Openings: Sanshi Noodle House on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Little Rebel announces itself on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Coffee shop slated for 194 1st Ave. (Thursday) 

... and from Friday in Tompkins Square Park, a tree climber (photo by Steven) ...

It sparked a mini-debate — yes, climbing a tree in an NYC city park is illegal.

---

Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.