Summer of Joy stops at Astor Place this weekend

The Public Theater's Mobile Unit — a reinvention of Joseph Papp's "Mobile Theater," which began in 1957 — is making the rounds again this summer at public plazas around the city. 

Today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday!), the free show will be at Astor Place. 

Details via the EVG inbox...

Each day will begin with the National Black Theatre's Stage for Healing and Resilience, co-produced by The Public Theater and National Black Theatre and featuring organizations local to each tour stop. 

This community stage will be followed by VERSES @ WORK – THE ABRIDGED MIX, written and performed by Mobile Unit in Corrections artist Malik Work, a spoken word show that blends hip-hop and storytelling in a modern version of epic poetry. 

The experience will culminate in SHAKESPEARE: CALL AND RESPONSE, a dynamic new show by Patricia McGregor where Shakespeare's complete works meets Freestyle Love Supreme and Mad Libs.

The shows begin each day at 4:30 p.m.

Noted

The urban etiquette notes are striking a kinder tone around here — "please be courteous and refrain from urinating here" as seen on Essex just below Houston (thanks for the photo Stacie Joy!) ... and the other day we had the "please do not defecate here" one.

Revel Without A Cause

Second Street at First Avenue this morning. 

And I have been waiting my whole life to use that headline! 

P.S. 

The officers let out a Revel yell upon leaving...

Saturday's opening shot

Ninth Street this morning ... pic by William Klayer...

Die another day

 

The Parrots, a duo from Madrid, are releasing their second full-length record on Oct. 29. Ahead of that, here's the first single, a take on modern life called "You Work All Day and Then You Die."

Just breathe: A walking tour to see how the air quality varies around the neighborhood

Some community members recently installed real-time air-quality monitors in and around East River Park. (You can check them any time here.) 

Via the EVG inbox:

Funded by donations to LES Breathe, a committee of the nonprofit East River Park Action, these PurpleAir sensors provide a color-coded score from 1 (best) to 500, based on EPA standards and the current PM2.5 (a mix of chemical particles small enough to inhale). 

With all the concerns about air quality (including recent wildfire haze days when readings soared to 165), this data is reliable and will help local residents know when to protect themselves, close windows, turn on filters, and advocate for clearer air.

This link has a lot more details about this campaign... as the group continues to speak out against the city's current plan to demolish East River Park and cut down 1,000 trees to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Tomorrow, members of LES Breathe are hosting a walking tour to see how the air quality varies around the neighborhood and East River Park using portable sensors. 

Details: Saturday, July 31 at Grace Space, 182 Avenue C at 11th Street. Gather at 10:30 a.m., parade at 11:30, a data performance by NY Alive at noon in Tompkins Square Park, and at 1 p.m., the 90-minute Walking on Air tour will leave from (and return to) Grace Space. 

RSVP here.

Last days to see 'Charlie & Regina' at 292 Theatre/Gallery

Longtime East Village-based artists Regina Bartkoff and Charles Schick have been showing their recent paintings and drawings in an exhibit titled "Charlie & Regina." 

You can stop by the 292 Theatre/Gallery today and tomorrow from 1-5 p.m. to check out their work at 292 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. 

From Aug. 11 to Aug. 31, you can check it out via an appointment. You can email schickbartkoff@gmail.com to stop by those days in August.

Reminders: Tompkins Square Library hosting mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic this week

As noted back on Monday, the Tompkins Square Library is hosting a mobile vaccination clinic outside the branch at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (It's across the street from the library.)

The City's Test + Trace Corps will be here today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

No appointments are necessary, though you can schedule an appointment for the Pfizer vaccine here.

 And according to the city's COVID-19 Vaccine Finder, the $100 incentive is available here...

At long last, workers remove the sidewalk bridge from 75 1st Ave.

Over the past two days, workers have removed the scaffolding and sidewalk bridge from outside 75 First Ave., the cantilevering 8-story condoplex next to Rite Aid at Fifth Street.

As previously noted, this project has been taking its time. The groundbreaking took place in September 2016. The build included nearly 14 months of inactivity.

And, to refresh your memory, some details about the building — dubbed "an architectural masterpiece" and a "timeless glass tower" via the 75 First Ave. website:

The building lobby boasts a fumed glass door entrance, lava stone floors and walls, and a contrasting yellow travertine stone desk. Black stucco adorns the elevator walls, while the private residents lounge features a yellow travertine stone fireplace, white stucco walls with brass reveals, a pool table, and several areas of seating. Additional amenities include a full-time doorman, a landscaped rooftop, a fitness center, and bicycle storage.

Available units include 1 and 3-bedroom homes with several 1-bedrooms featuring sizeable home offices, and a dazzling selection of Penthouse residences crown the building. Each home of 75 First Ave blends a modern open layout with sleek finishes, Italian doors and hardware by Lualdi, and gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows. Kitchens are equipped with white and greige matte lacquered cabinets custom made in Italy by Arclinea, white Carrara marble countertops and backsplash, Fantini faucets, and top-of-the-line Miele appliances. Bathrooms are adorned with custom sinks and vanities, and Piasentina stone flooring.

Here's a look at the rendering on the plywood...

No word on pricing or availability at the No. 75 website.

The removal of the sidewalk bridge also means that the 99-cent store at 73 First Ave. next door returns to view... thankfully they made it out of the lengthy construction process... (and it should almost be time for the Christmas stuff to show up in the front windows!)

Second pic in this post by Goggla. And thanks to Elissa!

Previously on EV Grieve:

• 2020 vision: New completion set for Rite Aid-adjacent condoplex on 1st Avenue

• High-rise for 75 First Avenue back in play

• Long-stalled First Avenue site now has a brand-new rendering

• Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos)

A short tribute — sob — to the World Famous Pee Phone™

Many of you likely already noticed this disheartening disappearance this summer. 

On Avenue A at Seventh Street, the long, distinguished reign of the World Famous Pee Phone™ has come to an undistinguished end ...

Back in March, workers started removing the open-air pay phones on Avenue A... though the World Famous Pee Phone™ was spared at the time. 

Anyway, the booth was a recurring character through the early years here in these pages — and elsewhere! (And I don't honestly remember who bestowed the booth with the Pee Phone moniker. Eden? I retain the Pee Phone™ though for merchandising and the forthcoming bingeworthy Peacock series.)

A quick look back... when it served as a lending library...

... when there was a price increase...

... and just a day in the life...

Thank you for always being there for us.

A lost Lego

A notice of a lost Lego — Golden Ninja Lloyd? — as seen at C&B Cafe on Seventh Street... thanks to Robert Miner for the photo!

Wegmans makes it OFFICIAL, will take over the former Kmart space on Astor Place

Wegmans is coming to Astor Place ... the well-regarded grocery chain is taking over the former Kmart space at 770 Broadway, as rumored.

Start spreading the news: We’re coming to Manhattan in 2023! #WegmansManhattan
Learn more: https://t.co/vcOcIRi9d3 pic.twitter.com/zcZHErxqW2

— Wegmans Food Markets (@Wegmans) July 29, 2021

Hot off the press (release): 

The Manhattan Wegmans, scheduled to open in the second half of 2023, will be located at Vornado's 770 Broadway, the former site of the Astor Place Kmart. 

Wegmans opened its first NYC store in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in October of 2019

"We are so excited to bring Wegmans to Manhattan. This is something we've been dreaming about and working toward for a long time," said Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. "The community's response to the opening of our Brooklyn store had an excitement and energy that you can only experience in New York City. You can feel that energy returning to the city, and we are thrilled to be a part of it."

Kmart closed without much notice on July 11 after 25 years in business, as we first reported. 

More to come...

Renovation watch: This is what the inside of the former Hells Angels HQ looks like now

Photos by Stacie Joy

As we've been reporting, the former Hells Angels clubhouse at 77 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue is undergoing a gut renovation. 

The 6-floor building is expected to offer 22 one- and two-bedroom units with a price point of $3,500 a month via new landlord Better Living Properties.

The last of the members moved out of No. 77 at the end of March 2019 from the clubhouse that the Hells Angels had in their possession since 1969.

In June 2019, EVG contributor Stacie Joy got an exclusive look inside the mostly-unseen-to-outsiders space. At the time, workers were just prepping No. 77 for construction.  

As she noted, there was stagnant air in the building — a combo of cat urine and rotting food. And it looked as if a few of the tenants had left in a hurry, leaving behind unwieldy pieces of furniture and a few mattresses. (The Post previously reported that the building had 16 apartments and that the rooms were used more as "crash pads" for visiting members rather than full-time residency.)

Now, two-plus years later, Stacie took another look inside No. 77 to see how far the renovations had come... 

The Better Living Properties website has four of the units listed, ranging in price from $2,999 to $3,699, with a move-in date of Sept. 1. Amenities include central air, video intercoms and granite countertops. The listings do NOT mention anything about the previous tenants.

As for the previous occupants, the Hells Angels reportedly ended up in Throggs Neck, a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the Bronx. Last summer, two members and an accomplice were charged in the fatal shooting of a rival gang leader.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Photo exclusive: Take a look inside the former Hells Angels clubhouse on 3rd Street

• After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

• The Hells Angels have left the East Village

787 Coffee debuts on 10th Street

787 Coffee debuted yesterday on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street (officially 159 Second Ave.) ... a nice retail spot right across the street from St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery.

As we first noted on June 2, 787 signed a lease for both storefronts — the one on the left (in the top pic) is serving as an office for the coffee shop 

With this opening, 787 has four East Village locations, joining 131 E. Seventh St., 101 Second Ave. and 319. E. 14th St. 

The Seventh Street store, which opened in October 2018, was the first for co-owners Brandon Pena and Sam Sepulveda, who wanted to bring Puerto Rican coffee to NYC. Their coffee is grown and roasted from a mountain-top farm in Maricao. (And 787 takes its names from Puerto Rico's area code.)

No. 159 was previously home to Third Rail Coffee, which did not reopen here following the PAUSE of March 2020. Next door, Danny's Cleaners merged their business with Lois Cleaners on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue.