Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Feeling the need to reduce the speed on 4th Street

As a follow-up to yesterday's post from Second Street... the DOT Bump Team was out today on Fourth Street, where the city is putting in speed reducers — two per block — between Avenue A and Avenue D. 

It looks like they only got to put down the bumps between A and B... and one between B and C. 

And as EVG regular Salim noted, these bumps look less pronounced than the ones on Second Street...
Also, here are some DOT trucks on the job today courtesy of Salim...

EVG Etc.: Remembering the 'country doctor' of Avenue D; Scoping out the Feast of San Gennaro

Photo on 7th Street by Derek Berg 

• Remembering the "country doctor" of Avenue D (The New York Times)

• RIP Phil Schaap, Grammy-winning jazz DJ and host of the Charlie Parker Festival in Tompkin's Square Park (The New York Times ... thanks to Allen Semanco for the link)

• So far in 2021, 189 people have been killed by vehicles in NYC compared to 150 at the same time last year — the latest victim was a 3 month old in Clinton Hill (Gothamist

• Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the neighborhood (Off the Grid

• "New York will no longer be anti-business" — Eric Adams (City Limits

• The simple and delicious burgers at 7th Street Burgers (Grub Street ... previously on EVG)

• Pete Wells likes the far-ranging menu choices at Soothr on 13th Street (The New York Times

• Film series celebrates the publication of composer, musician and writer Alan Licht's new book "Common Tones." Screenings include "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "The King of Marvin Gardens" (Anthology Film Archives

• The 95th annual Feast of San Gennaro starts tomorrow (6sqft

• A look back at the band 3 Teens Kill 4 (Dazed

• Checking out summertime cicadas (Laura Goggin Photography

• An end-of-summer party at the East River Amphitheater on Saturday (East River Park Action)

Eco-friendly A Sustainable Village opens on 9th Street

Photos by Steven

A Sustainable Village is now open at 318 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

This Zero Waste Shop and Refillery is the creation of local residents Jaclyn Roster (below left) and Em Hynes....
Here's more via the shop's website
Our mission at A Sustainable Village is to support our community in making small, sustainable changes that are both good for you and the environment. We've taken the Zero Waste Pledge to reduce plastic waste by choosing sustainable essential products and living a low-waste lifestyle. Our motto is progress not perfection! Little steps can lead to a big impact. We invite all to help fight Climate Change and reduce plastic waste from our city.
A Sustainable Village sells several plastic-free essentials for the kitchen and bathroom ... 
The big draw so far is the shop's refill station... offering a variety of soaps and cleaning products... you can bring in your own container or use one of their free upcycled jars...
A Sustainable Village is open Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. You can follow them on Instagram here

The Main Event set for Avenue B

The Main Event, a new gallery-events space, is opening soon at 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Karla Lockhart and Jay Bulger, an East Village resident, are running the venue. Lockhart described it this way to EVG contributor Stacie Joy: "The Main Event is not just an art gallery or a place to buy high-end vintage memorabilia, but will also be a space for conversations and events necessary for these changing times in the 20s." 

The first show is set to debut in October and feature photos of the late Lee "Scratch" Perry, whom Bulger once lived with and wrote about for Rolling Stone. Expect to find Bulger's photos of Perry and some other ephemera of the legendary reggae and dub producer. 

You can follow The Main Event's Instagram account for opening updates.

Spotting a Spotted Lanternfly, kill! kill!

We've had several recent sightings of the (dreaded!) Spotted Lanternfly ... an EVG reader shared this photo from the other day on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street. 

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and media outlets sounded the alarm about these little *@(%*s last month. 

And as Goggla recently noted, "The Spotted Lanternfly is beautiful, but unfortunately, extremely destructive. It feeds on sap which destroys plants and trees." 

According to the Parks Department: "if you see a Spotted Lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest."

The Parks Department recommends these actions (after the kill):

  • New Yorkers should also report any findings to NYC Parks by emailing Forest.Health@parks.nyc.gov. Please include photos, location of the infestation, and details of property damage.
  • You can help prevent the spread of spotted lanternflies by refraining from moving firewood, outdoor furniture, and other outdoor items that may contain SLF egg masses. 
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation website has more info on how you can ID the Spotted Lanternfly. 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Feeling the need to reduce the speed on 2nd Street

This afternoon, DOT crews were out on Second Street between Avenue B and First Avenue to install "speed reducers" (aka speed bumps!) along the corridor, as EVG regular Salim points out...
And here's a look at the new WIP bump between Avenue A and First Avenue... a stretch where we've seen plenty of speeding TBH...
Looks like just one bump per block. Residents can request these speed reducers via the city at this link.

Updated 9/15
Fourth Street is getting speed bumps too. Post is here.


At the 50th anniversary of Albert's Garden on 2nd Street

On Sunday afternoon, Albert's Garden celebrated its 50th year here at 16-18 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. (Read more about its history here.)
Some longtime garden members and local residents were on hand for the festivities ... as was EVG contributor Stacie Joy, who shared these photos...
You can check out the garden yourself during these posted open hours... 

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
Monday: * when the gate is open
Tuesday: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. 
Wednesday: * when the gate is open 
Thursday: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. 
Friday: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. 
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Village Voices, a new street exhibit, recognizes trailblazing neighborhood icons

Photos by Steven

Village Voices is a new street exhibition via Village Preservation honoring downtown trailblazers and their legacies ... and you can find four of the installations on the fence along St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

Featured artists here are Patti Smith, Charlie Parker, W.H. Auden and Joan Mitchell. Each name is linked to an audio overview of the artists as well as biographical information.
You can find a map with all the installations in the area right here.

Brown paper on the windows at the former Odessa on Avenue A

Photo by Steven

Former Odessa Watchers™ noted the arrival yesterday of brown paper on the front windows at the old diner at 119 Avenue A. 

As you may know, Superiority Burger has signed a lease for the address here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, first reported by Grub Street last month.

Brooks Headley, the owner of the all-vegetarian quick-serve spot on Ninth Street, told Grub Street's Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld that he's not changing a thing:
"Odessa has always kinda been my dream space," he says. What's so dreamy about it is that besides being big, it comes completely furnished and ready to go. "It's not old and dusty and gross and needing upgrades," he says. "I find it completely beautiful — the soda counter, the satellite bar, the cash register station. I don't plan to change it at all."
So the paper on the windows is likely to provide a little privacy and keep the Former Odessa Watchers™from obsessing over every little detail. (Sample: That pen was not on the table yesterday. Also, we forgot to report that the Sanity Inspection Grade, an A, and assorted signage were removed from the front windows several weeks ago. Hopefully, all this is in the Diner Hall of Fame.)

Headley previously said that the move from Ninth Street will be several months down the road. (Given the current supply-chain issues, it may take longer for any new kitchen equipment to arrive.)

Once the new home of Superiority Burger is up and running, they'll first launch a dinner service before opening it up later for lunch and breakfast.

In July 2020, longtime manager Dennis Vassilatos said that Odessa was shutting down after a prolonged slump in business due to the pandemic. (Odessa Restaurant opened in this space in April 1995. The original Odessa, the longtime favorite that dated to the mid-1960s, closed next door in August 2013.)

However, closer to the last dayco-owner Steve Helios told Gothamist that Odessa was only closing temporarily, that the space would be renovated. The building's landlord is Odessa partner Mike Skulikidis. The closing turned out to be more than temporary.

Superiority Burger opened in the East Village in June 2015

New Indian restaurant in the works for this stretch of 2nd Avenue

An Indian restaurant called Desi Stop is coming to 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. (Thanks to Steven for the photo and tip!)

This info is according to the workers who are currently renovating the space. We don't know anything just yet about the owners behind the new place.

Desi Stop takes over for Nostro Ristorante, which debuted in October 2019. The Italian restaurant reopened briefly late in the spring of 2020 for pandemic-era takeout and delivery but closed soon after. 

The west side of Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Sixth Street has been hard-hit with closures... aside from Nostro, Atlas Cafe ... Thailand Cafe ... and Hou Yi Hot Pot/Spicy Noodle Hot Pot all closed last year. And Calexico at 99 Second Ave. remains "temporarily closed."  

Report: Jeepney closing after 9 years on 1st Avenue

Jeepney, the 9-year-old Filipino gastropub at 201 First Ave., is closing on Sept. 25, Eater reports

However, owner Nicole Ponseca said that this isn't the end of Jeepney — just at this location between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Per Eater:
The restaurateur hopes to partner with a restaurant group to open a more casual version of her pioneering restaurant in multiple cities, including the possibility of New York, similar to her expansion in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami earlier this year.
Ponseca and executive chef Miguel Trinidad also operated Maharlika on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street from 2011-2019. As Eater noted: "Both restaurants have been heralded for their takes on modern Filipino cooking, which helped introduce New York City to the Southeast Asian cuisine." 

For its remaining time on First Avenue, Jeepney will be open for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Image via Facebook

Raising the barre: Pure Barre opening a studio at 250 E. Houston St.

A Pure Barre outpost is coming to 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, per the fitness chain's website. (H/T Stacie Joy!

Pure Barre looks to be taking over the space last held by Y7 Studio, the hip-hop-fueled yoga center that never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020. Update: Y7 reopened on Oct. 4. It's not clear what space Pure Barre is taking.

As its name suggests, Pure Barre is a ballet-inspired fitness regimen mostly centered around the handrail used in ballet training — the barre. 

And as we've been noting, there's been a storefront shuffle along this renovated retail stretch. Kapri Cleaners and the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center moved here from the unrenovated spaces a few doorways down East Houston. The old retail section of this strip is apparently coming down to make way for an unspecified new development. 

On that note, workers last week were removing asbestos from the former Subway (sandwich) shop space...