EVG Etc. Filing another East River Park lawsuit; Calling for more Citi Bike docking stations

Photo by Steven yesterday at the 6th & B Community Garden

• ICYMI: A nonprofit sued the city for allegedly not including enough minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction contract for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (NY1) 

• A higher waterfront and a lower FDR may be on tap for Lower Manhattan (The City) 

• The debate continues over outdoor dining (The New York Times) ... while the City Planning Commission voted unanimously for a zoning text amendment (Gothamist) 

• Opinion: The East Village needs more Citi Bike docking stations (amNY) 

• An unnamed, pro-Eric Adams labor source alleges the next mayor's inner circle is running a campaign to block Carlina Rivera from becoming City Council speaker "because she's a former dues-paying socialist who voted to defund the NYPD" (The Post) 

• And see Adams on Colbert (here and here)

• A trip to the just-opened Via Della Scrofa on Fourth Street (TONY) ... first reported by EVG here 

• Suspect wanted for robbing a 24-year-old woman and dragging her down the stairs in 2nd Ave. building (PIX 11)

• Drivers are "continuing to speed like mad" on NYC streets (Streetsblog) 

• Inside Chinatown's newest food court (Eater) 

• Check out the film series "Punks Don't Go Home For Thanksgiving" (Metrograph)

The in-person tree lighting ceremony returns to Tompkins Square Park; save the date for Dec. 12

Photo from 2019 by Stacie Joy

After a year off due to the pandemic, an in-person tree lighting is on tap for Tompkins Square Park on Sunday, Dec. 12 from 4-5 p.m. ...

As usual, you can expect the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City... music from the Mandel & Lydon Trio ...refreshments via Veselka and C&B ... and 457 EVG posts on the topic. 

The Parks Department turned on the lights to the tree in an undramatic fashion (not even a "joy to the world") last Dec. 9 in what would have been the 29th annual lighting ceremony. 

Albert Fabozzi started the event in 1992. He planted the tree in memory of Park advocate Glenn Barnett, "and each of our neighbors whom we have lost to AIDS."

[Updated] Sidewalk bridge arrives ahead of planned demo of former Red Square storefronts

Workers yesterday started erecting a sidewalk bridge outside the now-vacant former shops at 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Thank you to the EVG reader for the photos!)

As previously reported, a demolition permit is on file with the city for the address. 

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 from the unrenovated spaces a few doorways down East Houston. Other businesses, such as Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins, Subway (sandwich shop) and China Town, closed.

The old section of this one-level strip — starting at the former Mattress Firm — will eventually come down to make way to an unspecified residential development. There's nothing new on this front to note just yet. 

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.

Updated 7 p.m. 

That's a wrap... a plywood wrap anyway... Stacie Joy shared these photos... the old spaces are now boarded up (and no full-on sidewalk bridge — yet?)...

... but there is a blogger portal! 😍

Tuesday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Letter-changing day today at the Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue at 12th Street...

And opening on Thanksgiving: P.T. Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" in 70MM.

Fall views

A late-afternoon fall view of Tompkins Square Park and Midtown courtesy of N&Lon7th (click on the image for more detail)...

Dress Shoppe II will close in early January

Photos from 2019 by Stacie Joy 

Updated: The shop's last day is Jan. 31.

Dress Shoppe II, the Indian boutique at 83 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, is closing at the start of 2022, ending a 20-plus year run in the East Village. (The business dates to 1978, first starting on Broadway, per this 2016 feature in The New York Times.)

Over the weekend, NBC News checked in with a feature on Dress Shoppe II, where Saroj Goyal has been doing her best to keep the shop going since her husband of 50 years, Purushottam Goyal, died in September 2019. 

The story confirmed the closure. (There have been signs up in the store as well. On a recent trip, Goyal told us of her plans to close in January. There was also talk that she'd relocate to a smaller location.)

You can read the NBC piece here.

Here's an excerpt focusing on clearing out the space...

Goyal is worried. The sheer number of things that need to be moved out is dizzying. Her husband was a collector, and his life's passions are housed in the shop's back storage area, reminiscent of the Room of Hidden Things from "Harry Potter."

But for now, it's business as usual. The shop is still a colorful, warm haven for regulars and the city strollers who happen to stumble inside. With a small team of employees, she's keeping the spirit alive while she can.

In July, Brandon Stanton, the creator of the Humans of New York storyteller series, featured Saroj on his @HumansofNY Instagram account. He also got involved in helping her business, launching a crowdfunding campaign in the process.

Amplified by Nicolas Heller, aka @NewYorkNic, the campaign raised more than $412,000 in the first 17 hours.

In the previous post, you can read more about this, including the financial arrangements with the landlord, the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association II.

You can find the Dress Shoppe II Etsy account here. The storefront is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily, with 1-6 p.m. hours on Sunday.

Your chance to check out Jimmy Webb's collection of iconic music photography

Here's a chance to check out the personal photo collection of Jimmy Webb, who kept the punk-rock spirit alive in the East Village and on the Lower East Side.

Webb, a familiar figure in the neighborhood during his long tenure as the manager and buyer at Trash & Vaudeville and later as the owner of the boutique I Need More, died of cancer on April 14, 2020. He was 62. 

Starting tomorrow, the Morrison Hotel Gallery unveils a week-long exhibit of Jimmy's rock photos in an estate sale to benefit Road Recovery, a nonprofit helping young people battle addiction and other adversities.

Here's more via the Morrison Hotel Gallery:

A punk icon on par with those he called collaborators and companions, the late-great Jimmy Webb is a New York City institution whose personal collection of music photography rivals our own. 

As such, it is only fitting that we continue to honor the legacy of this rock & roll guardian angel with a special estate sale of these works in collaboration with Road Recovery...

Outfitted in personal affects of rosary beads and feather boas, this historic collection which first made its MHG debut last December sees a long-awaited, in-person unveiling...

The exhibition is open for viewing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with hours on Sunday starting at noon. The Morrison Hotel Gallery is at 116 Prince St. between Greene and Wooster. 

Drunken Dumpling returns

Drunken Dumpling reopened this past Thursday at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

The family-owned restaurant specializing in Chinese potstickers, pork buns and jumbo soup dumplings had been closed since the NY PAUSE of March 2020. 

According to its Instagram account, DD is in a soft-reopen mode at the moment with a more limited menu. New hours: Sunday-Thursday from 2 p.m. to midnight, with a 2 a.m. close on Friday and Saturday.

TBH, the place looked like a goner in late 2020 and early 2021 with stacks of mail piling up inside. However, DD announced earlier this fall that they'd be back.

DD opened in the fall of 2016 and received favorable press for its gigantic soup dumplings created by the mother-son team here. 

H/T Steven

Cafe Sandra is closed for now

Several readers have now noted that Cafe Sandra hasn't been open of late at 194 First Ave. 

A sign on the door states they will be temporarily closed for a few weeks... there isn't any other explanation for the closure...

The cafe debuted in early June here between 11th Street and 12th Street. Several EVG readers have had good things to say about their food and service... not to mention the occasional live jazz. 

You can follow the Cafe Sandra Instagram account for updates. 

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos.

Beyond Sushi will not be reopening on 14th Street

Beyond Sushi has closed for good here at 229 E. 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

We noted in early October that the vegan restaurant had not been open in recent weeks. This location was no longer on the Beyond Sushi website, and Seamless lists them as closed. A Beyond Sushi rep did just confirm the permanent shutter. 

Beyond Sushi, part of a chainlet of plant-based quick-serve restaurants, opened here in July 2012. Four other locations remain open in NYC, including at 215 Mulberry St. near Spring.

At Key Food: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more

11/16: Updated below! Success!

For the third time in as many weeks, Key Food on Avenue A at Fourth Street will close overnight (tonight, in this case) for "system updates." 

Unfortunately, in the previous two overnight attempts, the updates were the same: unsuccessful. 

This, we're told, is part of a sweeping change to ALL self-serve stations and point-of-sale systems at Key Food stores in the tri-state area. 

Per one Key Food source, as reported by EVG correspondent Stacie Joy:

This attempt may or may not go according to schedule! There have been snafus in trying to do this. The system upgrade will require people to use the new Key cards, so if you have an old card and have not entered your information at the management booth up front (email address and zip code being primary on the list of required info) your card will no longer work after the update. 

The update will also provide an app for people to download on their cellphones, so they can scan the upc code of an item and find the sale price. You will not be able to pay for anything using the app though. 

The systems at this Key Food are ancient and resistant to system upgrades. I have been told that people have been complaining about lack of pricing info and sale prices not being accurately reflected at checkout. I was also told that if the people who shop at Key Food do not like the new system they should complain to the owners.

Meanwhile, Key regulars have noted subtle changes at this Avenue A mainstay. 

For instance, there are now QR codes posted on the Coca-Cola shelves... asking pertinent questions such as, "Best Coke Ever?" (in reference to Coke Zero Sugar)... 

As an EVG investigation shows, the QR code takes one to this on the Key website... 

There are also the new Scan - Enter - Clip notices at the checkout... all part of a new way to save(s?)...

UPDATED:

The software update WORKED, per Stacie...

Previously on EV Grieve:

• MAJOR changes coming to the aisles of Key Food

Someone painted 2 swastikas on the barrier surrounding the 6th Street sinkhole

The sidewalk- and tree pit-eating hole remains unchecked outside 338 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The sinkhole formed during the drenching rains from Tropical Storm Ida on Sept. 1.

Since then, a makeshift barrier including parts of Awash's outdoor dining space and other found objects have been guarding/blocking the sidewalk. Pedestrians must walk on Sixth Street on the south side of the street to bypass the sinkhole...

Several residents have told us that they have contacted 311, Community Board 3, Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office, the DOT, the 9th Precinct, etc., to report the sinkhole. Repairs await. 

And now an EVG reader reports that someone recently drew two swastikas (as well as a comment about President Biden and Gov. Hochul) on the west-facing plywood. 

Over the weekend, someone covered the messages with a yoga mat...

Shoring up the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue

Workers last week erected scaffolding inside the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on Second Avenue and Seventh Street.

A church rep told us that they are "finishing stabilizing the remaining façade, weatherproofing bricks that were never exposed to the elements before — that kind of thing." They are hoping to have this work done before the end of the year.

Last Dec. 5, a fire destroyed the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street, including Middle Collegiate Church. The fire spared the steeple and its historic contents — the New York Liberty Bell, which dates to the early 1700s. The bell is for now housed at the New York Historical Society. 

The FDNY previously said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the six-alarm fire. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." No. 48 was demolished. (More background here.) 

Middle Collegiate Church is currently raising funds to help rebuild the sanctuary (link here).

In an outdoor service in early October, Middle Collegiate welcomed back churchgoers for the first time in 10 months. 

Superiority Burger's original 9th Street space closes ahead of move to new home on Avenue A

Superiority Burger said farewell yesterday to its original home at 430 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.... even painting over that hand-painted Superiority Burger signage [with the odd word break and weird kerning, per EVG commenter EV Signage and Font Troll].

In the months ahead, Brooks Headley and Co. will be moving to 119 Avenue A, where Superiority Burger is taking over the Odessa space. They'll have a lot more space for diners as well as a liquor license. 

Brooks told EVG correspondent Steven that he hopes to be ready with the new space between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place in late February-early March. And he plans on holding onto this Ninth Street outpost for the time being.

The popular all-vegetarian quick-serve spot opened in the East Village in June 2015. 

Surf's up for Patagonia on the Bowery

The Patagonia outpost on the Bowery has closed.

The sustainable outdoor brand closed here at 313 Bowery at the end of October. (Other NYC locations, such as on Greene Street and West 14th Street, remain open.) No reason was cited for this closure. 

Patagonia opened here in late 2012 as the brand's first East Coast Patagonia Surf Store. They were active with sustainable causes through the years, such as supporting Surfrider, a nonprofit committed to protecting NYC's waterways and coastal communities. They'd also share information from East River Park Action. 

Previously, the space was a pop-up shop for a rock-inspired clothing line called Andrew Charles created by Andy Hilfiger and Steven Tyler ... and the Morrison Hotel Gallery. 

And a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

The space adjacent to CBGB housed the CBGB Record Canteen and, later, the 313 Gallery.

315 Bowery, the former CBGB, remains the John Varvatos outpost. 

H/T @hot_sauce_map  

A new florist for Sunny & Annie's

Next time you're at Sunny & Annie's for a P.H.O. Real or maybe a Mona Lisa, you can also snag some flowers here on Avenue B at Sixth Street...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy notes that a new florist is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.at the deli along the Sixth Street side...  

Jiang's Kitchen is in soft-open mode on St. Mark's Place

Photos by Steven

Jiang's Kitchen debuted back on Thursday here at 65 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue.

As we've been reporting, this is from the team behind the now-closed Jiang Diner on Fifth Street.

A look at the menu shows some of the favorites from that establishment, including the big-plate chicken. 

Jiang's Kitchen is in soft-opening mode through Nov. 24. (There's an introductory 15-percent-off deal too.) They are open daily from 5-10 p.m. Find a menu and delivery options here.

Jules Bistro closed here during the pandemic after 27 years in business. 

Boarding up Papaya Dog

Last month, Papaya Dog shut down without any warning (first reported here) on the northwest corner of 14th Street and First Avenue.

And last week, someone boarded up the windows and doors...

... fueling speculation that this was the first sign on pending demolition ahead of some new development.

Perhaps someday, but for now, there's nothing new on file with the DOB indicating any kind of construction.

Given the two smashed windows here, this looks to be more of a defense plywooding. 

In the midnight hour, Sweet Village Marketplace opens on 1st Avenue

As we've been reporting, a new deli called Sweet Village Marketplace is coming to the NW corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street. 

And, per EVG correspondent Steven, the shop will make its debut at midnight (!!!???) tonight.

Steven got a look inside the space... lots of corner-deli-type items... including sandwiches, salads, fresh juices... 

This space has been empty since the Bean left here in November 2019. 

A tradition like no other returns this holiday season on 9th Street

OK, maybe that headline is overselling it a bit. 

The Christmas holiday lights went up today on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, as Steven points out... 

As we've said, it's always festive on this block during the holidays. This year shall be no different.

And new stores joining your familiar faves on the block in 2021 include A Sustainable Village... Art+Ray ... Pillow-Cat Books... Spooksvilla ...  and a new home for Duo NYC.

And for those keeping tabs of such things, the lights are not early — they arrived on Nov. 1 last year.

Updated: 

A few evening-time photos here by Steven...