Photo by Derek Berg
Today on Avenue A... I'm on the phone here.
Friday, October 28, 2022
'Teenage' kicks
For the Halloween weekend... the Cramps with "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" ... with live footage from August 1980 and "Urgh! A Music War." (Not the best-quality video, unfortunately.)
The song also makes an appearance in "Halloween Kills," which you really don't heed to see.
An evening of something not Halloween related at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer
The concert starts at 7 p.m. at the church, 173 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Details about 'Hallowless,' a tribute to Jack Terricloth this Sunday
Oct. 30 is the second annual gathering of Infernites in Tompkins Square Park. Fans of the circus punk cabaret collective The World/Inferno Friendship Society will gather to celebrate the life of their departed lead singer, Jack Terricloth.For 23 years, the Halloween-obsessed World Inferno band leader dependably threw an annual October bash called Hallowmas. Their lovingly devoted cultish fanbase would descend upon New York year after year to attend the festivities. Tragically, Jack passed away in May 2021 and World/Inferno's Hallowmas tradition ended.After a Halloween exhibition of Jack's artwork last year at C-Squat, fans gathered in Tompkins Square Park and played cover songs. Out of respect for not calling the event by the same name, the fans dubbed their gathering "Hallowless" and said they would be back next year to once again pay their respects. A tradition was born, the future is now, and Hallowless 2.0 is happening Sunday at 1 p.m.Jack Terricloth lived in the East Village from 1991 to 1994. He tended bar at The Continental and volunteered at Reconstruction Records. While in the LES, he fronted the punk band Sticks & Stones. After starting The World/Inferno Friendship Society in 1997, they went on to terrorize LES venues for the next two decades. World Inferno regularly played at ABC No Rio, Brownies, CBGB, Mercury Lounge, the Knitting Factory and the Bowery Ballroom.Throughout the past year, friends and family put together a tribute record that is coming out on Oct. 30. Proceeds going to benefit MusiCares. Hallowless in Tompkins is part of the record release celebration.
After the Hallowless celebration, the space in the Park will turn over to the Nick Zedd film festival at 6:30 p.m.
The East Village Mermaid Inn is now closed until the spring
Photos by Stacie Joy
The East Village location has been removed from the Mermaid Inn Instagram account... and reservations are no longer available here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. A spokesperson for Mermaid Inn said this outpost is "closing for the winter" and will reopen in April.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos at the space yesterday... 
This is a deflating development, as the restaurant reopened for business on Sept. 8. In the comments on previous posts, residents cheered on its return.
Mermaid Inn closed here during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time.
There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the reopening.
The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003. There are also locations in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper West Side... with Mermaid Mexicana opening in the spring on MacDougal Street.
Meanwhile, a big outpost is opening soon on Times Square.
Service for Manny the Peddler is tomorrow at Most Holy Redeemer
Photos by Stacie Joy
The funeral mass for Emmanuel Howard, aka Manny the Peddler, is tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 29) at 2 at the Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... 
Manny, a street vendor along Avenue A since 1979, recently passed away. You can read our previous post here for background.
An early morning robbery at Desi Galli
Photos by Stacie Joy
The break-in occurred a little before 6 a.m. Owner PriaVanda Chouhan told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that the thieves took an iPad that the quick-serve restaurant used for music and about $1,000 in cash.
"They didn't get anything else because our neighbor's dog started barking. [The neighbor] heard them smashing things so she called the cops," Chouhan said. "She yelled out the window, 'The cops are coming!' and they ran out the door. They were in the restaurant for two minutes. Other than the door, nothing was damaged."
"We are looking at gates, but I need to talk to my landlord because security should be part of my lease," she said.
Meanwhile, the show had to go on at Desi Galli, as Chouhan prepared to cater a 300-person Diwali celebration yesterday.
The city removes the curbside structure from outside Pinky's Space on 1st Street
In an Instagram post after the removal, Pinky's wrote: "D.O.T. decided to try and destroy our business today with no warning. #just not right!!!"
It's not immediately known why the city removed this structure, which was still in use.
Per the Post last night:
The city had inspected the 30-foot shed on East First Street and First Avenue earlier this month — but said nothing about plans to tear it down...They only told her to get rid of a vending machine that “wasn’t food-related” and to pick up a trash can encroached 6 feet into the amenity zone between the shed and the sidewalk, [co-owner Mimi] Blitz said.
EVG reader Lori E. Seid shared these photos of the removal...
The city said this about curbside structures that are still in use:
The task force will also review sheds that, while potentially active, are particularly egregious violators of Open Restaurants program guidelines. In these cases, sheds will be inspected three separate times before action is taken. After each of the first two failed inspections, DOT will issue notices instructing the restaurant owner to correct the outstanding issues; after the third visit, DOT will issue a termination letter and allow 48 hours before issuing a removal notice. DOT will then remove the structure and store it for 90 days — if the owner does not reclaim it in that period, DOT will dispose of the structure.If the city did remove this for violations, then it didn't follow its stated policy of removing and storing... as the contents and the structure were tossed into the back of a garbage truck and crushed.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Deadly shooting reported at Campos Plaza
Updated 11/7
Police have arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting.
Updated 8 a.m.
The shooting victim was identified as Jaden Stokes. His brother Dujon, one of Jaden's seven siblings, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family pay for funeral expenses. You can find that link here.
----
According to the Daily News, the two men were in an elevator around 7:30 p.m. When the elevator doors opened, a man waiting in the lobby fired several shots and took off.
A worker making a delivery in the NYCHA building told the News: "The guy in the lobby started shooting the guys in the elevator. There were three, maybe four shots," he said. "It was crazy scary. I didn't want him to shoot me."
No other information was immediately available as the investigation got underway.
Screengrab via Citizen
Thursday's parting shot
Photo by Steven
A view of Jupiter this evening ... as seen — with the help of EV Arrow — by the Christodora on Avenue B...
Select films by Nick Zedd will screen in Tompkins Square Park this Sunday evening
The screening will be presented by special guest and film provider — Amanita Funaro, Zedd's stepdaughter.
Here's more via the EVG inbox...
Nick Zedd is an artist from the New York City underground punk scene, who passed away earlier this year. Although mainly known for his films, he was also a painter and author. Nick spearheaded the movement known as Cinema of Transgression — kitschy, violent, sexy, shocking, and featuring a filming style that goes beyond description.Nick Zedd always felt there was no good way to describe his films other than to just watch and experience them yourself. Tompkins has been known for decades as a park where artists, punks and other creatives come together in different ways.Back in the 1980s-90s Nick Zedd was always pasting his art around and sharing his zines in Tompkins and the surrounding neighborhood. Which is part of what makes screening Nick Zedd's films here so special.
The lineup, which will last roughly two hours, features:
• Police State (1987)
• War is Menstrual Envy excerpt (1992)
• Geek Maggot Bingo (1983)
• Attack of the Particle Disruptors (2016)
The program is presented by The Shadow and Cine Movil.
Earlier on this Sunday afternoon starting at 1 ... the second annual gathering of Infernites in Tompkins Square Park takes place. Fans of the circus punk cabaret collective The World/Inferno Friendship Society will gather to celebrate the life of their departed lead singer, Jack Terricloth. We'll share more information about this in a separate post.
A look at Thayer, a new cafe-bookstore opening soon on Avenue B
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Updated 11/2: Thayer is now open!
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Thayer, an independent press, is moving closer to opening day for its bookstore-cafe at 99 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. (First reported here.)
Founder Matt Lally, an East Village resident, plans to have a soft opening early next month. The two-level space will feature coffee drinks by Irving Farm New York and pastries by Balthazar. There will be grab-n-go soft drinks too. Beer and wine will be available in the evening.
Thayer will host various literary events and offer a curated selection of books and magazines for sale. There will be tables and chairs for drinks and books.
Daily hours: 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week, with a 9 p.m. close on weekends.
Village Grannies is closing on 9th Street
Vered Behr and Zviah Eldar, aka the "Village Grannies," opened the storefront in November 2016... far ahead of the current smoke-shop-on-every-corner trend.
The shop sells stylish smoking accessories ... much more unique offerings than the mall-like goods seen more frequently today.
For now, all items in the store are 50% off...
We didn't hear an official reason for the closure... the shop's fans who reached out to us with the news hope that the Village Grannies can relocate.
Photo by Steven
Kōbo by Nai watch on Avenue A
As you may have noticed in recent months... the small plaque for Kōbo by Nai outside 202 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street...
This will be the latest EV establishment for Chef Ruben Rodriguez ... the restaurant's website notes that Kōbo by Nai will be "a contemporary pasta bar featuring Mediterranean fare."
Rodriguez told us in a recent message that he hopes to be up and running here later this fall.
Rodriguez is also behind Nai Tapas Bar on Second Avenue, Amigo by Nai on Second Avenue and the recently opened Emilia by Nai on First Avenue.
This marks the first retail tenant for No. 202, which underwent a gut renovation and expansion ... the custom stereo shop Bright Audio was the previous business in the old 202 storefront.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Wednesday's parting shot
Coming Halloween night: "Psycho." The 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. showings are either sold out or close to it... so the theater added screenings at 6 and 7 p.m. (There's also one at 4:30 p.m.)
You can find ticket info here.
The Village East by Angelika is on Second Avenue at 12th Street.
A Haunted Halloween party for the Little Missionary's Day Nursery
Here's another to consider... the Little Missionary's Day Nursery (above!) on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is hosting a Haunted Halloween party on Saturday that will also serve as a fundraiser for the school... 
Neighborhood kids and their parents/guardians are invited to participate Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. They'll be some seasonal food and games.
Top photo by Steven
RIP Peter Schjeldahl
Peter Schjeldahl, a longtime resident of St. Mark's Place and "a half-century-long prose stylist of New York City's art scene," died on Friday of lung cancer, his daughter Ada Calhoun announced. He was 80.My father, Peter Schjeldahl, passed away today peacefully of lung cancer. He will be buried privately. In March there will be a memorial service honoring his life and work. My mother and I are grateful for all the messages and will be in touch when we can. pic.twitter.com/RVyrIkblWs
— Ada Calhoun (@adacalhoun) October 21, 2022
You can read more about his life and wife in this feature obituary at the Times.
Schjeldahl and his wife, actress Brooke Alderson, moved to St. Mark's Place in 1973. (They bought a place upstate in the 1980s.) In 2015, Ada published "St. Marks Is Dead." The dedication reads: "To my parents, who looked at the apocalyptic 1970s East Village and thought, 'What a great place to raise a kid.'"
Schjeldahl worked as an art critic at The Village Voice before joining The New Yorker as a staff writer in 1998. New Yorker Editor David Remnick wrote a remembrance, which you can read here:
Peter was a man of well-developed opinions, on art and much else. He was someone who, after being lost for a time, knew some things about survival. We met more than twenty years ago. I was looking to hire a full-time art critic. I’d read him for years in the Village Voice. And a voice is what he always had: distinct, clear, funny. A poet’s voice — epigrammatic, nothing wasted.
We got together at the office on a Saturday in late summer. Someone had shut off the building’s air-conditioning. Peter was pale, rivulets of sweat running down his face. I asked about an empty interval of time on his résumé. "Well, I was a falling-down drunk back then. Then I fixed that." He was harder on himself than he would be on any artist.Don’t misunderstand: in the many years of his writing for The New Yorker, Peter was perfectly willing to give a bad show a bad review, and there were some artists he was just never going to love — Turner and Bacon among them — but he was openhearted, he knew how to praise critically, and, to the end, he was receptive to new things, new artists. ... He took his work seriously — despite the cascades of self-deprecation, there were times when I think he knew how good he was — but he was never self-serious. He once won a grant to write a memoir. He used the money to buy a tractor.
In June, Ada celebrated the release of her latest memoir, "Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me," in the garden at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery. A proud father was on-hand.
Back to David Remnick's essay:
When Peter got the news of his cancer — a cancer that he and his doctors kept at bay for longer than anyone imagined possible — Ada asked him if he wanted to revisit Rome or Paris. "Nah," he said. "Maybe a ballgame." And Ada arranged it, Peter wrote, "with family and friends: Mets versus Braves, at Citi Field. Glorious. Grandson Oliver caught a T-shirt from the mid-game T-shirt cannon. Odds of that: several thousand to one."
Looking at the past, present and future of curbside dining
An overview via the magazine's press folks:
In New York's latest issue, features writer Simon van Zuylen-Wood examines one of New York City’s remaining vestiges of COVID-19: the outdoor dining shed. From shabby wooden structures to fabulous cabins with white tablecloths, their mass constructions “probably represent the speediest reshaping of the built environment in the city’s history,” van Zuylen-Wood writes. The streeteries were initially part of a program started by former mayor Bill de Blasio as a solution to help sustain restaurants during the height of the pandemic and meant to be temporary.However, in year three of the pandemic, the city is looking to make these structures permanent, even as we still grapple with how they’ve transformed the streetscape. Van Zuylen-Wood looks ahead to the future of streeteries while the seething ideological fight between shed-haters and lovers unfolds.
You can read the piece here.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, several East Village restaurants removed their outdoor dining structures, including Sabor A Mexico Taqueria on First Avenue and Bowery Meat Company on First Street. (BMC's structure was still in use and looked like one of the nicer ones around. And somehow graffiti-free.) The abandoned structure outside Momofuku on First Avenue is also no more.
The DOT has also placed notices at several now-closed restaurants, including Nomad on Second Avenue...
... and Kindred at Sixth Street at First Avenue...
The Kindred notice, dated Oct. 15, states the restaurant had 24 hours to remove the roadway setup. It was still up as of last evening, Oct. 25.
In other outdoor dining news, the DOT released a report yesterday analyzing the impact of the Open Streets program. The report includes claims that restaurants and bars along these thoroughfares did better than those on regular commercial streets, and some even did better than they were doing before the pandemic. The Times has the story here.
Openings: Sushi Mumi on St. Mark's Place
The Instagram description: An upscale Omakase restaurant serving authentic Edomae-style sushi by Executive Chef and co-founder Marco Lin, a veteran of Bryant Park's Michelin-starred Sushi Ginza Onodera.
Reservations are available via Resy, which notes to "expect a $250 tasting."
Sushi Mumi takes over for Kura, which closed back in the summer after nine years in service.
H/T Steven
About Brix Wine Bar, coming soon to Clinton Street
At first glance, we thought it might be a new venture for the folks who own Brix Wine Shop on Avenue B. However, owner Beatriz Gutierrez told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she was not behind this Brix.
Turns out this wine-coffee bar is via George Mercado, who received the OK in August via CB3 for a beer-wine license here...
He previously operated Barbarrio (2017-2019) on Lexington Avenue in East Harlem.
Brix takes the space from Oh La La Cafe, which closed this past summer... and, previously, Cocoa Bar.
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