This past weekend, the editorial team went to the streets of the East Village and Lower East Side to shed a “video” light on several of the newest buildings in the area that blot out the sun. Chief among the sun shields - the Cooper Square Hotel - an amazing building from Carlos Zapata that could not be more out of place at its Bowery and 5th Street location. (And, I see the new Google Maps Street View has updated its picture of the dildo of darkness.) Brian Rose concurs on the big changes.
In the video, faithful readers will note that the plywood is almost totally removed from the windowed facade after months of plywood plugs. An opening of mid-July seems possible.
More Buildings
Other video captured includes the construction site of Thom Mayne’s Cooper Union building at 6th Street and 3rd Avenue which is now around floor 5 or 6. Further down the street, you will see The Bowery Hotel at 3rd Street and Bowery. One night at The Bowery Hotel will set you back $575 for a queen size bed. Or, you can sleep with me for $45. I’ll tuck you in, too.
My visit was totally unplanned. I had the good fortune of spying a poster on a street light that had just been left by one of the cemetery’s caretakers near Marble Cemetery’s location on 2nd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. One of the trustees of the cemetery, Ian Fraser, graciously answered questions including whether it was possible that a hotel could someday be built on this site. He assured me that the site’s landmark status would like prevent any such development, but you can never say never.
To view Part I of the New York City Marble Cemetery video, please click the “play” button below:
The East 4th Street Block Association was out in force today with a fundraiser aimed at buying additional tree guards for the street’s trees. A dedicated local group, they have ideas that go beyond the trees and look to build a better East Village (and New York City).
Considering the steady car and dog traffic on East 4th - especially on the weekends - the guards are important to maintaining the green of the E.V.
Craig Snoke from the Association gave East Village Podcasts the lowdown on past, present and future plans.
The “31 Cent Scoop Night” brought the 20-somethings out in droves as the line stretched out the front door of Baskin Robbins for the first time in anyone’s memory.
When approached about why people were standing in line, one 20-something female said simply, “31-cent ice cream” and then she hid her face.
Last night’s political events included an East Village-style fundraiser at the venerable Mona’s located at 224 Ave. B between 13th and 14th Streets.
Organized by Jonathan Woodward and billed as a lead-up event to the thrilling Guam primary, a $10 donation at the door got you a drink ticket and the chance to talk about Barack Obama - or any of his competitors for that matter. And, $6 got you a pint of beer. $7 got you a Makers Mark on the rocks.
In the back of the bar was an Obama “store” which had posters and t-shirts ranging in price from $10-20.
Though Barack Obama never appeared, his spirit was felt throughout the evening as the Yankee game played on a wide-screen projection T.V. (The Yankees injury-depleted line-up took it on the chin losing 6-2 to the Detroit Tigers.)
April showers bring May flowers, but it also means that the perennial roof leak is back.
Monday’s mild rainstorm brought a section of the apartment building’s hallway ceiling down (again). A relatively small, 1 foot by 1 foot section came down. No big thing - no one was under it, no one died.
Ominously, a small leak appeared over the doorjam of East Village Podcasts corporate headquarters where the staff usually eats, drinks and sleeps the East Village. Damp to the touch, the new ‘wet spot’ required a call of concern to the landlord who has been responsive but thus far, over the past 10 years, unable to fix the leak. And, he’s tried, too. Many guys have been up there with their tarpaper and flashing, but the leaks keep coming in the hallway - and now HQ.
Another contender in the neighborhood burger wars is about to appear - I’d say in another 3 weeks after judging the current state of the insides of Black Iron Burger Shop.
“BLACK IRON BURGER SHOP Frank Ennis, a bartender at Raoul’s, plans to open this in the spring. It will be designed by Jason Hennings, an owner of the E.U.: 540 East Fifth Street (Avenue A).”
Some may recall the new burger hamlet’s attempt at SLA license approval at a recent Community Board 3 meeting. I’m not sure how it all ended up, but more ground beef is on its way, regardless. A small “to-go” shelf has been erected just outside the left window which will likely have a grill just behind it with hot, popping burger meat for hungry passers-by to oogle.
Burgers are the new sushi in New York City. Long live fat.
A trusted source at The Bean coffee shop told me today that the former vinyl record store location known as Dance Tracks at 91 E. 3rd St. which closed last November may become… a wine store.
Wine - It’s everywhere!
The source quotes the superintendent at 91 E. 3rd. Nothing is set in stone, yet, but another competitor to neighborhood wine bars and purveyors such as Tinto Fino, Solex and the much-maligned (I maligned it) Bowery Wine Company may be headed to the grape-soaked streets of the East Village in New York City.
I have always disliked the subway - it stinks. It’s rarely there when you need it. It’s too hot in the summer, too. Even those “blast” air conditioners on the 42 St. subway platform during the summer do little for me.
And I like it. The subway takes me more quickly to most places in the city, with minimal cost, than any other mode of transportation. (Yes, I know what I said in the previous paragraph.)
In general, I feel safer in the subway than I do in the back of a yellow missile careening up 1st Avenue praying that a moron does not lurk at the next cross street with his drunken pedal to the metal.
After years of threatening to take a wine class to teach my beer-soaked palette something more than the difference between a red and a white, a wine connoisseur friend generously presented the editorial team of East Village Podcasts with a birthday gift of grapey goodness. For 2.5 hours, I was to be wined and lectured by Andrew Harwood and Jennifer Traul of NYC Wine Class on the finer points of wine (and cheese) in a class aptly titled, “Wine 101.”
Having recently sampled the ripple and Cheez-its of Bowery Wine Company, I believed it was time to take the next step.
The Arrival
Arriving by yellow limousine a little before 5 p.m., we approached the entrance to the unassuming NYC Wine Class offices in New York City’s Chelsea and rang the doorbell. “Come back in 5 minutes,” the voice announced. Undeterred (and gently advised) that our early arrival would not mean early admittance, we waited, and after five minutes the door flew open as if Willie Wonka was letting us into the chocolate factory. Up the “factory” steps we ascended to a simple but elegant space resembling a large dining room for a party of 24. The only difference between this and other dining rooms was the dry erase board where the tips and tricks of “Wine 101″ would be scribed passionately by Andrew, the founder of NYC Wine Class.
When you compare the current state of the Cooper Square Hotel to photos from a year ago, obviously the Bowery behemoth has come along way. And as it nears completion, it is also apparent that it will not stick out (quite) as much in that its neighbor, Thom Mayne’s new Cooper Union building constructed by Sciame, is reaching for the sky.
The missing windows of Carlos Zapata’s Cooper Square Hotel on Bowery and 5th Street - first noted here - remain plywood-covered as the unknown opening date approaches - I can see it now… Mayor Bloomberg arriving for the opening and, instead of cutting a ribbon, he removes the last piece of plywood and replaces it with space age glass. The green-tinted windows that are already in place and visible from the street level during the daytime, likely filter the UV, smog, etc. when viewing the East Village from within the CSH. I look forward to finding out what the Hotel will be providing to the community it filters when it opens - other than over-crowding and rising prices in the nabe.
As pictured, I’m not exactly sure what the llamas did to get thrown behind bars (…. yuk, yuk, yuk), but they seemed fairly content during a recent visit to (just outside of) the Central Park Zoo.
In the eons I have spent in New York City, I have still yet to darken the inside of the door of the Zoo located on 5th Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets. I recall enjoying visits to the local zoo as a child but after a while I realized I’m looking at caged animals and not just mysterious, wild creatures of books and film - and that can’t be good from the animal’s perspective. And often the zoo smelled, too. Would I like living in that type of environment? Nah.
Still, after passing by the open fence of the Central Park Zoo at dusk last week, life didn”t look so bad “on the inside” from my vantage point “on the outside” on a cool, Spring evening.
When I stepped into Back Forty, I was struck by how nice it was.
Nice wood floors. Nice wood bar. Nice coasters with a nice “Back Forty” logo. A nice piece of wood on the wall which says “Back Forty.” A nice drink called “The Back Forty.” Rotisserie chicken with some nice Back Forty Spice Rub.
Nice.
Located at 190 Avenue B and 12th St., I wouldn’t have expected all this niceness. Maybe a bit edgier decor for starters - or raw like Seymour Burton’s interior. But the owners of Back Forty (Susan Rosenfeld, Peter Hoffman and Jerry Winter, who also own Savoy Restaurant on Prince) have brought their SoHo magic north in hopes of reaching out to the migrating swarms of yuppies lonely for a meal in a nice interior.
On Friday night, I steadily hit one hot spot after another from First Avenue to Avenue B, and to its credit, Back Forty was the only place that I could find a reasonably quiet bar with open bar stools in the East Village at 7:30 p.m…. which makes one wonder: Why isn’t this place crowded?
Unlike other wine bars in the area, BWC is less intimate and less focused on wine. But a bottle of wine is cheap - $24 for a bottle of Australian Shiraz. So, let the games begin.
My BWC
A little after 7 p.m., the East Village Podcasts blog editorial team entered with wine connoisseur in tow. We seated ourselves at one of the little tables across from the bar and were promptly met by the first of a steady stream of Bowery Wine Company employees.
They certainly try hard at BWC and I get the feeling everyone working there is new to the world of table-side customer service. After a couple of awkward interactions with the eager staff, we placed our order for the aforementioned Shiraz and the obligatory bruschetta.
As few may know, Three of Cups received its moniker from Medieval knights who roamed the wild streets of the East Village in the mid-15th century. Every Thursday they would come to “Billy’s” - as it was known in the 1500s - for wine and wenches and to tell tales of their latest conquests.
Ripple dissolve to present day - Three of Cups, and the three cups left behind the bar by the knights, remain a solid destination for reliable food - the “comfy chain of mail” of East Village restaurants.
The food competition continues on the East Village Podcasts blog with this very special installment dedicated to everyone’s favorite sushi (which actually isn’t exactly sushi): the California Roll, a “maki-zushi.”
Ordered and eaten “take-out style” by the East Village Podcasts editorial team, the competitors include, as pictured on the left, from 116 East 4th Street between First and Second Avenues - Jeollado; and on the right, from the nearby corner of 1st Avenue and Fourth Street, Ishikura Sushi!
For the regular East Village Podcasts blog reader, you know that the editorial “team” promised a visit to the sushi-restaurant-formerly-known-as “Kura Sushi.” In the course of this take-out food competition, we’ve learned that Ishikura Sushi is the same people and owner as the previous Kura Sushi. Evidently the California version of Kura Sushi told our East Village version that they owned the name. Fie on you California Kura Sushi! We like our Kura Sushi, East Village-style.
There has been “Pinkberry-like” anticipation about the big opening of Bruce Willis’ Bowery Wine Company on 1st St. between 2nd Avenue and Bowery in the East Village of New York City.
Just last week, the New York Post’s Page Six tore the lid off Mr. Die Hard’s financial interest in the wine establishment. Then, Eater went on record with rumors of a Monday, March 31 opening.
Whatever the story, I went by BWC (Bruce Willis Company or Bowery Wine Company, your choice) today and saw a ladder INSIDE. Not sure what this ladder could mean.
The door had a phone number affixed to it if you wanted to find out about BWC’s opening. At first, I thought it was Bruce’s phone.
Friday night was “wine bar night” as Jadis had the pleasure of hosting the East Village Podcasts blog and friend. Located at 42 Rivington between Eldridge and Forsyth Streets in New York City’s Lower East Side, this was my second visit to Jadis which is always busy - but not “Freeman’s Restaurant busy.”
Arriving around 7:20 p.m., there were still tables left in the basement level winebar restaurant and we were seated near the front window next to the door. Concerned about the doorside seating, I became mildly indignant that I would freeze to death in this basement of wine. Yet, perhaps due to Jadis’ basement proximity to the furnace, I quickly realized the swinging of the front door would provide an occasional and refreshing breeze.
The waiter, who was older and struck me as one of the owners in that he seemed knowledgeable, supplied us the menus from which we chose a bottle of Argentina’s Malbec (only $25!) and a plate of cheese with a selection of four cheeses in addition to bread and butter.
Recently, my Apple Iphone’s camera stopped working with an issue that looked like this: when I went to the camera roll to view any picture I’d taken, it appeared that the image had not been saved except for a small gray outline where the picture thumbnail would normally live (I’ve enhanced the gray outline in the thumbnail to the right). When I touched the small gray-outlined box, the program would appear to crash and return to the home position.
But - good news. After a couple of days of attempting to find a solution, victory was mine. For those running into problems with the camera on their iPhone, here’s what I did to fix it.
The best part about P.J. Clarke’s in the World Financial Center is the view of the North Cove Marina and the Hudson River beyond. On warm spring and summer days, it can be sublime if you can deal with the swirl of traffic whizzing by.
Other than that, though, P. J. Clarke’s for a Saturday or Sunday brunch is barely serviceable. In the year or so that a Battery Park City friend and I have gone to P.J.’s, the limited brunch menu has never changed and they can’t even seem to come up with a simple piece of sausage to go along with the Huevos Rancheros or the Cheese Omelette. It’s bacon, toast or potatoes - that is all.
The sparkling Saturday sky offered a welcome, Spring-like backdrop to today’s meanderings in the East Village of New York City.
As I walked along 5th Street between Second and Third Avenues, I could see the top of the Cooper Square Hotel peaking above.
For all my comments about its resemblance to a pleasure device, the Carlos Zapata’s hotel really is a spectacular building on a clear sunny day - but out of place in my old East Village, still. Hard to believe the same architect that revamped Chicago’s Soldier Field has created a building less than 3 blocks from my “cozy” apartment.
Combining it with the new Thomas Mayne-architected Cooper Union construction just north of it and buildings like those which have appeared on the Lower East Side such as the new New Museum building, the East Village and its environs appear to be inching closer to an Epcot Center for the rich and famous.
Given that every neighborhood displays patterns of one sort or another, I have gathered together a few photos with patterns from New York City’s East Village in hopes of finding deeper meaning. Feel free to add your thoughts.
One of the many constants of the East Village is construction signified, in this case, by the pattern of sparkling yellow and white barriers erected on 4th Street between First and Second Avenues recently.
Note the lemony reflection of the sunlight from the barrier’s crossbar. The vibrant colors remind one of a circus which is apropos considering the unending construction at the corner.
The large metal plates covering gaping holes from the ongoing oil drilling in the street resulted in the simulation of a thunder clap for area buildings 24 hours a day whenever a car or, worse, truck would drive over them. Happily, the plate thunderstorms have been fixed.
Late last year, the cozy little French restaurant, Le Tableau, closed shop at 511 East 5th Street between Avenues A and B, and Adam Cohn and his architect-partner Adam Kushner opened (start Little Shop of Horrors musical refrain) SUD-DEN-LY Seymour (end music) Burton, featuring skirt steak, hamburgers and American cuisine.
After reading a review about a new hamburger competitor, I had to take the plunge and last weekend, Seymour and I got up close and personal.
The evening had already “started” by the time (8-ish) I arrived with a dining partner.
A cool Guinness or two had primed my engine and I was ready for the neighborhood’s latest burger entrant. The red room was filled to near capacity and quite loud. Fortunately, there were two seats available over on the island (I guess it’s known as the “communal table” - oh give me a break. Commune this.) which runs down the middle of the dining room and we gladly took our positions.
(start music) SUD-DEN-LY Seymour (end music) Burton is noted for a wine list. But, this was a beer evening for me and I was not to be denied an Ommegang Belgian ale available by the bottle.
Now that they have added “Ishi” to the “Kura,” will the new Ishikura Sushi be providing the same great sushi as before? East Village Podcasts has yet to sample the fleshy, fishy morsals of “Ishi” on 1st Avenue and 4th Street in 10003 (Would somebody move the truck?), but the new neon has piqued the interests of our editorial palette.
After the whole hullabaloo about tuna containing mercury, I took a hiatus from raw fish and concentrated my culinary pursuits in the ever growing neighborhood hamburger business.
Staged by British director, John Doyle, this version of Peter Grimes was stark in its visual appearance which progressively and effectively squeezed the life out of Grimes as he met his demise, once again, in the deep dark sea. It appears that some reviewers did not agree with Doyle’s scenic choices. Oh well, what do they know. In the recent past, Doyle is known for equally stark revivals of the musicals “Sweeney Todd” and “Company.”
Last night, I made my first visit to Pinkberry in spite of the cold temperatures and the surprising crowd huddled at the new frozen yogurt location on St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues in New York City’s East Village.
If you’re looking for anything other than frozen yogurt (or shaved ice?), Pinkberry’s is not the place for you. The menu has a basic offering which ranges from the original to the coffee and green tea flavors of frozen yogurt as well as smoothies and the aforementioned shaved ice.
I have a coffee ice cream fetish and, initially, was going to follow the fetish but was turned in the direction of the “original” by the enthusiastic Pinkberry cashier who thought I should start slow … the “yogurt is tangy.”
In this time-lapsed study of the Cooper Square, a.k.a. “Enormous Dildo,” a.k.a. “Dubai on the Bowery,” the Carlos Zapata-architected hotel clearly has been unable to replace the last few plywood windows.
Perhaps the Peck-Moss Group is creating the last panels in their laboratory of urban destruction.
Or maybe they are too busy planning what is going to happen next door and irritating their fellow investors such as Robert Becker? On February 28, Chris Shott of The Observer provided an in-depth profile of Gregory Peck (a protegé of Ian Schrager and André Balazs) and the professional “split” that the developing duo has endured. Also in the article are details on the new construction-to-be:
Whenever someone visits Ground Zero, viewing the old WTC stairway at the northern end of the site is often a focal point.
As widely reported yesterday, the largest remaining artifact from the former World Trade Center site, known as “The Survivors Stairway,” will take place this weekend. The LMCCC site confirms, “Removal of the “Survivor’s Stairway” at the Tower 2 site will take place mid-March 2008″ as construction of the new World Trade Center and Freedom Tower continues.
For several years, families of victims of the collapse, survivors and others have fought to have this staircase preserved. The “Save The Stairway” website provides additional information on the stairway and the grassroots group which finally persuaded those in power to turn the WTC artifact into a memorial.
“The “Survivors’ Stairway” is the last remaining above-ground remnant of the World Trade Center. The Vesey Street stairway was used by hundreds of people to evacuate the towers on September 11th, 2001. For many, it was the only route of escape, and is thus now termed the “Survivors’ Stairway.”"
If you have ever passed by this East Village lounge of classic cocktails, you know what I’m talking about when I say “well-fortified.” It’s not just wood paneling on the facade. It appears to be wood beams layered tightly so as to prevent any sound or beam of light from entering or leaving the intimate wood-paneled interior.
A reason for the soundproofing may have been the excitement around the initial, early 2007 launch of the bar. One of the owners, David Kaplan (his partner is Ravi DeRossi of the Burgious Pig), evidently told Manhattan Community Board 3 it was going to be a restaurant and when they looked inside and found a cocktail bar, “Uh Oh!”, all hell broke loose and the upstairs neighbor just won’t let go. In fact, according to The Observer, they have until April of this year or Grim Reaper may come calling on their liquor license. Good luck.
My cocktail compadre and I were seated in a section for small groups which, even at the early hour of 6:30 p.m., had already filled up with patrons including one very loud set of friends who were going to be our drinking partners for the evening whether I liked it or not. I did not. After 5 minutes of pretending to ignore them, I could take it no longer and we were moved to bar stools in front of the clever Death mural in the back bar area. Much better.
A peak through two, really good peep holes and a view from across the street on Saturday revealed the frozen yogurt store’s imminent opening.
I eagerly await a new competitor to my lucrative, Ben & Jerry’s yogurt ice cream business. I cannot believe I would ever give up my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, though.
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