Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

With many in the neighborhood still reeling from the expected temporary closure of Mars Bar, EV Grieve notes the loss of a natural neighborhood landmark, a willow tree on Eighth Street near Avenue C.

On the subject of Mars Bar, DNAinfo has a post with more details about how the bar could close as early as the spring and might remain shut for as long as three years. That timeline, DNA notes, “could make it difficult for the diminutive dive to see new life.”

Instead of pondering the future of Mars Bar, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York re-visits the past through a series of vivid photographs documenting early 20th century life at the intersection of Second Avenue and First Street where the bar stands now. There are some other interesting takes on Mars Bar at The Gog Log and Blackbook.

In other neighborhood news, The Times reports on Thursday’s City Council meeting where one of our community’s most contentious issues – bike lanes – took centerstage. A highlight: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz borrowing a page from “The Sound of Music” to sing his self-penned “These are a few of my favorite lanes.”