Union Square has a knack for drawing the talented, the bored, and the show-offs to its broad open spaces. For that reason I gravitate to this part of the city on a daily basis in order to capture some of its magic and to add some of my own. Now Occupy Wall Street protesters have bitten off quite a chunk of the south side of Union Square, and in response, police officers hover around the perimeter of the park, poised to stop anything unruly or obstructive. Despite surveillance, artists, street performers and park-goers don’t seem to shy away from self expression. Rush hour is a great time to take photos not only because the park is flooded with characters, but also because it’s then that the sun is likely to create interesting highlights and shadows on faces.
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To conclude our week-long look at the impacts of N.Y.U.’s expansion plans, The Local examines the concerns surrounding loss of light under the proposed development.

How will the new buildings proposed on the two superblocks south of Washington Square Park affect sunlight in the area?

There’s no getting around it, the new buildings mean less light. The LaGuardia and Mercer buildings planned for the north block will cast shadows on the two Washington Square Village buildings. More controversially, the proposed Bleecker building on the south block will cast a shadow that likely means an end to the LaGuardia Corner Gardens, located in front of the Morton Williams supermarket on a strip of property that belongs to the Transportation Department. The university notes that the alignment of the LaGuardia and Mercer buildings would make the block resemble the dimensions of the city’s grid pattern – “not an unusual New York City condition,” per William Haas, the university’s director of planning. Read more…

Photos: Tim Schreier

It’s The Hole’s most ambitious installation yet: With funding from an unlikely patron – Playboy – the Bowery gallery has transformed into a fecund, fragrant landscape complete with a bridge and lily pond in the back corner. The indoor recreation of Monet’s garden in Giverny was partly inspired by performance artist and longtime East Villager, Kembra Pfahler, best known as the lead singer of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.

At a preview of the exhibit earlier today, Ms. Pfahler, looking vaguely occult in black eye makeup and a hood, sprinkled potpourri over a cluster of flowers that had been transplanted from Long Island. “I’ll learn to water them,” she promised, “because I do not know a thing about plants. Being in this garden last night was the first time I’ve been around plants like this.”

Not exactly true: in August 2011, Ms. Pfahler traveled to Giverny, France, to be photographed by E.V. Day in Monet’s famous garden estate, where the photographer best known for exploding couture was enjoying a residency. Read more…

A new site dedicated to the Occupy Wall Street movement aims to be a sounding board for protests around the world, and its launch party is next week at Arrow Bar on Avenue A. According to a write-up on Facebook, Occupy.com will “use media as a call for social, economic, environmental and political justice. We seek to inspire resistance, engagement and the creation of the new world we imagine.” The architects of the site add that they are “morally accountable to the movement as a whole.”

Ukrainians are known to celebrate Christmas a bit late, so why not nod to Easter early? Tomorrow the Ukrainian Museum concludes its month-long exhibit of pysanka (lavishly decorated eggs) with a colorful demonstration. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., artists will use dyes and beeswax to adorn raw eggs, to the accompaniment of a 14-minute documentary about the art of batik. The Local attended a recent workshop and got tips from one such artist, Alexandra Lebed. Warning to those who get hungry easily: Ukrainian Easter food was served. 

Courtesy Kaelen Haworth

The East Village is “such a great mix of high, low, trendy, traditional, gritty, sophisticated,” muses designer Kaelen Haworth. The Toronto native and Parsons graduate has been designing her eponymous brand of polished womenswear since 2010, and finds a good deal of inspiration in the neighborhood. “There are millions of vintage shops in the area that are an interesting resource for designers,” she says. “I was late for work this morning but still debating running to the vintage shop at Second and Second to try on an awesome furry thing in the window.” And she digs her adopted home for more than just fashion: The designer recently clued us in to some “dangerous” cocktails and dog-friendly coffee spots where you might find her sipping with her French bulldog, Lola.

Favorite coffee spot
I like The Bean. They’re dog-friendly, which is cool because I have a dog and geek out over other dogs. Also I think the best coffee in my hood is from the Juicy Lucy stand on the corner of First and First.  It’s amazing and the staff is so nice. I don’t have to order anymore — they know I need coffee and lots of it before small talk. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

A Japanese restaurant with three locations in Long Island will open in the space that was home to Lan, a neighborhood favorite for a little over a decade. When The Local stopped into Kotobuki at 56 Third Avenue earlier today, the owner politely declined to speak about the restaurant or let us take photos, since he is still staffing up, but said he hoped to quietly open next Thursday.

According to a Website advertising outposts in Babylon, Roslyn, and the original location in Hauppauge, the mini-chain was established in 1987, with an aim to “relentlessly revolutionize the facets of Japanese fare to craft extraordinary delights to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.” Read more…

As Village residents await Borough President Scott Stringer’s recommendation early next month regarding N.Y.U.’s expansion plans, The Local is taking a look at the impacts of the project. Today, we’re examining the concerns surrounding the replacement of a dog run under the proposed development. Yesterday, we looked at the impact the proposal would have on three playgrounds in Greenwich Village. Check back for our coverage of concerns surrounding loss of light and the LaGuardia Community Garden.

So what does the future hold for the dog run at the corner of Houston and Mercer Streets should N.Y.U.’s expansion be approved?

N.Y.U. The proposed dog run.

The dogs and their roughly 300 owners at the Mercer-Houston Dog Run will have to be relocated to make way for the Zipper building, which will be 26 stories at its highest point. The building would extend almost the entire length of the south block along Mercer Street between Houston and Bleecker Streets. In addition to housing, academic, retail space and a hotel, the new structure would also hold the replacement for the Morton Williams Supermarket at the northwest corner of the south block. The university says the replacement grocery store would be fully operational before Morton Williams is demolished in 2018. Read more…

Michelle Rick

Community Board 3 continues to debate whether it should soften its hardline stance against new beer-and-wine licenses in nightlife-saturated areas. Last night, a task-force meeting pitted residents who don’t want to see C.B. 3 bow to late-night noisemakers against a landlord who said he has been financially stymied by the board’s current policy.

In response to evidence that the State Liquor Authority routinely approves beer-and-wine applications even when C.B. 3 recommends disapproval, the board may start supporting the soft stuff in resolution areas that are currently verboten, so long as the applicant agrees to operate primarily in the daytime and close at midnight or earlier. The new stipulations, the board hopes, will both curtail noise and attract more diverse – and especially daytime – businesses.

Residents who live on streets like St. Marks Place and the avenues of Alphabet City, which devolve into something resembling a carnival on weekend nights, showed up at C.B. 3’s offices on East Fourth Street to voice their concerns about the potential policy shift. Read more…

Maya Millett The 5C Cultural Center, 68 Avenue C.

Update | 10:57 a.m. This article was revised to include comments from Bruce Morris, the co-owner of 5C Cultural Center, who responded to several phone calls from The Local shortly after the story was posted.

After 17 years of bad blood, injunction orders, and noise complaints, the co-op board of 702 East Fifth Street dropped its eviction of 5C Cultural Center and Cafe yesterday.

The decision draws the lengthy court battle to a close, though it’s far from certain that the conflict between the art and performance space and its upstairs neighbors has been resolved. In fact, the outcome may not be as favorable for the owners of 5C as it appears.

According to David Studer, the maintenance coordinator for the building, the board had been trying to drop the eviction for the past year, but the owners of 5C resisted, opting to keep an injunction in place that discouraged their landlords from seeking the monthly rent. Yesterday a judge sided with the board and lifted that injunction on the grounds that it was moot because the board no longer wished to evict 5C. Now the board is free to pursue around $16,000 in back rent. Read more…

Daniel Maurer Former home of Jubb’s Longevity.

Community Board 3 has released its April calendar of meetings. Looking at the S.L.A. Licensing committee’s agenda: A company by the name of Downtown Dining LLC, which pursued the 205 Club space on the Lower East Side before Matt Levine took it over, is now going after 5 Avenue A, which happens to be the address of neighborhood fixture Nice Guy Eddie’s (no one picked up when we called the bar to find out whether it may close). The former Mo Pitkins and Aces and Eights space, 34 Avenue A, is back on the calendar, this time with the mysterious Great Life Hospitality Group pursuing wine and beer there. Read more…

A sign posted at Astor Place between Broadway and Lafayette Street indicates that The CW’s show based on Candace Bushnell’s “Sex and the City” prequel, “The Carrie Diaries” will be filming in the neighborhood on Sunday. The show will follow a 17-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, played by AnnaSophia Robb, through high school life in Connecticut. Adult Carrie was no stranger to the East Village: She attended Miranda’s birthday party at Lucky Cheng’s during the “Sex and the City” pilot, and one of her clothiers of choice, Patricia Field, is right here on the Bowery.

Finally, the perfect t-shirt to go along with your mosaic belt buckle. The Mosaic Man Jim Power just alerted The Local on Twitter to his new shirts, which feature a portrait of the local legend gazing into the distance. The collection on Cafe Press also includes Mosaic Man-endorsed iPhone covers, coffee mugs, notebooks and even t-shirts for a dog.

Shira Levine

For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: Dual Specialty Store.

In 1989, Abdul Patwary opened Dual Specialty Store to serve local Bengalis. That community has dwindled and the spice bazaar and Indian goods store – located a few steps below street level at 91 First Avenue, around the corner from Curry Row – suffered a fire in 2005. But Mr. Patwary, along with the family members who help him run the store, got things rolling again, and Dual Specialty is thriving seven years later. We asked the shopkeeper, who doubles as a doctor to some, how he’s managed to make it this long.

How has your customer base changed over the years?

There was a big Bengali community that lived here, and we, my family, started this business first to bring our products to them. We wanted to bring them things they wanted and needed from back home. Then the Bengali community started to leave this area, so we changed the mood of the business. We could see that we had to appeal to a larger, vast community here in the East Village. Our customers were people who care about their health and want to use natural, high-quality products to treat themselves better. Read more…

As Village residents await Borough President Scott Stringer’s recommendation early next month regarding N.Y.U.’s expansion plans, The Local is taking a look at the impacts of the project. Today, we’re examining the concerns surrounding the replacement of four playgrounds under the proposed development. Yesterday, we looked at the impact the proposal would have on parking in Greenwich Village. Check back for our coverage of concerns surrounding loss of light, the dog run, and the LaGuardia Community Garden.

If N.Y.U.’s expansion is approved, what will happen to the playgrounds in its footprint?

There are three playgrounds on the two blocks where N.Y.U. is seeking to build. They are Mercer Playground, located along Mercer Street on the north block; Key Park, which is just west of Mercer Playground between the two buildings in Washington Square Village; and Rocket Ship Park on the south block. Each one will be demolished and eventually replaced. N.Y.U. says that at a minimum, a temporary playground will always be open during the proposed 20-year buildout. Key Park and Rocket Ship Park are not open to the public — the replacement parks will be public. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

If you’re wondering why helicopters have been hovering over the East Village, it’s likely due to a three-alarm fire that broke out in the upper stories of Masaryk Towers at Columbia Street near Rivington Street in the Lower East Side. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles are lined up all the way to Houston Street. DNA Info reported that the blaze broke out on the 16th floor of 89 Columbia Street at 11:20 a.m.; no injuries were reported at the time of its story. Our friends at The Lo-Side are following the fire and posted aerial shots as well as photos of the charred building just minutes ago.

Update | 1:20 p.m. The Lo-Down reports that the blaze has been extinguished.

At last night’s full board meeting, Community Board 3 upheld its liquor licensing committee’s vote to recommend that the State Liquor Authority deny a full liquor license at 200 Avenue A, the old Superdive spot, as well as at Spanish newcomer Bikinis unless the latter operates as a full service restaurant during the day and nighttime hours are curbed to midnight. There was, however, one reversal: earlier this month, the subcommittee voted against a beer and wine license at Sahara Citi, a falafel joint at 137 East 13th Street, under the mistaken impression that it stood on “grandfathered” non-compliant commercial property. Last night, it was discovered that the address was in fact zoned commercial and the decision was overturned.

Last night, members of the Park Slope Food Co-Op voted against a controversial motion that would have banned Israeli foods at the 16,300-member grocery store, as our colleagues over at The Local Fort Greene reported.

Here in the East Village, members of the 4th Street Food Co-Op (no relation) told The Local they hadn’t given much thought to the Brooklyn brouhaha. That’s not to say the Co-Op – which consists of 60 unpaid members who each put in around two hours per week in exchange for a 20 percent discount at the store – hasn’t had its tense moments. Read more…