Scott Lynch

Good Morning, East Village.

Fifteen people from 13 countries became new U.S. citizens at the Tenement Museum on Tuesday. [The Lo-Down]

Sunday night’s season premier of Mad Men portrayed 1960s St. Marks Place as “seedy, home to abandoned buildings, litter-strewn sidewalks and sketchy characters.” [NY Times]

Travelers reacted with indignation to a Community Board 3 member’s proposal that they are “voluntary homeless” and should not be allowed to sleep on the street or in parks. [East Villager]
Read more…

Daniel Maurer

Once again, Odessa is cinematic fodder: “Mania Days,” directed by Paul Dalio, was being filmed at the diner earlier today.

According to Greg Morrison, an assistant locations manager, the film about a manic depressive East Villager will continue shooting through Friday at Tompkins Square Park and the Pyramid Club, among other locations.

East Villagers hoping for a celebrity sighting, however, will be disappointed.

“It’s nobody that’s really, really big,” said Mr. Morrison. “There are some people from TV shows, but we’re a small indie movie.”

Well, not that small. According to Showbiz 411, Spike Lee is a producer. Mr. Dalio, son of hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, is a graduate of NYU Film School like Mr. Lee.

Yesterday East Villagers played hooky from work to take advantage of summer-like temperatures, and we were right there with them. We asked about their spring looks and what winter wear they couldn’t wait to bury in their closet. We also got tips on where to sneak a tan and what warm-weather tastes to indulge. Check out your neighbors.

Fatima Malik

Amanda Power, 28
Hairstylist
Fair-weather fashion: “Tank-tops galore, and floral-y things. I’m always wearing black in the winter, so recently I’ve been wearing colors to channel summer weather. Guess it’s working.”
Closet purge: “I’ll probably put away my capes, blazers, and all my long, drape-y things. Definitely still going to be rocking leather jackets in summer, though.”
Summer snack: “Oh ceviche, yum. And shrimp tacos, and watermelon every day – fiber, fiber. And the delicious iced coffee from Abraco.”
Tan plan: “Well, I’m an SPF girl myself, but The Frying Pan in Chelsea is great for summer. Go drink a beer, rocking a tank top and some shorts, and you’ll get tan.”
Read more…

Kavitha Surana At City Hall.

Last Sunday a diverse group of 80-odd people gathered at the steps of City Hall to support Jenifer Rajkumar’s announcement that she will run against first-term council member Margaret Chin in the District 1 City Council race. The fresh-faced civil rights lawyer and former healthcare advocate at the National Women’s Law Center has spent the past two years as a district leader for the Democratic Party. Though only 30 years old, Ms. Rajkumar has already made some waves as an activist in Lower Manhattan – she’s showed up at City Hall to join Save our Seaport in opposing an unclear land-use deal and was kicked out of City Hall last summer along with others who protested N.Y.U.’s expansion plan.

At the kickoff, Ms. Rajkumar greeted constituents in Spanish, Chinese, and Yiddish. Promising a “bottom up” approach and increased transparency if elected, she asserted that, “rather than being kicked out of City Hall, we need a voice in City Hall.”

Yesterday The Local sat down with Ms. Rajkumar to get a better sense of her vision and policy goals for downtown Manhattan.

You’ve said that your parents immigrated to Queens from India with just $300 and a suitcase. Why did they come here?

My parents are physicians and the one thing they had when they moved here was an education. They were young and wanted a fresh opportunity, so they just left everything they knew to come to a country with a new language and culture. They worked hard, they struggled, and they taught me the value of hard work, perseverance and the importance of following your dreams. The biggest thing they taught me was the value in serving the under-served. Read more…

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

Four young people from Yonkers have been sentenced to between five and 15 years for beating up a person on the Lower east Side in 2010. [The Lo-Down]

Previously unseen photos of Madonna at her Lower East Side apartment will be screened at a traveling exhibition scheduled to arrive at the W Hotel in Times Square this Thursday. [Fashionista]

An antique guitar store called TR Crandall has just opened up in the East Village. [DNA Info]
Read more…

Michelle Rick

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has approved a proposal to add a penthouse to Anshei Meseritz Synagogue, but current and former congregation members remain steadfastly opposed to the plan.

At a hearing today, architect Joseph Lombardi presented a proposal that would preserve the facade of the East Sixth Street synagogue, conserve its stained glass, and add an extra story to the building.

Though the changes discussed today were cosmetic, they’re rooted in a deeper shakeup: the governing board of Congregation Adas Le Israel Anshei Mesertiz recently leased the synagogue to East River Partners, resurrecting a contentious scheme to develop the building into condos. Construction plans obtained by The Local reveal that the congregation would move to the basement of the building. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

During the next days, we’ll be celebrating Spring Things. First up: the return of Manhattan Special to South Brooklyn Pizza.

It’s finally iced coffee weather! Strike that: espresso-soda float weather!

Back when South Brooklyn Pizza opened its First Avenue location a few years ago, we were gripped by the ultimate sugar rush/caffeine high when we discovered liquid crack Manhattan Special espresso soda would be on tap. But soon after the opening, the taps went dry and the syrupy stuff became unavailable, despite a Manhattan Special mural on the wall. Finally, after a years-long hiatus, it’s back: and for $7, you can get a plastic cup of it with a few scoops of ice cream and whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Incidentally, an employee of the takeout joint said its long-delayed expansion into a proper restaurant would happen “very soon.” More information on that as it becomes available.

Samantha Balaban Town hall meeting last week.

New York University trumpeted another “important legal victory” Friday as the New York Supreme Court rejected a request for discovery that brought Matthew Broderick and others to a court hearing in February.

As you’ll recall, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the East Village Community Coalition, and N.Y.U. Faculty Against the Sexton Plan are fighting the City Planning Commission’s and the City Council’s decision to approve N.Y.U.’s plan to build just under 1.9 million square feet across two blocks.

In a suit filed in September, the organizations allege that the city violated a law preventing the transferal of parkland without prior approval from the state legislature. At the hearing on Feb. 26, the petitioners argued that the City Planning Commission and the City Council should be ordered to immediately produce documents regarding the matter. The Friday ruling denied that request.

According to the law firm representing the petitioners, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, the judge will likely hear oral arguments on the case in mid-May. Read more…

Daniel Maurer Haile Bistro

Suffering Bastard, indeed?

The name of Richard Boccato’s proposed Polynesian spot may have taken on new meaning last night, as the owner of PKNY, a self-declared “native son” of New York, failed to win over Community Board 3’s SLA committee.

The storefront at 172 Avenue B has been vacant ever since Mercadito Cantina closed a little over two years ago. But the block is saturated with bars, argued neighbors such as Andrew Coamey, a member of the East Village Community Coalition. Sara Romanoski, the managing director of the E.V.C.C., presented a letter of protest, signed by herself and Damaris Reyes, executive director of Good Old Lower East Side, whose office is across the street from the proposed location.

After laboriously making the case that he and partner Ian Present had long roots in the neighborhood (Mr. Present grew up on that very block, between 10th and 11th Streets) Mr. Boccato challenged a man with a European accent who had spoken against the bar, saying, “With all due respect, your accent doesn’t sound like a native New Yorker.”
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Joseph Neighbor

Alder, chef Wylie Dufresne’s latest venture, has now been open 12 days. That’s a little less than two weeks of frenetic Internet buzz, of outlets like The Local trying to take pictures and ask questions, and long lines of foodies eager to have their conception of pub grub and cocktails deconstructed in delectable ways.

But despite the hype and all the stress that comes with it, Mr. Dufresne didn’t appear harried when we spoke to him last week. He looked exactly like every other time you’ve seen him: flawlessly trimmed angular sideburns, a chef’s coat he seems to sleep in, and a mien of Zen-like calm. He has a way of being friendly without smiling.

Sitting at the bar near the window, Second Avenue seemed a parade of familiar faces to him. The East Village, a few blocks from where he went to high school, has become a beacon for foodies, with marquee chefs setting up shop in droves. But Mr. Dufresne isn’t moving in; he’s been here all along. While his first restaurant WD-50 – a temple of avant-garde cuisine that celebrates its 10th anniversary today – introduced him to the world, Alder is re-introducing him to his neighbors. The Local spoke to him about his life — and now work — in the East Village.

Is it more difficult to open a restaurant now that you have such a reputation, and everybody’s watching?

Is it more difficult than it was to open WD-50? I don’t know. WD-50 was under quite a bit of scrutiny when it opened as well. It was a different kind of scrutiny. There wasn’t an Internet back then, and the ability for the anonymous blogger to weigh in instantly. I don’t know if I would say it’s more difficult, I’d just say it’s different. The game has changed, the rules have changed, the way it’s played has changed. Read more…

NYPD

A woman fought off a purse snatcher during the wee hours of St. Patrick’s Day, the police said.

The would-be thief, thought to be in his 20s, is said to have confronted the 31-year-old victim as she entered her East Eighth Street building around 3 a.m. on March 17. He forcibly swiped her purse but fled without taking anything after she was able to get it back from him, the police said.

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

A woman was hit by a cab Sunday afternoon. [More Than Usual]

One of the cars that caught on fire early Saturday belonged to Father Pat Maloney. [DNA Info]

Susan Faludi recalls Shulamith Firestone, the late feminist. “Few were as radical, or as audacious, as Shulamith Firestone. Just over five feet tall, with a mane of black hair down to her waist, and piercing dark eyes behind Yoko Ono glasses, Firestone was referred to within the movement as ‘the firebrand’ and ‘the fireball.'” [New Yorker]
Read more…

Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, LLPProposed changes to the north side.

After an initial disapproval from the Department of Buildings, a plan to turn the former P.S. 64 building into dorms has gotten its first nod of support from Community Board 3.

On Wednesday the Landmarks subcommittee voted to support developer Gregg Singer’s application for a Certificate of Appropriateness, concluding that changes would not radically alter the building’s facade and exterior space. (The “C of A” is a permit issued by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for work that also requires Department of Buildings approval.)

The updated building plans, posted to Community Board 3’s Website and reproduced below, show a ramp to the basement and a lift to its raised courtyard along East Ninth Street, both of which would improve wheelchair access. Additionally, all non-original fencing will be removed from the building’s grounds on the street level. The first-floor plans illustrate suite-style dorms with kitchens and bathrooms throughout.

The two most dramatic exterior changes will occur along East Tenth Street and on the building’s roof. The plans illustrate a raised, T-shaped courtyard space lined with railings. Two light wells border the courtyard and will open up the basement level of the building’s north side, and new doors and windows will open the previously closed space at street level.

On the roof, the plans show new staircase bulkheads and other mechanical equipment that will be surrounded by a series of small picket fences bordering the edge of the roof. Read more…

Konstantin Sergeyev

The cause of a fire that totaled a 2012 Volvo and a 1990s Honda Civic early Saturday is still unknown, according to a police source.

The blaze in front of 606 East Ninth Street (the former P.S. 64 building) was called in at 1:24 a.m. Saturday and extinguished by 1:45 a.m., according to Jim Flynn, a neighbor who posted footage to YouTube.

The incident was first reported on EV Grieve, who also noted a motorcycle fire on East Third Street this morning.

Konstantin Sergeyev, a contributor to The Local, sent in the following photos of the aftermath. Read more…

Joanna Marshall

The density of juice bars in the East Village is starting to reach critical mass. An outpost of Organic Avenue, a chain with several locations around town, is setting up shop at 30 Third Avenue, which was vacated by STA Travel last summer.

The juice joint — opening in about a month, according to a representative — isn’t the only chain coming to the avenue: it’s next to a new UPS Store and across the street from a Subway sandwich shop opening soon at 31 Third Avenue.

It’s also three blocks from Liquiteria, six blocks from Daily Juice, two blocks from the Juice Press that opened at 201 East 10th Street a couple of months ago (not to mention their two other locations), and within spitting distance of countless corner stores that sell freshly pressed juice.

Maybe this is a good thing? It’s nice to have a healthy lunch option in lieu of another slice from Joe’s Pizza. Then again, Joe’s is now delivering…

Danny Ghitis for The New York Times Travis Bass

Travis Bass, the “impresario of the night” who split with EMM Group after running Bow, has found a new home just a stone’s throw from 199 Bowery: he’s now overseeing the basement at perennial Lafayette Street hotspot Butter.

A representative confirms that the restaurant’s basement has been transformed into a lounge with separate entrance called 415. Mr. Bass will run the room Tuesday through Saturday. A party attendee said the space has been outfitted with mirrors, plants and a smoke screen. “It looks similar to his previous short runs at White Slab, Jobee’s/Madame Wong’s and Red Egg,” the tipster said.

This isn’t the only change in store for Butter, which turned 11 last month: another representative who didn’t want to be named said the restaurant is renovating — “just painting, things like that” — while dinner service continues upstairs.

Meanwhile, The General’s basement, which has faced considerable kickback from unhappy neighbors, is now going by the name Jazz Room at the General, and is hosting two nightly seatings for live music.

That doesn’t mean the parties are over. A representative confirmed that after midnight on select nights, the space transforms into a lounge with DJ.

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

Did you notice St. Marks Place got a shoutout during the season premiere of “Mad Men” last night? Last week Off the Grid took a look at the show’s version of the Village. [Off the Grid]

Anthony Weiner was spotted brunching at Cafe Mogador. [NY Daily News]

Rev Billy made an appearance at a theatrical No 7-Eleven protest in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday. [Save the LES, Gamma Blog]
Read more…

Mel Bailey

Mel Bailey

Maybe you noticed that red-and-white truck blaring music at Astor Place today? Uniqlo launched its “UT 2013” campaign this week and its “truckshop” made a pit stop in the East Village.

The truck houses the brand’s limited-edition spring “collab” t-shirts, and a changing area where customers can try on the goods. This season’s hot seller for men? $19.90 tee-shirts featuring the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, who of course once had a studio over on Great Jones Street.

The truck will be at Gansevoort Plaza every Saturday in April, with musical guests and DJs performing on the roof.