If you’re feeling welcoming — and aren’t camera-shy — Bowery Boogie has information regarding a photography student who is hoping to photograph local residents inside their homes. The student at the International Center for Photography was charged with documenting the neighborhood in a unique way, and decided that portraits would be a welcome departure from familiar shots of the Bowery or Tompkins Square Park. “I was hoping to get a range of people to capture the diversity of the LES,” he wrote.

At last count, there were 24 items on the agenda for tonight’s meeting of the Community Board 3 liquor license committee. One business that will not be appearing: Nublu, which had to be removed from the agenda because owner Ilhan Ersahin is still working to secure a new space at 151 Avenue C. Mr. Ersahin also told The Local that he’s working to obtain a license to sell just beer and wine at his original space at 62 Avenue C. The State Liquor Authority revoked Nublu’s liquor license at the latter location back in August due to its proximity to a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall. Since then, Nublu has hosted shows in the basement of Lucky Cheng’s.

Joel Raskin

Almost 10 years after protests over Con Edison’s 14th Street plant led the power company to agree to dedicate $3.75 million to funding environmentally friendly endeavors, more than half of the money is still up for grabs.

Last Thursday marked the most recent deadline for the submission of grant proposals to Community Board 3’s Con Edison Task Force, which manages the funds. But as the deadline approached, Carol Kostik, the chair of the task force, said that relatively few residents knew that approximately $1,991,084 in funding was there for the taking.

“I think people have really moved on to other issues,” she said. Read more…

Good morning, East Village.

The police have released surveillance camera footage, posted by NBC New York, of their suspect in an attempted rape. The Local reported yesterday that around 3:20 a.m., a man pretending to have a gun pushed a woman to the ground in the stairwell of her First Avenue apartment building.

If you enjoyed last week’s story about the return of a stolen bicycle, you’ll love this one: Gothamist points to a post by Jayson Elliot, who noticed a man suspiciously walking a $3,094 bicycle out of a Soho bike store. Mr. Elliot followed the man to Pinche Taqueria, where he says he saw the bike being sold to a delivery boy, and then to a secondhand clothing store on East 10th Street, where he got the police to arrest the suspect.

You may be seeing more gun-toting nuns on the subway: The Post reports that the N.Y.P.D. is upping the number of decoy officers on trains after a 16 percent increase in thefts. Read more…

Daniel Maurer

A man sexually assaulted a woman in her First Avenue building early this morning, according to the police.

A police spokesman said that the victim was walking up the stairwell of her building between 12th and 13th Streets at around 3:20 a.m. when the man pushed her to the ground from behind. He then pulled up the victim’s skirt, said “keep quiet,” and pretended to have a gun in his hand. Read more…

For “1,150 Days,” I’ve photographed elements of day-to-day life in New York City to create a daily record of the environment I call home. It’s interesting how many different versions of New York have surfaced: a city centered around parked bicycles, a city of colorful lights and abstract shapes, and a city where pigeons try to fit in, too. Each of these seemingly mundane perspectives reveals a sense of levity and wonder; a reminder that the background of our daily lives is comprised of many unexpected and often missed details. What draws me to shoot in the East Village is the area’s culture, its fascinating people, and the living history of each block. Like JR’s TED-prize-winning Inside Out Project in Cooper Square, featuring portraits of local citizens. Read more…

Last year, Allison Hertzberg recommended the neighborhood’s best first-date bars. But what about the second date? We asked Allison to go on one at Sauce, the new restaurant from Frank Prisinzano of Frank, Lil’ Frankie’s, and Supper.

Photos: Noah Fecks

When picking a dinner spot for that ever-so-important second date, a few things should come to mind: charm, lighting and affordability (so: the same things you look for in an apartment). Located on the other side of the tracks (across Houston Street) on the corner of Rivington and Allen Streets, Sauce serves up the same homestyle Italian food and pay-what-you-drink wine as its sister restaurants in the East Village. It also happens to be the perfect “I’m trying not to look like I’m trying” spot for a second date. Read more…

Stephen Rex Brown The orders, dated Nov. 9.

Stephen Rex Brown The construction site.

Department of Buildings inspectors slapped the site at 331 East Sixth Street with a stop work order on Wednesday — the latest setback for the controversial project that is rumored to be the future home of “Friends” star David Schwimmer.

The order cites a complaint — filed through 311 — that the construction is undermining a property next-door, causing it to shake.

Last month the site was hit with a violation for failure to post the required permits for an eight-foot-tall fence at the front of the lot.

The antebellum row house was demolished in September to pave the way for a five-story, one-family building. Since the project was revealed, rumors have swirled that David Schwimmer is the man behind the demolition. The Local has made numerous efforts to find out who will be living in the house, as well as what it will look like, all to no avail.

Courtesy of Jim Meehan.

To some, it’s the best bar in the world. To others, it’s that spot where they can never seem to land a reservation. To Jim Meehan, it’s his place. Though PDT has built its reputation partly on exclusivity, owner and chief mixologist Meehan now shares the secret to his success in The PDT Cocktail Book, out this month.

“The book is actually in keeping with the spirit of the bar in trying to advance this culture,” he says, explaining that while some locals might find his reservation policy restrictive (reservations are taken same-day only at 3 p.m.), it’s more about making a relaxed, unique experience for the few customers who make it inside the compact space on any given evening. “Part of our concept is that it’s limited edition,” says Mr. Meehan, “What I’ve tried to do… is guarantee the rights of all the people who are in here.”

Raised in Illinois, Mr. Meehan began tending bar to support his African-American and literature studies in college. Nine years ago, he arrived in the East Village, tenuring at some of the neighborhood’s restaurants before opening PDT in 2007. The Local asked Mr. Meehan to share some of his favorite spots. Read more…

When Greg Nardello, 55, and his son of the same name, 23 (shown above), opened a new bar at 115 St. Marks Place near Avenue A over Halloween weekend, they hadn’t yet settled on a name. They’ve since christened it The Burger Shop and erected a sign painted by local street artist Beau. Yesterday they put the finishing touches on the storefront by installing planks of recycled wood acquired from M. Fine Lumber in Brooklyn.

The Nardellos, who live in Bayswater, Queens, built out the bar’s interior themselves, using many such planks – some of them 140 years old. A tabletop in the back corner nook, where prints of vintage pin-ups hang, is actually a repurposed sewer grate that Mr. Nardello, Sr. acquired at a construction site when he was in the business (before going into construction, he owned a bar in Queens). Read more…

Stephen Rex Brown

The Department of Buildings has cleared the way for the demolition of 316 East Third Street, a transitional Federal/Greek Revival-style row house that preservationists have been fighting to keep standing.

Earlier this week, EV Grieve noticed that an application for a demolition permit was listed as approved on the D.O.B.’s Website. A representative at the buildings department confirmed for The Local that an approval was issued on Nov. 1. The developer had not yet picked up the demolition permit as of Thursday evening, but the fate of the 177-year-old building seems to be all but sealed.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said, “It’s extremely disheartening that we’re going to be losing another one of the few, remaining 19th-century houses on the far eastern edge of the East Village. It’s amazing that it survived, and equally amazing how quickly they’re disappearing.” Read more…

Suzanne Rozdeba Free samples outside of NY Tofu House during its first night.

Good morning, East Village.

Why was it so easy for Edward Minskoff to secure a $160 million construction loan for his futuristic office building at 51 Astor, despite not having a single tenant? Mark Edelstein, the chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Global Real Estate Finance Group, explains to Globe St. that “it is adjacent to Cooper Union, mass transit hubs and NYU. It’s a funky area. Edward Minskoff has an amazing knack of finding locations ahead of its time and being extremely successful.”

The Post and DNA Info report that John Martinez, an ex-con who robbed women with an ice pick in Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town, will likely have his sentence reduced by two years, to 18 years, since he returned an engagement ring to one of his victims.

Meanwhile, more on the outcry over the ice skating rink that’s coming to the Stuy Town. A Website advertising the rink promises that it will be solely for tenants and their guests, but Stuy Town Living writes that “these events are often attended by the public and a growing base of tenants feel they are for the public, a dog and pony show to attract new tenants with seemingly little regard for the current tenants.” Read more…

The housing advocates at Good Old Lower East Side want to teach you how to fight back against neglectful landlords. Tonight at the Perseverance House at 525 East Fifth Street between Avenues A and B, community organizers will give pointers on forming and managing strong tenants organizations. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

Oh, and another argument for a bike-share program: Avoiding ordeals like the one Matt O’Rourke faced last year after his custom-made bicycle was stolen on 10th Street and Avenue C. According to Jalopnik, Mr. O’Rourke published a Craigslist post offering a $500 reward for the bike’s return, but didn’t get any responses until 18 months later, when a woman who had read the post recognized the bike on the Williamsburg Bridge and informed its new owner, who had bought it in Tompkins Square Park, that it was stolen.

Courtesy of Gingersnap’s Organic

Last month The Local introduced you to Gingersnap’s Organic, the vegan café that Jamie “Gingersnap” Graber, previously of  Live Live & Organic and Euphoria Loves Rawvolution (the Los Angeles location, not the East Village outpost), planned to open on East Seventh Street near Avenue A. A walk past the location reveals that it quietly opened earlier this week – it’s operating from noon till midnight daily, with delivery coming as soon as the shop acquires a bicycle this weekend.

In the open kitchen this afternoon was executive chef Scott Weingard, previously the chef at Pure Food & Wine and more recently of Angelica Kitchen and the now-shuttered Counter. Mr. Weingard also runs a Brooklyn-based vegan supper club, Nasturtium. He and his crew will be preparing the dishes on the menu below (click to see a larger version) and packaging them to-go. Or you can settle in at night, when b.y.o.b. is permitted. 130 East Seventh Street; (212)-533-9939. Read more…

A walkby reveals that, after a brief spell of uncertainty about when it would get the green light from the Department of Health, NY Tofu House opened for lunch and dinner today at 6 St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues. The Local gave you an early look at the Korean newcomer and its menu yesterday.

Stephen Rex Brown The future location of The Bean, in the former “crazy landlord” building.

Add The Bean to the list of East Village businesses that will feature Jim Power’s signature artwork. The Mosaic Man told The Local last night that he had just signed on to do his colorful tile work at the upcoming location of the cafe at Second Avenue and East Third Street. The Bean is the latest addition to the Mosaic Man’s portfolio, which also includes — in addition to numerous light-poles — Porchetta, Tompkins Square Bagels, and Exit 9. Mr. Power said that the management of The Bean had been very generous to him and his dog through the years, and he was happy to be working for them alongside several other collaborators. After a quick chat, the Mosaic Man had to get back to work. “Not bad, huh? I was homeless six months ago,” he said.

Ray LeMoine A bike share demonstration
at Tompkins Square Park.

Last night at a meeting of Community Board 3’s Transportation and Public Safety Committee, the director of the Department of Transportation’s bike share program presented a comprehensive overview of a plan to bring 10,000 bikes to a total of 600 stations across the city.

Kate Fillin-Yeh said the city carefully examined existing bike share programs in the United States, London, and Paris before selecting Alta Bicycle Share — which operates bikes in Washington, D.C. and Boston — to spearhead the New York operation, which may be the first to debut an option that does not require credit cards.  Read more…