Jim Hohl A group of university students on an alternative spring break, volunteering with New Alternatives, with some of the organization’s LGBT homeless youth.

Robert Smith, 24, describes his childhood as magical. Growing up in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Mr. Smith had everything a child could ever ask for — European vacations, the latest gadgets and even a hefty trust fund.

“I was a platinum-spooned, spoiled rotten trust fund baby,” said Mr. Smith with a grin. “Anything that someone could possible want, I had.”

But when Mr. Smith turned 19, that all changed. After coming out to his family, his grandmother cut him off financially, removing him from her will because she would no longer support his lifestyle. After spending several years moving around the south, Mr. Smith, who had just been kicked out of his older brother’s apartment, booked a flight and headed to New York.

“After paying for the flight and my hostel stay, I only had $55 in my pocket,” said Mr. Smith. “When I couldn’t afford the hostel anymore, I went to the Street Works Project and stayed in their emergency beds for about a week. From there, I went to Sylvia’s Place for three weeks before heading to Trinity Place Shelter for a year, where I attended the Back to Work Program and got my life together.”

Mr. Smith is now the executive assistant to the chief operating officer at a computer analyst company, and it’s a title he says with pride. But there’s another organization that he credits for his success — New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth.
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Michelle Rick

Good morning East Village,

Last week, lawyers began making their closing arguments in the case against two East Village police officers on trial for rape, burglary, and official misconduct. The Times reported that on Friday Kenneth Moreno’s lawyer called on the jury to acquit his client, citing a lack of physical evidence. Closing arguments are set to resume today in the Manhattan Supreme Court.

Also, a search for missing 14-year-old Queens resident, Chetsea Williams, has spread to the East Village. Yesterday, the EV Grieve spotted these flyers, posted in Tompkins Square Park. The girl’s mother told The Local this morning that her daughter has not been seen since going to school on Friday and that local authorities are involved in the search. If you have any information, please contact the numbers listed on the flyer.

In happier news, changes on the restaurant scene mean much is afoot for local flavor.  Last week, Ssam Bar reopened the space at its adjunct, previously Momofuku Milk Bar, and posted a fresh menu, headlining their new duck-featured lunches.  Japanese burgers have immigrated to Second Street.  And while the Acme Bar & Grill fell into the hands of new owners, Luke’s Lobsters threw in with the food truck trend, christening their new portable food counter the “Nauti.”

Tim Schreier on catching artistic silhouettes in New York City.

“Photography has opened my eyes over the past few years. It makes me look at things in a different and more appreciative way. When I think with my ‘picture-taker head’ I am looking at things from a different perspective and noticing things — like people in profile — that I would otherwise have passed by without giving any thought to them. Here’s a performance artist in Washington Square Park.”
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Heartonastick Tom Verlaine performing at Central Park Summerstage, 2007.

There are certain artists one wishes one could outgrow. They belong to one’s youth, after all, and perhaps they should remain there, along with all the other youthful things one is relieved to have outgrown. But for me, the music of the CBGB’s-era band Television, and in particular its singer and songwriter, Tom Verlaine, is one of those youthful enthusiasms which (so far, anyway) threads its way through my life with embarrassing persistence. Occasionally it disappears for long periods while other, more novel interests take hold, but then, like mosquitoes in Spring, back it comes, nipping at the senses as tenaciously as always, only in this case the result is intense pleasure rather than irritation and blood marks.

Television was, or is — no one seems to be sure of its exact current status — the band best known for inaugurating the CBGB’s scene in the mid-1970’s; for having to this day a small but ferociously loyal group of devotees; and for having been eclipsed, at least in terms of popularity, by other bands of that era such as Talking Heads, Blondie, The Ramones, et al. Even by the monstrously egotistical standards set by most rock stars, they seemed weirdly indifferent to fame and record sales, but like the Velvet Underground their musical influence remains pervasive and lives on in a variety of formats which now include amateurishly filmed but invaluable concert clips put up on YouTube.
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The “maxi” dress, as its name implies, represents the fact that it’s cut at the maximum length possible. While often form fitting at the top, the maxi dress and the similar maxi skirt is long and flowy, covering up the legs and letting the toes peek out. As these East Villagers noted, the conservative cut lends well to funky patterns and its name also supports another of its virtues — maximum comfort! On the street the Local was not surprised to see these East Villagers looking stylish while staying cool and summer-minded!

NYU Journalism’s Rachel Ohm and Claire Glass report.

Violet the red-tailed hawk feeding her hatchling this morning. Click the image above to view live pictures from the Hawk Cam.

On Thursday, we told you about a plan by animal rescue workers to capture and treat Violet, the red-tailed hawk nesting high above Washington Square Park, whose leg is badly swollen by a metal wildlife band. After several hours of deliberations, workers decided against a rescue attempt — Violet is doing well enough, they said, and the risks of intervening, for both Violet and her recently hatched baby hawk, were too great. Visit The City Room blog of The Times for more updates.—The Local

Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

And welcome to the weekend. It might shape up to be a rainy and cloudy one, but it’s here. Brave the weather and wander a bit south for the second weekend of the Hester Street Fair. Bowery Boogie has a list of the vendors and a take on the saga of one pickle-seller’s return.

If you didn’t catch it last night the neighborhood seemed rather supportive of the city Landmarks Preservation Commission’s plans to create historic districts in the East Village. There were a few reservations, but lots of thumbs-ups from preservationist groups and longtime Village residents.

And for an artsy (and studied) take on the cultural obsession with preservation, you can wander over to the New Museum for a new exhibit on how we build and maintain and remember. If you make it over, Gothamist has some helpful tips for how to behave. Don’t point!

Happy Friday.

Grace Maalouf Kate Daly, executive director of New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, speaks earlier tonight at an informational meeting about two new proposed historic districts in the East Village.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission presented its plans tonight for creating a historic district in the neighborhood and heard from several community groups who voiced their support for the measure and also suggested extending the districts.

The presentation, which occurred during an informational meeting at the BRC Senior Services Center hosted by Community Board 3, is one of the first in a series of steps that would mean property owners in the designated areas would need commission approval before making changes to their buildings.

Kate Daly, executive director of the commission, said she has been meeting and will continue to meet with individual property owners whose buildings will fall into the designated districts, and stressed that Thursday’s meeting was merely to “get the word out to the larger community.”

She added that the commission is “very eager to move forward” in the designation process, and that the two historic districts proposed are just the beginning for the Lower East Side.
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Earlier today we told you about plans to capture and treat Violet, the red-tailed hawk whose nest is high above Washington Square Park and whose leg is badly swollen from a metal wildlife band. The City Room blog of The Times is providing regular updates on the effort this afternoon, including its Hawk Cam. At last word, wildlife workers were en route to the nest begin the rescue. —The Local

Dan Glass
Emmanuel Howard.

“Hey, buddy, I got some tools for ya,” says Emmanuel Howard from his table full of goods on Avenue A between Second and Third Streets. While helping a neighborhood acquaintance, he was greeted continually by passersby — elderly people with dogs, leggy blondes, kids, and street folk. He says he’s been selling here for 32 years.

Mr. Howard — who is known as Manny the Peddler to almost everyone — is one of the last street peddlers on the Lower East Side, infamous in the 80’s and 90’s for blocks-long stretches of people selling everything from antique furniture to dead batteries. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani eliminated much of the street vending during his terms, but Mr. Howard remains. At 70, he still hauls second-hand merchandise by handtruck, virtually all of it set aside for him by neighborhood residents, with one recent score of metal garbage cans and push brooms from Stomp, courtesy of the Orpheum Theater.

“There used to be people everywhere at three, four o’clock in the morning,” says Mr. Howard, who rarely stands still, between arranging his inventory and giving a quick pitch to anyone eyeing an item. “Not like now.”
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Michael NataleThe roof of 35 Cooper Square as it was being dismantled by workers Wednesday afternoon.

Good morning, East Village.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and like the rest of our neighbors, we’ve still got our binoculars focused on 35 Cooper Square, where the roof is starting to come down. We’ll keep an eye out for more changes, as usual. We’ll also be covering tonight’s Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, so stay tuned to see how more changes in the area might play with building owners and preservationists.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, the rescue of a red-tailed hawk nesting on the 12th floor of an NYU building is scheduled for today. Wildlife experts who have been monitoring the bird, Violet, may try to treat her swollen leg and release her into the wild.

Over at EV Grieve, there’s a roundup of restaurant news, plus a few more changes on the menu for the neighborhood’s eateries: new delis, new names, new faces up for hire. Here at the Local, we pointed out that today is the last day of pizza parlor Enzo’s. Head out for a slice to say your goodbyes, and enjoy the weather before the rain hits this weekend. Happy Thursday.

Ian Duncan Men at work on the roof of 35 Cooper Square. Below: Views from inside the building show holes in the roof above a stairwell (top), and daylight pouring into the ground floor.

Update | 3:30 p.m. A team of three men was at work apparently tearing down the roof of 35 Cooper Square by hand this afternoon.

Behind its unlocked front door, the building had been completely stripped and holes knocked through the floors of the second and third stories. Workers threw bits of other wood and other debris down to the first floor. No power tools were heard to be in use, but a buzz saw lay idle on the roof. From across the street, workers appeared to be using hand saws on the building’s masonry.

The building’s stairs are intact, illuminated by a string of bulbs on a yellow wire, which snaked its way up to the roof.

At the unenclosed entrance to the roof, a worker in a flourescent yellow safety vest told The Local the site was off-limits.

Tim Milk

Enzo’s Pizza, famous to those who dwell near 50 Second Avenue, will be selling slices and soda up through this Thursday, May 12, Enzo’s last day of business.

Enzo’s pizza, made with fresh homemade marinara sauce and topped with real mozzarella — “not that white rubber crap,” as Enzo would put it — will be missed. His eggplant slice with farm-fresh ricotta was a masterpiece offered seasonally, and his delicious hot meatball and chicken Parmesan sandwiches were a mainstay to many in the area.

As ever, Enzo could be relied upon to serve up his specialties with opinions on everything from food to sports to politics. The more poetic aspect of the southern Italian dialect was also a feature whenever an attractive lady passed by his windows.

Stop by the place for one last slice and to say goodbye. There will never be another Enzo’s.

Grace MaaloufThe Community Synagogue on East 6th Street is one of the significant buildings to be included in the proposed new historic district.

As gentrification continues to alter the East Village landscape, attempts are afoot to have sections of the neighborhood designated a historic district, helping to preserve their architecture and character.

Following extensive surveying and examining the neighborhood, The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission recommended at an April 26 meeting that two areas of the East Village be designated historic districts. This is a preliminary step in the process, with a follow-up public presentation and hearing before the Landmarks Subcommittee of Community Board 3 on Thursday this week.

The two areas slated to constitute this historic district include approximately 300 buildings. One section is the north side of East 10th Street between Avenues A and B, opposite the northern boundary of Tompkins Square Park. This block includes a mix of stately 19th century brownstones along with tenement buildings.

The second area is from East 2nd Street to East 7th Streets, between the Bowery and Avenue A. Read more…

Johnny Pérez

Good morning, East Villagers.

If you’re looking for some retail therapy and happen to have a few extra millions on hand, our very own Cooper Square Hotel is on the market, the Post reports today. EV Grieve points out its potential “rebranding” — any suggestions for a new theme?

Meanwhile, next door, 35 Cooper Square is still on the chopping block and we’re watching. Preservationists may be mourning its loss, but they’re also on to the next project: a hearing to create historic districts in the East Village will go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission tomorrow. Stay tuned to the Local today as we’ll bring you an in-depth look at the proposal and what it means for the neighborhood.

And make sure to check out this video about Story Corps, which Neighborhoodr brought to our attention; the East Village roots of the listening and recording project go back to its founder’s run-in with recovering heroin addicts on Seventh Street. He was inspired to tell their stories, and now his non-profit interviews and tells stories of hundreds more.

In weather news, there (mercifully) is none. The sun is still out and shining, so enjoy a warm Wednesday.

Adrian Fussell, Vivienne Gucwa, Michael Pearce, Tim Schreier, members of The Local East Village Flickr Group share their images of the Festival of Ideas for the New City.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

If you’d like a chance to see your best shots appear on The Local, join The Local East Village Flickr Group.

Phoenix Eisenberg

The range of life forms seen around the East Village and Lower East Side this past weekend was pretty astonishing, when you think about it: all the way from top-rank architects, artists, and scholars to bees and worms.

The Festival of Ideas for the New City hosted over 100 events, from small gallery projects to expensive international design competitions, and put a spotlight on this neighborhood’s enduring artiness, earthiness, and connectedness. Organized by the New Museum of Contemporary Art and ten other partners (listed at the festival website), the Festival was part multimedia art show, part kid-friendly community fair, part academic conference, part urban design charrette, and part intellectual pub crawl.

It’s easy to tire of the kind of NYC booster who constantly tells out-of-towners “you name it, we’ve got it here,” but during the Festival, particularly the Streetfest component last Saturday, the well-worn phrase really did apply. Humongous translucent bubble full of urban-design visionaries, some adrenalined-up enough to leap onto chairs and quote poetry? Check. Pop-up buildings resembling worms? Check. Person dressed as enormous yellow worm, hugging passersby at the Lower East Side Ecology Center’s table while her colleague Kaity Tsui, winner of the first-ever “Greenest New Yorker” award from the state’s “I Love NY” campaign in 2010, hands out “Hug a Worm” buttons and promotes home composting? Check. Eighteen-foot “Girlzilla” robot built by kids at the Lower East Side Girls’ Club? Check. Read more…