Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

The third round of closing arguments in the East Village rape trial brought the character accusations full-circle.  According to DNAinfo’s ongoing reports, Assistant District Attorney Coleen Balbert accused defendants Kenneth Moreno, 43, and Franklin Mata, 29, of acting more like sexual predators than officers of the law, labeling the pair two of “New York City’s worst.”  As evidence, the prosecution cited that on the night of the incident the defendants lied to their supervisors about the number of trips they made to the plaintiff’s apartment, placed a phony 911 call to in order to have more time with her, and later falsified patrol logs to cover their tracks.  With closing arguments over, the jury will deliberate.

In other news, the now defunct SuperDive’s reputation for booze-fueled after hours seems to have stood in the way of plans to resurrect the space as an art-concept restaurant.  DNAinfo reports that the Community Board 3 liquor license committee voted 5 to 1 against a proposal to revamp the building, with one member suggesting they had taken a lesson from the former occupant: “It would be lunacy” to allow another establishment on that premises to serve alcohol until 4a.m..

EV Grieve posted a “frictional” account of one resident’s encounter with his post-midnight nemesis.  It’s a tale of interrupted sleep, turned late-night vigilantism in: man vs. party bus.

And finally, in late-breaking celebrity news, James Franco was spotted among the latest batch of NYU graduates on Monday.  Gothamist admits to being slightly confused this had not happened already.  But considering all the schools Mr. Franco has attended, is attending, or plans to teach at in the future, a little confusion is understandable.

Brendan BernhardBrowsers at Mast Books.

On May 8, Mast Books, which takes up about 450 square feet at 66 Avenue A, sailed into its second year as a viable new business in the East Village. Why “Mast”? Is Bryan Leitgeb, who owns the store together with his wife, James McKee, a secret fan of Patrick O’Brian, C.S. Forester, and other icons of nautical literature? Smiling at this idea, Mr. Leitgeb shakes his head but says he prefers not to reveal why his store should have such a singular name.

Mr. Leitgeb, 37, who came to New York from Flint, Mich., is already a veteran of the city’s used-books business. (He spent seven years at Mercer Books alone.) He is also confident that he has hit upon the right business formula in the right place at the right time. Unlike East Village Books, long a fixture at 99 St. Marks Place, Mast has the air of a used book store acutely aware it is in the midst of an intellectual revolution that has raised the image far above the word.

This knowledge is Mast’s secret. With its polished wood floors, white walls, track lighting, and eye-catching display tables, it doesn’t look “used” or “second-hand” in the slightest. On the contrary, it is designed to evoke a small art gallery and to attract similarly chic crowds, although its strong neighborhood ethos prevents it from feeling in any way exclusionary. Mr. Leitgeb, whose blue eyes are alternately melancholy and highly focused, does his part to make non-hipsters feel at home by going unshaven, wearing non-designer glasses, and a brown cap unlikely to be featured in the next edition of Vogue. More importantly, he’s also unsnobbish, helpful, and friendly.
Read more…

Al Kavadlo demonstrates the “L-sit.”

This past Saturday, the best of the best from the NYC calisthenics scene met
in the East Village to train at my favorite outdoor gym, Tompkins Square Park — and I was fortunate enough to be a part of the action!

Members of the world-famous Bar-barians, as well as Team Beastmode, Calisthenics Kings and many others all united to train together, share their knowledge and feed off each others’ good energy. Also on hand to represent
NYC’s parkour community was Keith Horan, who dazzled the crowd with his
blend of calisthenics and freerunning.

Over the last several years, the jungle gym at Tompkins Square Parkhas become a mecca for calisthenics and parkourenthusiasts everywhere, with Saturday afternoons being the unofficial time for one and all to come out and strut their stuff.

Throughout the afternoon there was no shortage of pull-ups, muscle-ups and
handstand push-ups — and that was just the tip of the iceberg! In spite of
the intensity of the exercises, the vibe was casual and welcoming. In the
end, we all had a good time and a great workout — my arms are still sore as
I type this!

Al Kavadlo is a personal trainer, freelance writer and author of the book, “We’re Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness” (Muscle-up Publications, 2010). For more information visit www.AlKavadlo.com.

Gloria Chung

Good Morning, East Village.

Closing arguments continue in the case of the two East Village officers accused of rape.  Yesterday, defense attorney for the second officer, Franklin Mata, accused of acting as a “lookout” for his partner, again made the case that no forensic evidence had been supplied that link either man to the rape and attempted to persuade the jury that the plaintiff charged the two men in order to prompt a multi-million dollar settlement from the city. The prosecution is scheduled to begin its closing arguments today.

And problems have escalated for Ray’s Candy Store.  Yesterday, after failing a health inspection, the 37-year-old Avenue A  cornerstone is once again facing possible closure. 

Despite being ordered to temporarily shut down until a follow-up inspection can be made, the 78-year-old owner, Ray Alvarez, has chosen o keep his store open.  He is caught in a catch-22: risk a fine for every day he fails to comply with the order by remaining open or close and possibly fall short on the rent, again. The embattled candy store has been struggling to stay afloat financially for more than a year now, inspiring numerous community support and fundraising efforts throughout the neighborhood.

In other news, the helmsman at EV Grieve sat down for a candid Q&A with the Village Voice’s Fork in the Road Blog to share his views on the present state of gentrification, food tourism, and liquor licensing in the neighborhood. 

Kenan ChristiansenThe Goldman at Union Square Park.

On a drizzly day like today the weather couldn’t be more dreary. The sky isn’t offering a speck of color and besides puddle-dodging, people barely have a reason to look up. How shocked they all act when they come to Union Square Park and find the Goldman quietly shining. He peers into a small mirror and empties a can of Gold 4100 spraypaint on his face as carefully as if he were shaving.

“Does that hurt your skin?” they ask him.

“I use special paint,” he says. He gets this question a lot.

The Goldman has been practicing his “statue mode” for more than 10 years and isn’t deterred easily by weather. He worries more about putting out the right energy and being at the right place, in the right time.

“I go where the people go,” says the Goldman. “The weather does not matter. If it gets too bad I go underground to the subway. But you have to follow the money.”
Read more…

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.
Read more…

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.”
Read more…

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.