Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

Much of the discussion in the blogosphere centers around the possibility that the iconic Mars Bar would temporarily close if developers are able to move forward with a plan to renovate a row of properties along Second Avenue.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” read the headline on EV Grieve’s post. Grieve also takes a retrospective look at the bar’s place in neighborhood lore, and offers an amusing list of similar bars to visit if the closure occurs. There’s more at Curbed and Bowery Boogie.

And in other neighborhood news, congratulations are in order for EV Grieve, which Tuesday night won Best Neighborhood Blog at the Village Voice Web Awards. We at The Local tip our hats to Grieve and to Bowery Boogie, another locally produced blog that was also a finalist for the award. Bravo to both blogs.

You know what they say – it’s all about location, location, location. Why worry about where to go on a first date, when you should be worrying about what to wear? Here’s a list of the best first date bars in the East Village that won’t disappoint, just in case the person you’re meeting there does.

Allison Hertzberg Big Bar, 73 East Seventh Street.

Big Bar
73 East Seventh Street, 212-777-6969
This bar is tiny, and reminds me of an 80’s disco – only one that’s been shrunk down to the size of an East Village studio apartment. It never gets too busy at Big Bar, and most nights you can occupy one of their four booths for hours.
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The Local East Village announces a new collaboration with SeeClickFix.

Today we have launched a new feature on The Local East Village – a collaboration with SeeClickFix, an organization that offers a variety of platforms to report local non-emergency concerns, such as potholes,
graffiti and broken street lamps.

Using SeeClickFix, we hope to raise awareness about different issues in the East Village. This collated information is directly available and can be viewed from the East Village watch area on this blog.

You can also use the page to post your concerns about the neighborhood.

Anyone, including local government officials, neighborhood groups and private individuals, can sign up to receive notifications about posted concerns.

As journalists, we also hope to use the information to help us report more effectively on community concerns and draw attention to them.

We would like to invite you to take a look at SeeClickFix on The Local East Village and encourage you to report neighborhood issues.

You can do this from the main map page on The Local East Village. The information you enter there will appear both as a report on the map and on the main SeeClickFix site.

If you have any problems posting or tracking issues, please visit the SeeClickFix help section.

You can also post to SeeClickFix while on the go using mobile devices and you can follow posts within the East Village area via @SeeClickFixLEV on Twitter.

We look forward to hearing what you think most needs fixing in the East Village.

Stephanie Butnick The buildings at 9, and 11-17 Second Avenue, which will be renovated as part a new development featuring low-income apartments that would be available for as little as $1.

Developers are expected to seek Community Board approval Wednesday for a plan to renovate a row of properties along Second Avenue, and sell some of the apartments to low-income families for as little as $1.

The mostly low-income families who currently live in the two buildings at 9 and 11-17 Second Avenue are guaranteed units in the proposed development, which would combine the two structures into one larger building.

The project, run by development firm BFC Partners, is operating under the Department of City Planning’s 2009 amendment to the inclusionary housing program, which creates permanently affordable housing, now with the option to buy. According to Juan Barahona of the development firm, tenants will be able to buy the new apartments for between $1 and $10.

The project will also take advantage of new zoning laws that allow developers to build more square footage on a lot, provided they allocate 20 percent of the building’s total area to affordable housing.

In this case, the 12-story, 4,000 sq. ft. building will house approximately 12 low-income units (available to those making 80 percent or less of the area’s median income ̶ approximately $63,000), dispersed throughout the complex, and about 48 market rate units. The development’s market-rate units, which make up the majority of the building, will offset costs.
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Shawn Hoke

Good morning, East Village.

We begin this morning with a look at a detailed report in The Times on the Ross Global Academy Charter School on East 12th Street, which received one of the worst grades in a recent report card on schools and is among three city schools slated for closure. DNAinfo and The Wall Street Journal have details, too.

In other neighborhood news, EV Grieve re-visits a Times article on Seventh Street and ponders a hypothetical, the-end-is-nigh scenario: What if a Shake Shack opened in Tompkins Square Park?

EV Transitions offers up a history lesson on the neighborhood’s place as a focal point for shipbuilding in the 19th century, including how the industry shaped such community institutions as St. Brigid’s, which was named for the patron saint of boatmen.

And the Village Voice has a humorous account of a brief evacuation at NYU Journalism Monday that was caused by heavy smoke after a mechanical failure. The evacuation occurred in the middle of a panel on influential media figures. The Voice’s headline: “This Discussion Panel Is On Fire.”

Timothy Krause on taking portraits of subway riders.

“I’ve been shooting subway pictures with a camera app for my smartphone. I love the intimacy that this affords, as smartphones are near-ubiquitous these days, and few seem to notice one more person playing with one on the subway.”
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Anthony Rhoades Anthony Donovan.

For a man who says he isn’t religious, Anthony Donovan sure does spend a lot of time in churches. “I love entering these creative, beautiful spaces,” said Mr. Donovan. “I love the art.”

Mr. Donovan is the facilitator of Local Faith Communities, an ecumenical consortium of a dozen East Village religious leaders – from Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Russian Orthodox traditions among others – that meets periodically to discuss issues facing their congregations and how they can work together to solve them.

On Tuesday evening, the group will host Spiritual Sounds, a free concert featuring music from different religious traditions, at 7 p.m. at the Catholic Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street.

Mr. Donovan, who is 58 and has lived in the East Village since 1990, has no formal religious training yet believes strongly in the importance of people finding their common bonds through divergent faiths. His hair is more salt than pepper, and he speaks and listens with the measured calmness of a therapist. He recently sat down with The Local to talk about Local Faith Communities and how living in the East Village has informed his work.

Why did you start Local Faith Communities?

This all started because I’m tired of what goes on in the name of religion — the hate crimes that are happening in the world because of religion, the wars in the name of religion. Religion seems to be a very easy way to mobilize people for or against something.
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At 155 Avenue C, a seemingly ordinary five-floor walkup bears an unusual handmade sign: “This Land Is Ours. See Co-Op Squat. Not For Sale.”

This is See Squat, one of 11 remaining squatters’ buildings in the East Village. Now technically a co-op, the building has retained its character as, in the words of one resident, “the countercultural squat.”

Many of the residents at See Squat view one another as a family that has come together from varied pasts – including drug addiction and homelessness – to build and maintain a community on Avenue C with their own hands.

NYU Journalism’s Robyn Baitcher reports.

Timothy Krause

Good morning, East Village.

We return from the weekend with a report on what may be the latest scourge to afflict the neighborhood: an attack by cat.

The Post reported during the weekend on a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey woman against McSorley’s Old Ale House after she said she was attacked by Minnie, the tavern’s pet cat. EV Grieve posted a video of Minnie during what were apparently more benign and cuddly times.

Grieve also has a post about a newspaper distribution box designed by the street artist Cost, which was sold on eBay for $4,200.

And our belated, yet nonetheless enthusiastic congratulations go out to Grieve and Bowery Boogie, two locally produced sites which were each named finalists in the Village Voice Web Awards for best neighborhood blog. We try to send traffic to both blogs as much as we can and it’s nice to see their good work being acknowledged elsewhere.

Inspired and framed by the opening monologue of Woody Allen’s
“Manhattan,” Phillip Kalantzis Cope tells an East Village story through his images and Mr. Allen’s words.

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Nathaniel Page Carole Pope.

Carole Pope was lead singer of the Toronto New Wave rock band Rough Trade in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. In 2008, Ms. Pope moved to the East Village, where she is recording a new solo album, due out early next year.

After releasing their album “Avoid Freud” in 1980, Rough Trade traveled from Toronto to perform in New York City. Ms. Pope loved the edginess of the East Village 30 years ago. Now that she lives here, the noise makes her edgy.

“I just want to kill all the Carrie Bradshaw wannabees,” she said. “They don’t know how to hold their liquor. We did.”

In the spring, Ms. Pope is scheduled to be honored with an OutMusic Award, for a career in which she has been cited as an influence by such artists as k.d. lang and Divine. And Ms. Pope is scheduled to perform Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum.

Ms. Pope recently met with The Local at Vandaag on Third Avenue and Sixth Street. When a worker started pounding on the wall above the front door to the restaurant, Ms. Pope jumped and said “Sounds like my place.”

“If I was rich I’d definitely move to the West Village,” she added.
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Colleen Leung The author at the end of the East River esplanade construction project just south of Delancy Street. The project is expected to be completed in July.

The East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Project was conceived in 2002 as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s “Vision for Lower Manhattan,” yet almost 10 years later, the plan to extend the esplanade from East River Park down to the Battery Maritime Building on the southern tip of the city, creating attractive open space and exercise opportunities for East Village and Lower East Side residents, has not made much progress.

With estimated completion dates that continually get pushed back, the completion of the East River Waterfront Esplanade sometimes seems like a mere pipe dream.

The mayor’s plan promised new bike paths, more seating areas and even a dog run along the water. Yet during a recent excursion to East River Park, I instead noticed a sign with a new projected completion date: July 2011.

According to the official government Web site, Phase I of the the project was scheduled for completion in fall 2010. However, sticking the small piece of paper on the sign over the old scheduled completion date seems to be the only work that has actually gotten done lately.

I proceeded to walk alongside the torn-up rubble next to the water for over a mile, hoping to possibly speak to some workers about the project, but there wasn’t even anyone there.

Perhaps one day the mayor’s plan will allow runners and cyclists to go all the way around lower Manhattan along the east side without taking a detour around the construction. Until then, I’ll get my exercise doing scaffold pull-ups and running back and forth on the small section of Esplanade that ends just South of Delancey Street.

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.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

One of the most important ongoing stories in the neighborhood is the continuing evolution of small businesses. The Wall Street Journal offers its take on the issue with a look at the neighborhood’s transformation into a hub for nightlife by focusing on a stretch of East Third Street between Avenues A and D.

Framed around the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the article looks at the businesses that have come and gone in recent months. The piece – in an observation that could be applied to many parts of the neighborhood – describes how East Third “has become a destination for young bards, students and — often — tourists. Indeed, much of the gentrification that surrounds it today was inspired by the foot traffic the café attracted in the first place.” It’s a story well worth reading.

In other neighborhood news, EV Grieve posts a follow-up to an earlier interview with the new owner of the Polonia Restaurant, in which he further defends some of the changes that he’s made at the restaurant. “I have no plans, whatsoever, of trying to scare off Polonia’s long time patrons,” the owner says.

And The Villager profiles one of the neighborhood’s centenarians, Rose Padawer, who recently celebrated her 105th birthday.

Seeking The Next Community Editor

Today is the deadline for applications for our next community editor. If you live in our coverage area – 14th Street to Houston, Broadway to the East River – have editing experience, are familiar with WordPress and are interested in the paid position please e-mail us by the end of the day.

Meredith Hoffman Top: Jacqui Lewis, left, and Tricia Sheffield grasp a red cloth dedicated to victims of AIDS during a Wednesday night ceremony at Middle Collegiate Church commemorating World AIDS Day.

Debbie Totten knows about loss.

Four years ago, her brother Frank committed suicide after learning that he had contracted AIDS. “He had the beginnings of AIDS but he took his own life,” said Ms. Totten, a 53-year-old native of the East Village. Two years later, her brother’s friend also committed suicide when he learned that he, too, had AIDS.

On Wednesday night, Ms. Totten and 25 fellow congregants silently held candles in Middle Collegiate Church during a worship service to commemorate World AIDS Day.

And though the service’s message was of hope, the story of Ms. Totten and many others was of loss, with entire past communities gone, because of AIDS.

“There’s nobody here anymore I grew up with. Most of them passed away from the virus,” said Ms. Totten. While most of her friends contracted HIV back in the 70’s, she said that she’s known even more infected people in the neighborhood in recent years.

Every Monday with Middle Church Ms. Totten volunteers, giving hot dinners and groceries to people with AIDS. She volunteers at another food pantry on Wednesdays, but came to last night’s service instead, to reflect.
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Darla Murray This holiday season may be the last in which some New Yorkers are able to offer their apartments for short-term stays because of new regulations governing sublets.

As the holiday season approaches, Web sites like Roomorama, Homeaway and Craigslist will be flush with temporary vacation rental listings. According to Jia En, founder of Roomorama, a company specializing in short-term rentals, East Villagers are among the most active users of vacation rental sites.

“People in this neighborhood tend to travel a lot,” says Ms. En, who adds that they are also business savvy because “instead of leaving their place empty, they use it as a way to earn some extra money.” The holiday season can be especially lucrative.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most popular times for visitors,” says Ms. En.
Unfortunately, for both residents wanting to make some extra cash and tourists hoping to save some, this will be the last holiday season that tenants will be able to sublet their apartments for short stays. In July, Governor David A. Paterson signed into law a bill that makes it illegal to rent out apartments for less than 30 days in New York.

The Local consulted veteran East Village subletters to draft a list of the Dos and Don’ts of subletting, just in case you’re hoping to take advantage of your last holiday season of short-term leasing:
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In years past, John Lesko led a frenetic, nomadic lifestyle. The 60-year-old native New Yorker — originally from Hell’s Kitchen — has had, in his own words, “a million different jobs.” Mr. Lesko has worked as a machinist, marine, Greyhound bus driver, cabbie, and real estate agent.

But despite this unpredictable career path, his passion for the written word has remained a constant. For the last four decades, his “thrust has been the poetry.” Mr. Lesko, who writes under the pseudonym, Giron d’Agate, draws inspiration from historical events and figures, as well as personal experiences. He currently self-publishes more recent works on his blog.

NYU Journalism’s Sarah Tung reports.

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

The local blogosphere this morning is dominated by items about neighborhood real estate. EV Grieve takes a look at some of the neighborhood’s priciest apartments. Grieve also has an interesting then-and-now take comparing the price of an apartment at 224 Avenue B today – about as much as $2,400 – versus its price in 1909 – $25. Grieve notes that, according to inflation calulators, $25 in 1909 is equivalent to about $600 today. But, Grieve writes, “Inflation calculators don’t take into account East Village inflation.”

Earlier this week, we wrote about the roughly year-old concert venue known as Extra Place on the street of the same name. Bowery Boogie reports on the opening of a new restaurant nearby to give the party people “someplace to quell their munchies.”

And DNAinfo has a post detailing 14 building code violations at the recently opened Hotel Toshi on East 10th Street.

Seeking The Next Community Editor

And we at The Local would like to remind you that Friday is the deadline for applications for our next community editor. If you live in our coverage area – 14th Street to Houston, Broadway to the East River – have editing experience, are familiar with WordPress and are interested in the paid position please e-mail us.

In a neighborhood where everything is changing, Ray’s Candy Store remains refreshingly unchanged. Faded posters line the walls, many of which depict smiling teenage girls in 80’s headbands enjoying Lime Rickeys. Since buying the shop in 1976, Ray Alvarez and his candy store have become fixtures in the East Village.

“Ray’s is the last real thing left in this neighborhood,” said Clemente Valguarnera, owner of the nearby Café Pick Me Up.

This sentiment is echoed by most of Ray’s patrons. That is why the community joined together to raise money when Alvarez began having problems making rent payments.

Open 24 hours a day, Ray’s is the late night gathering place for local regulars, bar-hopping visitors and those who just like the consistency of the frozen yogurt.

NYU Journalism’s Alexandra DiPalma reports.

Rhea Mahbubani Kate Goldwater specializes in using discarded or secondhand items to craft new fashions.

In a neighborhood that is chock-full of chic boutiques, Kate Goldwater is doing her best to stand out. Ms. Goldwater, 26, a self-proclaimed “social justice crusader” designs an environmentally-friendly clothing line for AuH2O, her East Village boutique. All her designs are made from recycled items. Ms. Goldwater gets discarded or secondhand clothing wherever she can ̶ including the Salvation Army, Goodwill, clothing swaps – and transforms them into one-of-a-kind pieces.

Ms. Goldwater has been running AuH2O (the chemical symbols for Gold and Water) since October 2006, but last month she took on three business partners; Rachael Rush and Alexandra Sinderbrand, who sell vintage and thrift store clothing, and Rose Kennedy, a jewelry designer who creates trinkets from salvaged items. Now all four women sell their gently-used finds and original designs in the boutique and split the monthly rent.

In the past Ms. Goldwater received attention for creating unconventional clothing, including a tie made from credit cards and a dress made from MetroCards, which earned her a cease-and-desist email from an MTA lawyer. However she has recently turned her attention to more wearable clothing saying, “I want to make recycled clothes that people wear for a long time. People thought of the unusual designs as novelty items that they wore once. That isn’t so eco-friendly.” She also produces tailor-made items for customers by updating clothing that they no longer wear.

Ms. Goldwater spoke with The Local about three of her recent sartorial transformations:

Custom-Made Tuxedo Tie Vest, $180

Kate Goldwater Before: A pile of men’s ties.

Kate Goldwater After: Safia Karasick Southey, 12, in the vest she plans to wear for her Bat Mitzvah.

“I made this for a 12-year-old girl’s Bat Mitzvah. Her mom gave me the ties that they liked and I decided what order they would look best in. The toughest part was that the girl’s waist is only 24 inches and my mannequin has a 28-inch waist, so I had to eyeball it.”

“It took me six hours to make and I charge $30 an hour for custom-made pieces. I wouldn’t make this for the store because I prefer that everything in AuH2O is under $100. I want my clothing to be affordable for artists and students. I did make similar tie skirts that I sold in the store for $55 each. They were faster to make so I was able to set a lower price.”
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