Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

Over the past week we’ve witnessed the subtraction of some of New York’s Congressional representation, the addition of a former governor to NYU’s faculty, and the wild fluctuations of our weather thermometers. But for the near future, changes are looking to be for the warmer (we won’t try to predict the political ones). Snow is nowhere on the horizon, and we might reach 50s by next week.

But we aren’t the only ones obsessed with the weather. The Times has a nice round-up of how this winter has emptied the city coffers, slashed major crime numbers, interfered with all sorts of businesses – and even prevented a suicide. It also seems to have kept Christmas spirit in the air (or at least on the sidewalks), according to Gothamist.

But apparently, a little snow is nothing to deter cell phone thieves from grabbing your App-collector — DNAinfo tells us the East Village has seen quite a few phone thefts in the last month. Deputy Inspector Nancy Barry warns that thieves have a penchant for picking pockets on subway trains about to pull away, so they escape into the station while you stand clear of the closing doors. Clutch those tech toys near your heart, where they belong.

Worried that you might be mourning the loss of football season, Nearsay has profiled a solid bunch of neighborhood brunch spots to replace the game as your weekend excuse to … socialize.  Have a favorite that wasn’t mentioned? Do tell.

C. Ceres Merry

Good morning, East Village.

We’re working through this little cold front one day at a time, but take heart — the weekend should bring back (relatively) higher temperatures. Also on the radar: a detour for anyone taking the Brooklyn Bridge into the Lower East Side, and the arrival of some fashion week festivities.

Whether you’re driving, walking the runway or just walking down the street, however, don’t get distracted. Thanks to a wintery mix of bad conditions and work-scheduling issues, roads in the city have more potholes than the transportation department can keep up with.

And if you travel on foot, beware: Broadway may be the most dangerous New York street for pedestrians, but our neighborhood’s very own Bowery had the dubious honor of placing not too far behind. EV Grieve takes a look at an East Village map of the transportation department report.

Residents of one building on East 11th Street aren’t too happy about a rooftop radio antenna, DNAinfo says. They’ve been trying to convince its owner, an amateur radio operator, that it poses a danger — and is ugly enough to scare off house guests and buyers.

In other 11th Street news, Girls Prep is looking to relocate its middle school from Astor Place to East 11th, DNAinfo tells us. The charter school hopes to expand after moving into the building between First Avenue and Avenue A, which currently houses Ross Global Academy.

And finally, police have released a sketch of the man believed to have pushed a local woman onto the subway tracks in Chinatown last week.

Adrian Fussell

Good morning, East Village.

Hope you’re bundled up and ready for the wind, which is dropping the “feels-like” temps into single digits today.

In neighborhood notes, EV Grieve takes a look at some construction and renovation work that’s bringing changes to the Village, as well as a mysterious hole that may or may not be a harbinger of the zombie apocalypse.

Meanwhile, Lüc Carl, manager of the Lower East Side bar St. Jerome, wants to help you make good on your New Year’s resolutions, unless your resolutions are about drinking less. DNAinfo tells us that Mr. Carl, who also happens to be Lady Gaga’s boyfriend, is releasing a diet book called “The Drunk Diet,” to help you lose weight while partying like a rock star. But it won’t come out until next year, so your 2011 health efforts may have to be sans keg.

Happy Wednesday.

Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

Whether you spent yesterday hacking at the ice wall around your frozen car or stalking Gossip Girl’s Village visit (we won’t tell), today is a brand-new day. You may have needed to face its earlier hours with an umbrella, but for now, grab your hat and gloves. Temperatures are set to drop steadily, hitting 18 degrees by the time midnight rolls around.

Maybe someone should head over to East Houston and tell the model in this new American Apparel billboard to don some warm leggings? I hear electric blue is the new day-glo pink. In other additions to Village advertising, EV Grieve takes a look at various neighborhood graffiti and brings word that comic bookstore Forbidden Planet might be looking for some breathing room.

Yesterday we gave you a look at rider contention over the new M15 select bus service, and now City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin tells DNAinfo she’s given the service a B minus for its efforts. She says she supports the goals, “but it’s not quite living up to its potential.” C minus for accessibility, A for effort? Let us know how you feel about the new system.

Speaking of report cards, New York students might be graduating from high school, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready for college or a career — a new set of statistics says only 23 percent are meeting that standard. This news comes on the heels of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s voiced disappointment in state budget cuts for our little town, which he says will be devastating for teachers and other public employees (mayors excepted).

And finally, a super-short film to watch over your coffee break: Manhattan re-imagined as your favorite arcade game.

Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

And happy new year! Here’s hoping you found a good way during this busy weekend to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, mark World Nutella Day and spend a few hours with friends in front of a television cheering for a team you don’t hate. (The Local is referring to the Knicks victory, of course.)

If you didn’t make it outside to enjoy yesterday’s sunny temperature break, try to catch some elusive rays during your morning commute – the clouds will be back by afternoon, and the cold’s not far behind. If you walk to work slowly enough, maybe you can formulate your official position on the merits of the Black-Eyed Peas halftime show. Your co-workers will want to know.

Just don’t let your inner music critic distract you from looking both ways. Figures show traffic deaths in the city are up from last year, though over all numbers for the last two years put New York ahead of its American peers, and are the best the city has seen since your other car was a horse. Drivers with more modern transportation options may need to pry their ride from the snow and turn it around or face a fine, as alternate side parking rules are back to normal today.

Over at Bowery Boogie, Villagers get another look at progress and projections for the Allen Street Hotel. Meanwhile, Neighborhoodr reports the closing of Avenue A’sApizzA. Is fellow pie joint Tonda going the same route? Finally, congratulations and a warm neighborhood welcome to Jamshed Barucha, new president of Cooper Union.

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

Mars Bar will host a farewell party on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with live performances by Daddy Long Legs and Nouvellas. Is this the end for the famous dive bar? EV Grieve ponders some recent rumors, including one that says the bar closed for good last Sunday. Curbed has heard it will remain open until the spring before giving way to a 12-story, 60-unit apartment building.

Bowery Beef, a roast beef sandwich shop modeled after a legendary Boston joint called Harrison’s, is set to open in the Bowery Poetry Club by the end of next week, according to the Village Voice’s Fork in the Road blog. Bagels and lox will be served starting at 7 a.m. and $5 roast beef sandwiches from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EV Grieve asked Ray LeMoine, one of the owners of Bowery Beef, a few questions about the East Village’s new addition.

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York catches up with Jane Young, a local artist and community activist who was instrumental in the efforts to save 35 Cooper Square. Get her take on how the demolition of the building would affect the East Village’s identity.

City Room reports that, according to the latest poll, 44 percent of New Yorkers believe Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is doing an excellent or good job. Though nowhere near the 68 percent approval he reached in October 2008 at the height of his popularity, the newest number is seven points up from early last month for the mayor, who, incidentally, is a fan of The New Yorker’s depiction of him as a modern-day Narcissus.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

After a few miserable days of rain, snow, and ice, we’re going to get some sun today. Unfortunately, temperatures won’t rise above freezing, according to The Weather Channel, so keep an eye out for ice.

According to DNAinfo, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has urged the designers of the Astor Place and Cooper Square project to better recognize the historic significance of the area in their plans. In a letter to the Public Design Commission, the preservation advocates asked that old Native American and Dutch roadbeds, which date back as far as 1639, be maintained.

Having trouble eating healthily and cheaply? Check out NearSay’s guide to reasonably priced vegetarian restaurants and grocery stores in the East Village and Lower East Side.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed an overhaul yesterday of New York’s pension system, which would require new municipal workers to work for at least 10 years to receive pension checks at age 65, eight years after most workers begin receiving them now. Read the full story in The Times.

Call in the canines. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is looking for a pair of bedbug-sniffing dogs to help inspect buildings throughout the city, DNAinfo reports. In a 2008 University of Florida study, dogs located the bugs and their eggs with a success rate of up to 98 percent. They might consider reaching out for this pooch.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

Staten Island Chuck, New York City’s groundhog meteorologist in residence, may not see his shadow today—freezing rain will continue to fall from overcast skies throughout the morning, according to Accuweather—but it’s hard to imagine winter will end any time soon.

Check out the City Room’s look back on 110 years of Groundhog Day coverage at The Times.

The proposed redesign of Astor Place and Cooper Square is causing trouble on a variety of fronts, Curbed reports. Nearby residents are worried that rowdy crowds would loiter late at night in the expanded Cooper Triangle and a new, thin plaza called the Village Square. On top of that, the plans for Astor Place interfere with an old Native American trail. Check out these renderings at The Architects Newspaper.

According to Real Estate Weekly, the owners of 35 Cooper Square, Arun Bhatia Development Organization, have not yet decided if they will demolish the building, which housed the Asian Pub until a few days ago. A spokesperson for the development group said a decision would likely be made within three or four weeks.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

According to the Weather Channel, we can expect a steady mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, which will bring three to six inches of accumulation between now and tomorrow evening. The National Weather service has issued a winter storm warning that will remain in effect until 7 p.m. tomorrow. Meanwhile, The Times reports, a grand jury is still trying to clean up the Sanitation Department slowdown mess from the Dec. 26 blizzard.

The city’s Parks Department is looking for restaurant vendor proposals for the kiosk at the corner of East First Street and First Avenue, according to DNAinfo. Veselka, the Ukrainian restaurant that has occupied the space for the past five years, may be moving out when its contract runs out in June. The Parks Department has said that the ideal eatery will be affordable and will “incorporate ethnically diverse and/or healthy food choices, such as salads, fresh fruit, yogurt, nuts, granola bars, protein bars, bottled water, juices, smoothies, etc.” Bids are due by March 4.

In local history today, EV Grieve looks back at the old Salvation Army building over the years before a new boutique hotel and restaurant takes its place at the corner of East Third and Bowery. Finally, the Community Board 3 Economic Development Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at 59 East Fourth Street. The Local will be in attendance.

Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

Cooper 35 Asian Pub is closed, Bowery Boogie reports. Drinks were served for the last time on Saturday night, just one day after a rally to protest planned development at the site of the historic 35 Cooper Square. EV Grieve has posted a link to a petition you can sign to urge the Landmarks Preservation Committee to grant the building a designation that would prevent construction at the site. Nearly 1,100 people have attached their names so far.

George Condo, a prominent artist in the East Village in the 1980’s, has a new exhibit called “Mental States” at the New Museum. NearSay gives a taste of the artist’s idiosyncratic representation of the human psyche, which will be on display until May 8.

Want to see the New York that could have been? Check out David W. Dunlap’s “The City’s Future That Never Was” in The Times. The United Nations center could have been in Flushing Meadow Park, bridges could have traveled over and through skyscrapers, and the Jets could have called Hudson Yards home.

Brace yourself: New York’s snowiest winter is showing no signs of slowing down. Accuweather says to expect another two to five inches between tonight and Wednesday evening.

Rachel Citron

Good morning, East Village.

Another inch of snow is on its way, according to Accuweather, but with the mountains of white out there already, we may not even notice. If you’re sick of the weather, check out the nation’s 5 coldest cities for consolation. Number 1, according to the Weather Channel? Barrow, Alaska. Its population is a tenth that of our neighborhood, but nearly half their days are below zero, and think of how few cafes they have for respite from that cold.

Apparently, the snow won’t deter East Village activists, with two demonstrations planned – a rally at 4:30 this afternoon to protest planned development at the historic 35 Cooper Square and a picket tomorrow night at 8 over allegations of bias at the Continental bar.

Also out in full force will be 3,000 volunteers counting the homeless throughout the city, this Sunday night with HOPE NYC, the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate.

Who else will be winding through the snow-swirled streets? Well, DNAinfo suggests, red-tailed hawks are actually on the rise, and may just be the answer to our rat predicament.

If you’re looking for local – indoor – activities, you may want to tuck into the Bowery Poetry Club Sunday for David Amram’s 80th birthday celebration. Mr. Amram, a noted musician and author who performed with the likes of Jack Kerouac, will be performing at 8 p.m.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

In what EV Grieve dubbed “The Great Thunder Blizzard of 2011,” we were only one inch away from getting the 20 inches of snow that blanketed the city in the Dec. 26 blizzard. NY1 reports it’s our snowiest January ever, our sixth snowiest winter, and the eighth largest storm in city history. This time, “We were ready for it,” Michael R. Bloomberg told NY1 this morning after declaring a weather emergency last night. Grieve has some great neighborhood photos of the storm, including a snow-covered Tompkins Square Park, a fallen tree at East 10th Street and Second Avenue, and a downed awning at Kafana on Avenue C.

Brooklyn-based emcee Saigon has been out volunteering at the Bowery Mission the last few days, handing out blankets to the homeless, according to Bowery Boogie. Over on Avenue D, the homeless were bracing for the snow, as we reported yesterday.

If you’re off for the day and down for some sledding, Gothamist has a list of the best places to get your sled on.

After working up an appetite in the chill, head over to Ray’s on Avenue A and try his new roast beef on rye sandwich for $5. Nadie Se Conoce has a photo that’ll make you drool. Or, head out for some brunch since, surprise, surprise, according to Crain’s, New Yorkers love brunch more than residents in any other metro area.

Gloria Chung

Good morning, East Village.

In case you haven’t had enough of the snow, we’re getting dumped on again now and expecting up to five inches. Look on the bright side – it’ll turn into a messy mix of sleet and ice by the end of the day, reports NY1.

Meanwhile, Community Board 3 has unveiled its State Liquor Authority agenda for a Feb. 14 meeting, where Superdive, a troubled bar on Avenue A, will ask for a renewal of its liquor license, Momofuku Milk Bar, on Second Avenue near East 13th Street, will request a new liquor license, and Ninth Ward, on Second Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets, is applying for a sidewalk cafe. If you want to join in the fun, the meeting will be held at the JASA/Green Residence on East Fifth Street at 6:30 p.m.

If you’ve got pierogies and borscht on the brain, run over to the Veselka kiosk at First and First. There’s a strong possibility the little Eastern European spot will be turned over to the city’s Parks Department after the owner, Tom Birchard, expressed concern over a costly requirement to install a bathroom, according to Crain’s.

Take a nostalgic look at the East Village in the late 80’s, with pics on EV Grieve, and of the Lower East Side from the 60’s to the 80’s with photos at 21-7 magazine.

Got rats, bedbugs or cock roaches? A company called Optomen Productions is looking for tenants with severe infestations for a new documentary, according to Bowery Boogie. They’ll take care of your pest problem, free of charge.

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

This morning began with the sight of fresh snowflakes and also a reminder that no matter how pleasing the sight may be to many eyes, it also can also come with a cost. The Times reports that city officials have put the pricetag for cleaning up last month’s blizzard at about $68 million.

EV Grieve has a full report about one of the season’s most vivid reminders of the severity of the recent temperatures: efforts to free a car that was frozen under a sheet of ice when a water main burst on East Second Street. An image of the car also made the front of The Post.

Two development projects are also being discussed in the blogosphere. Grieve has more on an effort to stop development at 35 Cooper Square (including a look at the building and its neighbors from 2004). And turning our gaze a bit south of the neighborhood, Bowery Boogie has a report on Community Board 3’s passage of new guidelines for development of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area – an agreement years in the making.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

We begin the week with a look back at a piece of East Village history. The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors is circulating a petition to stop the development of the historic building located at 35 Cooper Square, now the home of Cooper 35 Asian Pub. The alliance is also holding a rally and news conference Friday to protest the building from being destroyed. It’s one of the oldest houses on the Bowery, and was sold for $8.5 million in November. Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York put together a comprehensive look at the building’s history.

Meanwhile, street artist Kenny Scharf is speaking out about the tagging of his huge mural at the corner of Houston Street and the Bowery. “It really hurt me,” Mr. Scharf told The Post. “It was a big diss.” The mural was defaced during December’s big blizzard, and the Big Time Bombers, a graffiti gang, is being blamed. Take a peek at what the wall looked like in the 60’s on Bowery Boogie, which has stills from director Martin Scorsese’s 1967 film, “Who’s That Knocking At My Door.”

If you’re out riding your bike, be extra cautious to follow the rules. The NYPD has handed out close to a whopping 1,000 tickets this month to cyclists accused of breaking the law, which includes violations such as riding the wrong way and up on the sidewalk, running lights, and making illegal turns, reports The Post.

But before you head out into the deep chill, keep in mind that it’s 12 degrees, though it’s suppose to warm up to a balmy 18, according to NY1. Bundle up.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

After getting about four inches of snow overnight, the last of the flakes have fallen as we make our morning commutes. The Sanitation Department was out in full force to make sure that no street was left behind in our fifth snowstorm this winter, reports NY1.

In architecture news, there’s an updated version of the design for the proposed Bowery Hotel from The Observer, which says of the plan, “it has light up balconies that will shimmer at night, bringing a bit of that dance-club flare back to the cleaned up thoroughfare.” The comments aren’t any more flattering than when we first saw the design for the hotel, which will stand on the site of the old Salvation Army building. One commentator on Curbed wrote: “Looks more like it’s ‘festering’ than ‘shimmering,’” while another said, “Is restraint really uncool?”

Meanwhile, the bike lane debate keeps getting hotter. At a Brooklyn community board meeting last night, residents argued with Department of Transportation officials, saying that the agency inflated numbers of cyclists using a Prospect Park lane, according to The Post. Our own bike lanes debate continues, and if Jimmy McMillan had any say in it, he’d do away with them all.

And if you’re planning on watching the Jets play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night with a berth in Super Bowl XLV at stake, The Post has an in-depth championship game preview. But if you’re not feeling the football love, EV Grieve suggests some bars without TVs where you can drink, minus the football fanatics.

Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

We heard from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg last night in his State of the City speech. The Times reports that he focused on small-scale local initiatives and spoke little of education, and didn’t even mention last month’s blizzard.

While the mayor made his address, a Village Voice blogger was busy teaching a lesson to every young person in the “greatest city in the world.” In response to a girl’s complaint of getting overcharged by a locksmith, blogger Joe Coscarelli said getting ripped off here is inevitable, and recalled his decrepit past East Village apartment. Perhaps you can relate.

Meanwhile, tenants on 13th Street are scrutinizing their building’s facade for its constant graffiti. DNAinfo reports on the “tagger’s paradise” that some suggest should become a mural.

And though cops have monitored the wall, many will be on a bigger mission today: one of New York’s largest Mafia arrests.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

There’s an online outcry over the design of the proposed Bowery Hotel, which was unveiled by Curbed. One commentator said the project “looks like the winner of a contest where crazed architects are asked to design their weirdest fantasy buildings.” Brokerage Eastern Consolidated announced that Paris-based Louzon Group will build the 72-room boutique hotel and restaurant at the old Salvation Army building, bought by the group for $7.6 million, at 347-349 Bowery.

Meanwhile, in his 10th State of the City address this afternoon, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will reiterate his agenda amid criticisms of “a battle over his new schools chancellor, an $80 million fraud scheme involving the city’s payroll system and a botched effort to deal with a crippling snowstorm last month,” reports The Times. He’s expected to propose a plan to make it legal to hail livery cabs and announce plans for changes to the pension system.

For those of us who take the M15 bus, your ride is up to 16 minutes faster with the new system, according to The Daily News.

And if you’re concerned about the amount of pollution in the air while you’re out and about, check out these new high-tech sweatshirts, designed by two NYU graduate students, emblazoned with lungs and hearts that turn blue when you’re exposed to dirty air.

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

If you’re feeling neighborhood-nostalgic, you might turn to the site Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, where a local laments her move from East Village to West, after a decade on “buzzing” Avenue B.

If you’re interested in gearing up for Sunday’s Jets game, you can still turn to a local source, East Village Radio, which this morning aired a discussion with football experts.

Meanwhile, amidst our city’s ongoing bike lane debates, EV Grieve has an amusing post on a biker who was ticketed for riding on the sidewalk. On this morning’s ice, you probably won’t want to be cycling at all. Even NY1 calls it a “slippery, messy start,” and says rain will continue through the afternoon.

And today’s weather makes The Village Voice’s video of the 10th annual No Pants Subway Ride even more entertaining.