Curbs Galore

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a new corner curb installed at Avenue D and East 4th Street.

Since that time, new intersection curbs have gone in all over the East Village!

Take a look:

Avenue C and East 6th Street, NE corner.

Avenue C and East 5th Street, NE corner.

Avenue C and East 5th Street, SE corner.

Avenue C and East 4th Street, NE corner.

Avenue C and East 4th Street, SE corner.

Where do they keep all the straight and rounded curbs before they install them, you ask?

On East 7th Street!

Straight and rounded curbs.

These and many other intersections are receiving new corner curbs — I guess there's nothing wrong with the curbs between corners!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #5thstreet #6thstreet #7thstreet #avenuec #constructionsites #curbs #orangebarrels #sidewalks

Cool Graffiti Coverup

Almost a year ago to the day, the graffitier known as COOL graffitied on the front of the formerly-beloved Hop Devil Grill, on St. Mark's Place near Avenue A.

Today, with construction work taking place at that location, the graffiti is covered.

Behold:

Graffiti is covered.

Wait… what's that I see?

Trash bag on construction fence.

It's a trash bag at the top of the construction fence!

My guess is someone dropped the trash bag out of their window, intending for it to land behind the fence, but it landed on the fence instead… and now blocks the fire escape!

It's like the wild west here!

#eastvillage #constructionfences #constructionsites #fireescapes #stmarksplace #trashbags

Big Steve's Plywood

The most recent picture I have of the right side of the beloved Big Steve's Fun City (as you look at it) is from last June.

I mention that because how else will you be able to remember what this plywood is covering up?!

What's behind the plywood?

It turns out it's a window, pretty much like the one on the left (as you look at it) that isn't covered!

It makes you wonder what's going on inside there!

#eastvillage #plywood #constructionsites #bigstevesfuncity #stmarksplace

This Day In History

Two years ago today, I was walking down Avenue A, when I saw these construction materials outside the place next to the beloved Ben Ari Arts Ltd:

Construction materials.

Here is a view inside:

View inside.

This past Sunday, when I resurrected this post from the Drafts folder, it looked like this:

The beloved Drexler's.

It's now the beloved Drexler's! This is what it looks like inside:

Inside now.

Thus concludes our trip down memory lane!

#eastvillage #avenuea #benariarts #construction #drexlers

Bento Box

I was walking across St. Mark's Place the other day, when I noticed some activity taking place at the formerly-beloved Sushi Lounge, namely: construction work!

Behold:

Coming Soon: Bento Box.

It's the soon-to-be beloved Bento Box!

Here is a peek inside:

A peek inside.

Crazy Jumbo Squid! Crispy Chicken Cutlet! Muscle Milk Tea!

The three basic food groups!

#eastvillage #bentobox #stmarksplace #sushilounge #constructionsites

Convoy

I was riding my Citibike up Avenue C recently, when I noticed this convoy of semi trucks parked just above East 10th Street:

Parked convoy.

I suspect they were waiting to be called to the construction site over on Avenue D.

When I got off my bike to take this picture, a livery cab driver said to me: "You're wasting your time".

Wasting my time? He probably thought I was going to complain about them blocking the bike lane, but semi trucks are cool, and East Village Today is not a complaint blog!

#eastvillage #avenuec #bikelanes #constructionsites #semitrucks

Missing iBeam

Do you remember the picture of the construction site on East 6th Street, where an iBeam was required to hold up the buildings on either side of the site?

Of course you do!

Since that time, the lease must have expired on the iBeam, because it's gone now.

Fear not, for it has been replaced with… lumber!

iBeam replaced with lumber.

I decided to get a close-up. Fortunately, the way was clear:

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Even though these boards are bundled, you can see they are bowing.

At least they're joined securely to the buildings:

Uh oh…

Strike that.

Are those twisty-ties holding those boards together?

#eastvillage #2x4s #6thstreet #constructionsites #ibeams #jerseybarriers #orangecones #twistyties

Falling Down

You might not think so to look at it, but the East Village is built like a house of cards!

Evidence of this can be seen at this construction site on East 6th Street, where an I-beam is the only think preventing the building on the left from falling into the empty lot:

I-beam to the rescue.

I wonder if the owner of the building on the left paid the developer to prevent his building from collapsing? If I were the developer, I'd make him pay!

And if I were the owner of the building on the right, I'd make the developer pay to use my building as a support!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #constructionsites #ibeams

Ben Ari Arts Ltd

This past weekend, I was walking down Avenue A, when I passed by the former location of the then-beloved Ben Ari Arts Ltd.

Ben Ari Arts Ltd.

What are religious articles? A? The? I know of religious pronouns (thee, thou, etc.) but articles?

This is what it now looks like inside:

Inside.

I wonder if Ben Ari is any relation to Mount Ari?

#eastvillage #benariarts #avenuea #constructionsites

Post-No-Bills Frenzy

Someone went nuts with the "Post No Bills" stencil, on the construction fence in front of the former St. Mark's Place location of the beloved Trash & Vaudeville:

Nuts.

That's one way to defeat those pesky bill posters — there's no room to post a bill now!

#eastvillage #trashandvaudeville, #stmarksplace, #constructionsites, #postnobills

Another Success

Whenever East Village Today points out a mess that needs to be cleaned, or renovations needed to store fronts, they get fixed!

Back around, oh, October 30th or so, I wrote about an itinerant bookseller outside the formerly-beloved Chase Bank branch on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place, who put his books on the sidewalk instead of on a table.

No doubt after having read my post, there is now a table at this location:

A table.

Wow — I forgot the Spiderman mosaic was there!

#eastvillage #booksellers #booktables #books #chasebank #constructionsite #mosaics #renovations #secondavenue #spiderman #stmarksplace

fresco Update

East Villagers continue to abhor a blank wall, as seen yesterday evening, beside the beloved Dallas BBQ on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place:

Big ol' glam shoes.

Nothing like some big ol' glam shoes to brighten the neighborhood — even Fido approves!

#eastvillage #artists #constructionsites #dallasbbq #constructionfences #murals #secondavenue #stmarksplace #dogs

fresco

East Villagers abhor a blank wall!

I was riding my Citibike down Second Avenue this past Tuesday when I saw this artist creating a mural on a construction fence beside the beloved fresco:

Creating a mural.

He must have had permission to do this, because it was broad daylight, and he wasn't looking over his shoulder!

Fast forward to yesterday, and the mural was complete:

Completed mural, front view.

Completed mural, corner view.

The construction fence along the abandoned section of St. Mark's Place, on the other hand, is less decorative:

Less decorative construction fence.

Still, it has movie posters — that's something!

#eastvillage #artists #constructionsites #constructionfences #fresco  #frescoes #secondavenue #stmarksplace

Progress on Avenue D

Just two months ago, I wrote about the activity taking place on Avenue D between East 6th and 7th Streets, where the ugly, abandoned buildings had been torn down. This past Saturday, I went to check on the progress, and found these orange Jersey barriers:

Orange Jersey barriers.

You can see a pile driver against the building above. Here is a picture of another pile driver:

Another pile driver.

This is what the area looks like from the opposite corner:

From the opposite corner.

At this pace, it should be finished by Christmas!

#eastvillage #avenued #piledrivers #jerseybarriers #constructionsites #renovations

Eyesore No More

I was walking up Avenue D recently, when I saw that an area once known for its ugliness, was now razed to the ground:

No more ugliness!

This is what it used to look like, from a previous post:

Bleh.

Avenue D'ers are hoping a new Chase branch will open here, after the recent closing of two branches further east. That and maybe a Starbucks — the coffee over here is terrible!

#eastvillage #avenued #constructionsites #eyesores

Soon To Be, Cakery

I was walking across East 2nd Street this past Tuesday, when I saw this blue ladder:

Blue ladder.

This is no ordinary blue ladder — this is outside the soon-to-be-beloved Sugar Sketch Italian Cakery!

Here is a picture of the work going on inside:

Work going on inside.

Make no mistakery, if there's anything East Villagers love more than a bakery, it's a cakery!

And that's no fakery!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #constructionsites #sugarsketch

What Was That Again?

I was walking down Avenue B this past Tuesday, when I noticed construction plywood in front of a building:

Construction plywood.

On the right side (as you look at the picture) is the beloved Croxley's Ale House, on the left is the local Duane Reade, but in between them? No one remembers.

Something cool no doubt, to be replaced by something even cooler!

#eastvillage #avenueb #constructionsites #croxleysalehouse #plywood

Coming Soon

When last we checked in on the beloved Tompkins Square Bagels (July/2015), the construction fence at their second location (on Second Avenue) had just gone up.

There hasn't been much progress since then. I passed by recently, and saw that there is now a banner up stating that they're coming soon:

Coming Soon banner.

"Rolling into town sometime before the 2nd Ave. Subway. We promise!"

That's promising!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarebagels #secondavenue #signs #constructionsites

Hole in The Wall

When I last visited Avenue C, and got pictures of the insides of the new shopping establishment under construction there, I noticed this hole in the wall on the side of the building:

Hole in the wall.

All sorts of speculation arose as to its reason for existing, but before I got around to posting about this, the answer appeared, in the form of…
an exhaust duct!

Exhaust duct.

…rising up to the top:

To the top.

I vote chicken and ribs!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #avenuec #constructionsites #exhaustducts

A Peek Inside

I was walking down Avenue C recently, when I saw that the riot gate of the fomerly-beloved Avenue C Deli Corp, previous site of the equally-formally-beloved Los Muchachos Supermarket, was raised!

Somewhat:

Riot gate raised somewhat.

Well, you know what that means: a peek inside!

A peek inside.

Those vertical beams are new, which means the space is being divided, which means not one, but two new shopping emporiums opening soon!

There's never been a better time to live in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuec #avenuecdelicorp #losmuchachossupermarket #riotgates #renovation #constructionsites