Results tagged “Union Square”

The iconic Empire Diner in Chelsea is being taken over by the team that operates the obnoxiously fashionable but beautifully staffed Coffee Shop in Union Square. The owner of the property will not be renewing the lease with Renata Gonzalez, who's operated the classic diner for over three decades. Instead, the Gotham City Restaurant Group will replace Gonzalez with a 15-year lease rumored to be in the $25,000 per month range. Gonzalez says she's trying to get the new owner to keep some of the current employees, some of whom have been there for as long as her, but that seems unlikely. The name's changing too, but that hasn't been revealed yet.

The crazy steam-spewing Union Square "Metronome" clock is off by 52 minutes! Does anyone even know how to read this thing? One blogger explains just how to decipher it:

The 15 numbers of the digital clock display time going and coming relative to midnight. Read time going left to right and time coming in the opposite direction. So, if the clock reads 180746***135205 it means that it is 6:07 P.M. (18 hours/07 minutes/46 seconds since midnight) and that there are 5 hours/52 minutes/13 seconds remaining until midnight. The three numbers in between are a blur of moving numbers. It is like a digital hourglass.

The Club Animals who give bouncy rides, deliver crack candy around town, and give us an overall uncomfortable feeling, are multiplying like Gremlins at a waterpark. Tonight the newest member will be giving away free butterfly kisses on the Union Square L platform from 9 to 10 p.m. We have also been alerted that free bouncy rides will take place from 8 to 9 p.m. in the same location, which makes us think that dolphin and bunny are one in the same!

We've been thoroughly enjoying Max Silvestri's rants and commentary over at the AV Club, and in his latest piece he takes on Regal Cinemas. The young lad is living the dream out in Williamsburg, just one 11 minute train ride from Union Square... and as such, from Regal Cinemas on Broadway and 13th. But before your face turns green with jealousy, Silvestri says:

Ready for a three-story outdoor theater in Union Square? Well, the former Virgin megastore is transforming itself into just that on October 28th, when Marvel Comics takes over the outdoor wall to premiere its "Astonishing X-Men" motion comic on the building.

Since Best Buy is constantly looking to build on its existing culture of innovation and tailor its stores to the needs of local customers, the electronic retail powerhouse figures, "Heck, why not open a 24-hour spot down there in New York City's Union Square?" That's right, Best Buy's CEO Brian Dunn announced today that a 24-hour, 48,000 square-foot location (the old Circuit City) will open its doors at the corner of 14th Street and 4th Avenue, the heart of historic "please don't run into me with your skateboard" Union Square, on Nov. 13.

A reader posted this on Gothamist Contribute:

A homeless man died in Union Square today. Not huge news, but his dead body was on a park bench near the cops who congregate at the south-eastern portion of the park. Several people went up to the group of police to mention the man was passed-out or dead. Around 9am, a group of (austrian/german) tourists were adamant with the police the man needed some assistance.

After years of protests and a long, drawn-out lawsuit, the city is moving forward with a plan to convert a large part of the 80-year-old Pavilion in Union Square park into a restaurant. The Parks Department recently put out a request for proposals to operate a seasonal café in the park's refurbished pavilion; the deadline is in two months. According to the Post, the winning bidder would secure a 15-year contract to run the private café six months out of the year, and also have the option to operate a satellite cart or kiosk.

A few hours ago, police locked down East 14th Street and Union Square East, due to some "suspicious packages." (Not surprising, especially given the alleged recent terror plot.) Before the packages were eventually "cleared" by the cops, some folks Twittered about the incident:

An off-duty firefighter got called into action Friday night when he ended up pulling a Wes Autrey and jumping down on the tracks to rescue a man who had fainted and was laying unconscious on the tracks just as an uptown Q train began pulling into the Union Square station. 30-year-old Adam Rivera, originally of Bay Ridge, had been out in the East Village getting Indian food with his girlfriend to celebrate their seventh anniversary. The couple was heading home to the Upper West Side when Rivera spotted 45-year-old Marco Delamo on the tracks. The firefighter out of Engine 10 in lower Manhattan told reporters, "People were panicking, but nobody was doing anything...I thought to myself, 'This is my job — I'm a New York City firefighter, and I have to do something...There was no time to be afraid. You can't waste time hesitating. You just move, and the thinking stops...Being right there in a position to help — that's why I joined the department." Rivera and two other men lifted Delamo to the platform before he was taken to St. Vincent's intensive care with head injuries.

Yesterday we got a press release announcing the imminent arrival of TGI Friday's in Union Square and thought, ho-hum, so it goes. Others were less complacent, and have vowed to thwart the militantly upbeat chain's plan to push Jalapeño Poppers by the historic old potter's field. These dissidents are fighting by any means necessary, including Twitter. The group Save Union Square says "follow us and help send a loud and clear message to The Riese Organization that we don't want their TGI Friday's. SAVE THE SQUARE!" Because if a corporate chain opens across the street from Union Square, it will be ruined—just like it is every morning when Babies R Us, Staples, Starbucks, Petco, DSW, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble fling open their doors. But if the Twitter account proves unable stop this suburban abomination, the Friday's will open in the space formerly occupied by Zen Palate, at a time of their choosing. And just to piss off everyone even more, the Riese Organization will also include a Tim Hortons in the same building, so opponents can wash down their rage with some weak Canadian coffee. But hey, at least TGI Friday got its start in NYC.

Tyra Banks is bringing back her talk show this Fall, and declares that this time around it will be more real than ever. Whereas her other show revolves around physical appearance, her talk show will celebrate inner and outer beauty. Today she was in Union Square taping a segment for the show wearing a bodysuit and a scarf on top of her head. (A before-stripping-down photo of Tyra, smiling with her eyes in Union Square, after the jump).

Hundreds of demonstrators, alerted through Facebook and Twitter, gathered for a rally in Union Square last night in solidarity with Iranian opposition groups who have been protesting the results of last week's presidential election. According to this video, the peaceful rally seems to have gone off without incident, unlike in Iran, where some demonstrators have been beaten and killed after taking to the streets. Today in south Tehran, an estimated one million Iranians are marching to protest the election, which handed victory to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran's authoritative Guardian Council has now offered to meet with reformist candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi, as well as the two other main opposition candidates, but it's unclear whether that overture will placate the increasingly enraged protesters. Here in New York, rally organizer Amid Amidi told Voice of America, "They are out there now fighting for democracy and reform, and I just want to say that people here in New York hear you. We hear your struggle and we are 100 percent behind you."

The Virgin Megastore in Union Square has officially closed (get ready for Nordstrom). Yesterday was the last day the doors were open to bargain hunters, who only had about two tables of remaining merchandise to browse (allegedly stocked with plenty of Jonas Brothers memorabilia). The NY Times reports on what was "the last large-scale record store in New York City," saying that while the closure isn't surprising, it is dispiriting. One analyst told the paper, “The Titanic that is physical media started slowly sinking in 2000. Certainly this is a traumatic event for those who worked there, but it’s an expected product of the digital transition.” While there may not be any more larger chain record stores left in the city, there are some independents left, and come June 20th they'll be celebrating Vinyl Saturday, "which will feature specially produced records by artists like Wilco and Modest Mouse to draw customers." And those fancy digitized music files are nothing compared to the sound of a needle hitting vinyl.

If only Game Stop stocked beekeeper outfits in addition to video games: Yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m., thousands of bees decided to hang out outside the store in Union Square. A "bee watcher" told WABC 7, "When I got here, there was already like a thousand bees in there." Employees were left to close the store—with themselves inside and the bees outside—and one worker put up a sign, "Look! ... closed due to bee infestation."

Those fearing a Wal-Mart might be moving to Union Square can breath a sigh of relief...for now. While the shuttered Times Square Virgin Megastore transitions into a Forever 21, WWD is reporting that the Nordstrom folks might be taking over the Virgin Megastore space. The real deal high price Nordstrom department store you've seen in the mall isn't looking to move in, however, it's their discount shop called The Rack that would be unpacking there. A spokeswoman for Nordstrom told WWD, “We looked at Union Square and would like to have a Rack in Manhattan. Nothing is signed yet. We are talking to them.” But word is the lease is "very, very close" to being signed.

We've been intrigued with He-Man, the man who walks around in muscle shirts (or shirtless) in the Union Square/Flatiron /Madison Square Park neighborhoods, since 2007 and, thanks to an Observer story, now his secrets are revealed. Well, secrets like his name (Mike Nelson), his stats ("6-foot-4, with a 50-inch chest, a 34-inch waist and 19-and-a-half-inch biceps attached to shoulders the size of bowling balls"), and dreams (bodybuilding: "He’s aiming to be ready for competition by the end of summer, after he loses 25 pounds of fat, and then gains 40 in muscle"). Nelson also has a rubber left eye (from an incident in a NJ prison; he received a $270,000 settlement), has danced at bachelorette parties, battled drug addiction and the Asser Levy gym is sort of like his Castle Grayskull. And he does know about the FindHeman.com website—apparently some cops told him. But read the article for the amazing life of the Most Powerful Man in the Universe (or at least a 10-block area).

Is mixing up religion and politics with art even scandalous anymore? The LA Times reports that "A New York artist has canceled the public showing of his portrait of President Obama after receiving a barrage of angry e-mails condemning the religious nature of the work." Michael D'Antuono's painting, called "The Truth," depicted Obama on a crucifix wearing a crown of thorns, and was meant to be shown in a mock voting booth in Union Square starting tomorrow. According to the artist it was meant to "provoke political dialogue" on the President's 100th day in office, asking questions such as "Is Obama being crucified by the right? Do people think he's the next savior?" In the end, he said he canceled the show out of respect of the religion after receiving over a thousand emails about the use of Christian imagery. [via ArtInfo]

A nattily-attired thief stole $50,000 in jewelry from a University Place apartment on Monday afternoon. According to the NY Post, Linda Kaplan, 76, entered her apartment and found a "thief — decked out in a black suit and tie... She demanded to know what he was doing, and he responded, 'I'm with the Fire Department,' according to cops. When Kaplan demanded to see ID, the 6-foot-2 bandit threw her down." Kaplan had left her apartment unlocked when she was "check[ing] in on a 102-year-old neighbor" and apparently the thief seized the opportunity. She screamed for help and one of the people who ran to her apartment was a painter who also saw the thief in another apartment: "Minutes earlier, the thief had poked his head in that unit but fled when he saw the worker." Police told the Post that the thief was like an "office creeper," dressed to fit in with surroundings while stealing objects.

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing quest to find a good, cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget.

After the dust cleared in yesterday's New School building occupation and police confrontation that resulted in 22 arrests, demonstrations continued into the night Friday with around 200 protesters marching south from Union Square towards President Bob Kerrey's house before being blocked off by police officers at 11th Street.

At 3:30 p.m., Union Square will be the setting for "Play Day," the final event of Chrissy Clark's School of Visual Arts thesis, entitled Everything Will Be Okay. Per the corresponding blog:

The thesis is called Everything Will Be Okay and uses the idea that people aren’t always looking for a solution to their stress, just reassurance that everything will be okay.

Continue reading "Union Square Play Date At 3:30 p.m. Today"

Num Pang: Though it just opened Friday, this unpretentious Cambodian sandwich joint is already packing 'em in, as evinced by lines ten-deep stretching out the door. (It seems the place is closed today as the owners figure out how to keep up.) We popped in last week before the rush and were immediately won over by their hearty-but-not-too-filling coconut tiger shrimp sandwich with toasted coconut flakes ($7.50). We also hear the peppercorn catfish sandwich ($7.25) and the grilled duroc honey glazed pork ($6.75) sandwiches are worth the wait.

Out of 30 tuna fish sandwiches bound for the trash, 57-year-old Whole Foods employee Ralph Reese set aside one for himself, to be eaten at the end of his shift last November. But an unnamed supervisor at the Union Square supermarket (let's call him Inspector Javert) noticed the sandwich sitting on the deli counter and demanded to know why it wasn't on its way to a landfill. After Reese explained that he intended to eat it, Javert threw it out, and Reese was fired two days later, because, the company claims, he was essentially attempting to steal the sandwich; Whole Foods policy dictates that food cannot consumed by employees without being purchased.

It's official, Virgin Megastores nationwide will cease to exist come this June. Billboard notes that while the store failed in its Times Square space, it may have stayed afloat in a smaller storefront in the area. Moving in to the Times Square address next is retailer Forever 21, a much less controversial announcement than the recent rumors of a Wal-Mart moving into the Union Square space, an idea that caused an uproar amongst some locals. However, the pro-Big Box set credit the big name Megastore for revitalizing the Union Square area, "which 10 years ago was filled with bargain stores and pot dealers." One of the head honchos at Virgin Entertainment asks, "What will happen there now with both us and Circuit City leaving at the same time?" Reverend Billy probably has some ideas.

Ruth Ades-Laurent, daughter of eccentric vegetable peeler salesman Joe Ades, picked up her late father's torch this weekend, appearing in Union Square to sell off some of his remaining stock of peelers.

Future NYU students may be living in a Wal-Mart dorm one day! Okay, that's not quite true (yet!), but The Villager does have some news that isn't going to make many folks very happy, particularly Rev. Billy. The paper is reporting that as two prime storefronts in Union Square depart (Circuit City and possibly the Virgin Megastore), there's talk of some big-box stores moving in. They say a sales associate at a closing store tells them Wal-Mart has been snooping around and might be interested in taking over the space, and the company hasn't denied it either. Interesting. Last we heard from CEO H. Lee Scott Jr. he said, "I don’t care if we are ever here." And last year Rep. Anthony Weiner questioned the value of such a store in NYC. [via NYMag]

    

Saturday afternoon, on the South steps of Union Square, a crowd gathered amid wreaths of carrot peelings and tiny cups of champagne for a memorial in honor of Joe Ades, the famous peeler salesman who passed away last Sunday.

On Saturday there will be an informal memorial service for the late vegetable peeler peddler Joe Ades, organized by admirers of the distinctive street salesman. (More on Ades, who passed away Sunday, here.)

       

As a coda to our report on the recent death of beloved vegetable peeler salesman Joe Ades, we've put together a photo tribute to this unforgettable New York character. The city is a little less distinct with his passing. For more, peruse this Flickr group dedicated to Joe.