Results tagged “alphabetcity”

"Everybody here is scared now," downtown bodega worker Primo Dlmn from Morocco tells the Times. "I’m as nervous as I can be, but I’ve got to go to the store. Life goes on." Or does it? A sniper with a high-power BB gun has been terrorizing Avenue D between Third and Fourth Streets during the past week, lodging pellets in a construction worker's skull, shattering car windows, and wounding six others. Now the NYPD says there have been other BB gun shootings in the area, and it looks like there may be some sort of teen pellet gun gang. How street is that? Local mailman James Heckstall says, 'It used to be terrible around here, the Wild West...The neighborhood is getting nicer and nicer. Then, every once in a while, something like this happens, and it makes us look bad." And then someone shoots their eye out.

Some warped punk with a BB gun has been firing at people near the corner of Avenue D and East Third Street during the past week; at least eight people have been shot, and several car windows have been blown out by the sniper. Construction worker Edward Gilyard was shot on Friday, and doctors found two pellets lodged next to his skull. He was at his job site when he felt a sharp pain on his right temple, and tells the Daily News, "I put my hand up there and felt the blood... All of a sudden, I had a little hole in my head."

Williamsburg has its Thai food, and now it seems that Alphabet City has its Cuban. Bodeguita Cubana, a Serbian-run Cuban joint that opened in May on 10th Street (between 1st & Avenue A), is the third in a trifecta of ropa vieja-offering restaurants that's enveloped the neighborhood east of 1st Avenue (the other two are Cafecito & Cafe Cortadito). Arguably the most appealing of them all (though we do love Cafecito), the French doors on the facade of Bodeguita Cubana swing open, inviting a cool breeze on these warm fall nights, and the narrow space feels bigger than its 20-seat capacity. Lighting is dim, coming from the street or a few hanging straw lanterns, creating an air of coziness and welcome. Servings are consistent and generous, especially for a menu entirely under the the $10 price range. Pressed sandwiches, notably the pulled pork with homemade bbq, are scrumptious and big enough to share (depending on your hunger level), and come with either roasted potatoes or a salad with fresh steamed fava beans.

The engines fueling Jane Jacobs' legacy are at full throttle, with the Municipal Art Society's new exhibition, titled "Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York." The show, opening this week at the Urban Center Galleries, delves into how today's (and tomorrow's) city fits into Jacobs' ideas and also examines how the public can draw on her values, given the major developments and rezoning now in progress.

Alphabet City has long been a cheap eats favorite, with Kate's Joint for veggie-heads, Westville East for market lovers, and Nicky's Vietnamese sandwiches for the best salty-sweet-hot sandwich for under $5. You can get ramen (Minca) or delicious baked goods (Ciao for Now) or the city's arguably best coffee (9th Street Espresso), before even getting to welcome Cafe Cortadito, a new sure-to-be neighborhood favorite on 3rd Street and Avenue B.

Last year around this time, the Observer pitted Williamsburg hipsters and Park Slope yuppies against each other. This year, the Observer tackles the yearning some native New Yorkers have for when NYC was bad (sorta like Michael Jackson video Bad!). Summer of Sam, Needle Park, Ford telling the city to drop dead, all of it seems better than it is now. Here's what some people told the Observer:

- “I was flashed all the time—that’s how a true private all-girl kid learned about the male anatomy,” wrote Liz Alderman, 32, a television producer and former Brearley lass, in an e-mail.

Continue reading "Old Naughty NYC Vs. Current Boring, Safe NYC"

The cafe’s owner, Nick Bodor, 38, said that for years he was able to clear enough money from Alt to live on. But times have changed on Avenue A, where new boutiques now face a cleaned-up version of Tompkins Square Park that includes several playgrounds.

Continue reading "Alt-Coffee-Delete"

Just shy of a month old, the new Alphabet City branch of West Village Gothamist favorite, Westville, keeps farm fresh veggies flowing to hip, young clientele seven days a week. Seating forty, Westville East offers the same American comfort food as the original joint, but with twice the space to dine and serve in. Of course, this doesn't mean the lines are shorter--during brunch on a recent Sunday the line ran longer than twenty minutes, and during dinner, seats were filled just after the clock hit seven.

There's a rather amazing story in New York about two of the city's medical examiners trying to find their missing puggle. While the article by senior forensic pathologist Jonathan Hayes is titled "Bonfire of the Puggle," it's definitely got the makings of a local Lord of the Rings, as there travels to Tampa, Alphabet City and the Bronx, not to mention gang tattoos and melanoma fear. And since $1,000 was being offered as a reward, there is a happy ending.

Like S.D., who took the above photo, we've noticed these googly eyes around popping up around town lately. Anybody know whose they are? We totally get a kick out the pipe people looking out at us as we walk down the street. It kind of reminds us of one of our favorite children's books, Stephen T. Johnson's Alphabet City in which the artist finds all 26 letters of the alphabet hidden in regular New York City street scenes.

Annulla from Blather from Brooklyn asked us if we knew anything about this alphabet painted on a construction fence in Tribeca. We have no clue, but we love how the alphabet goes from basic to downright quirky. Do you know who did this and why?

It's soggy outside but it's cozy at the bookstores and bars this week. Tonight (6/16), Australian writer Peter Carey is reading from his latest book, Theft: A Love Story, at 192 Books at 7PM. Or, head down to the always cozy Half King tonight for the Spring 2006 edition of The Literary Review, where Lynne Tillman, Craig Mueller, and Cary Goldstein will be reading from their selections in the journal. It starts at 7PM and is free.

Drink. Then again, that’s our answer to most questions. But it seems we are not alone. To help us make it through the Blizzard ’06, we knew it would take a sturdy pair of boots, a warm fleece hat and the insatiable desire to find a warm cozy bar to serve up soul-warming cocktails. Luckily for us south of the border turns out to be right below 14th street.

Bring back the Tompkins Square Park band shell!

New York magazine has a chest-thumpingly sweet ode to New York, listing 124 Reasons to Love New York City; it remind Gothamist of how we react when people ask us why we live here - our eyes go glassy, we focus on a point in the distance, we develop a lump in our throat, as we do not understand why people would even question our living here - and then you can't shut us up for the next forty-five minutes ("The subways! The diversity! The food! The culture! The guy who fixes my shoes so they look new every single time!"). Anyway, while we question some of the reasons (there's a quote from Goldie Hawn - please, get a quote from a year-round New Yorker!), we do love that one of Michael DeFeo's flowers - and DeFeo himself - grace the cover and are reason #124 to love New York. PS - his book, Alphabet City, is a great gift idea for both kids and adults.

The Villager [via Curbed] is reporting that the East Village rezoning push that we wrote about last month received unanimous approval at a fall Community Board 3 meeting on Sept. 27. The rezoning, based on a survey outlinned by B.F.J. Planning that was commissioned by the East Village Community Coalition, specifically deals with Alphabet City and a good chunk of the Lower East Side (the orange on the map is the rezoned area).

-The Times takes a serious look at how a school like Drake can collapse as spectacularly as it did.

The second you walk into Discovery Wines you are aware that this isn’t your typical wine shop. The bright modern space feels welcoming and airy – baby stroller and dog friendly – but what really separates Discovery Wines from any other place we have been are the touch screen panels around the store. These touch screens are like having your own personal sommelier guide you through the place. They give out information on wine based on the way we drink wine – a crazy concept. Let’s say you are cooking a chicken dish and are looking for a wine to pair it with – the amazing touch screen has an answer. Or suppose your are feeling a little crazy and are looking for an exciting red wine from Turkey for under $10 – the amazing touch scene has 4 options. Or the best feature yet, let’s just say the green label with the cute little ducks catches your eye, just walk it over to the amazing touch screen to scan and it will tell you what it tastes like, what foods to pair it with and even about the 16 brothers that picked the grapes off of the south side of the hill.

If you're a fan of street art, tonight's discussion at McNally Robinson (50 Prince St) in Soho might be of interest. Moderated by the husband and wife team behind the Wooster Collective, the online resource for street art around the world, The City as Collaborator: Documenting Contemporary Art on the Street panel will focus on how street art has grown and contributed to the city.

city rag has photographs of "Victorian Flatbush," the part of Brooklyn that looks rather un-city like. Upon further research, brownstoner calls it a South Midwood area - and links to a helpful realty site that explains more - and VictorianFlatbush.org a "polyglot and polychrome" "softly shaded patch of Flatbush in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn with a multitude of races. Now, Gothamist heard the term "Victorian Flatbush" last week for the first time, and we wondered if "Prohibition West Village" or "Speakeasy Harlem" or "Mafia Den Mott Street" would be the next hot new terms. Or "Drug-Addled Alphabet City" or "Gay Chelsea"? But Victorian Flatbush is quite pretty - it's like Cape May meets Queens!

It's unclear why the Snack Dragon Taco Shack even has a listing on Menupages, because there's not much of a menu, per se. They sell four types of "California-Mexican/New York Style Tacos": Carne Asada, Chicken Verde, Quinoa Pilaf & Bean (vegetarian), and Carnitas. But if you're only going to do one thing -- do it well. And Snack Dragon does.

Look at Michael DeFeo's own site. And Bluejake's moblog is mainly about street art.

There's whole weird serial killer/cannibal world out there that mentions Rakowitz. In other crime news, there's the horrible a Queens teenager hacked to death by a friend's samurai sword; the friend alleges the victim was threatening him with a gun (a BB gun, to be precise). That scared Gothamist enough, but then the Daily News went out and showed how easy it is to buy samurai swords off the street. Why?

The Daily News also mentions that Inwood area residents are planning to meet about safety issues tonight, at Church of the Good Shepherd on Isham Street, 7PM.

Laurie Woolever, Cook/Food Writer

The New York Times takes apart the city's doggie census and analyzes it using animal ownership information to gain insights into New Yorkers. Reporter Susan Saulny notes the variations of dogs in different areas with much humor: "For instance, who would be most likely to own Lucy, a cute little Shih Tzu? (Hint: Lucy often wears her long hair in a high ponytail above her eyes, fastened with a little pink bow.) Thinking, thinking. Someone from ZIP code 10021, you say, on the Upper East Side? That would be correct."