Results tagged “westvillage”

This short video of James Gandolfini menacing a Guest of a Guest photographer who was videotaping him in the West Village is funny, but also kind of sad, for a couple reasons. First, Gandolfini's worked hard to find roles that take his career past the Tony Soprano archetype, and now here he is acting just like Tony about to thrash the Bada Bing bartender for not being sufficiently anxious about Al Qaeda.

[UPDATE BELOW] It's so important to diversify your portfolio. With a police sketch of his likeness taped to brownstone stoops throughout the West Village, the fake deliveryman suspected in a string of home invasion robberies has apparently taken his act back uptown. Yesterday afternoon, a nanny entering a West 81st Street apartment with a 5-month-old boy was followed into the building by the suspect, who was carrying a pile of packages. Once inside, he brandished a knife and forced his way into the apartment.

The front steps of brownstones throughout the West Village are now decorated with police sketches of a man suspected in a string of home invasions during the past few weeks. The man has sometimes posed a UPS worker to gain access to five apartments since his first job on October 16th, when he entered the home of an 84-year-old woman on Bank Street after asking her for a glass of water. While she retrieved the refreshment, he fled with a cell phone and a watch.

Ever wonder what occupies that prime piece of real estate on the corner of West Houston and Varick streets in the West Village? Apparently a chronically overcrowded jail for "illegal immigrants, asylum-seekers and legal immigrants who face deportation because they have past criminal convictions," the Times reports.

Last Thursday night, a fake UPS deliveryman bound a nanny and robbed a West Village brownstone. The Post reports that a 50-something white male, pretending to be a UPS worker, first asked the nanny to sign for a fake package and then placed a sharp object against the back of her head, forcing her into the apartment. He tied her up (but not the 3-year-old charge) and took a MacBook, Apple TV, cable modem, camera and $40. When leaving, he told the nanny she could untie herself in 10 minutes. Police are investigating whether this home invasion is connected to an earlier break-in at an apartment on 9th near 5th Avenue.

Aha! After the NYPD had few details about the just-after-midnight Sunday shooting that left four people injured, the Daily News and a reader have some more information. According to the News, "Two groups of men brawled at the doorway of the Morandi restaurant at the corner of Waverly Place and Seventh Ave. just after 1:30 a.m., police said. One of the combatants pulled out a gun and fired wildly into the opposing group, police and terrified witnesses said."

Just after midnight, four people were shot at West 11th Street near 7th Avenue. At this point, all the police know is that none are likely to die. We'll check in later to see if there are any more details, but in the meantime, does anyone who was in the area know what happened? Update, 11/2: The NYPD had a couple more details this morning—the four victims were black males, shot in the legs and arms (no ages). No arrests have been made.

New York's Adam Platt files a twofer on twee West Village restaurant Joseph Leonard and Civetta, an Italian restaurant on Kenmare Street. Each gets a measly one star out of five; "Joseph Leonard’s very standard bistro menu isn’t inspired enough to add to this festive atmosphere, but neither is it so horrible that it detracts from the proceedings." At Civetta, "if you choose wisely, it’s possible to have a decent meal." Meanwhile, Jay Cheshes at Time Out finally gets around to reviewing Graydon Carter's Monkey Bar, giving it three out of five stars and noting that, "There are still some rich people in New York City, and they eat here."

     

Click on the images above for the scoop on 'Wichcraft's dinner, Harbour's lunch and "Mai Tai Tuesdays," brunch at Charles, speed lunch at La Fonda del Sol, and "Moules Frites Monday" at Bar Blanc Bistro.

When they're not shooting themselves in the groin, threatening to kill the president, or trying to blow up Starbucks, the city's rebellious youngsters continue to commit the less sensational crime of burglary. Cops arrested two teenagers suspected of ransacking dozens of lower Manhattan apartments in separate burglary sprees.

Yesterday Curbed quietly pointed out that the West Village residents were rallying against the Jane Hotel, particularly the establishment's plan for a rooftop bar. Rumor has it neighbors were promised entrance to the place if they would just STFU, but since late last month they've been airing their complaints on a blog called Nightmare on Jane Street.

Police have arrested three young women who are accused of scamming up to 50 men that they would lure from nightclubs by offering a ride, only to steal their ATM pins and later rob them. 21-year-olds Tiffany Rasberry and Subhanna Beyah and 22-year-old Barbara Labady were eventually caught after a run-in with an attorney they spotted smoking a cigarette outside the West Village hotspot Lotus on West 14th Street. The "powerhouse lawyer" says, "They drove up in a car with the windows down and said, 'Let's go to a party. Would you like to come with us?' They flirted with him as he took money out at the ATM and then went on to hit up his account half an hour later for $1,600. Another incident scored them $5,000 and they also swiped Blackberries and wallets while having men in the car. The Post refers to the trio as "sexy scammers" and "seductive suspects" and talks to a detective who says they claimed to turn to the scam "as an alternative to turning tricks." According to the Facebook account of Tiffany Rasberry (pictured), she is a 2006 graduate of the Connecticut boarding school Miss Porter's.

Police are looking for a teenage trio responsible for a new mugging spree in the West Village and SoHo. The gang of two males and a female in their late teens went on a tear early one morning a couple weeks back, hitting up four victims in less than five hours. The Post reports the first robbery took place as the bar crowd spilled out onto the streets of Greenwich Village just after four in the morning on August 28th. The initial mugging occurred at Washington Place and Washington Square West and the three subsequent incidents were all within a short distance from there. The trio is then suspected of committing a fifth robbery on August 31st on West 9th Street. The gang is said to have flashed a knife at their targets, but none of the victims were injured. The two male suspects were described as 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds and the girl thief as 5-foot-4 and 115 pounds, police said. Last year the West Village was on alert after a spate of violent muggings went down in a small area.

Mari Vanna: The latest addition to New York's niche dining market this week comes to us all the way from Russia. Mari Vanna opened last Wednesday after a soft opening all through July, bringing authentic Russian cuisine and all the vodka you can stomach. Inspired by the mythical Mari Vanna (think Max Brenner, but with Borscht), the restaurant feels more like an immigrant kitchen, complete with tchotchke on the bookshelves and ottomans on the floor. And with the winter months approaching, Mari Vanna offers Russian classics like Blinis and Beef Stroganoff on homey yet extravagant china and linens, and gives you the opportunity to wash down that stew with over 70 types of vodka, including a couple dozen imported bottles from Russia. The emphasis, however, is on their in-house infused vodkas, with flavors like Oats & Honey and Dill & Garlic. No word yet on if those flavors are actually successful. 41 E 20th St; (212)-777-1955

Mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson was downplaying controversy that he sat by silently while a local business owner called Speaker Christine Quinn a "whore" and could "kiss (his) ass." But the man who was caught on tape making the remarks certainly was doing his part of mop-up duty. Tea And Sympathy owner Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett wrote an email to Quinn saying, "Please believe me when I say that the comment that I blurted out was a pathetic attempt to get a laugh out of a couple of people in the room. This inappropriate and rude comment was meant as a joke (a bad one) and was made in such an off-the-cuff manner that I didn't remember having said it." The small businessman also insisted that Thompson could not have heard the ill-advised joke, be caused he never would have "entertained it." And if you could not use your power as Mayor Bloomberg's right-hand woman to mess with his business, he'd love that as well. A spokeswoman for Quinn said that Thompson did apologize for the incident privately over phone and e-mail.

Despite the efforts of Chloe Sevigny's t-shirt, it looks like the West Village's Beatrice Inn, which has been closed since April, will not reopen. The NY Post reports that in order to get the party started again, "they'd have to pay $23,000 in fines, install a fire door that matches the period exterior of the building, and put in a sprinkler system." And since their liquor license runs out next year, and will not be renewed at that time, the owners have decided to call it quits. Looks like the neighbors win this one. In the past they had complained about the club, including the late-night traffic that streamed into an apartment upstairs which was used as a VIP lounge for the often A-list clientele. Owner Paul Sevigny even moved one such neighbor into the VIP lounge apartment rent-free when he complained about the noise in his own residence, which was above the noisy dance floor.

Bearing signs that read "You Will Eat Your Babies" and "Fags Doom Nations," members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church showed up at gay-friendly The Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in the West Village ready to give its members a piece of their mind. Westboro member Steve Drane told NY1, "Anywhere where God's word needs to be preached to an unrepentant generation, that's where we'll be." This weekend marks the first that the church led by Fred Phelps is expanding its anti-gay crusade to now include Jews as well, for reasons such as their exceeding tolerance of homosexuality and abortion to their lack of repentance for killing Christ. While only a handful of Westboro members made it out today, hundreds including Speaker Christine Quinn faced off with them in a counter-protest, where members of the temple were encouraged to keep their message positive when addressing the visitors, particularly while speaking to the press.

       

We've seen glimpses of the Jane Hotel before, but now the West Village establishment has opened their lobby bar. Owners Sean MacPhearson (Bowery/Maritime Hotels) and Eric Goode say the style is understated; "Since our rooms are compact, the bar will feel like a living room for our guests, a place where they can just hang out. If you ever see a velvet rope, it’ll probably be hanging from the ceiling.” Consisting of three rooms—a front bar, a ballroom lounge and an upstairs mezzanine—the space will be open to hotel guests as well as friends and visitors. And thirsty artists take note: "The Jane lobby bar will also revive the revered New York tradition of bartering drinks for art from its patrons."

The NYPD has recently beefed up its presence in Greenwich Village, but it wasn't enough to stop an elderly WWII veteran from becoming the latest victim of the area's mini crime wave. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, when an unknown assailant followed 91-year-old Eugene Schaffer from a bank to his West 12th Street apartment. Schaffer, who needs a pacemaker and a cane, had just withdrawn $400. The mugger slipped into the building behind him as he entered, walked past the front desk security, and joined Schaffer in the elevator, where he accosted the senior citizen once the doors closed.

Last week's Page Six item about the rats of Morton Street terrorizing Greenwich Village residents (including Gisele Bundchen!) prompted this Fox 5 report. Aside from choice quotes like "They are ruling the streets," "One night, I saw a rat come across the street, catch a mouse and eat it. It was disgusting. There are rats coming across the street, they're having parties in the street," and "They are like the big, giant disgusting Secret of NIMH rats," neighbors also tells Fox 5, the rats are headquartered at 42 Morton Street: "Acting on complaints, the city Health Department sent out the rat patrol in full force. Inspectors found rat droppings inside the building and told the owner to clean it up or else." Ew (and video is after the jump). Also, per the city, property owners are responsible for keeping rat-free environments while tenants are required to store their garbage properly.

If you're enjoying the gorgeous weather along the Hudson today and are wondering why the bodies you're spotting are not just floating today, it's the annual Great Hudson River Swim. Brave swimmers are making their way on a 1.3 mile shot down the Hudson that starts out at Christopher Street and finishes up at Battery Park City. Some New Yorkers naturally have their doubts—one asked the News, "It's New York City, how clean can it be?" But the News reports that it's "cleaner than you think" and anyway, what's a little Dysentery between friends? The real concerns for swimmers are actually not sanitary ones, but the potentially rough current and cool temperature of the water. NYC Swim's official site says you can expect the Hudson to be around 55 to 60 degrees. A previous participant told the paper, "It's colder than the Caribbean, but you're not going to be in that long." The city's site also warns of "chop, shipping traffic and random jetsam and flotsam in the waterways," which might explain why our arms seemed to glitter after a mid-90s dip up by the George Washington Bridge.

An unidentified man was stabbed in the neck at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 4th Street just after 4:40 a.m this morning, ABC 7 reports. The stabee is now at St. Vincent's in stable condition. Two suspects were witnessed fleeing the scene; one wearing a black shirt and another in a... grey shirt. So give those two a wide berth if you spot them! Last Thursday a Buffalo man was hospitalized after an alleged late-night gay-bashing assault in the Village, and on Sunday another man was stabbed in the back and arm during a heated pre-dawn argument. Some local residents are complaining that their quaint neighborhood is becoming sketchy, and NYPD stats support those anecdotal reports, at least in the category of violent assaults, which are up about 40% over last year thus far. Robbery, burglary, and grand larcenies are all down, though, so try not to panic—but do check back often for updates on this alarming crime wave!

Greenwich Village residents are calling for increased police presence after a Sunday morning stabbing left their sidewalks stained with blood for the second time in three days. But unlike the unprovoked Thursday morning beating that hospitalized Buffalo resident Allen Williams, this second attack does not appear to be gay-bashing. Police sources tell the Post that the victim, 41-year-old Derek Brown, has a record of 23 arrests. It's believed he was stabbed in the back and arm during a heated argument with an unidentified man at West Fourth and Grove streets about 5:45 a.m. The fight occurred remarkably close to Thursday morning's near-fatal assault, which police are investigating as a hate crime. When cops found Brown collapsed a half a block away, he refused to identify his assailant or answer questions; he's currently in stable condition at St. Vincent's. A reader tells us that on Sunday morning there were "TONS of blood in front of Gristedes on West 4th Street," and another resident tells the Post, "There are shady guys out at night dealing drugs and having heated arguments even outside my window. I'm honestly considering moving. This is the worst it's been in years."

       

Here's a look at Entwine, a new wine bar and small plates lounge over on the far side of West 12th Street. Perhaps you're thinking, "Finally! Another wine bar in the Village." But Entwine has some attributes that make it worth a trip west (or east, if you want respite after roaming Hudson River park). There's the tranquil back yard garden, for one thing, as well as the creative cocktail menu, which includes bartender Duane Fernandez's delicious twist on the Rusty Nail; dubbed the Scotland Yard, it sports Dewars, Drambuie, fresh ginger, lemon juice and basil.

More details have emerged on last night's brutal beating that landed a 50-year-old man in critical condition at St. Vincent's Hospital. Police sources say the attack may have been unprovoked and believe Allen Williams of Buffalo was hailing a cab in the West Village around 2 a.m. when he was beaten by strangers who thought he was gay.

A 50-year-old man is clinging to life at St. Vincent's hospital after being savagely beaten by a group of unidentified men in the West Village around 2 a.m. this morning. Police tell Eyewitness News that the victim, from upstate New York, got into a "verbal dispute" with a group of men outside Riviera Cafe and Sports Bar (pictured), which had closed down for the night an hour earlier. Witnesses saw at least two men flee the scene, but no arrests were made, and no weapon was recovered; police believe the assailants beat their victim with their bare hands. He sustained life-threatening injuries to the back of his head, and is currently in critical condition. Earlier this year, cops arrested two men accused of a violent mugging spree in the West Village, and on May 3rd, unidentified thugs broke the jaw of a 28-year-old man on Christopher Street near Washington Street, also around 2 a.m.

A NJ woman has pleaded guilty to the 2006 beating of a man in the West Village. Renata Hill and three friends beat up Dwayne Buckle outside the IFC Center on 6th Avenue because Buckle made sexual remarks at one of them (he said he would "f--- [her] straight") and then made rude remarks (calling one "an elephant" at the others). Buckle was stabbed during the attack—one of the women, who were arrested, had explained, " I admit I did cut him one time for my own safety." An appeals court threw out three of the women's convictions (the fourth's case was dismissed) and had ordered another trial for Hill; instead of another trial, Hill will serve a 3 1/2 year sentence.

Yesterday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and other officials gathered for the second anniversary of the deaths of two auxiliary police officers who were killed by a murderous gunman. The anniversary also marked the naming of the corner at Bleecker and Sullivan Streets in the West Village after the two officers, Eugene Marshalik and Nicholas Pekearo. Kelly said, "From this day forward, millions of New Yorkers will be reminded of Nicholas and Eugene and what they stood for."

A gang of transvestite teenagers has been arrested and charged with mugging women in the West Village. Brooklyn's Jubril "Dominic" Faggins and Jhirad "Shanese" Powell are accused of robbing women in The Archive, a prestigious apartment building on Greenwich Street. After robbing a woman there in January, they then charged $3,639 to the woman's credit cards on wigs and women's cl othes and jewelry at stores at the Fulton Mall in Brooklyn. Powell told police, "It was Destiny [another transvestite] that told me to rob the white bitch. I grabbed the bag off her and punched her while Shanese was holding her down." The Post notes that the building the group would return to for another robbery is "the onetime home to Monica Lewinsky, designer Michael Kors and actress Jennifer Connelly. "

Butcher Bay: This new seafood pub, opening in the former home of popular burger den Seymour Burton, is the talk of the town this week, and with good reason: if these gorgeous Eater photos are to be believed, it's quite the charmer. The wood-paneled vibe was perhaps best summed up in this baroque Urban Daddy blurb: "Butcher Bay is the kind of dilapidated sea shanty that you would pull up to on a schooner on the Chesapeake or wander into barefoot on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD—just, you know, in the East Village (so please, wear shoes). It's the kind of easy after-work or Saturday afternoon spot where you'll get lost in a tidal wave of beer and finger food. And when we say finger food, we mean handheld comforts: hush puppies, littleneck clams, oysters, Maryland blue crabs, po' boys, seafood pie and, naturally, housemade chili dogs." And come spring, a raised backyard garden will provide the restaurant will fresh vegetables and herbs. 511 East 5th Street, 212) (260-1333