New York City Moving

Council Speaker Corey Johnson will unveil within two months a “comprehensive and detailed” plan for the city to take control of the subway and buses from the MTA — a municipal control of New York City Transit that, he says, will bring transparency, accountability and, hopefully, improved service to beleaguered straphangers in the five boroughs.

“The governor told the Daily News editorial board [on Tuesday] that he wants to ‘blow up’ the MTA,” Johnson said. “Well, there’s no better way to blow up the MTA than to give the city control of its subways and buses.”

Johnson told reporters about his coming proposal as he handed out subway questionnaires to riders at Bay Ridge’s 77th Street station — a bit of window dressing to highlight his and other New Yorkers’ frustration with how transit is currently run.

“When we ask people to take a survey, first they say, ‘The MTA sucks,'” Johnson said, later adding that riders feel “the MTA is an unaccountable unelectable board of people who make decisions that most people don’t know about or can’t participate in.”

Johnson, who is now currently also serving as Public Advocate until next month’s special election, has previously discussed city control of the subways and buses. He last floated it in September — but only in the context of getting Albany to properly fund the MTA, which currently has billions of dollars in repairs on hold. At the same event, he discussed the possibility that the city would create its own congestion pricing fee if the state fails to act.

At that time, he was also criticized for lacking details about how municipal control of transit could be funded when the state would not likely give up control of the lucrative properties controlled by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, one of the MTA’s six agencies. But on Tuesday night, Johnson was ready for Streetsblog’s question on that very subject.

“The detailed plan I will unveil in the next 60 days … talks about debt obligation, bonding authority, the tunnels and the bridges,” he said. “And it does not just talk about the subways and buses, but talks about breaking the car culture by investing in mass transit, prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists and making New York City a livable safe city.”

Johnson’s use of the term “breaking the car culture” was in part a reference to his being named the Vision Zero Hero of the Year by Streetsblog.

He’s not the first politician to pitch city control of a sprawling transit system with 2.3 billion rides per year, and he said he is aware of a huge political challenge.

“When Michael Bloomberg ran for mayor in 2001, he talked about municipal control of the school system and people said, ‘That’s crazy. That will never happen. The state legislature won’t give it to you. We can’t dissolve the school boards,'” Johnson said. “Well, he got it done in his first year in office. The conversation we’re having now is about accountability and transparency.”

One footnote for government nerds: Johnson said his plan was being created under the auspices of his role as Speaker, not as the acting Public Advocate, which is technically the more-important job under the city charter.

Lizzie King's Parlor

Lizzie King's Parlor is a gastropub, offering beer, wine, spirits and more.

Craft beers are all locally sourced from breweries like Brooklyn's Other Half Brewing, Five Boroughs Brewing, Rockaway Brewing Co. and more. Along with a craft beer, try the charcuterie board, cheese platter or warm Crescendo cheese dip with a baguette. (View the full menu here.)

Yelp users are excited about Lizzie King's Parlor, which currently holds 4.5 stars out of five reviews on the site.

Yelper Lisa F., who reviewed Lizzie King's Parlor on November 24, wrote, "This is a cross between a fancy cocktail bar, a low-key neighborhood hangout spot, and a great place for date night. Drink options are plentiful."

Lizzie King's Parlor is open from noon-1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, noon-2 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-midnight on Sunday.

Cantina Cumbancha

Cantina Cumbancha is a gastropub and Mexican spot.

Try the roasted chicken tacos with salsa verde cruda, or the mushroom tamales with a huitlacoche sauce. The spot also serves brunch from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the weekends. (Check out the menu here.)

With a three-star rating out of two reviews on Yelp, Cantina Cumbancha has been getting mixed attention.

Yelper Jeffrey W., who reviewed Cantina Cumbancha on December 10, wrote, "I had an insanely delicious veggie burrito. I can see it becoming a go-to."

Cantina Cumbancha is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

The Hive

The Hive is a gastropub.

The spot serves cocktails and food. Try the bee's knees cocktail with gin, lemon, sage honey and lavender, or the wax mule with vodka, ginger beer, pink peppercorn and rhubarb. For food, try the honey apple cider chicken wings cooked mild or spicy, or the lobster roll served with Bloody Mary kettle chips. (View the full menu here.)

Yelp users are excited about The Hive, which currently holds 4.5 stars out of 26 reviews on the site.

Yelper Lindsey L., who was one of the first users to visit The Hive on November 21, wrote, "The food is simple but outstanding. We had the chicken wings, which had the most unique flavor, and the burgers were extremely juicy, delicious and clearly high quality. The cocktails were extremely unique and tasty."

The Hive is open from 5 p.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. on Friday, 8 a.m.-1 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m.-midnight on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)

Wednesday 3/6
A. Manhattan Barbell Club (Please register for class)

B. 10 minute Assault Bike (Before or after class at steady pace)

Thursday 3/7
Rest Day or All Levels if doing 19.3 on Saturday

Friday 3/8
19.3 or Rest Day

Here’s what’s on tap for Saturday’s Competition classes:

19.3 or Rest Day

Today’s Events

L Train Shutdown-Themed Haunted House + Performances (Through Saturday, November 3)

2018 Garment District Arts Festival (Through Saturday, October 20)

2018 EFA Open Studios (Through Saturday, October 20)

2018 Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (Through Sunday, October 28)

2018 Chelsea Film Festival (Through Sunday, October 21)

2018 Crown Heights Film Festival + Cocktail Parties (Through Sunday, October 21)
FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn

2018 Margaret Mead Film Festival Celebrates Cultural Diversity (Through Sunday, October 21)

2018 New York Musical Improv Festival (Through Sunday, October 21)

House of The Hatter with Mind-Bending Creations with Laser Harps & Mechanical Bartenders

Creative Changemakers Talk with JD Samson & Nylon Magazine Editor-in-Chief

Paul Hawken & 'Drawdown: The Movement to Reverse Global Warming'
ABC Carpet & Home, Manhattan

Artists on the Refugee Crisis
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn

Poetry, Burlesque & Cirque at House of Yes: Season of the Witch

Improving Your Financial Life with Refinery29 + Free Drinks
Space Ninety 8, Brooklyn

Discover the Language of Your Body—Self Acupressure Point Massage

Who are we designing for in NYC? Who are we NOT designing for in NYC?

Herbs for Samhain Rituals
The Alchemist’s Kitchen, Manhattan

Haunted History: The Lost Franklin Expedition
Brooklyn Brainery – Park Slope, Brooklyn

Crazy Live 'Queer Eye'-Style Makeover
The Bell House, Brooklyn

Disrupting Fashion: Technology and Artificial Intelligence
CUNY Graduate Center, Manhattan

Abracadabra to Alchemy: 7000 Years of Magic
Brooklyn Brainery – Park Slope, Brooklyn

'Bruce Lee: A Life' + Free Wine
Museum of Chinese in America, Manhattan

Nifty NYC exists for the creators, changemakers, celebrators and curious creatures of our city. If you love the events I list, please donate to help me maintain the site. Every dollar is appreciated.

Free & Cheap NYC Events This Weekend

2018 Gravesend Inn High-Tech Haunted Hotel (Through Wednesday, October 31)
Voorhees Theatre, Brooklyn

2018 Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show & Sale (Through Sunday, October 20)
Metropolitan Pavilion, Manhattan

Janeane Garofalo

Open Bar Painting Classes (Through Saturday, October 27)

Open Bar Rooftop Parties (Fridays Through October 26)

Cheap Broadway-Themed Dance Class

Immersive 'Fate Still Rests' Blends Live Performance & Silent Film (Through Saturday, October 20)

Disney-Themed Drag Show

2018 NYC AirSex Championships

'Electoral Dysfunction' Political Comedy Talk Show (Saturdays Through November 10)

Cheap NYC Ghost Walking Tours (Saturdays Through December 30)

Dessert Goals 2018: NYC Dessert Fest (Weekends Through October 21)

Discounted Big Apple Circus Tickets (Through Sunday, November 4)

Open Bar Painting Classes (Through Saturday, October 27)

Volunteer During 2018 New York Cares Day for Schools

NYC 'Walking Dead' Scavenger Hunt

Margaret Cho & Dan Savage Benefit for Lady Parts Justice

Wizard Fest 2018 Harry Potter Dance Party—Costume Contest & Theme Drinks

Ballet Based Off of 'The Little Mermaid'

Bach to the Future Classical Concert Series (Sundays Through October 28)

Dessert Goals 2018: NYC Dessert Fest (Weekends Through October 21)

NYC Gospel Music History & Architecture Tours (Sundays Through December 29)

The Amazing 3-Acre 'Maize Maze' 2018 (Weekends Through October 27)
Queens County Farm, Queens

2018 Halloween Howl Doggie Costume Contest & Healthy Hound Fair
Carl Shurz Park, Manhattan

2018 Casserole Takedown
The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, Brooklyn

Ending Today

Frankenstein-Inspired Films at MoMA (Through Thursday, October 18)
The Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan

2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Through Thursday, October 18)

Preview New TV Shows + Q&As with Stars During PaleyFest 2018 (Through Thursday, October 18)
The Paley Center for Media, Manhattan

Ongoing

See more ongoing & upcoming NYC events

NYC Slavery & Underground Railroad Tours (Through Saturday, December 29)

31-Foot Chihuly 'Rose Crystal Tower' Rises in Union Square (Through October 2018)
Union Square Park, Manhattan

Greenwich Village Haunted Walking Tours (Through Sunday, December 30)

'Day Drinking' Brunch Musical + 3 Drinks (Through Sunday, November 18)

Hilarious History of Drinking Paired with 3 Cocktails (Through Wednesday, November 21)

'The Golden Girls Live' Parody (Through Sunday, October 28)

1/2 Price Central Park Bike Tours (Through December 2018)

Haunting Huma Bhabha Installation on the Rooftop of the Met (Through Sunday, October 28)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan

High Line Art Installation Examines Art & Public Space (Through March 2019)
The High Line, Manhattan

Save $5.75 on Movie Tickets

'Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color' (Through Sunday, January 13)
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Manhattan

'Empire Skate: The Birthplace of Roller Disco' (Through Sunday, November 25)
The City Reliquary, Brooklyn

Discounted Tickets! 'Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai‘i' Exhibit Blooms with Rare Works at NYBG (Through Sunday, October 28)

'Underground Heroes: New York Transit in Comics' (Through Sunday, January 6)
New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn

'Rebel Women' Who Defied Victorian Era Expectations (Through Sunday, January 6)
Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan

'Me the People: The Trump America Musical' (Through Tuesday, November 6)

Favorite Verses on Parade in MTA's Free 'Poetry in Motion at 25' Exhibit (Through Sunday, October 28)
Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan

Discounted Tickets to Interactive M.C. Escher Exhibit in NYC (Through Sunday, February 3)

'Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color' (Through Saturday, January 5)
Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan

'Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis' (Through Sunday, April 28)
Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan

'Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power' (Through Sunday, February 3)
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn

'Before Projection: Video Sculpture 1974–1995' (Through Monday, December 17)
Sculpture Center, Queens

Cheap Tickets to 'Sleepy Hollow' Musical (Through Sunday, October 28)

Jerome Robbins ('West Side Story') & New York (Through Saturday, March 30)
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Bruno Walter Auditorium, Manhattan

2018 Pirate-Themed Halloween Harvest Celebration at Luna Park (Through Sunday, October 28)

2018 New York International Fringe Festival (Through Wednesday, October 31)

Free NYC Architecture Talks & Tours During Archtober 2018 (Through Wednesday, October 31)

Speaking Truth to Power 2018—Screenings & Talks (Through Saturday, December
Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn

Art & Design of the Women’s Movement in New York (Through Sunday, December 2)
41 Cooper Gallery, Manhattan

Cheap Indoor Ice Skating in Brooklyn (Through Monday, December 24)

'Obsessorize' Exhibit Turns Unique Accessories Into Public Art (Through Friday, October 26)

2018 Art in Odd Places Featuring Works of Female & Non-Binary Artists (Through Saturday, October 27)

'Harry Potter' Exhibition Brings Rare Manuscripts & Magical Objects to NYC (Through Sunday, January 27)
New-York Historical Society, Manhattan

'Tablescapes: Designs for Dining' (Through Tuesday, April 16)
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Manhattan

2018 New York African Restaurant Week with Menus from $20 (Through Sunday, October 21)

Central Park Secrets (Through Sunday, December 2)

Discounted NYC Haunted House Tickets (Through Saturday, November 3)

Free NYC Pumpkin Picking + Halloween Hay Rides & Corn Maze (Through Sunday, October 28)

Discounted Admission to Surreal, Insta-Worthy 'Wonder World NYC' Exhibit (Through Tuesday, October 30)

Celebrate Mexico Now 2018 Arts Festival (Through Sunday, October 21)

Discounted Tix to See Aasif Mandvi ('Daily Show') in 'Sakina's Restaurant' (Through Thursday, November 1)

SPECTO8ER 2018 Horror Film Festival (Through Saturday, October 27)
Spectacle Theater, Brooklyn

Velvet Underground NYC Experience (Through Sunday, December 30)

Cheap NYC Dessert Tours (Through Friday, December 21)

Halloween-Themed Short Play Festival: BOO 2018 (Through Sunday, October 28)

Super Cheap Tickets to NYC Dueling Pianos (Through Friday, November 30)

'It’s Alive! Frankenstein at 200' (Through Sunday, January 27)
The Morgan Library & Museum, Manhattan

'Yasumasa Morimura: Ego Obscura' Questions Eastern & Westerns Notions of Gender (Through Sunday, January 13)
Japan Society, Manhattan

2018 Imagine Science Film Festival (Through Friday, October 19)

Cheap Theatre Walking Tours of The Met (Through Friday, December 21)

Prix Fixe Deals & Giveaways During International Curry Week 2018 (Through Sunday, October 28)

2018 BRIC JazzFest with Antibalas, Films & More (Through Saturday, October 20)
BRIC Arts | Media House, Brooklyn

The Rare Art of Dr. Suess, Including Never-Before-Seen Works (Through Thursday, November 15)

$50 Spa & Wellness Treatments During Spa Week Fall 2018 (Through Sunday, October 21)

2018 Architecture & Design Film Fest (Through Sunday, October 21)

Prix Fixe Meals from $14 During 2018 Dine in Queens (Through Friday, November 2)

10th Annual H.P. Lovecraft Festival—1/2 Price Tix (Through Sunday, October 28)

Free Live Performances of David Bowie's 'Berlin Trilogy' of Albums by Mems. Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, Dirty Projectors (Through Friday, October 19)& More
Brookfield Place, Manhattan

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Notices are up along the sidewalk bridge on the northwest corner of Houston at Avenue B from the the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) ...

The flyers state that the DHS along with the NYPD and other city agencies "will complete a clean-up" of this area...and people need to vacate along with their belongings. Anything left behind by tomorrow may be discarded.

As for this longstanding sidewalk bridge, according to the DOB, a permit for it was first approved in December 2014. The city renewed the permit in October. The building, 6 Avenue B, has been vacant for years. The liquor store in the retail space has been closed since the owner died in the fall of 2009.

Previously on EV Grieve:
DHS flyers on 1st Street

Source: http://evgrieve.com/2018/12/dhs-and-nypd-will-clean-up-northwest.html

An EVG reader alert (H/T Val!) from outside the usual coverage zone... Todaro Bros., the Italian grocer at 555 Second Ave. between 30th Street and 31st Street, is closing on April 2.

The owners of the 102-year-old establishment shared the news on social media on Tuesday...

No mention if this impacts their Enoteca Wine Bar next door.

Todaro Bros. moved to No. 555 in 1961 (a few blocks from its original location), and long offered products that you couldn't find anywhere else ... the arrival in recent years of a Fairway directly across the street as well as a Trader Joe's on Third Avenue and 32nd Street couldn't have helped business.

Image via

Source: http://evgrieve.com/2019/03/todaro-bros-is-closing-april-2-ending.html

Photo: Two Bridges Tower

After nearly a decade of severe delays, infrastructural setbacks, and personnel changes, the city finally has something to show for Pier 35. The fancy new eco-park is now ready for community use.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony is later this morning with designer SHoP Architects, officials from the Economic Development Corp., and local stakeholders.

It’s been a mad dash to the finish line for the last fifteen months. Screenwall installation began over the summer and recently completed; garden beds were planted; table and chair seating was affixed to the deck. At the entrance to the park, meanwhile, is a new set of outdoor furniture with chairs and bar seating at the promenade fence.

Construction of Pier 35 actually got back on track in May 2017, when crane and crew began assembling the steel. We noted at the time that it was the most activity on the public park in three years. Indeed, plans for the waterfront park were first announced in 2009 with a completion date of roughly sometime in 2013. The city previously attributed excessive delays to structural setbacks from Hurricane Sandy, problems with the screenwall, and bureaucratic bickering on where to install the underground water main.

The city should be embarrassed that this leg of the project took so long to complete.

Longtime East Village artist Anton van Dalen is exhibiting with the P.P.O.W. Gallery at the Armory Show this weekend.

He's part of a group with five other P.P.O.W. artists. The curated theme: War.

"Included is this enormous canvas, which I painted in 1982 ... will be thrilling to see it there," he said in an email. "For me it's one of these freeing moments where intuition, 37 years later, finally flowered."

[van Dalen in 1982]

This part of the Armory Show is at Pier 94, Booth 717 (between about 50th Street and 54th Street across 12th Avenue). . Find more details on the Armory Show here.

The show continues through Sunday. Hours: Friday from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Find of a preview of the Armory Show at Gothamist.

Source: http://evgrieve.com/2019/03/time-of-war-for-east-village-artist.html

Republican State Senator Marty Golden is too busy carrying President Trump’s water to care about the “life and death” of his constituents, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

The governor, on hand in Dyker Heights to campaign for Golden’s Democratic rival Andrew Gounardes, said the Republican incumbent’s speed camera betrayal remains fresh on his mind. As Cuomo sees it, Golden and his colleagues are so beholden the Trump’s nationalist agenda that they’d forgotten how to govern.

“It doesn’t really matter what Marty Golden thinks,” Cuomo said outside the campaign rally. “He couldn’t even get the speed camera bill voted on — which wasn’t even a controversial bill and was a difference between life and death.”

The senator reneged on his professed support for speed cameras in July when he and his Senate Republican colleagues allowed the 140-school camera program to expire, leaving the lives of thousands of NYC schoolchildren hanging in the balance. Fortunately, legal maneuvers by the governor and the mayor gave the city council power to reauthorize the cameras — without the support of the Republican-controlled legislature.

“I know him … but it’s not about him,” Cuomo told reporters about Golden. “They are just following a script. They are carrying Donald Trump’s message.”

Since their introduction in 2014, speed cameras have reduced dangerous speeding by 63 percent at locations and times where they are in effect, according to city data.

For years, Golden was the primary target of Families for Safe Streets and their allies, who hoped that the support of the city’s highest ranking state senator could cajole the rest of the Republican caucus to pass a bill that would reauthorize and expand the camera program. In May, he said he supported the legislation, but did next-to-nothing to get that legislation passed.

At one point, Golden and his Republican colleagues even put forward their own legislation — which would have killed the camera program after a six-month extension in favor of more traffic lights, which are known to increase speeding.

Meanwhile, Golden picked up a reputation as one of the city’s worst speed camera recidivists. Cameras have caught him speeding no less than 14 times since 2014. The senator meekly apologized for his dangerous driving, but continues to point fingers on his inaction on speed cameras.

“He failed to deliver the bill that he promised he would,” said Gounardes. “Year after year after year he has failed to deliver because he doesn’t actually support speed cameras.”

Cuomo might want to watch the Trump bashing in the 22nd Senate District; in 2016, Trump won the district with 48.81 percent of the vote compared to 48.13 percent for Hillary Clinton. Golden has staked out territory similar to Trump in wrongly criticizing Arab-Americans, taking anti-immigrant positions, and denying climate change.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To find your polling place, visit the NYC Board of Elections site here.