Not really anything to report today, but “real” media couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab some people for an interview this evening about what they bought for Christmas, outside the bright new Kiehl’s:
Compelling journalism (not that we can talk…). Anyway, we’ll be back with our “regular programming” tomorrow.
One of our local favorites Bar 9 regularly has live music and open mic nights, and tonight local band MaryMac will be taking the stage, along with regulars the Mike Machaby Trio.
Here’s a nice, catchy song by the duo:
The openers kick off at 8pm, with the main act starting at 9. Should be a fun night. Here’s a clip of them at Bar 9 last month. The bar is also going to have live music on New Years Eve if you haven’t made plans yet.
Technically it’s Chelsea news, but here’s the future of the site of D’aiuto’s cheesecake shop on 8th Ave between 30th&31st, which sadly closed earlier this year after almost 80 years.
The construction for the new Beacon High School on W 44th St is slowly moving along. Here’s what’s happening at the current location on W 60th/61st while that’s happening.
It’s been a few months coming, but BarBacon is now open, just in time for Christmas. The “bacon themed” bar is bringing mountains of bacon and “bacon-inspired” items to 9th Ave, including bacon-infused whiskey.
When we stopped by today it was “closed for a private event” (probably preparing the staff for the big opening the later in the day the next day), but here’s some shots of the interior from their Facebook page:
The lettering on the walls is very nice. We first noticed the place incoming back at the end of October, and have been keeping an eye on it since. I still have a few reservations about the whole concept, but they’ve obviously put a lot of effort into the place and the whole team seems really passionate about it, so it should be a hit.
As the last “underdeveloped” parts of 10th Ave get turned into restaurants and bars, less fancy places are inevitably pushed out. Epstein’s Paint Center has been holding out for a while now, but it looks like they’re getting closer and closer to having to relocate from their spot on 10th Ave between 54th&55th:
As we noted back when we looked at the (still) incoming new restaurant a few stores down, the strip they’re on along 10th Ave is quickly becoming entirely different, with that restaurant opening eventually, a new bar opened earlier in the year, along with the new CVS the next block south. At least Epstein’s are just relocating.
Friday was a big day for the future 7 line extension to Hudson Yards, with the first official train stopping at the station, along with an address by the mayor. From all accounts the ceremony was very thrown together, with the station still a long, long way from being ready. Given that the mayor more-or-less championed the extension though, you can’t blame him for wanting to have some celebration of it before his tenure ends, so there you go.
The new station – scheduled to open around the middle of next year – is expected to be pretty major, buried deep beneath the area soon to be dominated by Hudson Yards, and finally brings a station west of 8th Ave. Unfortunately, the additional planned station at 41st&10th was cut from the project some years ago, and we’re still a bit bitter. Hopefully one day they’ll circle back around to it. Or it’ll end up in Secaucus. Either way.
The falafel and shawarma bar Pitopia are opening up a second store on the corner of 34th St and 9th Ave, opposite B&H. The new store isn’t too far from their current store at 37th& Broadway, and will have all the same menu items as the original, as well as the bar-style layout. The spot couldn’t be any more perfect for them given the hundreds of kosher-keeping employees of B&H, plus the West Side Jewish Center the next building over.
They’re taking over the former home of Turkish spot Lezzette, who closed down at the end of October. It looks like Pitopia should fare better on that corner.
Over the week our favorite friends struck again, this time shuttering Mario’s Trattoria on 9th Ave. We’d hoped we wouldn’t see a yellow notice around the area for the rest of the year, but what can you do…
