I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who’s been reading 78thand2nd over the past three months.  In August we saw a traffic tally that was 10 times that of June and we appreciate everyone who has dropped by, emailed in, commented and tipped us to neighborhood happenings.  It’s been a true pleasure to this point and I hope to hear from you all moving forward.

As for the new site, the biggest change is that we now have some ads, something we couldn’t do on a WordPress blog. The content of the site will stay the same, but we have a slightly different look, a result of exiting from WordPress.

We’ll be tweaking the new site in the coming days: fixing broken links, categories, adding a search function, features, and dealing with the typical growing pains of moving to a new server.

For those changing bookmarks – the url 78thand2nd.com will point to the new site in a day or two.  For now you can find the new site here.

Again, thank you to everyone who’s visited over the past three months – I look forward to the coming ones! And check out the new site here.

Best,
Chris
78thand2nd

UPDATE Sept. 7: Some folks have been under the impression that this blog (the one you’re reading) is the new 0ne — it’s not.  Our blog has moved as of Sept. 4 — but you can continue to visit us here: www.78thand2nd.com.  Same blog, just new address!  Come visit.

How are those budding UES wine bars coming along, you ask? Well:  

1)  Last time we checked in on Bar Vepsa there wasn’t much to show — and now look at it!  It sits at 1609 2nd Ave., in all its unabated red glory.  Yes, it’s very, very red…and that’s quite a font they’ve got going on…and now I’ll always know what time it is when I’m on 2nd.  And it would appear they’re ahead of the “probably next year” opening we were told back in early August.

 2) Enoteca Di Leonardo, a new wine bar on 2nd Ave., between 81st and 82nd, kept good on its promise to “open soon” when it was unveiled last Friday.  A peek inside after the jump.

More:
UES Wine Bar Trend Continues [78thand2nd]
The (Almost) UES Wine Bar Trend [78thand2nd]

 

Below, a round-up of some recent ‘what’s the deal with’ questions from 78thand2nd readers from last week, followed by the latest updates. If you have an additional piece to the puzzle - enlighten us all in the comments section.

1) 75th and 3rd – Marshall wrote in last week asking what was going on with the former Loui Loui restaurant space on 75th and 3rd: “I heard a rumor that Citarella has purchased the space and plans to open its own restaurant there… any truth to that?”  That’s exactly what’s going on.  An inside source says Citarella bought the entire building and plans to open a restaurant in the space formerly held by Loui Loui.

2) 73rd and 1st – Michael wrotes “I noticed what might be movement/preparation for something in the space the formerly occupied by the Cocktail Room (on 73rd between 1st and 2nd).”  The former Cocktail Room, which closed earlier this summer, is indeed getting an overhaul with some interior construction, no new tenants for the bar have been revealed yet. 

3) 78th and 2nd – 78thand2nd commenter Ace raised a question “Does anyone know why the liquor store next to Bardalino has been under renovations for what seems like forever?”  There’s still no hint to what’s going on — the area businesses have no clue, area residents have no clue, there’s no indication or hint posted in the windows – what the hell is going on with this space?

More:
What’s The Deal With: Loui Loui, The Cocktail Room, Abandoned Liquor Store On 2nd [78thand2nd]

Sunday, September 2
4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m.
Harlem Meer Performance Festival
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (Inside the Park at 110^th between Fifth and Lenox Aves.)
“Join the Conservancy for the 14th season of this popular Sunday concert series that features the best in local emerging and established Latin, Jazz, World, and Gospel artists.”
http://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/specialevents

According to the Voice:

Since late June, a panel of two doctors and one layman has been reviewing Jacobs’s case on behalf of the state Department of Health. They are considering whether to permanently revoke his license to practice medicine and are scheduled to render a decision at the end of September.

More:
UES Surgeon Gets License Suspended, Allegedly Smokes Meth With Patient [78thand2nd]

The Boston Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Yankees tonight at Yankees Stadium. The stumbling Yanks, who’ve lost two in a row now, are eight games behind the Red Sox in the American League East – a number that’s got to have owner George Steinbrenner practicing his strangling techniques and fans yearning for decisive victories against the Sox in the coming days. A three game sweep against Boston would position the Yanks nicely for a run at winning the division, and securing a playoff spot when the season comes to a close in about a month.

If you’ve lived in New York or Boston since 2003, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a heightened rivalry – not between the teams, that’s always been there – but between the fans, which only seems to be getting worse.

I think the feeling can be best explained by a guy I saw in the men’s room at Yankees Stadium the last time Red Sox were in town. The inebriated, and obviously well-bred Yankees fan, was urinating in a restroom sink as his son watched, as he tried to explain how the other half lived:

I hate Boston. They’re awful fans. I’ve been to Fenway. Red Sox fans have no class.

And the sentiment would be described on both sides in a similar way given the right circumstance. Therefore, it’s only fitting that we institute a “Red Sox/Yankees Alert” whenever the Red Sox, who grabbed headlines last week by superseding the Yankee’s as “America’s Team” according to USA Today, play the Yankees.

UESers: be ready for heightened baseball statistics chatter, increased levels of gambling and of course, lots of drinking, public drunkenness, misdemeanors and fistfights over the next three days.