(Photo: beau-dog)
First Taylor Mead and now this: Rene Ricard, the East Village “poet, painter, art critic, scene-maker, ex-Andy Warhol super-star, subject of one of Allen’s most penetrating portraits,” has died of cancer at 67. Among other things, he’s credited for propelling Basquiat to fame. [Allen Ginsberg Project, Gallerist]
Luis Martinez has been convicted of attempted murder in the 2012 shooting of a police officer on the Lower East Side. He had claimed it was self-defense. [NBC 4]
Todd P has responded to grumblings that he put the 285 Kent space up on Craigslist: “People seem all up an arms about this, and while this particular ad is not my doing, so what if it had been? The place closed for good reason: it couldn’t be made ‘legal’ and people were going to end up in jail if it kept operating.” [Brooklyn Vegan]
One of Williamsburg’s all-time most expensive buildings — boasting amenities such as a courtyard with a waterfall, bocce ball court, and an indoor basketball and volleyball court — is half-sold after four months. [The Real Deal]
On the other hand, an East Village studio was the least expensive rental — at $350,000 — to hit the Manhattan market last week. []
But that’s nothing compared to the woman who, in 1994, bought a Lower East Side apartment for $2,000. [NY Times]
The converted ConEd substation that served as a home studio for East Village sculptor Walter De Maria has hit the market for $25 million. [NY Times]
Bushwick street artist Luis Rosenfeld is displaying his work indoors for a change. [Brooklyn Paper]
How to drink cheap at Bushwick’s new bars. [Brokelyn]
With the openings of a SoulCycle, CrossFit and Elizabeth Arden spa, Union Square is becoming a health and beauty destination. [Racked]
Remembering the Chloe Sevigny of the ’90s: “the whole world was jealously in awe of her because she appeared to be leading a life that hardly seemed sustainable in the shifting dynamics of the mid to late ’90s.” [Nowness]
One of the founders of modern tattoo art, who plied his trade in the Lower East Side while tattooing was illegal, now lives in Newburgh. [NY Times]
Thanks to a new grant, an artist will be bringing a “modern tapestry” to the eastern end of Division Street. [The Lo-Down]
Oakland’s Ramen Shop will pop up at Reynard on Feb. 11 and 12. [Grub Street]
Dirck the Norseman, from the Brouwerij Lane folks, has opened in Greenpoint. [Free Williamsburg]
A new restaurant on Grand Street in Williamsburg imports Harissa and other spices directly from Tunisia. [DNA Info]
Public Assembly is now Black Bear Bar, featuring live music most nights. [Free Williamsburg]
Tea Drunk is a place where “tea geeks” can gather and sip Chinese tea in the East Village. [NY Post]
Remembering Sara Curry, the child labor activist for whom a section of St. Marks Place was recently co-named. [Ephemeral NY]