From the park association: It’s crunch time in Union Square Park as the North End Project reaches 83 percent and enters into the final stretch. New granite curb has been installed along Union Square East, and crews are hard at work paving the east side and 16th Street transverse. Next, they will install the playground’s south perimeter fence once paving is complete. To recap, at this time the landscaping is finished and the park’s new trees, shrubbery and perennials are taking root. Most of the plazas having been reopened to the public and the Greenmarket is fully operational on site in time for their busy fall season. Pavilion restoration continues, though hampered by graffiti removal that has proven challenging, and the new restroom facility on the east side of the project area is nearing completion.
If you’d like to attend the Union Square Partnership’s Annual Meeting on May 7th, click here.
A few co-op residents were spotted among the mostly NYU throng that congregated in Union Square last night to celebrate Obama’s victory. Want to watch a bit of video capturing the excitement? Click here. And also here.
On October 26, the owners of the upcoming Reyna restaurant, which is taking over the Le Midi space on 13th St., held an introductory Zoom call. Attendance was sparse, but it was interesting to hear their plans and to have the chance to voice concerns pre-emptively.
The restaurant will likely be open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. It is meant to be an upscale drinking/dining experience, not a noisy bar. They will also be using the Karaoke Cave space as a site for “French Karaoke” as well as sort of a holding space for people who may be waiting for a table (a problem Le Midi certainly never had).
They also plan to build a street-side dining shed, most of which will occupy the space now being used by Corkbuzz.
In general, they seemed quite eager to hear about any issues that nervous neighbors like us might have ahead of time, rather than deal with our anger later. They hope to open in the March/April time frame.
You can get an idea of what Reyna will be like by visiting the Web site for their two locations in Toronto: www.barreyna.com
If you have any questions, you can contact them directly:
Nicki at nicki@barreyna.com
Etienne at 646-421-4242.
Walk through Union Square to learn more about spending your summer down the shore. The New Jersey Tourism Board has opened a promotional office, complete with sand, just south of Union Square on Broadway.
Twitter fans go here:
http://twitter.com/SaveUnionSqNYC
