Karaoke Boho has struggled to open at the old Crunch location on East 13th St. for six months. Now a slight change: in addition to karaoke, the store is offering a full Korean restaurant, some competition for the adorable Do Sirak on our block.
The New School says:
Next week (August 29 to September 2), Contractors will continue to excavate earth and rock, and load out material. Installation of bracing rakers and line drilling will progress as well. Concrete foundation walls will continue along the perimeter of the site. Interior core foundation work and underground electrical and plumbing will proceed. Contractors will be removing the interior earth ramp. A small cherry picker crane will be delivered to the site next week and will be stationed inside the Construction fence. This crane will remain there for approximately two months.
The following week (September 6 to September 9 ), we will continue with concrete foundation walls, line drilling, rock excavation, loading out, interior core foundation work, and underground electrical and plumbing. Concrete pours for the slab on grade are anticipated to start this week. The site will be closed for Labor Day weekend (Saturday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 5).
DEP will continue to repair the water main along 13th Street. As part of this work, the DEP may periodically shut water service off. This work is out of our control.
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.
A private middle school partially funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has released renderings of its planned interior — which is slated to open near Union Square this fall.
AltSchool, a private school that uses a technology-driven approach to design individualized lesson plans for students, has started building out its new school at 90 Fifth Ave. on the corner of 14th Street.
The school, which charges about $30,000 tuition per year, revolves around a Montessori-like curriculum and bills itself as a hybrid tech company and education startup. It’s the brainchild of a team of Silicon Valley types with a long history in companies like Google, where AltSchool CEO Max Ventilla worked for more than a decade.
The new space takes up an office-building floor previously occupied by The New School. It will be divided into two main areas — each of which have a classroom and group area space, as well as a larger communal area with a small kitchenette, a lunch area, and amphitheater-style seating.
The Union Square Partnership recently surveyed residents, asking them what they’d like to see more of in the neighborhood. The results:
Brit chain Pret A Manger had moved into the former Tisserie space at 857 Broadway (at 17th Street), and now comes official word that when it opens for a test run this Friday, it will give away 3,000 free sandwiches starting at 12:15 p.m. — provided you snag one of the flyers that will be given away at the Union Square subway entrances between 8 a.m. and 9:25 a.m. that morning. Pret is calling this the “Guinea Pig Day” for what will be their U.S. flagship (the store features a fresh design and free Wi-Fi), but for better or worse, cuy won’t be served — instead, Pret is sourcing food directly from Greenmarket vendors. The location opens fully on June 22.
Torch & Crown is back for another exciting season in the North Plaza! Known for their locally brewed beers, Torch & Crown is the perfect place to spend the summer in Union Square with friends. Kids and pets are welcome!