Certified Closed: Giant Bagel Shop

Next week (October 7 to October 11), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building. Additionally we will be using a lift on the sidewalk to wash the exterior of the building.

The following week (October 14 to October 18), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, October 5th for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

She held up the Bank of America on the corner of University and 14th the other day.

The East 12th and 13th Street Block Association is fighting against the arrival of Caliente Cab Co. at University and 12th on the grounds that they expect it to be a noisy all-night boozefest. The owners had petitioned for 4AM closing 7 nights a week, open windows, and sidewalk cafe. They’ve backed off, but that’s still not good enough for those who are against it.

You can speak your mind at the licensing meeting on April 12th at 6PM at 268 Mulberry St.

The complete Community Board meeting is APril 21st at 6PM at 116 West 11th St.

Reading International has announced  he closing of construction finance facilities totaling US $57.5 million to fund the non-equity portion of the anticipated construction costs of its redevelopment of 44 Union Square in New York City. It’s the historic building at the corner of 17th and Union Square East that is historically known as Tammany Hall.

The redevelopment of 44 Union Square will add approximately 23,000 square footage of rentable space to the current square footage of the building for an approximate total of 73,322 square feet of rentable space, inclusive of anticipated BOMA adjustments and subject to lease negotiations and the final tenant mix.

Gothamist reports:

A cereal saloon? In Union Square?? In this economy??? Not anymore, I’m afraid: The Kellogg’s NYC cafe, a large windowed box where tourists could pay too much to eat cereal suspended in midair, has closed. “Closed abruptly,” according to Eater, its empty husk reimagined as a holiday pop-up slinging fancy donuts.
The Kellogg’s NYC website confirms the closure: “We are sincerely thankful for the support of all our great guests of this unique cereal experience,” it screams in all caps. “While Kellogg is busy creating the next adventure, the Union Square Space will be open as a White Box space through our partner Co.Create NYC for events.”

If, in turn, you were wondering what a White Box space is, here’s some start-up word salad for you to digest: “The White Box is where brainstorms become brand activations, product innovations become pop-ups, fever dreams become private parties.” (On which most of Union Square would theoretically be able to spy, considering the whole storefront is glass.)

In June of 2016, Kellogg’s NYC opened its first cereal cafe in Times Square, offering tourists bowls of refined carbohydrates for the totally-reasonable-what-do-you-mean price of $6 to $8. The menu had been enhanced by Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, possibly to justify the price, I guess? Anyway, the venture’s perhaps improbable success prompted a move to a bigger space overlooking Union Square in 2017, a boom year for Instagrammable cereal, for whatever reason. Located at 31 East 17th Street, the new digs were more than five times bigger than the old ones, according to Eater. Kellogg’s dropped prices — $1.50 for your basic bowl of Frosted Flakes (a family-sized box of which currently costs $3.79 at Target) or Special K; $4 for a jazzed-up bowl with toppings — but this more affordable fare does not appear to have done the trick.

Kellogg’s NYC did not address Gothamist’s questions about the reason for the departure, so we can’t say for sure what prompted the closure. Still, a slew of better-established businesses have vacated the neighborhood in recent months and years, typically citing rents rising at wildly unrealistic rates. Coffee Shop shuttered in October 2018, to be replaced by a Chase Bank and by CHLOE. In January, Blue Water Grill closed its doors, a spokesperson for its owner (an actual billionaire) explaining, “Even though this is one of New York’s most successful restaurants, it can’t be successful with a $2 million plus rent.” In 2017, popular eatery Republic announced its impending relocation, due to the mounting financial burden of a Union Square lease, and in 2015, Danny Meyer explained that he had to move his Union Square Cafe because of “untenable rent escalations.”

Meanwhile, demand for Kellogg’s product has reportedly been waning across the board. Without knowing exactly how much it costs to rent a centrally located sky lounge, one designated specifically for the consumption of Frosted Mini Wheats and their ilk, it’s hard to guess at the overhead Kellogg’s NYC faced. It seems reasonable to expect, though, that the rent would be high — too high, even, for Big Cereal to justify?!?! What have we come to??

But take heart, my Froot Loops, because a statement from Kellogg’s suggests the brand isn’t done with you yet:

We have been lucky to have wonderful support from cereal fans and media alike. We are committed to continuing to bring more unique and engaging experiences to Kellogg’s cereal fans in the future. Kellogg has loyal, passionate fans that constantly seek the chance to interact with our iconic brands. We believe this includes in-person experiences that push the imagination and provide unexpected opportunities to experience cereal, something they’ve been connected to their entire lives, in a completely new way. That was our belief when we opened the first café and fans have responded positively and asked for more ever since. Stay tuned for updates on our next chapter!

As per the Governor’s Executive Order issued April 15, everyone is required to wear face covering in the form of a mask, scarf, or other reliable protection of the nose and mouth while in public.  Also, every building occupant is to wear face covering while you are within any common area of the building including hallways, stairwells, elevator, lobby, laundry room, etc.

Most shareholders/owners are signed up for online payment of maintenance/common charges.  We strongly encourage those who are not already signed up to please contact your AKAM Management Executive for additional information.

Below are a few other reminders and best practices (as applicable to your building):

• Continue notifying your AKAM Mgt. Executive should anyone in your household test positive
• Essential repairs within apartments/units will be made in accordance to COVID-19 protocols
• We will advise when restrictions on renovations are lifted
• Be mindful of noise emanating from your apartment/unit to avoid disturbance to your neighbors
• Be aware of potential impostors/scams looking to gain access into your apartment/unit
• Continue practicing social distancing everywhere

Please see the following COVID-19 related links you may find helpful:

CDC.gov – COVID-19 Updates and Best Practices / NYC.Gov – COVID-19 Updates and Best Practices

As the New York Pause period now extends through May 15, 2020, we have listed various types of stay-at-home things to do which may interest you:

• The New York Philharmonic has launched “NY Phil Plays On”. It is a new free digital portal streaming 150 hours of free performances online.  Go to www.nyphil.org/playson to watch.
• Nowadays is streaming virtual DJ sets every night live from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM.  Go to www.nowadays.nyc/stream for disco beats, tutorials and deep-listening sessions.
• The New York Public Library is offering more than 30,000 free titles available to download on their app SimplyE.  You need to be a New York City resident with a library card which you can apply for on SimplyE.  Go to www.nypl.org.com for details.
• The Tribeca Film Festival will be releasing 15 free VR films starting on April 17^th.  They will be available on Oculus Quest and Oculus Go headsets.  Go to www.tribecafilm.com for details.
• The Metropolitan Opera is offering free online performances.  Every day a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is released. Go to www.metopera.org to watch.
• The Children’s Museum of the Arts is offering a free online series. These free interactive sessions take place over Zoom and invite children of all ages to participate in sing-a-longs, create their own artwork and explore creative movement. Go to www.cmany.org for more information.
• BroadwayHD is currently offering a free seven-day trial. You can enjoy Broadway classics like “Cats”, “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music”. Go to www.brodawayhd.com to register.
• Headspace is offering free sleep, meditation, and movement exercises. Visit www.headspace.com/ny for details.
• Taste Buds is hosting free online cooking classes every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00PM using basic pantry supplies you likely have in the house. The classes are for adults and kids to cook together. Go to www.tastebudskitchen/cooking-club to enroll.
• Visit Timeout NYC – At home entertainment / City Guide NY – At home entertainment for updates!

Please join us in continuing to thank all building staff members for their continued hard-work and dedication.  We would also like to thank all building volunteers, including members of the Board, for their valuable time and input.