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Gem Spa’s fans came out in droves over the weekend
Sounds like the cash mob at Gem Spa was a rousing success over the weekend. Fans of the East Village institution went out on Saturday to buy egg creams, a way to help keep the longtime bodega and hangout alive after owner Parul Patel said it has been struggling. But the cash mob also turned into a gathering of residents, former residents, designers, artists, and other characters, according to Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. There was a Schitibank installation — an art piece considering a dystopian view of the neighborhood — that will be around until the end of the month, and lots of people buying up the t-shirt for the shop, which has become a hot streetwear look.
Though the event focused on Gem Spa, it was also part of a wider movement to save New York institutions, “a way to say no to all banks and corporate chains,” Jeremiah’s writes. “As a people, we will not go down without a fight. The Gem Spa cash mob is an act of love and resistance.”
In other news
— Is Staten Island a worthy dining destination?
— The latest Times Hungry City column journeys to Nurlan in Flushing, finding “terrifically chewy and earthy” Uighur noodles.
— Serendipity’s Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is now 65.
— Hot hypebeast brand Arizona has a limited-edition magazine on stands now in various NYC bodegas, with a meta feature on NYC bodegas.
— Kim Kardashian’s been eating her way through NYC, with stops at Estiatorio Milos and L’Avenue.
— Celebrities like Jessica Seinfeld, Katie Holmes, and Cynthia Rowley are reportedly flocking to Chefs Club’s newest iteration, London vegan import Farmacy.
— The NYC Department of Education is considering a chocolate milk ban at schools.
— The Second Avenue gas explosion trial is currently underway.
— Maybe one’s from Area 51:
Troubled by the difference in illustration style between these two pizza chefs. Are they different species pic.twitter.com/ZeDz8fWOnN
— Seth Rosenthal (@seth_rosenthal) September 15, 2019
Update: September 16, 2019, 10:45 a.m.: This article was updated to reflect that Konbini, the Japanese convenience store-inspired cafe that opened in Koreatown late last week, has abruptly closed and will not reopen. A spokesperson declined to give details on the closure, saying only that owner Sarah Kang is working on a new concept for the space at 312 Fifth Avenue.
