East River Plaza: My Great Costco Visit

Last night I finally hit up the East River Plaza on 116th near the FDR. The only store that's open yet is Costco. I live in a tiny studio apartment that I try not to get too cluttered, so I wasn't sure if the store that sells everything in bulk would be the right fit for me or my apartment. But I did get a free yearly membership to Costco (normally $50) so I gave it a try.



Coming Soon: The East River Plaza Directory.... lots of stores labeled "coming soon" like, Old Navy and Marshalls


Look for Target this summer




The View of the FDR from Costco




Some of My Loot

East Harlem Christmas Eve Dinner

According to the Post Governor Paterson spent Christmas Eve having dinner at the famous East Harlem Italian eatery Rao's. The real news (according to the Post at least) was that he was eating with private eye Bo Dietl, but for me it was where he was eating that was exciting. I would love to eat at Rao's, but reservations are impossible to get. Supposedly you can go and have a drink at the bar without a problem. That's something I'll have to check out.

Become Your Dream....

The Inspirational Marker Wielding East Harlemer (possible code name "IMWEH"?) was out again last night, and I spotted these words of wisdom this morning.



Check out IMWEH's previous work.

School Aide Cuts Hit East Harlem

School Aides Cut Citywide; East Harlem Feels the Loss from Mary Plummer on Vimeo.

Thanks to Bradley Gallo at Columbia Journalism School. This video was originally published on Northhattan.

No Smoking in East Harlem

Turns out that huge apartment building I've watched going up on Lexington between 97th and 98th St will be a non-smoking apartment building according to WCBSTV.

The building is located at 1510 Lexington Avenue and is set to open early next year.

Art and Booze Make Change

101st St Near Lexington

The Wait Is Over: Costco Is Open!

Has anyone checked it out yet? What did you think?




Found this cute video online of opening day.

Also see NY1's video and article.

And here are some photos. This place looks HUGE!

You're Invited! East Harlem Costco Opens

I'm sure I wasn't the only East Harlem resident who received a mailer from Costco in today's mail. The mailer announces the opening date, November 12th, along with coupons and special offers. There has been so much excitement, controversy and delays surrounding the East River Plaza that it's hard to believe it's actually happening.

Are you planning on becoming a member of the new East Harlem Costco? Will you be there on opening day?

116th St Costco
527 E 117th St

Carrot Cake Cafe

I love that New York City can support entire stores and districts devoted to such specific products; there's a flower, lighting and restaurant supply district in Manhattan. Not to mention the a Phlli Cheese Steak shop and the Cheese Cake bakery downtown. East Harlem is no different, over here it's our carrot cake cafe, Lloyd's. Lloyd's prides itself on its fresh ingredients, according to their Website, "In a world of artificial industrial mass-produced products, Lloyd's Carrot Cake stands out as one of the few all-natural wholesome and artesian bakeries worth fighting to preserve."

I picked up one of these all-natural wonders a few weeks ago for an early Halloween party. I knew the cake was dense right away as it made my short walk home very uncomfortable while carrying my small but heavy cake. It was worth it; the cake was a huge hit at the party, moist and perfectly frosted. Now, this could be a plus or minus for some folks, but in the past I've had a few carrot cakes that have had strings of carrots throughout the cake, I'm not the hugest fan of this, and I liked that this one was more blended more cake-like less actual pieces of carrot. If you are a fan of this cake-like style definitely think of picking up a cake for Thanksgiving, it's such a perfect fall dessert. If you can't finish a whole cake they also sell slices at the shop.

Lloyd's Carrot Cake Cafe (note the East Harlem shop is not on the site)
2051 Second Ave
212-831-9156

EnJoy!

After a grueling, yet disappointing volleyball game my team hit Joy Burger for some burgers and beers. The joint has a great 1950's vibe -- vintage Coke ads, retro bar stools and the guys working the grill line have these great mechanic jump suits that are right out of Grease. They serve classic "road side" burgers, but if you're interested in mixing it up a bit order one of their sauces like garlic mayo. The team loved the burgers, the milkshakes and the fantastic prices. The burgers start at $3.50 (they come in three sizes depending on your craving) and the beers are $3.75. We also got some Patatas (they're sweet potato fries served with maple syrup) on the house. Score! Our dinner was way more successful then our game!


Joy Burger
1567 Lexington Ave at 100th St
(212) 289-6222

Virtual Tour of the New Museo del Barrio

Rendering of the new El Museo del Barrio New York. Reopening October 17, 2009.
Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, and Gruzen Samton Architects.

The Debate is On

East Harlem's Museo del Barrio, which is reopening later this week, will host the First Mayoral General Debate tomorrow night.
The debate will be aired live on NY1 and NY1.com.

Sunday Walk the Cusp of Fall

One Tough East Harlem Cat on the Prowl.


Live Free


Flower in the Ruff.



A Place to Put Up Your Feet.

The Scoop on the East River Plaza

A Target Just for East Harlem


You're Invited! East Harlem Costco Opens


East River Plaza Reader Update


East River Plaza Update


East River Plaza

Anyone else have any details on store openings or other East River Plaza news? Let me know.

East River Plaza Reader Update

Costco is Coming!

I recieved an email from a reader the other day about the East River Plaza:

"I spoke with one of the construction workers yesterday who said that Costco will be open in November at the East River Plaza but that Target wouldn't be open till 2010. Applications are being taken for memberships and jobs on Pleasant between 117th and 118th Streets."

Thanks for the update Maria!

This is really exciting news, November is just around the corner.