Then in late May, the freshly-built stairwell was temporarily boarded up; a sign on the plywood announced that the entrance would reopen July 9.  Obviously, that didn’t happen.  But last week, the whole shebang was unboxed, with a new opening date to boot – August 13.  Behold the naked metalwork, free from the requisite advertising and station designation. And much like the entrance across Lafayette, this one is also maroon.  A new look?

All day yesterday, the woodworkers and painters were onsite building a hulking sidewalk shed in preparation of the new restaurant.  This comes just days after Floridian owners John Keogh and Tim Ryan appeared before Community Board 2 for a full liquor license.  Plans call for a 54-seat gastropub serving cuisine of the British Isles. However, the board rejected the application, suggesting both owners ”talk to the community a bit more before resubmitting a proposal.”

Be sure to drop us a line if you see any of the cast members prowling the streets.  In all honesty, it would be nice to witness a contentious scene in public between Larry and Susie.  This clip says it all.  Earmuffs!

The signs implore confused bargoers to contact “our other locations,” Off the Wagon or Down the Hatch, for more information.  Piqued, we put in a call and found out that Town Tavern was recently purchased by the same folks behind these two bars (and many more, in fact), and will be closed for an unknown length of time.  And the name will allegedly change in the process. No word on the new identity, though.

In honor of the new A-Team feature-film remake, which debuted at the box office this past weekend, it seems apropos to flashback to the 1983 episode entitled “The Out-of-Towners.” In this particular episode, the fearless foursome of John “Hannibal” Smith, “Howling Mad” Murdock, B.A. Baracus, and Templeton “Faceman” Peck mobilize to save Delancey Street shopkeepers from a group of thugs.

The episode draws on the standard “New York” elements to set the scene – parking tickets, rude passengers in taxis, and garbage trucks. Aside from that, though,the story could have taken place just about anywhere. In fact, looking at some still images from the episode, it becomes pretty clear that, other than stock B-roll, almost nothing was shot in the city. Our memories may be foggy, but even in 1983, Manhattan didn’t have palm trees.

Here are some more stills from the episode:

Longtime Greenwich Village favorite Suzie’s Restaurant at 163 Bleecker Street is currently under the knife.  The 38-year-old Chinese eatery will remain closed for a two-week period of renovations.  Work on the interior began yesterday and should last until the end of May.

A sign hanging in the window announces the temporary closure, along with a “thank you” to patrons.  It reads:

Suzie’s will be closed for renovation starting May 17 through May 30.  We will reopen on May 31.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  Thank you for patronizing our restaurant for the last 38 years.

-Management

As of yesterday, however, much of the sidewalk space along Lafayatte Street is filled in, and the new station entrance is one step closer to completion.  We now have a view of the newly rebuilt staircase. But we are baffled by the swimming pool of water…anyone?