I was walking across East 7th Street this past Friday morning, when I saw what could only be described as the newest addition to the Mosaic Trail:
Newest addition to the Mosaic Trail.
It's difficult to know at this time whether this is by Mosaic ManJim Power, a recent work by the famous Invader, or a new mosaic artist, but one thing is certain: It's a welcome addition to the beloved Mosaic Trail!
East Villagers are all exiles from somewhere, some place where their idiosyncrasies just didn't fit in with the syncrasies of the rest of the people of their town.
Understanding this, someone has seen fit to open a gym to exploit that lack of belonging!
Behold, the beloved Exile Gym, on First Avenue:
The gym for professional exiles.
No need to feel isolated any longer, exiled East Villagers — soon you will be crunching those abs just like John Cena!
As I wrote in Invader 1, Invader is a world-famous artist, who works exclusively in the medium of small ceramic tiles. Recently, he's been working in New York City, including (naturally!) in the East Village!
On Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place, at the beloved, local, recently-closed branch of Chase bank, Invader installed a mosaic of Spiderman, climbing the wall:
Spiderman climbing the wall.
It looks like a whole new mosaic trail is opening up… in the East Village Today!
Invader is a world-famous artist, who works exclusively in the medium of small ceramic tiles. Recently, he's been working in New York City, including (naturally!) in the East Village!
East Villagers love street artists — even more, they love liberating the work of street artists!
At the corner of First Avenue and East 4th Street, above the beloved Guayoyo, is a mosaic of Woody Allen, half liberated:
Woody Allen, half liberated.
Here is a close-up:
Close-up.
It's hard to know why the liberator stopped where he did, or why he didn't liberate the edge pieces at the top. It's also hard to know if he labelled the pieces, so he could reassemble the mosaic at home.
East Villagers are hopeful that Invader will return to fix the mosaic. This time, he should put up a sign that says:
Another SantaCon 2015 has come and gone, and once again it was a rollicking good time, as East Villagers, present and future, came together to celebrate the holidays!
I wasn't able to get out during the daylight hours — pictures I've seen show even more Santas than my video captured!
So with no further ado, I present "SantaCon 2015":
The East Village is famous for its buskers — you can't swing a cat without hitting one!
I was walking across St. Mark's Place last Saturday when I saw this busker in front of the formerly-beloved JAS Mart:
Busker in front of JAS Mart.
To be kind, here's a close-up:
Close-up.
They say that he won't last too long in the East Village — he'll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say. But they're dead wrong, I know they are. 'Cause he can play that there guitar. And he won't quit till he's a star… in the East Village Today!
East Villagers have long been familiar with walking down the street and finding a lost shoe. "How does someone not know they lost a shoe?!" they can oftentimes be heard exclaiming!
Well, recently I was walking across East 6th Street, when I saw this lost thong:
Lost thong.
This had to be shed deliberately — how does someone not know they lost a thong?!
Sometimes, all you need is one item to make a costume, or decorated tree!
Just like a single, red nose constitutes a legitimate Halloween costume, a single, hanging pinecone constitutes a legitimate Christmas decoration, like this one that I saw on East 6th Street:
Legitimate Christmas decoration.
Here is a vertical close-up:
Vertical close-up.
East Villagers are the kings and queens of understatement!
I was walking past the beloved Vazac's bar on the corner of Avenue B and East 7th Street recently, when I saw their Christmas window stencils:
Christmas window stencils.
Vazac's is known for their stencils, which are defaced almost immediately by their customers, who write their names or clever slogans in the Ice Crystals Aerosol Spray!
They won't be able to deface that "A" rating though!
It's comforting to know that the bags of pretzels you can buy at the bar are kept at the right temperature!
I've written about the beloved Moishe's Bake Shop, on Second Avenue, many times. This is another one of those times!
Since the time of my last post on Moishe's, the owners finally — finally! — replaced the horrific-looking windows that were scarred beyond repair! The new glass looks so spiffy and clean:
What a coincidence! I was just turning on a font that I didn't have turned on, using Extensis Suitcase, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a thumbnail of a SantaCon poster, promoting the font Brilliants:
Promoting the font Brilliants.
I clicked on it and it took my to the Extensis Pinterest page, where I saw a larger version, shown here:
Larger version.
Everywhere you go, SantaCon is in the air… even outside the East Village Today!
I was walking up Second Avenue this past weekend, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an abandoned, plastic-wrapped gingerbread house on a mailbox:
Abandoned, plastic-wrapped gingerbread house on a mailbox.
East Villagers are a freegan lot, so I'm sure this didn't stay up here too long before it was eaten!
There was a time when the corner of First Avenue and East 1st Street was an eyesore — no one would have thought of selling Christmas trees in front of it!
Now, due to the beloved Mars Bar closing, and the beloved TD Bank opening, it's safe for holiday revellers to stroll past, and even purchase a Christmas Tree:
Strolling past the beloved TD Bank.
Not only can you purchase a tree from this corner, but you can even purchase one named after a famous celebrity! Here are some examples:
John [sic] Snow, and Gandalf.
Lieutenant Dan, and more!
The thing about Christmas trees named after famous celebrities is that you need to leave the sign hanging around it once you get it home, so people will know who it's named after! Guess which tree I bought?!
East Villagers have been asking: Where's East Village Today?
Where's East Village Today?
The truth is, two things happened that resulted in my not being able to take pictures: 1) the end of Daylight Savings Time means that it's dark when I get out of work, and my video camera does not take great pictures at night; and 2) my morning routine has changed — I am no longer able to take pictures on my way to work!
A momentary setback, you can be sure — soon enough I'll be back to shooting on weekdays!
East Villagers are beside themselves in anticipation of the event that almost rivals the Halloween Dog Parade: Santa Con!
To help get you into the Santa spirit, here is a picture from last year's SantaCon, outside the beloved The 13th Step, on Second Avenue:
East Villagers SantaConners.
If you want to be a SantaConner (not to be confused with Sarah Connor), you still have time to purchase your Santa costume at such local, beloved boutiques as Party City!
This truckload of trees was being delivered yesterday, outside the public housing project on Avenue C:
Truckload of trees.
Here is a tree mover preparing to move a tree:
Preparing to move a tree.
There was no fanfare for this delivery — no clowns or jugglers — just down-to-earth tree planting, the way it was meant to be… in the East Village Today!
I was walking up First Avenue this morning, when I saw an altercation occurring across the street from me, at the intersection of East 9th Street. Lucky thing I had my video camera with me!
For the past three years, since the days following Hurricane Sandy, East Villagers have grown accustomed to the sight of these two trucks, which house the Emergency Heating Units that have been used to provide heat to the public housing project on the corner of Avenue C and East 6th Street:
Emergency Heating Units.
It looks like their days are finally numbered! This sign was recently erected behind the fence that protects the children's playground:
East Villagers love to speed headlong into the future, but sometimes they like to stop and reminisce.
That seems to be happening more frequently for one person, who has taken to scrawling 30-year-old slogans on lampposts and newspaper boxes:
Newspaper box.
…and hanging up signs that used to be hung up in the mid-1980s, like these that I saw this morning, on Avenue C and East 5th Street:
Mid-1980s signs.
Here is a horizontal close-up:
Horizontal close-up.
If you're wondering, it's no easier to read in person!
Here's a vertical close-up:
Vertical close-up.
The signs and the inverted martini glass with the line through the spilling contents were those of a band called Missing Foundation. You can find their songs on YouTube!
East Villagers know that change is cyclical — these cycles do not come back exactly to where they started; they don't make a perfect circle. Instead, change is evolutionary, moving in a spiral. Which is to say that it is not 1985 any more, and no one will respond to calls to mug yuppies, or not act "civilized".
