Another Cool Truck

There's seems to be no end to cool trucks and vans in the East Village!

I saw this one this morning, while walking up First Avenue:

Another cool truck.

Keep on truckin'!

#eastvillage #coolcars #trucks #firstavenue

Tai Chi Sword

I don't know if this is Tai Chi or not, but it is being done with a sword, in Tompkins Square Park, this past Sunday:

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #taichi #sword

Vision Zero

I was walking up First Avenue this morning, when I saw this sign taped to a lamppost:

Taped to a lamppost.

The sign is produced by Vision Zero, an program initiative by the city to lower traffic fatalities… to zero!

Pedestrians: Heads up! Cars: Focus! Bikes: Bike smart!

East Villagers love Vision Zero!

#eastvillage #visionzero #firstavenue #signs #trafficfatalities #lampposts

New Tree Delivery

East Villagers do love them some new trees!

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!

#eastvillage #trees #avenuec #publichousing

First Avenue Road Rager

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!

So for your viewing pleasure, I present:

#eastvillage #firstavenue #9thstreet #roadrage

25 Days Till SantaCon

Great news has arrived on the Twitter express:

Working my snowballs off up here at the North Pole to get the sleigh ready for #SantaconNYC! Check out the new site: https://t.co/qzVMzOt6l3

— santacon (@santacon) November 17, 2015

Only 25 more days till SantaCon!

East Villagers love SantaCon!

#eastvillage #twitter #santacon

The Dream Catcher

East Villagers love new-agey things: from homeopathy to totems, the Age of Aquarius lives on!

This past weekend, I saw a dream catcher that was hanging from a branch in Tompkins Square Park:

Dream catcher hanging from branch.

I knew right away that this pigeon was contemplating the dream catcher, embellished with… feathers! Feathers from… a bird, like itself!

Remember pigeon that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.

#eastvillage #dreamcatchers #newage #pigeons #tompkinssquarepark

Three Years Later

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:

Preserving and improving public housing sign.

Progress… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuec #6thstreet #emergencyheatingunits #hurricanesandy #publichousing #signs

Reminiscing

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".

But there's always reminiscing!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuec #dialectics #missingfoundation #mugayuppie #negationofthenegation #signs #lampposts #thepartysover

A New Avenue B

This was certainly the weekend for street work! First, the repair of the First Avenue glacier, and then this, on Avenue B and East 8th Street:

Avenue B and East 8th Street.

Automobile drivers who were hoping to drive up Avenue B were thwarted in their efforts to do so, while work proceeded:

Thwarted in their efforts.

No matter — East Villagers are always happy when the neighborhood gets a new renovation!

#eastvillage #avenueb #renovations

The CHUD Conspiracy

Old-time East Villagers remember the days of the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers (CHUDs). Bad times, indeed!

I was walking down Avenue C yesterday, when I saw something that gave me pause:

Pause-giving site.

I moved closer, slowly, and focussed my camera into the dark unknown:

The dark unknown.

No CHUDs here!

A documentary was made about the CHUDs, in 1984. 2600 (seen spray-painted beside the manhole cover, in the top picture) is the name of a hacker magazine, co-founded by a man whose pen name is Emmanuel Goldstein, a character from George Orwell's book titled, curiously enough: 1984!
A coincidence? I think not!

Are hackers are reviving the CHUDs… in the East Village Today?

#eastvillage #avenuec #chud #2600

Suggestive Balloon Sculpture

I was walking across East 6th Street yesterday, when I saw this suggestive balloon sculpture, abandoned on a doorstep:

Suggestive balloon sculpture.

East Village sculptors love to push the envelope!

#eastvillage #sculptures #balloonsculptures #6thstreet

Wheelchair Accessibility

Last week, I reported that the beloved Vazac's was now wheelchair accessible.

In that story, I mentioned the beloved Manotiba's also being wheelchair accessible. Today, I have proof:

Proof of Manitoba's wheelchair accessibility.

Unlike Vazac's, that has no way for the wheelchair-bound patron to alert the staff inside of their desire to enter, Manitoba's has a bell that can be rung for assistance!

Staying one step ahead of the competition… that's the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #wheelchairs #manitobas #avenueb

East Village News Lives!

Back on Halloween Day, I reported to you the demise of East Village Breaking News. Rather than recap, you can read about it here.

But fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people: East Village Breaking News lives!

It turns out that the RSS feed broke, and my tweets were not being forwarded. (Don't you hate when that happens?!)

But now the RSS feed is fixed — all is right with the world… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #breakingnewsnetwork #eastvillagebreakingnews #rssfeed

No Glacier For You

This past Saturday, I was walking by the site of the former First Avenue glacier, at East 2nd Street, when I saw what I could only describe as a concentrated effort to prevent the return of said glacier (and with it, the naming of said glacier after its discoverer: me)!

Behold:

No glacier for you, East Village!

If the city doesn't want a glacier on First Avenue — a guaranteed tourist attraction! — they must have a good reason.

And it's probably better that polar bears don't roam the streets… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #firstavenue #glaciers

Fence Sparks

Work continues apace on the new fence construction at Orchard Alley Community Garden, on East 4th Street.

Yesterday morning, workers were sawing through iron rods, probably to reinforce the concrete they will soon pour.

Here is what that looked like:

Nothing spruces up a neighborhood like a black, wrought-iron fence!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #orchardalley #communitygardens #fences

Oh My Nails

It's hard to know if the name of this beloved nail salon on East 7th Street is exclaimed: "Oh! My Nails!" or "Oh My! Nails!"

What is known is that they have twinkley lights wrapped around two wine bottles in their window, to lure in customers:

Nothing brings 'em in like twinkley lights!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #ohmynails #twinkleylights

A Couch, A Chair, and A Broom

A couch, a chair, and a broom walk into a bar…

The bartender (who was Hank Penza!) said: "What is this, a joke?"

#eastvillage #jokes #7thstreet

Another Discarded Bike Frame

It seems like only yesterday I was writing about a dismantled and discarded bike frame, and here today is another one, this time on the corner of Avenue A and East 7th Street:

Another abandoned bike frame.

No yellow leaves surround this one, though — but there is a tire!

I wonder if they're related?

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avenuea #bicycles

Underneath the Sidewalk

There's a lot of sidewalk work going on on the east side of Second Avenue, just below East 13th Street. Here is what it looked like last night:

Sidewalk work.

It's kind of weird-looking in that light, at night.

Right?

#eastvillage #sidewalks #secondavenue #13thstreet

Mysterious Apartment

I was riding my Citibike home from work yesterday evening, when I saw this mysterious light on in a top-floor apartment, on Second Avenue, just below East 11th Street:

Mysterious light.

Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

Who knows what takes place in such light?!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #secondavenue #mysteries

AAA Glass Plus is Fixin' It Up

This morning, I walked past the beloved AAA Glass Plus on Avenue C. I usually only see it in the evening, not in the morning, but today was different!

It's possible that they painted everything blue and put up their new signs before yesterday, but I doubt it!

Blue paint, new signs.

Why do glass companies all name themselves with A's? AA Glass Company; AAA Glass Company; AAAAA Glass Company; etc.

No matter. Triple-A Glass Plus is leading the way in fixing up their appearance! (Hint, hint, all you others!)

#eastvillage #avenuec #aaaglassplus #paint #signs

Bags of Leaves

I was walking along East 10th Street this morning, at the top of Tompkins Square Park, when I saw this large collection of bags of leaves:

Bags of leaves.

I think the Parks Department workers who rake these leaves should rake them into a huge pile, instead of putting them into these bags. Nothing says Fall like East Villagers jumping into a huge pile of leaves!

#eastvillage #leaves #tompkinssquarepark #parksdepartmentworkers #10thstreet

Localized Flooding on Avenue A

This morning, before I left for work, I checked Weather Dot Com, and saw that from 7:00–9:00am, localized flooding was predicted for Upper New York Harbor. That's us!

It didn't take long before I saw evidence of exactly that:

Localized flooding at M14-A bus stop.

Oh look, Dora! Did you know you can join Dora for kid-friendly New York City activities — watch out for localized flooding though… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuea #weather.com #localizedflooding #dora

Vazac's is Now Wheelchair Accessible

East Villagers will no doubt be excited to learn that the beloved Vazac's Bar, on Avenue B and East 7th Street, directly across the street from a children's playground, is now wheelchair accessible!

I was walking by this morning, when I saw this:

Vazac's with new, blue signs.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

The beloved Manitoba's (across the street and down a bit) recently became ADA Compliant, but they don't have cool signs like these!

It waits to be seen how someone in a wheelchair will request assistance, or from whom,  or if the door is even wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair — but they certainly are nice signs!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avenueb #signs #vazacs #wheelchairs

You Are There

You might think East Villagers live on the cutting edge of the technological evolution, and you would be right!

When an explosion occurred in the kitchen of — of all places, a sushi restaurant! (on Second Avenue) — a local East Villager was quick to capture the first minutes of mayhem and derring-do!

That's not what put him on the cutting edge, though. It was this sign hanging on the fence surrounding the site, complete with a QR code that you can scan to watch those first moments of the disaster:

Sign with QR code.

If you can't scan this, here is the address: The Address.

It's not the same as standing at the site and watching it, but that's what the whole technological evolution is about: you don't have to be there… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #eastvillageexplosion #qrcode #secondavenue #signs #youarethere #youtube

Discarded Bike Frame

Yellow leaves are everywhere in the East Village — and why not? It's November!

This dismantled bike frame was discarded against a graffitied-on mailbox on Second Avenue and East 13th Street, that itself was surrounded by yellow leaves:

Dismantled bike frame surrounded by yellow leaves.

Nothing says Autumn in the East Village like yellow leaves, and Doris Day, singing "Autumn Leaves" — it's almost as if she's singing about her lost bicycle:

#eastvillage #13thstreet #bicycles #dorisday #secondavenue #leaves

Bag O'Leaves

I was walking up Avenue A this morning, when I saw this garbage bag full of leaves, cut from the bottom to the middle, then pulled apart after that:

Cut, then pulled apart.

It's strange to think that someone would cut open the bag, then not dump out its contents! Maybe they were looking for something else? Maple leaves?

#eastvillage #avenuea #leaves

Broken Glass

I was walking across East 6th Street this morning, when I saw pieces of a black, plastic garbage bag taped to the window of the beloved Horus Cafe, at Avenue B:

Black, plastic garbage bag taped to window.

Here is a close-up of the broken glass:

Close-up of broken glass.

It looks like the hookah-smoking got out of hand last night! Opa!

#eastvillage #avenueb horuscafe #6thstreet #brokenglass

Pigeon on a Gearbox

I know, I know,
It's serious.

Pigeon on a gearbox.

All the more so because it's a riot gate gearbox!

#eastvillage #gearbox #pigeons #riotgates

Pig With Wings

When you walk around the East Village as often as I do, you notice things. One of those things is that East Villagers look at their feet when they walk!

Naturally, looking at your feet elevates your level of coolness, but it also prevents you from seeing things above knee-level, like this pig with wings, mounted to the outside wall of a building on Avenue B and East 6th Street:

Pig with wings.

It's a difficult choice to make, coolness vs. awareness — I have no guidance to offer, other than this: Keep doing what you're doing, East Villagers!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #avenueb #awareness

Waiting For The (Coffee) Man

East Villagers love coffee — they love it so much that they're willing to stand in line for it!

These East Villagers are queued up and milling about outside the beloved Abraço Espresso, on East 7th Street:

Queued up and milling about.

I'm feeling good, I'm feeling oh so fine
Until tomorrow, but that's just some other time

#eastvillage #abracoespresso #7thstreet #coffeeshops

New Graffiti Mural

I was coming out of Tompkins Square Park onto Avenue B this past Sunday, when I saw this new graffiti mural on the East 7th Street wall of the beloved Jillery:

New graffiti mural.

Until recently, this wall was blank — or white, if you prefer!

This wall was a very popular site for photographers and models. It probably still will be, for different photographers and models!

Edgy backgrounds for edgy East Villagers!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avenueb #jillery #models #murals #photographers #tompkinssquarepark

Mug A Yuppie

Thirty years ago, before most people were even born, the East Village was a dangerous neighborhood! Almost no one lived here!

A few people who did live here were "anarchists". They lived in abandoned buildings, and made trouble for everyone else.

They used to graffiti on everything with their markers and spray paint. One thing they wrote was "Mug A Yuppie".

Of course, they didn't do the mugging themselves — they just endorsed the idea!

Recently, someone has been reminiscing about that time, and has taken to graffit-ing this slogan again. Yesterday, as I was walking up Avenue B, I saw this lamppost:

Graffitied lamppost.

They probably wrote "Free Kim Davis" too! She did defy the government, after all!

V for Vendetta!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #anarchists #avenueb #graffiti #mugayuppie #signs #lampposts

Dirty Car Ticket

East Villagers might like litter, they might even like graffiti, but there's one thing they don't like, and that's a dirty automobile!

I was walking up Second Avenue this past Saturday morning, when I saw Officer Friendly giving a ticket to this dirty car, parked in front of the beloved Himalayan Visions:

Ticket for excessive dirtiness.

His shirt matches the color of the paint — that's what caught my eye!

#eastvillage #cars  #himalayanvisions #paint #secondavenue

Public Art Exhibition

East Villagers are accustomed to seeing art in public, from murals to sculptures to mosaics to performances — art is everywhere!

Usually the materials are low-cost, however — spray paint, found objects, broken bottles…

It's less common for someone to pay a photographer and models and have the works printed larger than life, but that's exactly what happened at the new building going up on Avenue A, called 100 Avenue A.

Here are samples of the photo banners:

There is an Instagram page that shows the people involved:

Visual art: Trina Merry Assistants: Michael Mejia and Jessica Mellow Models: Gwendolyn Nymph (black and white) and Sara Nicole (magenta) Commission/ad campaign for a luxury condo being built in the East Village. Their entire campaign uses bodypaint by Trina Merry, and these are the hero images and the first to be released. They are billboard-sized on the scaffolding of the buildings to Avenue A & 7th St! Thank you Trina, for having us on the team! #branding#creative#commercial#bodypainting#photography#visualart

A photo posted by Jessica Mellow (@riseofthesporks) on Nov 8, 2015 at 4:34am PST

Congratulations to young, East Village artists, on a job well done!

#eastvillage #art #artists #avenuea #constructionsites #instagram #photographers #photography

East Village Cheese

I was walking across East 7th Street yesterday, when I saw this:

East Village Cheese.

The beloved East Village Cheese is famous for filling up its window with signs so you can't see inside.

More recently, they're famous for disappearing from their location on Third Avenue and appearing at this one on East 7th Street, with no notice — one day, they were just here!

Weird things abound… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #eastvillagecheese #signs

Lavender is the New White

I was walking down Avenue B this past Saturday, when I saw this new paint job on the building at the corner of  East 4th Street:

New paint job.

This building has always been nice looking, now it's even more so!

East Villagers love new paint jobs!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #avenueb #paint

New Cool Van

A new cool van has entered the East Village!

I saw this parked on East 4th Street this past Saturday:

Parked on East 4th Street..

The word on the side, in green, is "doves". You might wonder how I know this; the answer is: I'm quite clever!

Here is the other side of the van:

Other side of van.

There's always room for new cool vans… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #coolcars #vans

La Plaza Cultural Goes Neon

I was walking up Avenue C yesterday, when I noticed this new neon sign inside La Plaza Cultural:

New neon sign.

It reminds me of the Bates Motel Vacancy sign in Psycho!

Oddly enough, the garden was not open, according to the old-fashioned sign hanging on the closed gate on East 9th Street:

Old-fashioned sign.

No matter, neon signs are cool!

#eastvillage #9thstreet avenuec #communitygardens #laplazacultural #neon #signs