Ahead of the Curve

Once again, the East Village is ahead of the curve!

I saw these flower buds popping up among the wood chips around a tree back in December:

Flower buds, back in December.

When the buds start popping, you know Spring can't be far behind… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #flowers #spring

Forgotten, But Beloved

I was walking up Second Avenue back in early December, when I saw two empty storefronts.

This is inside 57 Second Avenue:

Inside 57 Second Avenue.

And this is inside 59 Second Avenue:

Inside 59 Second Avenue.

I have no idea what was here, but I'm sure it was beloved!

#eastvillage #secondavenue #renovations #constructionsites

Ta Da!

It's finished! The new fence in front of Orchard Alley Community Garden on East 4th Street is finally finished!

First, here is a picture of the fence being offloaded from a truck, exactly one month and one day ago today:

Fence being offloaded.

Next, a picture of the fence behind the perimeter fence, exactly one month minus one day ago today:

Fence behind perimeter fence.

Finally, what East Villagers have been waiting for since October, the new fence:

The new fence.

Isn't it beautiful?! It makes me proud to live in the East Village… Today!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #fences #orchardalley #renovations

Christmas Tree Carting

Not everyone in the East Village lugs their Christmas Tree over to Tompkins Square Park for mulching.

Here is one enterprising idea, from the East 4th Street side of El Jardin del Paraiso:

Enterprising idea.

You may remember, from such posts as Shopping Carts, By George and No Dumping, what a popular location this stretch of sidewalk is for dumping!

This cart sure is a long way from Home… Depot!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #christmastrees #dumping #eljardindelparaiso #shoppingcarts

Fallout 4 East Village

What's the first thing you think of when you see this, that I saw somewhat recently on Avenue A?

Somewhat recently, on Avenue A.

If you live in the East Village, the first thing you might think is: items for my inventory! They'll restore my health, even if they do increase my radiation level.

The second thing you might think is: scrap that cart! I'm sure to get some steel and rubber out of it!

It's Fallout 4 everywhere, in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuea #fallout4

The Abandoned Rake

Yikes — It's been a while since I posted anything!

I was walking through Tompkins Square — oh, about thirty days ago! — when I saw this rake, abandoned against a bench:

Abandoned rake.

Before you say: "Hey, East Village Today! I'll bet the Parks Department worker whose rake this is was working right behind you!" let me just say… he wasn't!

I looked all around for the owner of this rake, but there was no one to be found!

There are eight million stories in the East Village Today; this has been one of them!

#eastvillage #abandonedrakes #tompkinssquarepark

David Bowie, R.I.P.

Readers of this blog no doubt know by now that David Bowie has died.

East Villagers truly loved David Bowie.

#davidbowie

Cooool Christmas Trees

East Villagers love graffiti! They especially love the graffitier who goes by the name of "Cool", responsible for such cool works as COOOOOOOOOOOL scaffolding, and C…O…O…L obelisks!

This past Christmas season, East Villagers were treated to these Cooool decorations outside the beloved V Bar, on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place:

Cool Christmas tree, facing East.

Cool Christmas tree, facing West.

What's even better is that these will stay all year!

#eastvillage #cool #firstavenue #graffiti #stmarksplace #vbar

Sunday in the Park With Cones

Yesterday was the first Sunday of the new year in Tompkins Square Park, and as seen here, part of the grassy area was cordoned off with orange cones:

Cordoned off with orange cones.

Something's always a-brewin'… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #orangecones #sunday

Recycling Christmas Trees

East Villagers love to recycle — they cycle, and they recycle!

Christmas trees are no exception, as seen yesterday at the Treecycle station in Tompkins Square Park:

Treecycle station.

I didn't bring my tree here though; I put it on the curb — it's easier!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #recycling #christmastrees

Abandoned Records

There are places in New York City where the vinyl recorded-music-conveyance medium is romanticized, but not in the East Village!

Witness this, seen yesterday on East 9th Street:

Abandoned records.

East Villagers are at the head of the curve when it comes to recorded music — no more scratch crackle pop here!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #vinyl

Freshly-Painted Lamppost

As regular readers of this blog know, there's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to sprucen up the East Village!

I was walking down First Avenue yesterday, when I saw this freshly-painted lamppost, at the corner of East 10th Street:

Freshly-painted lamppost.

It would be my guess that the proprietors of the beloved First Avenue Finest Gourmet Deli did this — if the City had done it, it would have gone all the way to the top!

There must have been something pretty offensive graffitied on it, for them to take it upon themselves to paint over it. They even peeled off all the tape!

East Villagers do love to paint!

#eastvillage #10thstreet #firstavenue #firstavenuefinestgourmetdeli #lampposts

Smiley Faces

Back in the middle of December, I posted pictures of an old meme, updated for the 21st century!

Today, when I was walking up Avenue B, I saw not only more of these memes graffitied onto lampposts and newspaper boxes, but the modification as well:

Icon and modification.

Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

Here's to a smiley 2016… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenueb #elespecialito #graffiti #lampposts #memes #missingfoundation #smileyfaces #thepartysover

The Mosaic Trail Continues

It seems you can't turn around in the East Village these days without seeing new pieces of the Mosaic Trail!

Here are two new additions, outside the beloved Little Village Postal Service on First Avenue:

Mosaic Trail addition 1.

Mosaic Trail addition 2.

Piecing together the mosaic of the East Village, one broken ceramic-plate piece at a time!

#eastvillage #firstavenue #littlevillagepostalservice #mosaictrail #mosaics

Sold Tobacco Only

East Villagers love convenience, and they love riddles! That's why the beloved Kasadoro Deli•Grocery on Avenue A sells drug paraphernalia beside the snack food, beside an enigmatic sign:

Drug paraphernalia beside snack food beside an enigmatic sign.

Sold Tobacco Only… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuea #drugparaphernalia #kasadorodeligrocery #signs

Hanging Out the Trash

I was walking across St. Mark's Place — oh, about 15 days ago! — when I saw this bag of trash hanging on the door of the beloved Rakka Cafe:

Trash hanging on the door.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Displaying their trash for the world to see… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #rakkacafe #trashbags

The Windy Day

It was really windy here in the East Village a couple of weeks ago, when I took this picture!

(How windy was it?!)

It was so windy, the chalkboard sign in front of the beloved V Bar on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place… fell down:

Sign fell down.

Now that's windy!

#eastvillage #vbar #stmarksplace #firstavenue #signs