Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Hidden Missing Cat Sign

I was walking across East 7th Street this past Saturday, when I noticed something out of place in this mess:

Out of place.

It was this Lost Cat sign:

Lost Cat sign.

How cute, with his little tongue out!

If this were my missing cat, I would not put the sign where people avoid walking!

#eastvillage #missingcat #signs #scaffolding #7thstreet

Monday, February 27, 2017

Bent Call Box

How many times have you walked around the East Village and seen this:

Bent call box. 

Not this bent call box specifically (on Avenue and East 7th Street), but bent call boxes in general? It seems like they're all this way!

You might think they're designed this way, but I suspect otherwise:

Otherwise.

Oh, who knows? Maybe the problem is with the misfitting panel!

#eastvillage #avenuea #7thstreet #callboxes

Ray's Candy Store Awning

The awning of the beloved Ray's Candy Store, on Avenue A, must have been cursed by a gypsy!

This is what the awning looked like after its renovation, back in July:

Clean and new.

This is what it looked like yesterday:

Grimy — paint peeling off.

I thought maybe the grime was running down the fire escape ladder, but then I remembered that there's a hole in the top of the awning, to allow the ladder to extend down to the sidewalk, and any drippings would pass through it:

Fire escape ladder hole.

Hmmm.

It looks like this curse is worse than I suspected.

At least the curse doesn't extend to their Department of Health Sanitation Inspection grade!

Grade A.

#eastvillage #rayscandystore #firehazard #fireescapes #awnings #sanitationinspectiongrade

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Feed The Pigeons

East Villagers love feeding the pigeons in Tompkins Square Park!

Here is a picture from yesterday morning, of pigeons eating bread:

Pigeons eating bread.

You might remember that this was once the site of a fake Parks Department sign, place by some prankster, telling people to not feed the pigeons — as if that would ever happen!

Whoever brought the bread was considerate enough to leave the plastic bags for someone else who needs them:

Reduce, Reuse…

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #pigeons

No Progress

It seems like almost a year and a month ago, to the day, that I first wrote about the unsightly brown spot that mars the otherwise-pleasant open area on the South side of Tompkins Square Park.

In all this time, no progress has been made:

No progress made.

It's like a big, ugly stain on a carpet, that you never clean.

I think it's time to make another call to 311!

#eastvillage #311 #tompkinssquarepark

It Was A Laundromat

It was probably only yesterday, but already I cannot remember what beloved establishment was in this empty space on Avenue B:

Gone, and forgotten.

Their exit was no hasty that there's not even a Store For Rent sign in the window, as there is next door!

Naturally, I took a peek inside:

A peek inside.

It was a laundromat!

I wonder what will take its place? Stay tuned!

#eastvillage #avenueb #laundromats

Trash Everywhere

It's nice to see, as much as some things in the East Village change, others stay the same.

Behold, a trash-strewn building on East 7th Street:

Trash-strewn building.

Lest you think this is some kind of fluke, behold, outside the beloved Avant Garden:

Not a fluke.

Some people might say this is not trash, but recycling. I say, this is on the same block as the untended break products!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avantgarden #trash

Untended Bread Products

I was walking down East 7th Street yesterday morning, at approximately 10:10am, when something caught my eye outside the beloved East Village Cheese — a box of untended bread products:

Untended bread products.

Here is a close-up of the box:

Close-up of box.

Here is a close-up of the bread products:

Close-up of bread products.

Are bread products just left out on the street like this, open and untended, to later be sold, and… eaten?

How unsanitary!

#eastvillage #eastvillagecheese #7thstreet #bread #bagels #unsanitary

Tireless Update

East Village Today is happy to report that the tireless bicycle seen this past Friday on East 4th Street is now tireful again:

Tireful again.

Once they get some pedals in place (and a bell), this bicycle will be certifiably road-ready!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #bicycles #tires

Unqualified Success

Yesterday's cash mob at the Chase Bank on Second Avenue and East 10th Street can only be described as an unqualified success!

Here is a picture taken at 9:52am, of an East Villager who arrived early:

The early bird gets the 0% introductory APR credit card!

Because the ATM vestibule is accessible, people did not have to wait outside — many waited inside, for the doors to open at 10:00am:

Doors open.

Considering that East Villagers don't get out of bed until 2:00pm, for this many people to be here when the bank opens shows just how important keeping Chase in the East Village is!

Thank you to everyone who made this such an unqualified success! It's up to the good people at Chase Bank now, after witnessing this outpouring of support from the community, to open at least one more branch in the East Village.

Their former location on Avenue A and East 2nd Street is still available:

Still available.

#eastvillage #secondavenue #10thstreet #chasebank #cashmob

Friday, February 24, 2017

Tireless

East Village bicyclists are tireless — both in their bicycling activities as well as their advocacy of the bicycling lifestyle!

Sometimes, it's the bicycles themselves that are tireless, like this one that I saw on East 4th Street this morning:

Tireless bike.

It's hard to know how the tires were removed with that chain wrapped through the wheels!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #chains #bicycles #tires

No-Name Grocery Inc.

Speaking of dilapidated deli/groceries on Avenue D, this beloved no-name Grocery Inc. is but a few short steps from the beloved New Carolina Deli Grocery that I wrote about yesterday!

Beloved no-name Grocery Inc.

So if you're not in the mood to save 50% on your groceries, you can always shop here!

#eastvillage #avenued #duanereade #noname #grocery

Thursday, February 23, 2017

All Grocerys 50% Off

East Villagers do love a good sale!

This past week, the beloved New Carolina Deli Grocery, on Avenue D and East 3rd Street:

New Carolina Deli Grocery.

…had the most amazing sale ever:

Most amazing sale ever.

With these prices, this won't last long!

#eastvillage #avenued #3rdstreet #newcarolinadeligrocery

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Construction In Bike Lane

I was walking up First Avenue about a month ago, when I saw this "Construction In Bike Lane" sign, tilted sideways and blocking the bike lane:

Tilted sideways and blocking.

A week later, there I was again, but this time the sign was upright and outside the bike lane:

Upright and outside.

Making the East Village safe for biking, one lane at a time!

#eastvillage #bikelanes #firstavenue #signs

Too Cool For Stool

Like so many other East Villagers, I took advantage of my day off from work this past Presidents Day to go shopping!

Returning home down East 7th Street, I saw this stool with a Post-It on it:

Post-It on it, innit?

Naturally, I took a closer look:

Closer look.

I think the owner (who was nowhere to be seen) wanted someone to take the stool, but when no one did, added the $60 price tag to provoke a passerby into doing it.

"$60 for this thing? No way! I'm taking this!"

Calling their apartment a "unit" was just for good measure!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #postit #stools

Dogs Doo Not Have Hands

Speaking of signs appealing to dog owners to pick up the poop, I saw this sign this past Monday, on East 7th Street:

Doo?

It's OK to not pick up after your small dog!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #signs #dogpoop

Weldy-Sculpture Tree Guard

There are parts of the East Village where you can still see remnants of the days when any two objects welded together were a sculpture.

This is one of them, a tree guard on East 3rd Street:

Weldy-sculpture tree guard.

No need for signs here, appealing to dog owners to pick up the poop!

#eastvillage #treeguards #sculptures #welding #3rdstreet

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

New Paint

Because so many East Villagers ride Citibikes to work, they don't often get to see the inside of the First Avenue F subway station (the East Village's favorite!).

For this reason, very few are aware of the painting that's been taking place of late.

Behold:

New paint.

Why some areas get paint and others don't is a mystery!

By the way, did you know this?

Litter stops here.

It starts again just outside the station!

#eastvillage #paint #ftrain #trashcans #litter

Take Down Those Lights

Don't adjust your monitor — the Tompkins Square Park Christmas Tree looks this way naturally!

Every year, the people who do these things decorate the pine tree in the middle area of Tompkins Square Park. It's a Fahoo Fores moment if ever there was one!

Fahoo Fores!

This year, however, those people forgot to take down the lights — they're still up!

Nothing ruins Christmas more than Christmas every day.

East Villagers say: Take down those lights!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #christmastrees #christmaslights

Small Load

You see a lot of whacky things when walking around the East Village.

Just this past week, I saw this semi truck outside the beloved Keepers Self Storage on East 10th Street, hauling… a single computer monitor!

A single computer monitor.

It beats bobtailing it!

#eastvillage #semitruck #10thstreet #keepersselfstorage #orangecones

Monday, February 20, 2017

Presidents Day

In honor of Presidents Day, I thought I would post this picture I took during the great snowstorm of eleven days ago, on East 2nd Street near First Avenue:


Abraham Lincoln. 

Some people say Abraham Lincoln was Black, some people say he was gay, some people say he was a communist, and some people say he was Jewish.

But until now, no one's ever said he was from Brooklyn!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #abrahamlincoln

Red-Towel Bumper Guard

What's the first word that pops into your head when when you think of bumper guards?

"Ugly", right?!

Well, one clever East Villager has a solution to this ugliness problem, as seen recently on East 2nd Street:

Red-towel bumper guard.

It matches the color of the car!

#eastvillage #cars #bumperguards #towels #2ndstreet

Bar 2A Renovations

The beloved bar Bar 2A, located at the corner of East 2nd Street and Avenue A, has recently undergone a makeover:

Makeover.

Here is what it looks like inside:

Inside.

Of course, in order to maintain its East Village "cred", the windows are broken:

Broken window #1.

Broken window #2.

Still, it looks much nicer than it did before — East Villagers love renovations!

#eastvillage #avenuea #bar2a #2ndstreet #bars #renovations

New Experiences

I was walking down Avenue A recently, when I passed by the beloved New York Sports Club, with its still-vacant storefront:

Still vacant storefront.

East Villagers long for new shopping experiences!

Just down the avenue from this is this still-vacant former Chase Bank:

Still vacant bank.

East Villagers long for new banking experiences!:

#eastvillage #avenuea #chasebank #newyorksportsclub #underserved

Chase Cash Mob

When businesses in the East Village start to fail, residents come to their aid by fomenting a cash mob. What this means is that people go to that business on a designated day and spend money, cash, to help the owners.

The beloved Chase Bank is one such business that needs our help!

During the past year, two branches of Chase Bank closed, leaving only the one on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

Fortunately, there were still Chase ATMs at the beloved Duane Reade drugstores on Avenue B and Avenue D.

Recently, this changed.

Behold, at the Avenue B Duane Reade:

Chase ATM replaced by Allpoint ATM.

…and at the Avenue D Duane Reade:

The same thing.

Why this matters is that the Allpoint ATMs charge a $3.00 fee for withdrawals!

$3.00 fee.

If this keeps up, the East Village will be inundated with payday loan, pawn shops, and other shady establishments!

This is why East Village Today is organizing a cash mob for Chase Bank!

Go to the Chase Bank on Second Avenue and East 10th Street this Saturday, February 25 — open a checking account, sign up for a credit card, get an auto loan…

Free coffee and Dum Dum Pops!

Help keep Chase Bank in the East Village!

#eastvillage #chasebank, #10thstreet #avenueb #avenued #atms #allpoint #cashmob #duanereade

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Protecting The Pizza

East Villagers who venture outside the confines of the neighborhood are no doubt familiar with the barricades that exist to protect famous buildings.

The beloved Two Boots Pizza, at the corner of Avenue A and East 3rd Street, deserves no less!

Guarded by barricades.

As this close-up shows, at least one attempt was made to breach the barricades:

One attempt.

Naturally, someone stuffed litter into it!

#eastvillage #twobootspizza #barricades #avenuea #3rdstreet #litter

Save Our Gate

East Village church rectors can be harsh.

I was walking across East 7th Street last week, when I saw this sign in front of the beloved St. Stanislaus Church, warning of impending doom:

Impending doom.

East Villagers must learn to temper their love of bike-riding, and its concomitant bike-chaining, with their love of gates — we don't want to see this beloved gate removed!

#eastvillage #signs #ststanislauschurch #7thstreet