Blocking The Way

By now, the snow has almost all melted away, but a mere twelve days ago, the snow and its effects were still very much with us!

Here is a picture of a Con Edison barricade, and a Lift Plow Blade sign, blocking the pedestrian crosswalk that had previously been cleared of snow, at the corner of Avenue A and St. Mark's Place:

Blocking the pedestrian crosswalk.

If you are wondering how I knew it was a Con Edison barricade, this is how:

Repairing Your Steam System.

It's hard to know how this barricade wound up where it did, blocking the pedestrian crosswalk — it's even harder to know where it's been keeping itself since February of last year!

Directly across the street from this one was… another one!

Another one.

East Villagers can only hope that this improper use of barricades does not impede the repair of our beloved steam system!

#eastvillage #avenuea #stmarksplace #snow #barricades #conedision #steamsystem #signs #liftplowblade

Old-Fashioned Receipt

As modern as the East Village is, there are many ways in which it is still very old-fashioned.

A mere twelve days ago, as I was talking across East 4th Street, I saw this piece of carbon paper on the sidewalk:

Carbon paper.

For those who don't recognize it, it's a credit card receipt, run through a credit card imprinter.

Old-fashioned or new-fangled, it still winds up as litter!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #carbonpaper #litter #oldfashioned #receipt

Board Reward

I was walking across East 7th Street a couple of weeks ago, when I noticed this board with writing on it sitting on top of these garbage bags, in front of the beloved The Cut Barber Shop:

Board with writing.

I wondered what was written on it, so I looked!

Behold:

Please return to Igor.

How did this board get so far from East 14th Street, I wondered?

Could it be that Igor paid someone to put the board here, to entice some The Cut patron into returning it, in the hopes of obtaining a $50 cash reward, only to be presented upon arrival with a coupon for $50 off any $100 or more treatment at the beloved Big Apple Barber Shop?

Stranger things have been known to happen!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #bigapplebarbershop #boards #thecutbarbershop

A Little Off The Top, Please

How many times has this happened to you: You have an hour of free time — you want to get a cup of coffee, but you also need a haircut.

Wouldn't it be great if there was somewhere you could get both?

Now there is!

Welcome to Three Seat Espresso & Barber, on Avenue A:

Three Seat Espresso & Barber.

Taking a look from the outside, it seems they have four seats:

Four seats.

They even have an "A" rating by the New York City Department of Barbers!

#eastvillage #avenuea #threeseatespressobarber

Crappy Snow Shovels

I was walking across East 4th Street — oh, about nine days ago — when I saw this discarded snow shovel:

Discarded snow shovel.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

The funny thing is, I had just been thinking about this type of snow shovel — the curvy type — and how bad they are.

The idea is that the snow will roll forward as you push and you won't have to lift it. The problem is that the force you are applying down the handle while pushing does not stop where the handle joins the scooper — it continues along the same path.

A softer plastic scooper would absorb a lot of that energy, but a softer plastic would bend, reducing the effectiveness of the shovel and increasing the chance that the break occurs in the scooper itself. To avoid this, a higher-impact plastic is used, increasing the stress at the connection point.

Add to that the fact that no one pushes straight along the handle line, that everyone pushes downward somewhat, and the chance of breaking at this point is virtually assured.

So what is the solution? Only buy plastic shovels for the beach, and never buy curvy snow shovels, of any material!

Finally, always check with East Village Today before making any light-maintenance tool purchases!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #energy #snow #snowshovel

Abandoned Cantaloupe

I was walking past the East 4th Street entrance to the beloved El Jardin del Paraiso this past Friday morning, when I spotted a cantaloupe on the sidewalk:

Cantaloupe on the sidewalk.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

You may notice that the color of the cantaloupe is similar to the color of the building on East 5th Street, in the background. And while the cantaloupe is probably not famous, the building is!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #abandonedfood #cantaloupe #communitygarden #eljardindelparaiso

Sawed-Off Ginger Ale Can

Sometimes, when you stop to fiddle with your phone/camera, once you're finished, the thing you're pointed at is one of the most amazing compositions you've ever seen, and you just have to take the picture!

Such was the case this past Friday morning, on East 4th Street:

Most amazing composition ever.

A sawed-off ginger ale can in a bicycle basket — it is beyond words!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #bicyclebaskets

East Village Chainsaw Massacre

It's only a matter of time before the gruesome details of the East Village Chainsaw Massacre begin to emerge, but an attempt has already been made to dispose of the evidence, as seen here on East 4th Street:

Evidence of ghastly crime.

At least they used rubber gloves — don't want to spread germs!

#eastvillage #chainsaws #4thstreet

Dog-Pee Ice Cubes

Sometimes people ask me, they say: Hey East Village Today, how cold does it get in the East Village?

I'll tell you, this past Friday morning, it was so cold, that dogs were peeing ice cubes!

Behold, on Avenue B:

Dog pee ice cubes.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It probably didn't come out as ice cubes — that would hurt! No, it probably started freezing as soon as it touched the air, was mostly slush when it hit the sidewalk, and froze into rounded-edged cubes!

Gross, right?!

#eastvillage #dogpee #ice #avenueb

First Crusties of Spring — 2017

After all this talk of ice and snow, you might not expect the subject to turn so quickly to Spring!

And yet, just this past Thursday evening, there they were, the first crusties of Spring, outside one of their favorite haunts, the beloved Orpheum Theater on Second Avenue:

Haunting the Orpheum Theater.

Last year, the first crusties were spotted on March 2nd.

Soon, like the tulips and robins, they'll be everywhere!

#eastvillage #spring #crusties #orpheumtheater #secondavenue

Ice Boulders

Blizzard Stella might not have been all it was cracked up to be, but the storm that stood in its place was one of great ice-fall!

While everything looks the way it normally would after it snows, instead of mounds of dirty snow, it's mounds of dirty ice East Villagers are contending with!

Behold, a massive ice mound on East 2nd Street at Avenue C:

Massive ice mound.

Further across East 2nd Street were these ice boulders, left behind by someone who chipped their car out of its parking space with an ice pick:

Ice bouldes.

At the Second Avenue entrance to the East Village, the bike lane was blocked by this mountain of ice:

Bike lane blocked.

Here is an ice rift, across from the beloved Golden Food Market at Second Avenue and East 7th Street:

Ice rift.

To give you some perspective of its size, here is an East Villager passing through:

Passing through.

Sometimes, East Villagers try to help each other by putting objects in the water at intersections, for others to step on.

Be warned! These objects are oftentimes very slippery, especially if they're the bottom drawers of refrigerators!

Bottom drawer of a refrigerator.

You don't even know if that thing is touching bottom! It could be floating, since it's inverted and has air trapped inside it. Add to that that the top is slippery, and stepping on this could result in a (wet and cold and possibly dog-pee infused) trip to the emergency room!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #7thstreet #avenuec #bikelanes #goldenfoodmarket #ice #refrigeratordrawers #secondavenue #snow

Vespa Impairment

Citibikes were not the only vehicles impaired by the recent snowfall. Vespas (and Vespa-like scooters) were also affected, as can be seen here this past Thursday morning, outside the beloved Ave. A Deli & Food Inc., on the corner of Avenue A and East 3rd Street:

Vespa (or Vespa-like scooter) impaired.

Luckily, Vespa owners are not bound by the same restrictions as Citibike riders, so they were free to scoot off, once breaking free of the retaining wall!

#eastvillage #3rdstreet #aveadelifoodinc #avenuea #snow #vespas

Citibike Shut Down Again

Probably the only drawback to blizzards in the East Village, even those that never transpire, is that Citibikes are not available during that time.

Alas, they are locked up tight, and sometimes even half-buried in snow, as seen here this past Thursday morning, outside the local Duane Reade on East 2nd Street at Avenue C:

Half-buried in snow.

What would be more fun than taking a bike out in the snow and doing donuts in the intersections?!

I know — doing donuts in the intersections on a Vespa!

#eastvillage #citibike #duanereade #2ndstreet #avenuec #snow

Emergency on East 2nd Street

In the early hours of this past Thursday morning, East 2nd Street between Avenues C and B was closed to traffic:

Closed to traffic.

Why, you ask?

Because there was an emergency!

Emergency truck.

What type of emergency, you ask?

It was the type that required going into the nether regions of the East Village:

Nether regions, exposed.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, and everything is probably back to normal by now!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #avenuec #orangecones #emergencytruck

Ti Amo

Snow always brings out the best in East Villagers, as can be seen in this picture taken across from the beloved Key Food on East 4th Street:

Ti amo yourself!

The good feelings did not diminish overnight, as can be seen by this picture taken Thursday morning, outside the beloved Fine Fare, on Avenue C:

Smiley face.

I wonder if these two cars being parked outside of grocery stores had anything to do with it?

Nah!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #cars #doodles #finefare #keyfood #smileyfaces #snow #tiamo

Dog-Pee Snow

One reason a well-shovelled sidewalk is important, not just for aesthetics, is that if you slip and fall, not only might you injure yourself, but you might also fall into dog pee!

Witness this, as seen on East 4th Street this past Wednesday morning:

Dog-pee snow.

As long as the sidewalk is shovelled, as was this one, East Villagers can pass with nearly-complete assurance that it won't get on them!

#eastvillage #dogpee #snow #sidewalks

Sidewalk of Snow

While most East Villagers appreciate the appearance and safety of a well-shovelled sidewalk, there are those who do not.

Behold, as seen this past Wednesday, in front of some beloved place on East 4th Street:

Unshovelled sidewalk.

Maybe they thought the snow added to the rusticness of the facade:

Rustic facade in the snow.

I wonder if they're even open anymore? Being closed would certainly add to the rusticity of the place!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #snow #sidewalks

Displaced Bumper

Even though Blizzard Stella was a flop, that doesn't mean it passed through unnoticed!

Behold, outside the beloved Fine Fare, on East 4th Street:

Displaced bumper.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Sometimes, all it takes is a regular old snowfall to make cars start shedding parts!

#eastvillage #finefare #4thstreet #cars #snow #bumpers

Garbage Blockade

I was walking down East 7th Street last week, as East Villagers everywhere were preparing for the great Blizzard Stella.

I'm not sure how blocking the sidewalk with garbage was supposed to help, but here it was, larger than life:

Larger than life.

My compliments on the arrangement!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #garbage

Missing iBeam

Do you remember the picture of the construction site on East 6th Street, where an iBeam was required to hold up the buildings on either side of the site?

Of course you do!

Since that time, the lease must have expired on the iBeam, because it's gone now.

Fear not, for it has been replaced with… lumber!

iBeam replaced with lumber.

I decided to get a close-up. Fortunately, the way was clear:

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Even though these boards are bundled, you can see they are bowing.

At least they're joined securely to the buildings:

Uh oh…

Strike that.

Are those twisty-ties holding those boards together?

#eastvillage #2x4s #6thstreet #constructionsites #ibeams #jerseybarriers #orangecones #twistyties

The Demise of Shervin's Cafe

I was walking down East 7th Street yesterday, preparing for the excitement of Blizzard Stella, when I noticed something new at the beloved Shervin's Cafe. Namely, its emptiness!

Emptiness.

Naturally, I crossed the street to get a picture of the inside:

Inside.

The name Shervin always reminded me of the name Severin, which is a character in a book called "Venus in Furs", which a band called The Velvet Underground used to write a song also called "Venus in Furs", about fifty years ago.

They were sort of doomed from the start.

#eastvillage #7thstreet #shervinscafe #venusinfurs

The Blizzard That Wasn't

East Villagers woke up this morning to the sad news that the National Weather Service had cancelled the Blizzard Warning, replacing it with a Winter Weather Advisory.

What, it's Winter? Thanks for the advisory! There are East Villagers who had to use a vacation day for this!

Well, waste not, want not. Here are some "before" pictures.

The beloved The Shape Of Lies, on East 7th Street, put down plenty of salt on the sidewalk:

Plenty of salt.

East 5th Street, snowless:

Snowless East 5th Street.

Even the fire hydrants were preparing, as witnessed on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place!

Behatted fire hydrant.

This is the second fire hydrant I've seen lately wearing human attire — I see a trend developing!

Snow is snow, so I'll have plenty of snow pictures soon. After all, East Villagers are on vacation today!

#eastvillage #5thstreet, #7thstreet, #avenuea, #blizzard, #firehydrants, #salt, #sidewalks, #stmarksplace, #theshapeoflies

Ant Invasion

It looks like a dual colony of ants have invaded East 6th Street!

Dual colony.

East Villagers welcome our new insect overlords!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #ants #anthills

New 7th Street Building Entrance

If you've been wondering what the entrance to the currently-being-constructed apartment building on East 7th Street looks like, wonder no more!

Entrance, and two orange cones.

If you've been wondering what the currently-being-constructed apartment building itself looks like, you really need to stop looking at your feet when you walk!

Behold:

Currently-being-constructed apartment building.

Is that a disco floor there? Cool!

Once I had a love
and it was a gas…

#eastvillage #7thstreet #orangecones #disco

An Actor Prepares to Eat

It seems like forever since anyone has filmed a movie or television show in the East Village, so this set-up I saw on East 7th Street this past Tuesday came as welcome relief!

Welcome relief.

Since I didn't see any celebrities, I went to check out the food tent:

Food tent.

What's this?

Tri-colored pasta.

Yuck!

Life is hard if you're an actor.

#eastvillage #filmmakers #tricoloredpasta #7thstreet