Paintings For Sale

I was walking across East 7th Street this past week, when I saw these paintings outside the Avenue A and East 7th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park:

Paintings.

I could have sworn that I had earlier pictures of these same paintings, from years ago; I wanted to compare these to those, because I think they're either the same paintings, or reproductions — that maybe they're not paintings at all!

After I took the picture, the vendor, sitting at a drum making noise with it, said if I take pictures I should make a contribution of $1.00. I respectfully declined.

These smaller paintings (or reproductions) lined the fence on the East 7th Street side of the park:

East 7th Street side.

In the rightmost painting (or reproduction), am I imagining things?!

#eastvillage #avenuea #7thstreet #paintings #tompkinssquarepark #billcosby #donaldtrump #barackobama

Cute Cute Cute

East Villagers all agree: East 9th Street is one cute block!

I was walking across just last night, when I saw this, outside the beloved Cloak & Dagger:

You deserve cute shit.

Awwww!

Cute shit.

A few steps away is the beloved Hummingbird, with cute… stuff!

Cute stuff.

Hmmm.

Stuff.

You just can't beat smiley merchandise!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #cloakdagger #cute #hummingbird

Einstein On A Bike

Not much has happened at the formerly-beloved East Village Bikes since they closed last month.

Until now!

I was walking down Avenue C last night, when I saw that the riot gates were up, revealing a couple of Einstein banners covering the windows:

Covering the windows.

It's fitting that he's riding a bike! You know, with this place having been a bike store, and all.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

And another:

Another.

I just thought of something: What if there's a riot? Those Einstein banners aren't going to be any help!

#eastvillage #avenuec #einstein #riotgates #banners

Late Afternoon Sidewalk Garlic

I cannot think of a single possible explanation for how half a head of garlic ended up on the sidewalk this past Friday, on East 4th Street:

Sidewalk garlic.

It casts a long shadow, on this late afternoon in Summer.

#eastvillage #garlic #sidewalks #4thstreet

Upgrading

You might think all East Villagers are in tune with the 21st century, but it's not true!

A couple of weeks ago, I saw these unopened (I was going to write "new", but…) Maxell video tapes for the taking:

For the taking.

Somewhere, some East Villager upgraded to a DVD player, and had no more use for these tapes.

And somewhere else, another East Villager found just the motivation he needed to finally buy that VCR!

#eastvillage #videotapes #maxell

Big Ol' Wood Pile

I was walking across East 4th Street, oh, about eleven days ago, when I saw this big ol' wood pile stacked outside El Jardin del Paraiso community garden:

Stacked outside.

My first thought was to jump on top of it, to see if I could kick up a rabbit, but then I remembered I didn't have a shotgun!

#eastvillage #eljardindelparaiso #4thstreet #pileofwood #communitygardens

Future Bike-Repair Site

I was walking across East 4th street this morning, when I saw these inner tubes, gears, and stuff, beside the rat breeding area:

Inner tubes, gears, and stuff.

This can only mean one thing: A new, beloved bike repair shop is opening beside these trash bins!

After the demise of the beloved East Village Bikes, the East Village needs a new bike repair shop.

Looks like they'll be serving coffee too!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #coffee #gears #innertubes

WWP Signs

The East Village is a hotbed of political activity — everyone knows that!

So when I saw not just one, but three, signs promoting the Workers World Party, well, what else could I do but write about it?

Here is the first sign I saw, two weeks ago on East 2nd Street:

We don't have to live like this.

You can see where some clever East Villager crossed out the end of the word "don't" so it would say: We do have to live like this.(!)

I thought this sign was a fluke, until I saw these, on Avenue C, a week ago:

End ICE raids.

Read socialist newspapers.

I wonder if the presence of these signs means the Workers World Party will be on the ballot in New York State in 2020?!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #avenuec #signs #workersworldparty

Guitar Tops, AirBnb, & Fence-Scaling

I was walking down Second Avenue last Sunday, when I saw this abandoned guitar top in the vacant lot on the right, at East 7th Street:

Abandoned guitar top.

I almost didn't take a picture of it. I thought: What am I going to say about this thing?

Then!… after I left the East Village walking tour yesterday, I was walking back across St. Mark's Place, when I saw this recent addition to the East Village AirBnB listings, outside the formerly-beloved Village Gifts:

"Airy, St. Mark's Place location."

There it was, hanging on the back wall:

The same guitar top.

It's the same guitar top!

This can only mean on thing: Crusties have been scaling the fence surrounding the vacant lots on Second Avenue!

Who knew they had it in them?

#eastvillage #airbnb #guitars #stmarksplace #villagegifts

A Blog Worth Imitating

Nothing makes me happier than to see the positive affect this blog has on people in the East Village! Whether it's painting something, or fixing up a building, or this, that I saw yesterday on Avenue A and East 6th Street:

'Free Punk Soirée' sign.

For so many years, these punk rock show signs have mimic'd the DIY look of the pre-computer age, but no more.

They're even exploring new ways of promoting the shows: It's not a "Punk Rock Show" but a "Punk Rock Soirée! And instead of skeleton heads or 1970s sociopathic movie characters, it's pictures of people having fun!

Another poster shows they've even developed a sense of humor:

Poster with sense of humor.

East Village Today salutes The Shadow!

Unfortunately, some people are still locked into the past, and cannot accept that others have moved on:

Vandalized sign.

The sad, unspoken truth is: there are still haters in the East Village.

Fortunately, it's not too many, and their days are numbered!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #avenuea #haters #signs #theshadow

East Village Walking Tour

If you want to know how cool the East Village is, apart from reading this blog there's no better way than by joining an organized walking tour!

When I saw this on Twitter yesterday morning, I knew what I had to do:

Walk & see the Village like never before this morning with our FREE Walking Tour! 11:30am. Meet 131 East 10th. More:https://t.co/CeUVlx8yr3 pic.twitter.com/UoKjVrlAtX

— Astor Place NYC (@AstorPlaceNYC) July 22, 2017

I know Astor Place is outside the East Village-proper, but hey, maybe they're like anthropologists — they might see coolness in things we take for granted!

I arrived at the designated meeting place, St. Mark's Church, at the designated time: 11:30. This was the crowd:

The crowd.

The tour guide was feisty, what we East Villagers call "a real character"!

There were two things she said she wanted us to know: New York was a Dutch colony, not English; and, the ice age brought a lot of stone to what is now Manhattan. She left out the East Village being built on a swamp, but… it's not a geography tour!

From St. Mark's Church, we made our way down Second Avenue, turned right onto St. Mark's Place, and across Third Avenue to Astor Place. I couldn't hear most of what she said — I was in the back of the crowd. Also, I was futzing with my phone a lot of the time!

I left the group as they made their way out of Astor Place, toward Greenwich Village. I have no desire to write about Greenwich Village — I'm not an anthropologist, after all!

#eastvillage #astorplace #secondavenue #stmarksplace #swamp #thirdavenue #tweets #twitter #walkingtours

Doomed Trees

I don't think I'm going out on a limb (heh heh heh) to say that this group of trees somewhat-recently-planted in Tompkins Square Park is doomed.

Doomed, I say.

Doomed!

Doomed.

For one thing, they're too close together — they will battle each other for necessary light and soil nutrients.

For another, they're too close to an existing tree that looms over them (looms, I say!), robbing them of necessary light and soil nutrients.

Looms.

It's a gloomy prognosis, I know.

Gloomy!

#eastvillage #trees #tompkinssquarepark #doomed

Do You Remember?

Have you seen that post on Facebook, where it shows a picture of an old-fashioned roasting pan that your parents would have used, and it says "Share if you recognize this!"

Someone on East 9th Street will no longer be able to share that post!

Behold:

Abandoned, old-fashioned roasting pan.

Do you see it? Here is a close-up:

Close-up, with some plastic plates.

I need a roasting pan, and I thought about taking it, but my days of taking home other people's discarded cookware are long past!

#eastvillage #abandonedroastingpan #9thstreet

New Trash Cans

The East Village has new trash cans!

Behold, on the corner of Avenue B and East 7th Street:

New trash can.

I like that handle!

In the East Village, the more things change, the more they sometimes change, and sometimes stay the same.

Here is a sign pasted onto the new trash can:

This is why we can't have nice things.

The best thing about it is: it's solar powered!

Solar-powered.

Now, you can help save the environment, just by throwing away your trash!

#eastvillage #trashcans #avenueb #7thstreet #signs

Some Kind of Sculpture

I was walking across East 9th Street this past Sunday, when I saw this:

Some kind of sculpture.

It's some kind of sculpture or something, with leaves!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #sculptures #art

Second Avenue Street Fair

If you think East Villagers love gyros, you're right!

We love them so much that at a recent Second Avenue Street Fair, that's almost all there was to eat!

Gyros on 14th Street.

Gyros on 13th Street.

Gyros on 12th Street.

Look at the fifth movie in the list: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner To Eat Gyros!

There was even a bodega-looking gyro stand:

Bodega gyros on 11th Street.

And finally:

Gyros on 10th Street.

But… what if the gyro doesn't fill you?

That's why they have sweet roasted corn!

Sweet roasted corn on 13th Street.

Sweet roasted corn on 11th Street.

$3 at both locations? I wonder if there's a sweet roasted corn cartel?

Not everyone comes to the Second Avenue Street Fair for the food though. Many come for locally-produced goods:

Locally-woven baskets.

More locally-woven baskets.

Some basket stands even had locally-produced masks and talismans:

Locally-produced masks and talismans.

The mask and talisman vendor said "No pictures" to the guy in the blue shirt.

"Oh, OK" he said.

Clearly, he's not a photographer!

Not a photographer.

There was even a stand where you could buy locally-woven rugs!

Locally-woven rugs.

As always, there were novelty items:

Novelty items.

Who doesn't hate thick wallets? All that money…

For some reason, many gyro vendors couldn't make it this year, as can be seen by all the empty spaces:

Empty space on 12th Street.

Empty space between 11th and 12th Street. 

Empty space in front of St. Mark's Church on The Bowery.

Empty space near 10th Street.

For that matter, many East Villagers didn't make it either:

Few and far between.

It was such a nice day, they probably went to the beach!

#eastvillage #10thstreet #11thstreet #12thstreet #13thstreet #14thstreet #photographers #secondavenue #stmarkschurch #streetfairs

Free Samples

The beloved 16 Handles, on Second Avenue, was handing out free samples of their delicious frozen yogurt this past Sunday, as you can see here:

Free samples.

16 Handles has proven to be a long-standing favorite of East Villagers, outlasting even the beloved Pinkberry!

#eastvillage #16handles #secondavenue #freesamples