Second-Cutest Block

East 9th Street has for a long time been considered the cutest block in the East Village.

And why not? It's so cute!

Recently, East 7th Street has been getting into the act, stringing up lights over the sidewalk, the way East 9th Street does.

Behold:

Strung-up lights.

Trash & Vaudeville is getting into the picture too!

Into the picture.

Even the punks are cute these days!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #cute #trashvaudeville #punks

Warnings By Laroc

I was walking down Avenue C yesterday afternoon, when I saw these mattresses right outside the beloved East Village Bikes By George:

Bedbugs.

In case you didn't know, Laroc is a world-famous graffitier who now, apparently, also warns passersby of the dangers of bedbug infestation.

It's good to have a fallback career!

#eastvillage #avenuec #bedbugmattresses #laroc

Another Day, Another Mural

I was walking across St. Mark's Place yesterday afternoon, when I happened upon this mural being painted:

Mural being painted.

There was a man smoking a cigar who was supervising the work. He told me the painters' names were Outer Source and Dirt Cobain.

Cool names!

Outer Source wore a disco mask:

Disco mask.

Their activity drew quite a crowd:

Quite a crowd.

Another day, another mural!

#eastvillage #artists #murals #painters #stmarksplace

Mashup

I was crossing Avenue B at East 6th Street this afternoon, when I saw this bit of lamppost artistry:

Lamppost artistry.

It's half Boris Badenov, half rat, and half Misfit!

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Talk about a mashup!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #art #avenueb #borisbadenov #lampposts #themisfits #rats

Gas-Powered WiFi

Many East Villagers are of the mind that the beloved LinkNYC kiosks spring up magically.

Au contraire, Pierre!

Here is a Consolidated Edison worker working on a LinkNYC installation, on the East Village side of Third Avenue, back in December:

Back in December.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

At least we know there's no chance of this thing exploding!

#eastvillage #conedison #linknyc #thirdavenue #worker

Rockin' Roll

Of course, the Roll I am referring to is the Kati Roll, which can only be had at the beloved The Kati Roll Company*, on Second Avenue:

Grade A establishment.

Even though I've written about this restaurant before, I've never been inside, until last week.

I am here to tell you: Kati Rolls rock!

I'm not sure what the asterisk after their name refers to though — is there a footnote sign somewhere?

#eastvillage #asterisks #secondavenue #signs #katirollcompany

Disposable Suitcases

I was walking up Avenue B recently, when I saw these two suitcases beside this trash can:

Two weekend bags.

All I could think was that whoever just moved to the East Village declared, upon arrival:

"I have arrived"!

Why else throw away perfectly-good suitcases, unless you know you'll never need them again?

Where did this new East Villager come from, you ask?

Texas.

Texas!

Better not mess with this woman!

So, on my way I walked, across East 7th Street, where I saw this:

Another discarded suitcase.

Another discarded suitcase! (And a discarded Christmas Tree!)

Where is this person from, you ask?

Texas.

Texas!

Maybe.

When did suitcases become disposable?

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avenueb #discardedchristmastrees #suitcases #texas #trashcans

Knocked-Over Trash Can

I was walking up Avenue C recently, when I saw this knocked-over trash can at the corner of East 6th Street:

Knocked-over trash can.

It was probably some anarchist…

Good thing he didn't knock over the El Especialito newspaper box — that would have been a real mess!

#eastvillage #avenuec #6thstreet #trashcans #elespecialito

Moped Tires?

If you change the tires on your car yourself, there's always the problem of what to do with the tires you remove, right?!

Not in the East Village!

Behold:

Abandoned tires.

You just leave them on the street!

If that moped owner is handy, I bet he could convert those tires into moped tires.

You know… maybe.

#eastvillage #abandonedtires #4thstreet #mopeds

Great Backdrop

After the formerly-beloved Maryann's Mexican Restaurant, on Second Avenue and East 5th Street, closed, another restaurant opened, the beloved Dahlia's.

In time, they closed too, paving the way for the beloved 100% Healthy Blend Juice and Salad Bar… which also closed.

Recently, I passed by this accursed location — this is what it looks like now:

Accursed.

With its scenes of blurry people, it makes a great backdrop for the beloved Southern Cross Coffee sign!

#eastvillage #forrent #southerncrosscoffee #signs #secondavenue #5thstreet

Ditch It Anywhere

In the East Village, there are three ways to discard your used Christmas Tree:

1. Put it on the curb in front of your building, for the sanitation workers to haul away;

2. Drag it over to Tompkins Square Park and throw it onto the pile at the southern end of the park; or

3. Ditch it anywhere. That's what happened here:

Ditched anywhere.

In this case, "anywhere" is the corner of Avenue B and East 4th Street!

#eastvillage #discardedchristmastrees #avenueb #4thstreet

Fake Holiday Sale

What was billed as a Holiday Sale turned out to be more than that — it was a Going Out Of Business Sale!

Behold, the formerly-beloved Koan, on East 7th Street:

Out of business.

Here is what it now looks like inside:

Inside.

They all look the same when empty, no? Grainy!

Did you notice that discarded Christmas tree in the first picture? Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

I think this tree is from 2016!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #discardedchristmastrees #koan

Half Red / Half White

East Villagers don't just like riding their bicycles, they like decorating them too!

Behold, at the East 6th Street Citibike location:

Half red.

…half white.

The only thing that would make this bicycle better is a Tony the Tiger growler!

And some baseball cards in the spokes…

#eastvillage #6thstreet #bicycles #citibike

Face Off

Who does this?!

Who eats the face off a rat the leaves the rest?!

Face gone.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

This was on East 7th Street, outside Tompkins Square Park, by the way!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #rats #tompkinssquarepark

Christmas Tree Shaving

There's a new fad in the East Village: Christmas Tree Shaving!

Here is the first example I saw, on East 5th street:

First example.

You can see the trunks of both trees were shaved. It's closer to a Festivus Pole than a Christmas Tree!

Festivus Pole.

Here is the second example, outside the beloved The Kati Roll Company on Second Avenue:

Second example.

What do they do with the branches?!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #discardedchristmastrees #secondavenue #katirollcompany

R.I.P. Adela Ferguson

One of the things that makes the East Village so cool is the beloved restaurant on Avenue C called Casa Adela.

It is with great sadness that I must tell you that the owner, Adela Ferguson, died.

She suffered a stroke on Saturday afternoon, January 13, and died early Sunday morning.

This is her, from a picture I borrowed from a NY Times article:

R.I.P. Adela.

=-=-=-=-=

UPDATE

Here is a picture of Casa Adela, from this morning:

Casa Adela.

A memorial to Adela:

Memorial.

#eastvillage #avenuec #casaadela #adelaferguson

New ATMs

It's been almost a year since the Chase Cash Mob, to help keep Chase banks in the East Village. At that time, two branches had closed, and the Chase ATMs removed from the local Duane Reade drugstores!

I am happy to report (to holders of Citibank accounts) that the Allpoint machines have been replaced with new Citibank ATMs!

Behold, in the Duane Reade on Avenue B and East 2nd Street:

Citibank ATM.

Naturally, I had to visit the Duane Reade on Avenue D and East 1st Street also:

Citibank ATM.

It doesn't help people with Chase accounts, but we still have one branch in the East Village, on Second Avenue and East 10th Street — Citibank account holders don't have any!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #3rdstreet #atms #avenueb #avenued #citibank #duanereade

Ben & Jerry's Opening Soon

Long-time East Villagers will certainly remember the beloved Pinkberry that used to be on St. Mark's Place — it's almost three years since they closed!

Good news: the beloved Ben & Jerry's is moving into the same location!

Behold:

Ben & Jerry's.

We're sad that the beloved Caffé Bene is gone (that moved here after Pinkberry closed) but we rejoice that soon we'll be eating more ice cream!

#eastvillage #benandjerrys #stmarksplace

Grand Opening

Back in July of 2017, this space that was once the beloved Village Gifts (below) was occupied by crusties and a guitar top!

This past weekend, not only was it devoid of both the above, but it now housed some newly-beloved food place:

Newly-beloved food place.

I didn't feel like ducking beneath the Grand Opening banner to see what the place was called, or what kind of food they served, but I can tell you this: they have a moped for speedy deliveries!

#eastvillage #banners #grandopening #mopeds #stmarksplace #villagegifts

Books & Keys

I was walking into Tompkins Square Park this morning, at the Avenue B and East 7th Street entrance, when I saw a box of abandoned books on the ground. This was no ordinary box of abandoned books, however, for dangling above them from some shiny, metal object, was a set of keys!

Behold:

Set of keys.

I bet if you take these books and keys, and put the shiny, metal thing on your head, something mysterious will happen!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #abandonedbooks #avenueb #keys #tompkinssquarepark

Recycling

East Villagers love to recycle.

Everyone knows that when you recycle, you have to separate items of one type from items of another — that includes separating green wood chips from brown, as seen this morning in Tompkins Square Park:

Green wood chips from brown.

Naturally, you have to separate your plastic too!

#eastvillage #recycling #tompkinssquarepark #woodchips

Unlucky Pigeon's Foot

The life of a pigeon in the East Village is not an easy one.

Behold, on East 5th Street between First and Second Avenues:

Pigeon foot.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's hard not to conclude that it was a hawk that did this!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #pigeons

Another Little Pink Head

Regular readers of East Village Today will be familiar with the sitings of little pink heads around the neighborhood!

Here's another, on East 7th Street near First Avenue:

Another little pink head.

That is one big-head baby!

You may recognize that this green mailbox is not where it belongs — it's against a building instead of by the curb — and it's not bolted into the sidewalk!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #ceramics #firstavenue #greenmailboxes

Broken Egg

I was walking down Second Avenue, back in late November, when I saw this broken egg near the intersection of East 6th Street:

Near the intersection.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

You see a lot of these the day after Halloween; you don't usually see them three days after Thanksgiving!

#eastvillage #eggs #secondavenue #6thstreet

Another Hawk Casualty?

Hot on the heels of the eviscerated pigeon in Tompkins Square Park comes this poor specimen, seen on East 4th Street:

Poor specimen.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's possible that this carcass was not dropped here by a passing hawk, after being ripped apart and having its insides devoured — it's possible that it died some other way, and was eaten by a rat!

#eastvillage #pigeons #4thstreet #unseemly

More Pumpkins

Speaking of pumpkins, here is a picture of some pumpkins above the beloved Hot Pot Centeral on Second Avenue, back in late October:

Some pumpkins.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Most people didn't see them, since there were so high up.

East Village Today saw them though!

#eastvillage#hotpotcentral  #pumpkins #secondavenue

The Hardy Pumpkins

I was walking across East 4th Street one morning back in December — December 13, to be precise! — when I saw these hardy pumpkins on the sidewalk:

Hardy pumpkins.

I was very surprised to see them in such good condition, this long after Halloween. I was even more surprised to see that some anarchist hadn't destroyed them!

The next day, it snowed! There they were, unsmashed:

Unsmashed.

It could not last forever — it could not last beyond December 19, in fact! The combined influences of decomposition and the anarchist's boot worked their wiles on them:

Worked wiles.

They had a good run though, and there's no victory in smashing a pumpkin 49 days after Halloween — it's practically humiliating!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #pumpkins #snow