How 'Bout You?

There are no pictures in this post — just a story. And a video!

I was walking across East 7th Street this past Friday evening, on my way home from work, when I heard an East Villager near me say:

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?

Could it be, I thought to myself? Is he singing "Free Bird", the most requested song in the history of song requests?

I listened closer.

For I must be traveling on, now
Cause there's too many places I've got to see.

He was! He was singing "Free Bird"!

East Villagers are free birds, themselves. Recently, the alpha hawk of Tompkins Square Park has been three-timing it with a couple of younger hawks. You could say he's a free bird too!

So this is for all the East Village free birds:

 
#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #hawks #birds #freebird #7thstreet

First Crusties of Spring — 2018

It's that time of the year again — it's time for the return of the crusties!

I saw these crusties on St. Mark's Place last night, outside the formerly-beloved JAS Mart:

Crusties last night.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It looks like they changed their uniform color!

Not to be outdone, here is the first robin of Spring, on East 6th Street this morning:

First robin.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

His uniform color hasn't changed.

#eastvillage #6thstreet #crusties #jasmart #robins #stmarksplace

Tree Pruning Program

East Villagers love our Mayor, the Honorable William DeBlasio — he provided us with those groovy solar-powered trash cans, and even appointed a Mayor of nighttime fun!

He's even in charge of pruning trees!

Behold, on East 5th Street at Avenue C:

Tree Pruning Program sign.

OK, the sign is a hot mess, but it's the pruning that counts!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuec #signs #treepruningprogram #williamdeblasio

Mirror Image

Sometimes to see the East Village, you have to look outside the East Village.

What do I mean, you ask?

Behold, across The Bowery from the St. Mark's Place gateway:

Mirror image.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up

It just goes to show you: the world itself is a mirror of the East Village.

#eastvillage #reflectybuildings #stmarksplace #thebowery #mirrors

Almost A Great Loss

I was walking across East 7th Street this past Friday morning, when I saw this pickle mess on the sidewalk:

Pickle mess.

Not just a pickle mess, but a broken jar mess as well!

What kind of pickles were they, you ask?

Bread and butter pickles.

Break and butter pickles. Not the worst, but not my favorite, either.

If they had been dill pickles — that would have been a tragedy!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #breadandbutterpickles #brokenglass

Life Imitates Plastic

Remember the orange ball that looked like an orange?

Here, on Second Avenue, is the real thing:

The real thing.

The East Village — where life imitates… plastic.

#eastvillage #secondavenue #oranges #plastic

Widened Tree Bed

Speaking of widened tree beds, here is another, also on East 6th Street:

Another widened tree bed.

It looks like the City went around widening tree beds in the East Village, and while some East 6th Streeters couldn't be bothered with altering or replacing their tree guard, others could.

In their own way.

#eastvillage #6thstreet #treebeds #treeguards

The Evolving Tree Bed

Back in March, I was walking across East 6th Street, when I saw this groovy tree bed:

Groovy tree bed.

What makes it so groovy, you ask?

It's the chain holding the birdbath in place:

Holding the birdbath.

Three days ago, I passed it again and noticed the bricks surrounding it. I wasn't sure if they were there last month, so I took another picture:

Another picture.

It turns out they were, but…

…and this is truly amazing: I took this picture exactly a year ago, to the day, of the same tree bed:

Same tree bed.

It's still surrounded by bricks, but it is different — it's narrower!

And less cluttered.

#eastvillage #treebeds #6thstreet #bricks #birdbaths #chains #clutter

Upside-Down Tree Sign

As you know, East Villagers love trees.

So if a tree is in need of fixing, they will fix it.

Behold:

Fixed. 

Wait a minute! What's that?

Upside-down sign.

It's an upside-down sign, taped to the tree!

Let's see what it says:

What does it say?

Oh my God, that gives me vertigo!

Let me fix that.

Fixed.

There, that's better!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #scotchtape #signs #trees #vertigo

Artist's Booted Car

When you think of East Village artists, you usually think of artists living in hovels, creating great works of art on an empty stomach.

You don't usually think about their car being booted by the City. And yet, that too is a part of the artist's life.

Behold, as seen on Avenue B this past Thursday:

Artist's booted car.

Here is a close-up of the notice:

Close-up of notice.

It's no longer a question of money for paint vs. drugs, today it's a question of money for paint vs. drugs vs. boot penalties!

#eastvillage #boots #avenueb #cars #artists

Assortment Of Garbage

I was walking past this assortment of garbage on East 4th Street this past Thursday, when something jumped out at me:

Assortment of garbage.

No, it wasn't a rat! It was this:

Book and bus transfer.

$25?! Who would pay $25 for this? The price in about 1963 was $3.95.

What's funny is that the inscription is just a repeat of the copyright page.

Sentimental, indeed!

#eastvillage #garbage #books #recycling #bustransfer

Bad Kerning Or Nah?

This new doodle by Cool, above the beloved 1st Ave Laundry Center on the corner of First Avenue and East 2nd Street, shows that even graffiti is not immune from the ravages of bad kerning:

Bad kerning.

Unless he considered the two exhaust fans to be Os, in which case: good use of background materials!

#eastvillage #1stavelaundrycenter #2ndstreet #cool #firstavenue #graffiti #kerning

Shrouded In A Shroud

This building, on the corner of First Avenue and East 2nd Street, is shrouded in a shroud:

A shroud.

No one knows why, but I'm sure it's for a good reason.

This building is bounded on East 2nd Street by this and on First Avenue by this — it probably has something to do with that!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #firstavenue #shroud #graffiti

Jumping Hose

I was walking across St. Mark's Place — oh, about a week and a day ago — when I saw this hose jumping about on the sidewalk:

Jumping about.

You can't tell from the picture that the hose was jumping about, but believe you me, it was!

The hose was attached to this Clean Air Group truck:

Clean Air Group truck.

Where was it leading, you ask? Good question!

It was leading into this cellar:

Cellar.

The question remains: were they delivering or picking up the goop?

#eastvillage #cellardoors #cellarstairs #cellars #cleanairgroup #hoses #orangecones #stmarksplace

Dirt Field, Revisited

You may remember this Tompkins Square Park dirt-field from such posts as (No) Children Play Here:

Still no children playing here.

The DIY sign that hung on this fence is now gone.

At the top of the picture, you can see a dog-owner and her dog.

Here is a closer view:

Closer view.

The only thing missing, that would make this less of a children's play area, is rubble!

#eastvillage #diy #dogs #signs #tompkinssquarepark

Hidden Dragon Puppet

I was walking into Tompkins Square Park the other day, through the Avenue B and East 7th Street entrance, when I saw this hidden dragon puppet beside the No Smoking sign:

Hidden dragon puppet.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

If you hurry, it might still be there!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #avenueb #7thstreet #puppets #signs

Graffiti On Canvas

Graffitiers in the East Village don't always spray paint on walls, sometimes they spray paint on canvases, just like real artists!

Behold, as seen on Avenue C

Graffiti on canvas.

You know how painters write their name somewhere on their painting? Since most graffiti is the graffitier's name already, there's no need for that!

#eastvillage #avenuec #canvas #graffiti #painters

Deceiving Appearances

In the East Village, things are not always what they appear to be.

Take this, for instance, on the Village View Apartments East 5th Street walkway. At first glance, it looks like dog poop:

Dog poop.

When you take a closer look, however, it turns out to be something else:

Bean pod.

It's one of those bean pods, from one of those bean trees!

Wouldn't that have been something, if it had been balancing on top of the edging-thing?

Edgy!

#eastvillage #villageviewapartments #beanpods #beantrees #5thstreet

Place Invaded

This place on East 4th Street was invaded last week by this graffiti van:

Graffiti van.

Place Invaders is their name, and invading places is their game.

The name is a clever play on "Space Invaders", an old-timey video game that East Villagers played in their youth, before moving to the East Village!

Call Place Invaders, for all your place invading needs!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #vans #graffiti #placeinvaders

Newly-Painted Bus Lane

Paint, Glorious Paint!

Here is the Second Avenue bus lane, newly painted this past Monday.

Newly painted.

Where would the East Village be without paint? I ask you!

#eastvillage #buslanes #secondavenue #paint #orangecones

Free Cone Day

East Villagers love ice cream — you know this by the number of ice cream shops in the neighborhood.

The most recent to open, Ben & Jerry's, on St. Mark's Place, declared today, April 10, Free Cone Day.

Behold:

Free Cone Day.

If you didn't believe me about East Villagers loving ice cream, take a look at these pictures I took on my way home from working today:

Waiting for ice cream.

I'm… waiting for my ice cream man…

Almost there.

The other beloved ice cream shops in the neighborhood should take notice — the only thing East Villagers love more than ice cream is free ice cream!

#eastvillage #freeconeday #benandjerrys #stmarksplace #icecream

Have Door, Will Travel

I was walking down Avenue A last week, when I saw someone in front of me turn onto East 3rd Street, carrying a door:

Carrying a door.

He stopped in front of the entrance to the First Houses courtyard:

First Houses courtyard.

There's no knob on this door — I hope he doesn't get trapped inside, if it closes!

#eastvillage #firsthouses #3rdstreet #avenuea #doors

Celebrity Bird House

I was walking across East 6th Street this past Saturday, when I saw this beautiful bird house hanging from a tree outside the very groovy Earth School:

Beautiful bird house.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Wait a minute — what's that?!

Taylor Swift.

East Villagers are honored — honored, I say! — to display this beautiful bird house, built by none other than the official musician of the East Village: Taylor Swift.

#eastvillage #6thstreet #birdhouses #earthschool #taylorswift #trees

Nice Pipe

There's nothing special about this black pipe, on East 6th Street:

Nothing special.

I just like it!

#eastvillage #pipes #6thstreet

Yet Another Amazing Dog

Dogs in the East Village learn quickly. When they see one dog balancing its poop on a tree guard, they have to do it too!

First there was this, then this.

Now there's this, on East 4th Street Street:

Balancing dog poop.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

What's next from these amazing dogs?!

#eastvillage #dogpoop #4thstreet #treeguards #amazingdogs

So Many New Chances

There are so many new chances to have a Chase bank branch open in the East Village, possibly the most Chase-underserved neighborhood in the city!

The site of the formerly-beloved Golden Food Market, on the corner of First Avenue and East 7th Street, seems perfect:

Perfect

This past Sunday, the beloved Three Of Cups closed, making this location on First Avenue and East 5th Street the newest possibility.

Can you just imagine?

Imagine.

I'm not saying each of these should be a Chase branch — any one of them would be fine.

#eastvillage #5thstreet #7thstreet #chasebank #firstavenue #goldenfoodmarket #threeofcups