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

Interesting Trash

It's sort of funny that the people at Neighborhood Square objected to my trash pictures — I was all ready to embark on a new series called "Interesting things in trash cans"!

These pictures from last Sunday show interesting things outside of trash cans, but it's a start!

This first one is from Avenue A and East 11th Street. It's a volleyball.

Volleyball.

This plastic snow shovel and stuffed animal are on Avenue A and East 9th Street:

Plastic snow shovel and stuffed animal.

If you look closely at the trash can, and the lamp post, you'll see two stickers that are very similar:

Similar sticker 1.

Similar sticker 2.

Two different stickers, the first one die-cut with bleed — clearly this fellow is serious about spreading the good news of wallak love!

This next picture is from a block away, on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place. It's an abandoned television set.

Abandoned television set.

As a commenter on Instagram wrote: Someone hung on to that TV way too long!

Only when you get over to Avenue C does the trash begin to resemble trash again:

Real trash.

The more I think about it, the more I think the series should be: Interesting things in and around trash cans!

Maybe… they don't even have to be interesting!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #9thstreet #abandonedtelevisions #avenuea #snowshovels #stmarksplace #stickers #stuffedanimals #trash #trashcans #volleyballs

Today Is The Day

It's here: 7-Eleven Day!

In case you're new to the East Village, and don't know where the local
7-Eleven stores are, I will tell you.

One is on the corner of Avenue A and East 11th Street.

This is what it looks like:

Local 7-Eleven on Avenue A.

The other is on The Bowery, just above East 3rd Street.

This is what it looks like:

Local 7-Eleven on The Bowery.

You know the routine: visit both for two free slurpees — I know I will!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #7eleven #7elevenday #avenuea #slurpees #thebowery #3rdstreet

7-Eleven Day Rapidly Approaching

Attention East Villagers!

This Tuesday is 7-Eleven Day! (Get it? 7/11?)

If you stop into the beloved 7-Eleven on Avenue A and East 11th Street between 11:00am and 7:00pm, you will get a free small Slurpee!

Behold, from 7-Eleven's web site:

Free Slurpee.

Mention East Village Today and maybe they'll give you something extra!

Who knows? It's worth a try!

#eastvillage #7eleven #7elevenday #11thstreet #avenuea #slurpees #selfpromotion

Three Cans… Revisited

One month and four days ago, I took a picture of shiny, new recycling and trash cans on the corner of Second Avenue and East 11th Street.

When I posted the story on Neighborhood Square, the following discussion ensued:

Discussion.

True to my word, here is an updated picture:

Updated picture.

I don't know… looks like East Villagers are pretty clean — even if they do leave their bricks lying around!

If you still can't tell, here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Cool and clean… that's the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #neighborhoodsquare #recycling #secondavenue #skeletonhead #trashcans #humenbote

National French Fry Day

When it's National French Fry Day in America, it's National French Fry Day in the East Village!

Thanks to a tweet from DNAInfo:

Today is National French Fry Day. Here are some innovative options to try: https://t.co/vXn6matfpZ pic.twitter.com/qITMp0OHO2

— DNAinfo New York (@DNAinfoNY) July 13, 2016

…East Villagers now know where in the East Village to go for free french fries (1pm–2pm and 8pm–9pm): it's none other than the beloved Desi Galli, on Avenue B between East 10th and 11th Streets!

Of course, if you want to pay for them, you can go practically anywhere — there's no french fry shortage in the East Village!

Bon appétit as they say in French!

#eastvillage #10thstreet 11thstreet #avenueb #desigalli #dnainfo #nationalfrenchfryday #tweets

7-Eleven Day

All over the East Village this morning, East Villagers are waking up and remembering that today, July 11, is 7-Eleven Day!

Today only, from 11:00am until 7:00pm, you can get a free small Slurpee (at participating stores, while supplies last):

Free small Slurpee.

There are two local 7-Elevens in the East Village: one on Avenue A and East 11th Street:

Local 7-Eleven on Avenue A .

…and one on The Bowery:

Local 7-Eleven on The Bowery.

If you go to both, maybe you can get two — that's the East Village way!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #7eleven #7elevenday #avenuea #slurpees #thebowery

Mysterious Apartment

I was riding my Citibike home from work yesterday evening, when I saw this mysterious light on in a top-floor apartment, on Second Avenue, just below East 11th Street:

Mysterious light.

Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

Who knows what takes place in such light?!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #secondavenue #mysteries

The World is a Vampire

No, East Village Today isn't going goth — I just needed a clever way to introduce this smashing pumpkins story!

This past Sunday, at the 11th Street Community Garden, on East 11th Street, there was a pumpkin smashing festival!

It turned out to be more of a pumpkin chopping festival than a pumpkin smashing festival, but a few people brought their jack-o-lanterns and chopped them up in a bucket!

Chop them pumpkins.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

I wonder if these two made it into the mix?

#eastvillage #11thstreet #11thstreetcommunitygarden #communitygardens #compost #pumpkins

Veniero

I was walking across East 11th Street this morning, when I passed Veniero. The first thing I noticed was that most of the letters in their bottom neon sign were not lit:

Burned out neon lights.

Taking a look at the other side, I noticed the same thing:

Burned-out neon, and a flag.

The three letters at the outer end of the sign are lit, and the others are out. That's either a coincidence, or it has something to do with the way neon lighting works.

I was thinking that they should fix this, but then it occurred to me: Why bother? It's not as if there are any other pasticcerias they're in competition with!

DeRoberti is still closed.

They should fix it though, it still looks better.

Sources tell me Veniero was giving away free pastries today, to celebrate their 120th anniversary (note the 1894 sign, above)! I walked right past, and didn't see any indication of free anything! Bleh. I'll bet it was that white banner, in the second picture, above. Pshaw!

How do you pronounce their name? I've always pronounced this ven-ee-AIR-oh, but I've heard people pronounce it ven-EAR-oh.

You say ven-EAR-oh, I say ven-ee-AIR-oh. Let's call the whole thing off… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #neon #11thstreet #veniero #deroberti #signs

Christmas in the East Village

It's Christmastime in the East Village! East Villagers love Christmas; there are more places to buy Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, tree stands and such, than you can shake a stick at!

Tonight, I passed by this line of Christmas trees on Second Avenue, just below East 11th Street:

It's like a pine forest.

The smell of pine was everywhere — it was like a pine forest!

In the plaza outside St. Mark's church were these ginormous trees:

Ginormous trees.

Christmas tree sellers will be around until December 24th, but it's better to get yours early, so you can have it longer!

#eastvillage #stmarkschurch #christmastrees #11thstreet #secondavenue

Archeological Site on Avenue A

This big hole in the ground on Avenue A between East 11th and 12th Streets is the former site of a church, Our Lady of Perpetual Coolness, or something like that, a parking lot, a rectory, and some other stuff, I think.

Today it's an archeological site:

Big hole in the ground.

If they dig further, they may find the hidden catacombs, and the lost treasure of OLPC!

Bet you didn't know the East Village was so important!

#eastvillage #avenuea #lady #perpetual #coolness #11thstreet #12thstreet #catacombs #archeology

Veniero

I had a whole story ready to tell when I took this picture, all about how people think that the East Village is a bastion of blame-America-first communism, when in fact it's one of the most patriotic neighborhoods in the city. I even took this picture to demonstrate this:

Big-ass flag outside Veniero.

But this photo has even more meaning now, with the announcement today of the closing of DeRobertis, another pasticceria just half a block away, on First Avenue.

Veniero: first, last and always… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #veniero #derobertis #firstavenue #11thstreet

A Night to Remember

I was walking across East 11th Street today, when I saw this:

Discarded articles of clothing, in all shades!

Like I said, an East Village night to remember — unless it was all forgotten by morning!

Dude, where's my bra?

#eastvillage #11thstreet

Local 7-Eleven Turns 1

I was walking up Avenue A yesterday and I realized the local 7-Eleven on Avenue A and East 11th Street just turned 1 recently! They opened just before Halloween last year.

I haven't taken a picture yet of this location, so here it is:

Local 7-Eleven on Avenue A.

I'm not sure if they're having any specials, but stop in and ask. It can't hurt!

+++

UPDATE

I stopped in on my way home from work and spoke to someone inside. He told me that ownership was transferred from the corporation to a franchisor, as of November 1. So there's no anniversary celerabration! Ugh.

#eastvillage #avenuea #11thstreet #7eleven #halloween #anniversary