The Curse of Tompkins Square Park

You might think that being directly across from Tompkins Square Park would make that section of Avenue A desirable to people wanting to open a business worthy of beloving.

Two recently-empty storefronts, side-by-side, tell a different story!

Not so long ago, this was the beloved 100 Avenue A Sales Gallery:

100 Avenue A Sales Gallery.

Directly next door is the formerly-beloved The Black Rose:

The Black Rose.

This is what it now looks like inside:

Inside.

Someone left the lights on!

At least the crusties will have plenty of empty sidewalk space to loiter on!

#eastvillage #100avenueasalesgallery #avenuea #theblackrose #tompkinssquarepark #curse

Ray's Candy Store Awning

The awning of the beloved Ray's Candy Store, on Avenue A, must have been cursed by a gypsy!

This is what the awning looked like after its renovation, back in July:

Clean and new.

This is what it looked like yesterday:

Grimy — paint peeling off.

I thought maybe the grime was running down the fire escape ladder, but then I remembered that there's a hole in the top of the awning, to allow the ladder to extend down to the sidewalk, and any drippings would pass through it:

Fire escape ladder hole.

Hmmm.

It looks like this curse is worse than I suspected.

At least the curse doesn't extend to their Department of Health Sanitation Inspection grade!

Grade A.

#eastvillage #rayscandystore #firehazard #fireescapes #awnings #sanitationinspectiongrade

One More Go Round

It's been one beloved venue after another, here on East 6th Street, next to the beloved Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant, but no one has been able to make this place work!

Won't work.

This past Saturday, I passed by and saw this sign taped onto the door:

Attention residents & neighbors.

Soon the beloved Cholo Noir will give it a go — I hope someone warns them about the gypsy curse!

#eastvillage #sidewalkcafe #6thstreet #restaurants #cholonoir

Seedy Venue

A gypsy must have put a curse on the store next to the beloved Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant, on East 6th Street — nothing ever stays open here for long!

Today, it's just another one of the eyesores East Villagers love so much:

Eyesore.

Here's a picture of the inside:

Inside.

It looks pretty seedy to me!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #closed #graffiti

Tompkins Square Park Christmas Tree

Last night was the official lighting of the Tompkins Square Park Christmas tree. I didn't attend the ceremony — I was making Christmas cookies! Sources say it was a sight to behold.

This morning I passed by the tree on my way to work. It's the first time I really paid any attention to it, and what I noticed was that this tree is seriously deformed.

Another deformed tree.

What is wrong with the trees in this park?! Did some old gypsy put a curse on them?

#eastvillage #christmastrees #tompkinssquarepark #gypsies