Sewer Grates

I was walking through the intersection of East 4th Street and Avenue A this morning, when I saw this accumulation of trash on top of a sewer grate:

Accumulation of trash on top of sewer grate.

It's a good thing those sewer grates are there, or that trash would have gone into the sewer! And as East Villagers all know from the movie "Finding Nemo": All drains lead to the ocean.

Keeping the ocean clean… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #avenuea #sewergrates #sewers #trash

False Flag

People think of the East Village as home to a lot whacked-out conspiracy nuts, and it is!

Here is evidence, gleaned from the Generation X Community Garden sign, on East 4th Street:

Evidence.

Give a man a needle, and he will sew buttons. Give a man a Sharpie pen, and he will sow confusion!

#eastvillage #generationx #communitygardens #graffiti

Hey There Hot Potato

East Villagers love Belgian fries — so when the beloved Pommes Frites closed and moved to Greenwich (the West) Village last year, a massive hole was left in the area's foodiness.

Fortunately, that hole was filled by Friterie Belgian Fries, on St. Mark's Place:

Friterie Belgian Fries.

Deep-fried potatoes lavished with salt and dipped in mayonnaise… make mine a double!

#eastvillage #belgianfries #friteriebelgianfries #stmarksplace

Trash & Vaudeville Moves East

The day is drawing near when the beloved Trash & Vaudeville will move from their current location, on the very cool St. Mark's Place, to their new location, on the very cool East 7th Street!

Here is the sign in their window, alerting people of the impending move:

Alerting the people.

"Hey Ho, Let's Go" is from a song by a band called The Ramones, that was very popular in the 80s. Trash & Vaudeville is itself very popular with the older, 80s-retro crowd.

Here is a Google® map showing how to get from where they are now to where they will be:

From here to there.

The dotted blue line makes the most sense to follow, because you get to stay on St. Mark's Place the longest! The gray line that runs across East 7th Street is second-best — you can stop by the beloved McSorley's Old Ale House on the way, and get a half dozen or so of their tiny beers! The gray line that runs across East 6th Street makes no sense at all, except that many people who shop at Trash & Vaudeville are high on drugs, and will go that way!

Finally, you'll be less than a block from Tompkins Square Park, where you can go to show off your new (old) fashions!

Whose fashionable park? Our fashionable park!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #7thstreet #mcsorleysoldalehouse #stmarksplace #theramones #tompkinssquarepark #trashvaudeville

New Wave in Outdoor Seating

I was walking up First Avenue recently, when I happened upon this interesting little enclave:

Interesting little enclave.

This belongs to the beloved MáLà Project, a Chinese restaurant (you can tell by the lanterns!)

Outdoor seating with no tables, that doesn't take up space on the sidewalk — what will they think of next?!

#eastvillage #malaproject #firstavenue #outdoorseating

The ATMs of St. Mark's Place

While taking the picture of the new signage outside the beloved St. Mark's E-Smoke & Beer this past Sunday, I noticed something peculiar. There were two — two! — ATMs outside the store!

This got me to thinking: Just how many ATMs are there on St. Mark's Place (between Second and Third Avenues)?

So I counted them:

The ATMs of St. Mark's Place.

Nine ATMS!

You will never be short of cash in the East Village, if you have it in your account to begin with, and don't mind paying the ATM fee, and the fee your bank charges for using a not-your-bank ATM!

It makes you wonder though: Are these tee-shirt, hat, sunglass, drug paraphernalia, e-smoke, and beer stores cash-only?

Hmmm…

#eastvillage #atms #stmarksplace

St. Mark's E-Smoke & Beer

I was walking across St. Mark's Place this past Sunday, when I noticed new signage outside the beloved St. Mark's E-Smoke & Beer:

New signage.

It's not just new signage, it's a whole new façade! This is what it looked like back when East Village Today explored St. Mark's Place:

Tee-shirts, hats, and sunglasses outside, drug paraphernalia inside.

The more things on St. Mark's Place change, the more they stay the same — with new signs!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #drugparaphernalia #stmarksesmokebeer #signs

Look Sharp

I was walking across St. Mark's Place this past Sunday, when I saw this fellow gussying himself up in the reflection of a glass door, where once stood a beloved business that today no one remembers:

Gussying.

It's a good thing he used the door, otherwise he might have thought he had weird, squiggly tattoos on his face!

Keeping up appearances… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #graffiti #deterioration

Be… Smiley

Regular readers of this blog will no doubt remember my coverage of the smiley-face-sticker putter, who puts smiley-face stickers on things.

Recently, I noticed signs of a campaign designed to encourage East Villagers to… be something! And on First Avenue this past weekend, what do you suppose I saw?

This:

Be smiley.

Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

What better than "smiley" to be… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #besomething #firstavenue #signs #smileyfaces

Safety Message

If you're walking down the street at night, and you see an open gate, leading into a dimly-lit garden or vacant lot, don't go in! It's not safe!

Do not enter.

This message was brought to you by East Village Today — keeping East Villagers safe since 2014!

#eastvillage #opendoors #communitygardens