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