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

The First Snowfall of 2017

East Villagers were excited to wake up this morning to the first snowfall of 2017!

Here is a picture:

Some kind of snow-covered sculpture thing.

It's some kind of snow-covered sculpture thing, in First Park, on East 1st Street.

Pictures of the East Village covered in snow remind me of… the last time it snowed!

Here is a picture from the last time it snowed, back in mid-December:

A snowman.

It's a snowman! This was also taken in First Park.

East Villagers hope for more snow days, with lots of snow — it's a Winter wonderland!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #firstpark #houstonstreet #sculptures #snow #snowman

What's the Buzz?

November 14 was the first birthday of the beloved Jodo Bee, the official graffiti insect of the East Village!

I first became aware of the bee back in April, in this post. Since then, there have been others.

This is the most recent, since it contains this van, seen on October 12, on East 4th Street:

Jodo Bee van.

…and this mural, from ten days ago, on a wall in the First Street Art Park, on East 1st Street:

Jodo Bee mural.

A year old already — time sure flies!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #jodobee #vans #1ststreet #firststreetartpark

Store East

Everyone knows the East Village is the coolest place for shopping. Some stores are so cool, they don't even look like stores!

One such store is called (the beloved) Store East, on East 1st Street:

Store East.

It even has a peep hole, to peep through:

Peep hole.

This store is so "underground", it makes you feel sorry for Store West!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #storeeast

Christmas Corner

There was a time when the corner of First Avenue and East 1st Street was an eyesore — no one would have thought of selling Christmas trees in front of it!

Now, due to the beloved Mars Bar closing, and the beloved TD Bank opening, it's safe for holiday revellers to stroll past, and even purchase a Christmas Tree:

Strolling past the beloved TD Bank.

Not only can you purchase a tree from this corner, but you can even purchase one named after a famous celebrity! Here are some examples:

John [sic] Snow, and Gandalf.

Lieutenant Dan, and more!

The thing about Christmas trees named after famous celebrities is that you need to leave the sign hanging around it once you get it home, so people will know who it's named after! Guess which tree I bought?!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #christmastrees #firstavenue #gandalf #jonsnow #lieutenantdan #taylorswift #tdbank

Bananahead

Sometimes when I'm walking around in the East Village, I see things that remind me of something else, so I take a picture of it. I might not even have anything to say about it — it's just that it reminds me of something.

That's what happened this morning, as I was walking to the F Train at First Avenue. I saw this, and it made me think of a bananahead:

Bananahead.

I'm suddenly thirsty for some cold pressed juice. It's so delicious!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #bananas

Sidewalk Psychics

Gypsy psychics are very common in the East Village. People here are anxious to know if they're going to come into money, or who they will fall in love with.

Most psychics operate out of small storefronts, but times must be getting tough, because yesterday, on the corner of First Avenue and East 1st Street, I saw this:

Sidewalk psychic.

I've never seen a psychic operate on the sidewalk, except for directly outside their storefront.

If she's there again today, I'm going to ask her: When will the construction on East Houston Street be finished?!

#eastvillage #gypsies #psychics #firstavenue #1ststreet #houstonstreet

The First Snowfall of Spring

East Villagers were certainly surprised today, the first day of Spring, to find snow falling:

Snow on East 1st Street.

A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a Spring wonderland!

East Villagers love snow!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #snow #spring

Recycling Food

A couple of days ago, I passed by this table on East 1st Street just in from First Avenue:

Food recycling table, in the cold.

East Villagers love to recycle! They'll recycle anything: pineapples, apple cores, pears, bagels, banana peels, used tea bags, carrot tops, egg shells, half-eaten pretzels, croissants, orange peels… you name it!

You're probably wondering what these food scraps must look like, so I took a picture:

Recycled food, in plastic bags.

It might not seem conducive to recycling, putting recyclable food into plastic bags, but how else are you going to get it to the recycling table?

Now that I know this is here, I'm going to do my part and start recycling my food scraps. I have a couple of pork chop bones I'm going to take over today!

See you there… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #compost #firstavenue #recycling #dsny

Photographers of the East Village

If there's one thing East Villagers love to do, apart from saluting the flag and going to church, it's take pictures!

I took this picture after church the other day, on East First Street, near the corner of First Avenue:

Photographer setting up a shot.

I don't know what he was shooting — maybe he wasn't shooting anything. Maybe he was just buying some fresh juice, or some strong coffee, or some hot soup. Something liquid, that's for sure!

Shooting pictures makes you thirsty… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #1ststreet #firstavenue #photographers

Welcome to the East Village Again

Not everyone uses hand signals to welcome outsiders to the East Village. Sometimes people use paint and a riot gate!

I took this this morning, on the corner of First Avenue and East 1st Street:

Welcome!

Welcome to East Village Today!

#eastvillage #firstavenue #1ststreet

NIMEVBY

Here's a picture of another closed gas station in the East Village. This one is (was) on Second Avenue at East 1st Street:

Local artists have decorated a closed gas station.

Let's face it: gas stations are not cool. They smell bad, and they cause erratic traffic patterns, as cars speed in and out of them.

They're necessary if you have a car, but they can be located elsewhere — somewhere that's not cool!

#eastvillage #gasstations #secondavenue #1ststreet

Tiny Little Shack That Sells Stuff

There's a tiny little shack on East 1st Street at First Avenue that sells, among other things: fresh juice, strong coffee, lemonade, iced tea, something pressed and sweet, and bananas.

East Villagers who shop here are very possessive of their little shack, to the point where they oppose any other store near this one selling any of the same items. Their cries are to no avail though.

Signs

I don't want to come across as too critical, but there are some signs I've noticed recently that are in need of repair. Here's the first one, from the side of a building on East 3rd Street:

If you look at this, you will notice horizontal lines that were used to keep the size of the letters and the leading (space between lines) consistent. This was commendable. I commend the maker of this sign. However, once the letters are in place, it's customary to remove those horizontal lines. Leaving them makes the sign look unfinished.

Here's another one:

I wouldn't expect the curator of an art gallery to know anything about kerning (the space between letters), but I would expect the person who applied these letters to, and to use his/her better judgement, and not simply place the letters as printed. The kerning on this is terrible.

[UPDATED 9/1]

Ee-gads. The kerning on this one is so bad that I can't tell if it's deliberate or not. Maybe it's Spanglish for "See Meat," or "Look To Meat," or something.