Destroy Your Icons?

Someone doesn't want East Villagers to have any icons!

Behold, as seen on East 2nd Street:

What's that?

That's kind of hard to read. Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

I'm not sure what they're selling, but they're not going to have much luck getting someone famous to endorse them with this message!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #posters #destroyyouricons

Bad Kerning Or Nah?

This new doodle by Cool, above the beloved 1st Ave Laundry Center on the corner of First Avenue and East 2nd Street, shows that even graffiti is not immune from the ravages of bad kerning:

Bad kerning.

Unless he considered the two exhaust fans to be Os, in which case: good use of background materials!

#eastvillage #1stavelaundrycenter #2ndstreet #cool #firstavenue #graffiti #kerning

Shrouded In A Shroud

This building, on the corner of First Avenue and East 2nd Street, is shrouded in a shroud:

A shroud.

No one knows why, but I'm sure it's for a good reason.

This building is bounded on East 2nd Street by this and on First Avenue by this — it probably has something to do with that!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #firstavenue #shroud #graffiti

Not-So-Shadowy Figure

I was walking across East 2nd Street a little over a week ago, when I saw this no-so-shadowy figure affixed to the construction fence there:

Not so shadowy.

It reminded me of Richard Hambleton’s Shadowman from the 1980s, back in the bad old days!

Just not as threatening…

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #silhouette #richardhambleton #shadowman

Atop Cellar Doors

If you thought sitting atop cellar doors was privilege reserved only for restaurant patrons, think again!

Now you can sit, or even lie, on this abandoned couch on East 2nd Street, atop the cellar doors there:

Atop cellar doors.

There's an old saying that there are two things you should always do when you have a chance: pee, and sit down.

In the East Village, you can always sit.

Come to think of it, you can always pee too!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #abandonedcouches #cellardoors #pee #sit

WWP Signs

The East Village is a hotbed of political activity — everyone knows that!

So when I saw not just one, but three, signs promoting the Workers World Party, well, what else could I do but write about it?

Here is the first sign I saw, two weeks ago on East 2nd Street:

We don't have to live like this.

You can see where some clever East Villager crossed out the end of the word "don't" so it would say: We do have to live like this.(!)

I thought this sign was a fluke, until I saw these, on Avenue C, a week ago:

End ICE raids.

Read socialist newspapers.

I wonder if the presence of these signs means the Workers World Party will be on the ballot in New York State in 2020?!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #avenuec #signs #workersworldparty

Old Timers

Many old-time East Villagers view their lives as a broken glass, inside a plastic bag, torn and teetering precariously on a fence, above garbage.

Like this:

An old-timers life.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

A small puff of wind is all it would take to send this broken glass careening toward the sidewalk, sending shards of smaller pieces of glass in every direction!

Just one more reason why you should always wear shoes!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #plasticbags #brokenglass

Well-Stacked Garbage

East Village building superintendents take great pride in their garbage presentation, as can be seen here, on East 2nd Street:

Well-stacked garbage bags.

Still, gravity intervenes:

Fallen bag.

At least it didn't affect the appearance of the stack!

#eastvillage #garbagebags #2ndstreet #cellars

Black Basketball

I was walking past This Place, on East 2nd Street, one month ago to this very day, when I saw, of all things, a black basketball!

Behold:

A black basketball.

Black and green, to be precise.

This Place always has something going on!

#eastvillage #thisplace #2ndstreet #basketball

A Peek Inside

The contents of the garbage storage area on East 2nd Street, outside the beloved Meltzer Towers Senior Center, has always been a closely-guarded secret, until now!

Behold:

A peek inside.

Take a good look — this door might never be open again!

#eastvillage #garbagestoragearea #2ndstreet #meltzertowersseniorcenter

Free Plates

East Villagers don't like to throw away anything; at the same time, they don't like to be hoarders either!

Rather than throwing away these unwanted, last-of-the-set plates, this Enviro-Villager put them into a cardboard box and put the box outside, for some freegan to take:

Plates in a box.

Here are the plates in context:

In context.

Putting them on a baluster is not a good idea — some heedless East Villager could bump into them and knock them off!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #abandonedplates #balusters #freegans

Cup O' Taco

What do East Villagers do when they want a chalupa but don't want the carbs?

As this picture shows, from near the beloved taco truck on East 2nd Street and Avenue A, they eat the insides and throw the shell on the sidewalk!

Chalupa shell on the sidewalk.

Maybe it's time to do as the ice cream trucks, and offer their tacos in a cup!

#eastvillage #tacotrucks #avenuea #2ndstreet #chalupas #abandonedfood

Another Falling-Down Building

Regular readers of East Village Today will no doubt remember the falling-down building on East 6th Street I wrote about back in December.

Well, that building doesn't hold a candle to this leaner, on East 2nd Street:

Leaner.

Here is a picture taken from the front of the building;

Front of building.

Disregard the false perspective — the key thing is that it's only in danger of falling one way!

#eastvillage #slantybuildings #2ndstreet

A Moveable Wreath

Regular readers of this blog will surely remember the picture of the abandoned Christmas wreath — even more will wonder what happened to it!

Back in March, I was walking across East 5th Street, when I saw it inside El Jardin del Paraiso:

Inside El Jardin del Paraiso.

That would surely be its final resting place, I thought — mulched and mixed with rotting kale to become compost — but was I wrong!

Behold, this past Saturday on the East 2nd Street graffiti wall:

Christmas wreath graffiti.

Either that or it's a different one.

Still, what are the odds of seeing two dying Christmas wreaths hanging in the same neighborhood? Pretty remote, I'd say!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #5thstreet #christmaswreaths #communitygardens #eljardindelparaiso #graffitiwall

Blurry Pile of Wood Chips

It's not every day you see a big pile of wood chips on the sidewalk, it's even less common to see one so blurry!

Still, here it was this morning, outside Le Petite Versailles Garden, on East 2nd Street:

Blurry pile of wood chips.

It's hard to know what they're for, or how long they'll be there.

One thing is certain: next time I pass by, I'm putting on my glasses!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #blurry #communitygardens #lepetiteversaillesgarden #woodchips

This Place

I've written about this place on East 2nd Street many times, but I've never known how to refer to it.

Until now!

Introducing: This Place:

This Place.

One of the reasons I write about This Place so much is that it's always changing, even in the picture above.

Do you see what it is? Here's a close-up:

Close-up.

A chain, attaching the handrail to the riot gates!

Incredible.

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #chains #thisplace

Cross Equals Heart

You just never know what you're going to find painted or glued onto the wall of the derelict stretch of buildings on East 2nd Street near First Avenue.

I was walking past there this morning, when I saw this Cross = Heart sign:

Cross = Heart sign.

A few short feet away was another one:

Another one.

You can't really tell from these pictures, but there is a web address at the bottom of the signs: CrossEqualsLovedotCom.

Yet another few short feet away were these damn signs:

Damn signs.

East Villagers love a choice!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #crossequalslove #derelict #signs

Blue Is The New Black

It used to be that the East Village was colorless — today, all that's changed!

I was walking across East 2nd Street the other day, when I noticed that the fire escapes of this building are the same color as the Citibikes parked across the street from it!

Behold:

Matching Citibikes and fire escape.

As if that weren't enough, while walking up Avenue D yesterday, I saw this:

Citibus.

A new Citibus!

Or city bus, if you prefer.

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #avenued #blue #citibike #fireescapes #citybus

Bicycle Mess

As cool as the East Village is, it is still a dangerous place to lock up your bicycle.

Here are some examples I say recently:

Back tire missing, on East 2nd Street.

Almost everything missing, on East 2nd Street.

Everything missing and ticketed, on Avenue C.

Thank goodness for Citibikes!

Nothing missing, on East 2nd Street.

The East Village runs on Citibikes!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #avenuec #bicycles #citibike

Finding Your Way

Everyone knows that if you're ever lost in the woods, moss grows heaviest on the north side of the tree.

In the East Village, however, that traditional wisdom can be tossed right out the window!

Behold this, seen on East 2nd Street:

East side of the tree.

West side of the tree.

South side of the tree.

North side of the tree.

If you get lost in the East Village, you better have a compass!

#eastvillage #trees #moss #2ndstreet