What's The Point?

What's the point of a tree guard that doesn't correct the posture of the tree?

None, you say?

Behold, a pointless tree guard on East 5th STreet:

Pointless tree guard.

As the twig is bent, so leans the tree guard!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #trees #treeguards #pointless

Planterless Plant

I was walking across East 5th Street a few weeks ago, when I saw this empty planter:

Empty planter.

You can see dirt in front of and to the side of the planter, suggesting that someone recently removed something (a plant, perhaps?) from it.

Following the direction of the dirt, I saw this:

Planterless plant.

It was a planterless plant.

Here they are in context:

In context.

Probably some anarchist did it!

#eastvillage #planters #deadplants #cellardoors #anarchists #5thstreet

Leaning Tree Guard

Just like the tree supports on East 7th Street, this tree guard on East 5th Street is pointless:

Pointless tree guard.

As the tree is bent, so grows the tree guard!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #leanytrees #treeguards

Repairing Steps

The East Village is always getting better, from Department of Transportation workers fixing the streets, to painters painting, to step repairers repairing steps, like these, on East 5th Street:

Steps under repair.

How did only one side become so mangled?

#eastvillage #steps #stairs #orangecones #5thstreet

Tree Pruning Program

East Villagers love our Mayor, the Honorable William DeBlasio — he provided us with those groovy solar-powered trash cans, and even appointed a Mayor of nighttime fun!

He's even in charge of pruning trees!

Behold, on East 5th Street at Avenue C:

Tree Pruning Program sign.

OK, the sign is a hot mess, but it's the pruning that counts!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuec #signs #treepruningprogram #williamdeblasio

Deceiving Appearances

In the East Village, things are not always what they appear to be.

Take this, for instance, on the Village View Apartments East 5th Street walkway. At first glance, it looks like dog poop:

Dog poop.

When you take a closer look, however, it turns out to be something else:

Bean pod.

It's one of those bean pods, from one of those bean trees!

Wouldn't that have been something, if it had been balancing on top of the edging-thing?

Edgy!

#eastvillage #villageviewapartments #beanpods #beantrees #5thstreet

So Many New Chances

There are so many new chances to have a Chase bank branch open in the East Village, possibly the most Chase-underserved neighborhood in the city!

The site of the formerly-beloved Golden Food Market, on the corner of First Avenue and East 7th Street, seems perfect:

Perfect

This past Sunday, the beloved Three Of Cups closed, making this location on First Avenue and East 5th Street the newest possibility.

Can you just imagine?

Imagine.

I'm not saying each of these should be a Chase branch — any one of them would be fine.

#eastvillage #5thstreet #7thstreet #chasebank #firstavenue #goldenfoodmarket #threeofcups

Orange Ball

Strange but true — this orange ball on East 5th Street looks just like an orange:

Orange ball.

Isn't it strange that the color of the fruit became the name of the fruit? It would be like calling bananas "yellows".

"Don't eat anything, I'm making supper".

"But I'm hungry"!

"Have a yellow".

"They're bruised!"

"They're fine…"

See?

#eastvillage #oranges #5thstreet

Here Today, Gone Today

Winter Storm East Village Today came in like a lion and went out like a lamb.

Remember this picture of East 5th Street, from yesterday morning?

Yesterday morning.

This is what it looked like yesterday evening:

Yesterday evening.

Amazing, no?

#eastvillage #5thstreet #snow #winterstormeastvillagetoday

Winter Wonderland of Snow

East Villagers woke up this morning to discover… it was snowing!

Behold:

East 5th Street, in the snow.

Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden, in the snow.

Avenue B and East 7th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park, in the snow.

Water fountain, in the snow.

Some trees, in the snow.

Women's Christian Temperance Union fountain, in the snow.

Some more trees, in the snow.

A row of benches, in the snow.

Where the church lady preaches, in the snow.

During the past two officially-declared winter storms, Winter Storm Skylar and Winter Storm Toby, we got almost no snow. Today, with no official designation, we got all this!

I declare this: Winter Storm East Village Today!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #7thstreet #avenueb #benches #chairs #communitygardens #sixthstreetavenuebcommunitygarden #snow #stmarksplace #tompkinssquarepark #waterfountains #wctu #winterwonderland

Mango vs. The Misfits

Speaking of The Misfits, according to a poster I saw on the side of the building on East 5th Street and Avenue A, they're playing on May 19 in Newark.

The one in New Jersey.

The Misfits poster.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It wasn't up for very long though.

A week later, I walked by again and saw this:

Mango.

East Villagers care more about clothes than they do devil-worshipping bands from the 80s that they would have to go all the way to New Jersey to see!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuea #mango #newjersey #posters #themisfits

One East Villager's Art…

…is another East Villager's trash, as can be seen on East 5th Street this past Friday morning:

Art.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Maybe if the owner had hung the painting vertically, s/he would have seen its beauty!

#eastvillage #trash #art #paintings #5thstreet #trashcans

Come Again Soon

East Villagers love visitors — we love when people come to see our wacky coolness.

Yet, all good things must end, and one East Villager expressed with this sign directed to people leaving from East 5th Street:

I Will Miss You.

Come again soon!

#eastvillage #signs #iwillmissyou #5thstreet

Asymmetrical Window Guards

Symmetry is a sign of an ordered mind. Symmetry is not the name of the game in the East Village!

You can see example of asymmetry everywhere you go, including these window guards on East 5th Street:

Window guards.

It's not that there's an air conditioner guard at the top of the left window, it's the bottom guards that are funky.

Funky, funky, but chic!

#eastvillage #windowguards #5thstreet #asymmetry #funkybutchic

Dubious Response

Winter Storm Toby left in its wake a trail of dubious responses.

One such dubious response was this, at the corner of Avenue C and East 5th Street:

Dubious?

This makes no sense at all!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #avenuec #donotenter #trashcans #snow #dubious #winterstormtoby

It's Too Hard

East Villagers do not like to shovel the sidewalk — it's hard work!

One East Villager gave it a shot, here on the corner of East 5th Street and Avenue C, but didn't get very far:

"I'm tired".

For those who don't know, the cleared space in the street is due to there having been a car parked there.

#eastvillage #snow #sidewalks #5thstreet #avenuec

Ring Toss

Of all the games on the county fair midway, the Ring Toss is arguably the most challenging.

That's why East Villagers practice!

Behold, on East 5th Street:

A winner!

Either that, or it's a motorcycle parking spot!

#eastvillage #ringtoss #tires #firehydrants #5thstreet

Mound Of Snow

Yesterday morning, before the start of Winter Storm Toby, the great blizzard that wasn't, I was walking across East 5th Street, when I saw this small mound of snow, left over from Winter Storm Skylar, the last great blizzard that wasn't:

Mound of snow.

It's strange how some snow lasts and other doesn't…

#eastvillage #snow #5thstreet #winterstormtoby #winterstormskylar

Eric Clapton

I was walking up Avenue A when I saw these Eric Clapton posters:

Eric Clapton Chase.

Did you ever notice how every picture of Eric Clapton holding a guitar looks the same?

On the other hand, only in the East Village would you see him beside an anarchist A!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #anarchista #avenuea #ericclapton #posters

Abandoned Bicycle Frames

I was walking down Avenue C this past week, when I saw these two bicycle frames abandoned beside a trash can:

Abandoned bicycle frames.

The funny thing is that if the person who abandoned these knew that the beloved store across the street, with the yellow awning and no name, was a bicycle store, he could have taken them over and got some money for them.

#eastvillage #5thstreet #abandonedbicycles #avenuec #bicycleframes #nonamebicyclestore