Standing Room Only

Everywhere you go in the East Village these days, you'll be caught up in World Cup Mania!

Here at the beloved Zum Schneider, on the corner of Avenue C and East 7th Street, it was standing room only for the game:

Standing room only.

I guess there was sitting room too, it's just that the seats were all filled!

#eastvillage #avenuec #7thstreet #zumschneider #worldcup #soccer #standingroomonly

New News?

Recently, I walked past the beloved The Stand on Avenue C and East 6th Street, and I noticed something I hadn't seen before: The New News.

Do you see it?

It's at the top.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's the same as a gift I received recently:

New Nooz.

Of course, nothing surpasses Noo-Noos when it comes to tidying up:


In many ways, life in the East Village is very much like life in Tubbyland!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #avenuec #nooz #teletubbies #thenewnews #thestand

Public Art Award

Art for art's sake is all well and good, but art for recognition's sake is even better!

Just such recognition recently took place at the La Plaza Cultural community garden, on Avenue C and East 9th Street.

Behold:

Public Art Award sign. 

No doubt this sign is to recognize the discarded refuse from thirty years ago that adorns the fence surrounding the garden:

Discarded refuse.

This just goes to show you what you're up against in the public art arena. Sewer artists have some stiff competition!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #avenuec #communitygardens #laplazacultural #publicartaward #signs

Sidewalk Damage

Even when trees die and are carted away, the damage they leave behind remains.

Behold, outside La Plaza Cultural community garden, on East 9th Street and Avenue C:

Sidewalk damage.

I am the Larox. I speak for the sidewalks!

#eastvillage #trees #laplazacultural #9thstreet #avenuec #sidewalks #communitygardens

The Stand

A long time ago, I wrote about an advertisement for an art gallery opening that was painted onto the side of a little stand at the corner of Avenue C and East 7th Street.

It turns out that stand is the art gallery! It's called The Stand.

This past Memorial Day weekend, I passed by there again, and saw this:

Flea market.

A flea market!

The woman seated in the picture above is the gallery curator. She was selling things to raise money to support the art classes she gives to adults with disabilities.

Here is another picture:

Another picture.

The mural in the back was painted by her students!

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It just goes to show you: behind every closed door in the East Village… is probably an art gallery!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #artgalleries #avenuec #thestand #fleamarket

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

Graffiti On Canvas

Graffitiers in the East Village don't always spray paint on walls, sometimes they spray paint on canvases, just like real artists!

Behold, as seen on Avenue C

Graffiti on canvas.

You know how painters write their name somewhere on their painting? Since most graffiti is the graffitier's name already, there's no need for that!

#eastvillage #avenuec #canvas #graffiti #painters

Another Amazing Dog

Everywhere you go in the East Village these days, signs of Spring can be found.

Here are some daffodil buds, budding up in a tree bed on Avenue C:

Budding.

Wait a minute — what is that?!

Balancing dog poop.

It's double-decker dog poop, balancing on the tree guard!

What an amazing dog.

#eastvillage #avenuec #daffodilbuds #dogpoop #spring #treebeds #treeguards #amazingdogs

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

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

Made It Out Of Bed

I was walking past the beloved Loverboy on Avenue C this past Sunday…

Loverboy.

…when I saw this sign:

This sign.

Made what out of bed?

I have a little dreidel
I made it out of bed…

#eastvillage #loverboy #avenuec #signs #dreidelsong

Warning Sign Unheeded

The Lower East Side People's Mutual Housing Association, Inc. building on Avenue C has a warning sign so small no one can see it!

Warning sign.

I don't think this is true. The part about the tree railings, trees, and sidewalks being private property, that is.

It doesn't look like I'm the only one who disbelieves them!

Disbelievers.

In fact, so many people park their bicycles here, space is at a premium:

Space at a premium.

Warning sign, warning sign
I see it but I pay it no mind…

#eastvillage #avenuec #bicycles #lespmha #sidewalks #signs #treeguards #trees

Hassan Memorial

I was walking down Avenue C this past Sunday, when I saw this makeshift memorial in front of the beloved Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space:

Makeshift memorial.

I didn't know who it was for, but when I saw this sign on the door leading into the beloved C-Squat, I knew I would soon find out.

C-Squat.

It was for Hassan, aka Jerrold Heiserman:

Don't shoot!

A close-up shows the inside of one of the squat rooms:

Inside a squat room.

It's not at all what I would expect a squat room to look like! Where are the bottle caps? Where are the nodded-out punks? And check out that office-style drop ceiling.

It's like the television commercial; It's not your father's squat room!

#eastvillage #avenuec #csquat #hassan #jerroldheiserman #memorials #museumofreclaimedurbanspace #signs #squatters

God Friended Me

Another exciting film shoot is going on!

The working title of the program is "God Friended Me".

No Parking.

The following streets are unavailable for parking during this time:

No parking.

It looks like they're filming in some of the most desolate parts of the East Village!

Desolate East 9th Street.

With the success of NBC's "The Good Place", it looks like CBS* is looking to cash in on religious-themed programming. What better neighborhood than the East Village to film in!

*I know this from a picture I didn't post.

#eastvillage #avenuec #9thstreet #godfriendedme #cbs #nbc #filming #laplazacultural #thegoodplace

Hoarding

Long, long ago, when East Village Today was in its infancy, I posted a picture of a hidden sinkhole on the corner of Avenue C and East 6th Street.

This morning, I took a look through the Avenue-C-side holes in the construction fence that surrounds the place, and saw this:

Right hole.

Left hole.

It looks like some kind of hoarder lives here!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #avenuec #hoarders #sinkhole #constructionfences

Snake On The Loose

When I first saw this, while walking down Avenue C last Tuesday, I thought someone had abandoned a cat beside the East 5th Street bus shelter:

Abandoned cat?

I scooched it with my foot, but there was no response.

Giving it more thought, it occurred to me that this was not a cat carrier at all, but a carrier for some lower form of life, like a snake.

Judging by that broken clasp, I'd say the snake got loose…

#eastvillage #avenuec #5thstreet #busshelters #snakes

Broken-Down City Bus

The East Village has no real subway stations — the few that exist are on the borders. It's because the East Village is built on a swamp!

For that reason, East Villagers depend a lot on city busses. So when one breaks down, it's major!

Here is a picture of a broken-down bus on Avenue C, taken a mere ten days ago:

Broken down.

At least the driver made it past the red light — that would have caused havoc if it had broken down in the intersection!

#eastvillage #citybus #avenuec

Last Of The Discarded Christmas Trees

Here are the last of my pictures of discarded Christmas Trees.

This one, in Tompkins Square Park, was abandoned a week before Christmas!

December 19.

These two look like twins! (January 16, East 7th Street)

Twins.

This one shed all its needles. (January 17, East 7th Street)

No more needles.

This one too! (January 23, Avenue C)

This one too.

That is all.

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #avenuec #7thstreet #discardedchristmastrees

When Love Rots

I was walking up Avenue C recently, past the construction fence behind which occurs no construction, when I saw this paper pasted around the peep hole:

Around the peep hole.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

When love rots
it still smells like
roses

An inspiring message — just in time for Valentine's Day!

#eastvillage #avenuec #constructionfences #signs #valentinesday #signs