Don't Blink

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you blink, you'll miss it!

I was walking across East 2nd Street back on April 4, when I saw this blue tarpaulin draped over the awning frame of this place seen in so many other East Village Today posts:

Blue tarpaulin.

Oh, check that out on the door: a Christmas wreath!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Anyway, the very next day, I found myself walking down this street again, only to find… the tarpaulin was gone!

Gone.

It's hard to know if there were any changes made — who can remember what anything looked like yesterday?!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #awnings #tarpaulins

Ray's Candy Store Awning

The awning of the beloved Ray's Candy Store, on Avenue A, must have been cursed by a gypsy!

This is what the awning looked like after its renovation, back in July:

Clean and new.

This is what it looked like yesterday:

Grimy — paint peeling off.

I thought maybe the grime was running down the fire escape ladder, but then I remembered that there's a hole in the top of the awning, to allow the ladder to extend down to the sidewalk, and any drippings would pass through it:

Fire escape ladder hole.

Hmmm.

It looks like this curse is worse than I suspected.

At least the curse doesn't extend to their Department of Health Sanitation Inspection grade!

Grade A.

#eastvillage #rayscandystore #firehazard #fireescapes #awnings #sanitationinspectiongrade

American Deli & Grocery

Sometimes people think that the East Village is so transgressive that it's anti-American. Au contraire, pi…

Um, hold on a minute.

That ain't true, mister!

First was the beloved 'Merica, on East 6th Street. Now, on First Avenue, there's the beloved American Deli & Grocery!

American Deli & Grocery.

If you're looking for dairy, or beer, or ice cream, or deli, or organic products, or coffee, or (from the side of the awning) smoothie, or soda, or beer again, or sandwiches, or vegetarian products, with a red, white, and blue flare, the American Deli & Grocery is for you!

Even their litter is patriotic!

Patriotic litter.

#eastvillage #americandeligrocery #awnings #firstavenue #litter

'Merica

I was riding my Citibike across East 6th Street recently, when I noticed some new awnings — the awnings of the beloved 'Merica NYC:

Two awnings.

It has two awnings! I wonder if it will have two entrances?

Here are closer shots of the awnings:

Taste the freedom!

Taste the liberty!

East 6th Street used to be filled with cheap Indian restaurants, but they mostly all left.

This new restaurant is not Indian, however — it's 'Merican!

#eastvillage #mericanyc #6thstreet #restaurants #awnings

Repaired Awning

For as long as this blog has existed, the awning above the doorway of The Saint, an apartment building on St. Mark's Place, has been damaged.

Every time I pass by, I check to see if it's been repaired. For a year and a half since I wrote about it, it hasn't been.

Well, this past Saturday, I passed by again:

Awning repaired.

It's hard to say if it looks better — I guess they were out of smoked glass at the glass factory!

#eastvillage #thesaint #stmarksplace #awnings #smokedglass

Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp. Update

It seems like it was just yesterday I was writing about the beloved Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp., at the corner of Avenue D and East 8th Street, and their recent awning renovation!

Last night, while riding my Citibike down Avenue D, I saw the outcome — and now you can too!

The outcome.

It makes me want to rush right in and buy some cold beer, sodas, cold cuts, snacks, candies, groceries, fruits and vegetables, cigarettes, ATM and EBT!

#eastvillage #8thstreet #avd8stdelicorp #avenued #awnings #renovations

Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp.

I was riding my Citibike up Avenue D this past weekend, on my way up to where no other blogger dares to go, when I passed by the beloved Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp., on Avenue D and East 8th Street:

Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp.

This was no ordinary day at the Deli Corp. — this was awning-changing day!

Awning changing day.

With all the renovations and construction going on on Avenue D, Av. D & 8 St. Deli Corp. doesn't not want to be left behind — it's out with the old and in with the new… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenued #avd8stdelicorp #awnings #renovations #orangecones

Ray's Candy Store Update

Speaking of the beloved Ray Candy Store, I was walking up Avenue A this past Saturday, when I noticed something new about their new awning. Specifically: Ray is possessive again!

Possessive again.

It's not the way I'd have done it, and it only affects the name of the store — the fried oreos are still plural!

I also noticed that the awning is taking on the corroded look that the old one suffered from:

Corroded look.

You just can't win for losing!

#eastvillage #rayscandystore #awnings #avenuea #signs

Wonder of Wonders

As I wrote in A Moveable Famine, after viewing the squalor that is Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and East 9th Street today, I walked down one block, only to see what I thought I would never see in my lifetime: the beloved Ray's Candy Store renovated their storefront!

Look, and be amazed:

Amazing.

And what's that? They changed the name of the store?!

Introducing: Ray Candy Store!

Ray Candy Store.

Unfortunately, they kept that ratty, wooden thing in front.

Ratty, wooden thing.

It looks like this was done with spray-paint — you can tell by where there was no drop cloth! They kept part of the old blue color too — no telling why.

Now that they finally fixed the place up, as I've been advising for two years, I wonder if they will un-ban me from their Twitter feed?

Seems like the decent thing to do, don't you think?

#eastvillage #avenuea #rayscandystore #renovations #awnings #twitter

Nail Polish Galore

It's been a long time since the beloved East Village Pharmacy moved from their previous location on Avenue A and East 5th Street to their current location on Avenue A and East 3rd Street.

In all this time, nothing else moved into the space they vacated, until now — and for lovers of nail polish, it's not a moment too soon!

Introducing: Appolodine.

(The beloved) Appolodine is their name, and nail polish is their game:

Nail polish.

Don't try looking for them at the web address on their awning though — it's wrong! (Hint: it's .co, not .com)!

Another wacky awning… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #appolodine #avenuea #awnings #nailpolish

Hypnotoad on East 2nd Street

I first wrote about this place back when East Village Today was new — today you might say it was East Village Then!

Well, I was walking across East 2nd Street recently, when I saw that the riot gates of this beloved place had changed again:

Riot gates changed.

Wait a second… what's that I see?

Hypnotoad.

East Villagers love Hypnotoad!



#eastvillage #2ndstreet #hypnotoad #awnings #artproject #riotgates

Plant Peace Trees

As soon as one art project ends, another begins!

There's always something cool going on here. I've taken many pictures of this awning frame, and the one to the right of it.

Two Boots Hanging From Awning Frame art project

Welcome to the Steam Powered Hour Underground Hoedown. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds 19th-century and Southern.

Of course, no post would be complete without a picture of an open door!

There was sound coming from behind the curtain. "Pay no attention to… something."