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

Avocado Graffiti

There's a new graffiti in the East Village that's not even new!

This graffiti is so subtle that even though you've probably seen it half a dozen times, you forget about it as soon as you look away, just like The Silence!

I call it the avocado graffiti, because it looks like an avocado.

The first time I saw it, on East 3rd Street, I forgot about it right away.

First siting.

The next time I saw it was on East 4th Street; I took a picture so it would last longer!

On East 4th Street.

But when I wrote about the abandoned Citibank branch recently, I saw it in that picture too!

This picture too.

After that, I started seeing it everywhere, like here, outside the soon-to-be beloved Bento Box, on St. Mark's Place:

St. Mark's Place.

… and here, on St. Mark's Place again:

St. Mark's Place again.

…and here, on East 4th Street again:

East 4th Street again.

All right, not everywhere, just East 4th Street and St. Mark's Place.

And Avenue A! So yeah, everywhere!

Now that you've seen it, you'll start to see it everywhere too!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #avenuea #avocadograffiti #citibank #graffiti #stmarksplace #thesilence #bentobox

Abandoned Citibank

While everyone knows the plight of Chase Bank in the East Village, not as many are familiar with a similar situation going on with Citibank!

Here is an abandoned Citibank location, on Avenue A between East 3rd and 4th Streets:

Abandoned Citibank.

Unlike with Chase Bank, this was the only Citibank branch in the East Village, so its closing did not have the same impact as the closing of the Chases.

Still, added to the Chase closings, it's another step closer to becoming an under-served neighborhood… again!

#eastvillage avenuea #3rdstreet #4thstreet #citibank #underserved