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

Citibike Shut Down Again

Probably the only drawback to blizzards in the East Village, even those that never transpire, is that Citibikes are not available during that time.

Alas, they are locked up tight, and sometimes even half-buried in snow, as seen here this past Thursday morning, outside the local Duane Reade on East 2nd Street at Avenue C:

Half-buried in snow.

What would be more fun than taking a bike out in the snow and doing donuts in the intersections?!

I know — doing donuts in the intersections on a Vespa!

#eastvillage #citibike #duanereade #2ndstreet #avenuec #snow

No-Name Grocery Inc.

Speaking of dilapidated deli/groceries on Avenue D, this beloved no-name Grocery Inc. is but a few short steps from the beloved New Carolina Deli Grocery that I wrote about yesterday!

Beloved no-name Grocery Inc.

So if you're not in the mood to save 50% on your groceries, you can always shop here!

#eastvillage #avenued #duanereade #noname #grocery

Chase Cash Mob

When businesses in the East Village start to fail, residents come to their aid by fomenting a cash mob. What this means is that people go to that business on a designated day and spend money, cash, to help the owners.

The beloved Chase Bank is one such business that needs our help!

During the past year, two branches of Chase Bank closed, leaving only the one on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

Fortunately, there were still Chase ATMs at the beloved Duane Reade drugstores on Avenue B and Avenue D.

Recently, this changed.

Behold, at the Avenue B Duane Reade:

Chase ATM replaced by Allpoint ATM.

…and at the Avenue D Duane Reade:

The same thing.

Why this matters is that the Allpoint ATMs charge a $3.00 fee for withdrawals!

$3.00 fee.

If this keeps up, the East Village will be inundated with payday loan, pawn shops, and other shady establishments!

This is why East Village Today is organizing a cash mob for Chase Bank!

Go to the Chase Bank on Second Avenue and East 10th Street this Saturday, February 25 — open a checking account, sign up for a credit card, get an auto loan…

Free coffee and Dum Dum Pops!

Help keep Chase Bank in the East Village!

#eastvillage #chasebank, #10thstreet #avenueb #avenued #atms #allpoint #cashmob #duanereade

Theft-Proof Tide

You might not think so, but the East Village is full of thieves!

They don't just steal beer mugs or hearts, they even steal laundry detergent!

The beloved Duane Reade, at the corner of East Houston Street and Avenue D, has a solution:

Anti-theft devices.

Anti-theft devices!

The row beneath this lone bottle was full of bottles of laundry detergent, also with anti-theft devices attached — I just liked the way this group looked, by itself.

#eastvillage #antitheftdevices #avenued #duanereade #houstonstreet #laundrydetergent #tide

Falling Apart

When you walk around the East Village, one of the first things you notice is that the area is falling apart.

Here is one example, that I saw outside the local Duane Reade on Avenue B this past weekend:

One example.

As if the falling-apart tree guard isn't enough, there's a dismembered bicycle right next to it!

At least it's locked to a bike corral so no one can steal it!

#eastvillage #avenueb #duanereade #disrepair #bicycles #bikecorrals #treeguards

Underserved

I was walking down Second Avenue this past Sunday, when I stopped a moment to remember the formerly-beloved Chase Bank branch, at St. Mark's Place:

Formerly-beloved Chase Bank branch.

This building has been a bank for as long as any East Villager can remember. Before there was a bank here, it was just swampland!

You can see by the crack in the façade (that's French for "facade") that the ground is still soft:

Crack in the façade.

After people stopped entering this site, rodents started to take over:

Rodent take-over.

This closed branch reminded me of another formerly-beloved Chase Bank branch, on Avenue A and East 2nd Street:

Another formerly-beloved Chase Bank branch.

This is a map of Chase Bank branches and ATMs in the East Village:

Chase Bank branches and ATMs.

Only D is a branch — C and E are ATMs at local Duane Reades, and A and B are outside the boundaries of the East Village!

It's time to start keeping our money in our mattresses!

=-=-=-=-=

Updated February 20, 2017

#eastvillage #avenuea #chasebank #duanereade #secondavenue #underserved #swamp

Shoring Up The Sidewalk

I was walking across East 2nd Street the other evening when I saw this:

Shoring up the sidewalk outside Duane Reade.

That's a darn fine sidewalk! Too bad I don't have a "before" picture — it never occurred to me that I'd need one!

The next time it rains, I'll try to remember to take a picture of the lack of standing water here… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #duanereade #avenueb

Duane Reade Comes to Avenue D

This past Sunday, I was coming back into the East Village, after spending the day in the country.

Getting off the FDR at Exit 5, I was driving across Houston Street, when I saw it: the new Duane Reade on the corner of Avenue D:

Duane Reade on Avenue D.

When I got home, I took my camera and went back to get pictures. The store had quite a few people in it — one woman was sitting eating ice cream! It was like a Norman Rockwell painting!

Something I noticed about this building that I hadn't noticed before is how beautiful it is reflecting the evening sunlight:

Reflecting the evening sunlight.

Duane Reades all have Chase ATMs in them too. Finally, I don't have to walk all the way over to Avenue B when I need cash!

#eastvillage #avenued #houstonstreet #duanereade #atms

Major Capital Improvements at Duane Reade

Taking advantage of the street work going on outside their door, there have been some major capital improvements at the Duane Reade on Avenue B and East 2nd Street lately. I passed by there today and saw this:

Major capital improvement.

I don't know what the intention is, but the consequence of this new barrier is that you will now have to take at least two more steps when exiting Duane Reade, before turning left to head up Avenue B, if that's where you're going.

Also, around the corner on East 2nd Street, they've done some painting. (This isn't that new, but it's not that old either):

Multi-colored cityscape.

It looks better than it did before.

#eastvillage #duanereade #avenueb, #2ndstreet