Wasted Booze

I was walking up Avenue A this afternoon, when I saw this unfinished bottle of booze on the fence:

On the fence. 

Who doesn't finish this quantity of booze?! It's not even a shot!

Bland Fence

It's hard to be sure whether this fence here on St. Mark's Place is in the process of being painted, or if the paint is being stripped off to allow the metal to rust, and look… rustic:

Hard to be sure.

(It's weird how they stopped at the bendy bar!)

I'd like to think the fence was being primed for painting, and that isn't the final color.

It's pretty bland, no?

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #fences #paint #bland

Free Stuff

There is so much great free stuff to be had in the East Village — just walk around and you're bound to find something!

Behold, on St. Mark's Place:

Free stuff in a box.

It's not just for freegans any more!

#eastvillage #freestuff #stmarksplace

Mürmur

I was walking down Avenue A a couple of weeks ago, when I saw this assemblage of paper and tape at the corner of St. Mark's Place:

Paper and tape.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

This has been going on for as long as East Village Today, and yet we've never crossed paths before this!

Maybe I'll get myself interviewed!

#eastvillage #avenuea #mürmur #signs #stmarksplace

Labor Day LP

Walking down St. Mark's Place back in April, I spied with my little eye an abandoned cardboard box containing four long-playing records by East Village celebrity Spencer Breslin:

Long-playing records.

I wonder if he's related to Jimmy Breslin? I bet he is — it's not that common a name, Spencer.

A month later, I saw this, on East 7th Street:

On East 7th Street.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

I wonder if these are the same records? Maybe someone took them from the box on St. Mark's Place, walked a block, and left them here.

It's certainly a much better background!

#eastvillage #spencerbreslin #stmarksplace #7thstreet #records #laborday #celebrities

Shmadvertising

Construction fences in the East Village are always changing — advertising one day, shmadvertising the next.

On this fence, on St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue, on this day, it was shmadvertising:

Shmadvertising.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's interesting and all, but what is it selling?

#eastvillage #constructionfences #stmarksplace #secondavenue #posters

Flamingo & Watermelon

The beloved Chi Snack Shop, on St. Mark's Place, has come a long way since their humble beginnings back in 2016.

Today, with their pink storefront, and their inflatable outdoor seating, there's even more to love!

More to love.

Sporting the colors of East Village Today, no less!

#eastvillage #selfpromotion #chisnackshop #stmarksplace #outdoorseating

First Crusties of Spring — 2018

It's that time of the year again — it's time for the return of the crusties!

I saw these crusties on St. Mark's Place last night, outside the formerly-beloved JAS Mart:

Crusties last night.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It looks like they changed their uniform color!

Not to be outdone, here is the first robin of Spring, on East 6th Street this morning:

First robin.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

His uniform color hasn't changed.

#eastvillage #6thstreet #crusties #jasmart #robins #stmarksplace

Mirror Image

Sometimes to see the East Village, you have to look outside the East Village.

What do I mean, you ask?

Behold, across The Bowery from the St. Mark's Place gateway:

Mirror image.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up

It just goes to show you: the world itself is a mirror of the East Village.

#eastvillage #reflectybuildings #stmarksplace #thebowery #mirrors

Jumping Hose

I was walking across St. Mark's Place — oh, about a week and a day ago — when I saw this hose jumping about on the sidewalk:

Jumping about.

You can't tell from the picture that the hose was jumping about, but believe you me, it was!

The hose was attached to this Clean Air Group truck:

Clean Air Group truck.

Where was it leading, you ask? Good question!

It was leading into this cellar:

Cellar.

The question remains: were they delivering or picking up the goop?

#eastvillage #cellardoors #cellarstairs #cellars #cleanairgroup #hoses #orangecones #stmarksplace

Free Cone Day

East Villagers love ice cream — you know this by the number of ice cream shops in the neighborhood.

The most recent to open, Ben & Jerry's, on St. Mark's Place, declared today, April 10, Free Cone Day.

Behold:

Free Cone Day.

If you didn't believe me about East Villagers loving ice cream, take a look at these pictures I took on my way home from working today:

Waiting for ice cream.

I'm… waiting for my ice cream man…

Almost there.

The other beloved ice cream shops in the neighborhood should take notice — the only thing East Villagers love more than ice cream is free ice cream!

#eastvillage #freeconeday #benandjerrys #stmarksplace #icecream

Worse In The Snow

Even a winter wonderland of snow can't make everything in the East Village look better.

Take this chair, for instance, on St. Mark's Place. Arguably, it could be said to look worse in the snow:

Looking worse in the snow.

And this intersection at Avenue B and East 7th Street — honestly, I don't think it looks better or worse:

Neither better nor worse.

Winter Storm East Village Today works in mysterious ways.

#eastvillage #7thstreet #avenueb #chairs #snow #stmarksplace #winter #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

Local Starbucks Is Safe

There's a joke in the East Village that if you turn the country on its side, everything loose will roll to California.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

This morning, East Villagers learned that in California, local Starbuckses have to label their coffee as cancer-causing.

First off, how do you label coffee? Wouldn't it make more sense to label the cup?

But what if you get hot chocolate, or tea? The cup would be misleading. They'll have to have two types of cups from now on!

Luckily, the local Starbucks, on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, won't have to do this.

Local Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place.

East Villagers can continue to enjoy their coffee without scary death faces on their cups!

#eastvillage #avenuea #california #cancercausing #stmarksplace #starbucks

Clayton Patterson Lego Figure

Lucy van Pelt said: "How can you say someone is great who's never had his picture on bubblegum cards"?

While true in the 1960s, today, in the 21st century, you know you've made it when they make a Lego figure out of you!

Presenting (on St. Mark's Place), Clayton Patterson:

Clayton Patterson Lego figure.

Lego riot in a public station
gonna fight and tear it up
in a hyper nation for you

More obscure references than you can shake a stick at!

#eastvillage #beethoven #claytonpatterson #legos #lucyvanpelt #sonicyouth #stmarksplace #teenageriot

The Last Three

As part of my series of Day Trips Outside the East Village, I ventured this morning to Astor Place, to see the new rhino sculpture called "The Last Three", by the artist duo Gillie and Marc.

Here is a picture:

The Last Three.

East Villagers have been flocking to this sculpture since it was unveiled yesterday — there hasn't been this much excitement since Basquiat was alive!

Here is a map showing how to get there from the East Village:

Directions from East Village.

Thankfully, it's not very far, and you get to exit from St. Mark's Place, the coolest street in the East Village!

#eastvillage #astorplace, #daytrips, #thelastthree, #stmarksplace, #sculptures, #gillieandmarc

St. Mark's Place Closed

If you were thinking of driving eastward on St. Mark's Place today, you might want to rethink your plans.

Behold:

Street Closed sign.

It should say: Place Closed!

Here is a picture of the street repair workers working to repair the street:

Repairing the street.

I'm not sure what was wrong, but I'm glad they're fixing it!

#eastvillage #secondavenue #stmarksplace #streetrepairs

Two Vases

Who would have thought it possible that the two faceless creatures that grace St. Mark's Place could ever be improved upon (except by reconstructing their faces)?

They have.

Two vases.

Two vases now sit in front of the two creatures — and they don't even match!

#eastvillage #lions #stmarksplace #statues #vases

Caution, Parking

I was walking across St. Mark's Place this past Sunday, when I saw this woman gathering up the caution tape that had fallen into the pile of gravel there:

Gathering it up.

I didn't understand why she was doing it, but at the same time: I didn't care!

Later, walking back home the same way, I figured it out:

Parking spot.

Parking spots in the East Village are hard to find — you have to do a bit of improvising sometimes.

I'm still not sure what the caution tape had to do with anything though.

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #orangebarrels #gravel #cautiontape #parking

Inadequate Signs

Because the East Village is so unique, it's impossible to purchase signs to tell people specifically what you want to tell them, like a No Trespassing sign that includes No Hunting / Fishing!

Here is another example of just such a sign, seen on St. Mark's Place this past Tuesday:

Just such a sign.

Not only is there no grass, but there's no yard!

No yard.

That's why DIY is so big here!

#eastvillage #diy #keepoffgrass #signs #stmarksplace