Repairing Steps

The East Village is always getting better, from Department of Transportation workers fixing the streets, to painters painting, to step repairers repairing steps, like these, on East 5th Street:

Steps under repair.

How did only one side become so mangled?

#eastvillage #steps #stairs #orangecones #5thstreet

Strange & Wonderful Things

Not only miracles occur in the East Village, but other types of strange and wonderful things, too.

This ice pile on East 4th Street seems to have formed by itself, being located near no bars nor restaurants:

Naturally-forming ice pile.

On East 10th Street, locals can offer no explanation for this water draining away from a mound of salt pellets:

Water from salt.

Maybe we should be called The East Village Zone?

#eastvillage #ice #4thstreet #salt #steps

Free Dishes

I was walking across East 6th Street this past Tuesday, when I saw these dishes abandoned on these decrepit steps:

Decrepit steps.

Someone could have tripped over these, if the bricks gave way and sent them stumbling in that direction!

Let's take a closer look at these dishes, shall we?

A closer look.

If you are in need of three mis-matching plates, they might still be there!

#eastvillage #6thstreet #abandoneddishes #recycling #steps #trash

Blocked Entrance

If you've got a good memory, then you will remember a story I wrote, oh, about two years and seven months ago, about the beloved Uliana, and the steep steps you had to walk down to get inside.

I thought that would be the steepest staircase I'd find in the East Village, until this past Sunday.

Behold, the beloved Duo NYC, on East 9th Street (not very far from Uliana!), and their cellar entrance:

Cellar entrance.

My first thought was: That can't be right. That sign can't be indicating that the entrance is down those cellar stairs, so I looked at the other side:

The other side.

Yup! There's no doubt about it!

I just wonder: Why did they block the entrance with that sign?

#eastvillage #9thstreet #duonyc #cellardoors #cellars #steps

Festive Yellow Chain

East Villagers are very clever at disguising building disrepair!

Walking across East 2nd Street yesterday, I saw this yellow chain blocking the entrance to this building:

Blocking the entrance.

At first glance, I thought it was just a festive, yellow chain, but on closer inspection I saw that there were no supports for the handrails!

No support on the right side.

No support on the left side.

I wonder if anyone tried to get out, saw the chain, and went back inside? They might still be there!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #chains #disrepair #steps #yellow

Abandoned Shoes

I was walking down Second Avenue this past Wednesday, when I saw this pair of abandoned shoes on the steps of the Middle Collegiate Church:

Abandoned shoes.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Here's an even closer close-up:

Closer close-up.

Some people abandoned babies on the steps of churches — East Villagers abandon shoes!

#eastvillage #abandonedshoes #middlecollegiatechurch #secondavenue #steps

Step Repair

Maintenance of the East Village is a never-ending struggle — while one part is deteriorating, another is being renovated!

One example of this renovation is the bottom step of the beloved former San Isidro Y San Leandro Orthodox Catholic Church of the Hispanic Mozarabic Rite, on East 4th Street:

Step repair.

As you can see, this is a two-hammer job!

#eastvillage #sanisidroysanleandroorthodoxcatholicchurchofthehispanicmozarabicrite #4thstreet #renovations #steps

Five Minutes on St. Mark's Place

St. Mark's Place is known around the world as the epicenter of the East Village — it is the ground-zero of coolness!

Recently, the beloved CD store Sounds closed for good. Or for bad, but definitely forever. Their stairs are now free for all to sit on and watch shoppers make their way up and down the street.

Here is a video of five minutes and twenty-four seconds on St. Mark's Place, complete with soundtrack:



Saint Mark, evangelist and martyr, and patron saint of coolness… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #sounds #steps

The Bottom Step

Sometimes things happen so quickly in the East Village that I don't have time to write about them before they change again!

Here's an example: I was walking down St. Mark's Place on Tuesday morning, when I saw this:

Messed-up step at The Saint.

The bottom step at The Saint is messed up.

But then… passing by again on Thursday, I saw this:

Fixed step.

It's like the building has an auto-repair mechanism!

Fixing up the East Village, one step at a time!

#eastvillage #thesaint #stmarksplace #steps

Do Not Sit on the Steps

I was walking down St. Mark's Place today, when I had the memory of being here just before Christmas, taking a picture of the Search & Destroy Santa.

Today, I was just taking a picture of the steps:

Search & Destroy steps.

They look very inviting, like they'd be very comfortable to sit on.

Attention!

So, no sitting on these steps, you purveyors of punk rock memorabilia!

Oh yes, one more thing:

Caution: No Picture.

Well now you tell me!

#eastvillage #search&destroy #stmarksplace #steps