Second Avenue Street Fair

If you think East Villagers love gyros, you're right!

We love them so much that at a recent Second Avenue Street Fair, that's almost all there was to eat!

Gyros on 14th Street.

Gyros on 13th Street.

Gyros on 12th Street.

Look at the fifth movie in the list: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner To Eat Gyros!

There was even a bodega-looking gyro stand:

Bodega gyros on 11th Street.

And finally:

Gyros on 10th Street.

But… what if the gyro doesn't fill you?

That's why they have sweet roasted corn!

Sweet roasted corn on 13th Street.

Sweet roasted corn on 11th Street.

$3 at both locations? I wonder if there's a sweet roasted corn cartel?

Not everyone comes to the Second Avenue Street Fair for the food though. Many come for locally-produced goods:

Locally-woven baskets.

More locally-woven baskets.

Some basket stands even had locally-produced masks and talismans:

Locally-produced masks and talismans.

The mask and talisman vendor said "No pictures" to the guy in the blue shirt.

"Oh, OK" he said.

Clearly, he's not a photographer!

Not a photographer.

There was even a stand where you could buy locally-woven rugs!

Locally-woven rugs.

As always, there were novelty items:

Novelty items.

Who doesn't hate thick wallets? All that money…

For some reason, many gyro vendors couldn't make it this year, as can be seen by all the empty spaces:

Empty space on 12th Street.

Empty space between 11th and 12th Street. 

Empty space in front of St. Mark's Church on The Bowery.

Empty space near 10th Street.

For that matter, many East Villagers didn't make it either:

Few and far between.

It was such a nice day, they probably went to the beach!

#eastvillage #10thstreet #11thstreet #12thstreet #13thstreet #14thstreet #photographers #secondavenue #stmarkschurch #streetfairs

10th Street Street Fair

Like so many East Villagers, I was away for at least part of the Memorial Day weekend. I missed the "Memorial Day Punk Show!!" in Tompkins Square Park. (Another East Villager told me he saw it from a distance and it looked "very generic" — I think he mispronounced "geriatric"!

I did go to the 10th Street Street Fair though:

Entering the fair from First Avenue.

The band wasn't playing when I passed through, just Led Zeppelin.

"All of my love…"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tricycle tractor appeared!

Tricycle tractor.

That's pretty much it! I walked to Second Avenue, where it ended, turned around and walked back, and then went home. At no point did I see a sausage and onions truck, or a zeppole truck.

A street fair isn't a street fair without traditional street fair fare!

East 10th Street Block Fair

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was writing about the beloved East 10th Street Block Fair, and yet it was a year ago!

This past Saturday, the East 10th Street Block Fair was in full swing again:

East 10th Street, in full swing (looking eastward).

There are always lots of black clothes, for the fashionable East Villager:

"What's this white jacket – is Bryan Ferry here?"

East Villagers do love a bargain:

Free Store.

The local jazz band, "taking five":

Taking five.

This t-shirt looks like the Pink Floyd's The Wall hammer insignia, but sideways! It was probably a printing error — maybe he picked it up at the Free Store!

Sideways hammers insignia.

There was a big, empty space where Stuyvesant Street intersected East 10th Street that would have been perfect for a mime:

Big empty, mimeless space.

Someone seems to have taken a hack saw to this guitar:

Guitar hack job.

Pantone swatch books are always a popular gift for the East Village artist:

"How much do you want for this? … One of the 235 chips is missing."

And the East 10th Street Block Fair comes to an end:

At Second Avenue, looking westward.

Goodbye again, until next year!

#eastvillage #10thstreet #streetfairs #thirdavenue #secondavenue

Bites

One of the booths at the Second Avenue Festival yesterday was a food vendor called Bites. I'm giving them their own mention because their wares were so tasty!

This woman, with a shark hat on her head, was offering samples of… shark!

Turning the tables.

"Do you have any dolphin?" I asked her. 

"No, just shark," she said. I took a sample. It was good!

"I can tell that the last thing this shark ate before he was caught was… a dolphin."

"Really?" she said.

"No, just kidding," I said.

It's a family and friends operation. They don't have a restaurant, but they'll be at the street fairs this Summer. So check them out! Free samples to all East Village Today readers, while supplies last!

Second Avenue Festival

Yesterday was the annual Second Avenue Festival, on Second Avenue. There was something to purchase for everyone!

Instead of describing it, I'm going to let the pictures do the talking!

The view up Second Avenue.

Smoky chicken vendor:

"Would you like some smoke with that?"

Schmatas:

East Villagers love schmatas!

Have you ever seen so many cellphone covers?! Only in the East Village!

A cellphone cover for every occasion.

Pickle Me Elmo?

"But are they $4.00 for 80 ounces?"

Panama hats, from Ecuador:

For the spiffy East Villager!

Old things! Get your old things!

Vendor not for sale.

Finger puppets!

Oh, look: didn't you say you wanted to buy some finger puppets?

LPs:

Didn't I see these on East 7th Street last week?

All the way from Brooklyn:

Mmmm! Dough!

Rockstars are revolting!

"I have to get a picture of this for my blog."

Lemonade:

If life gives you lemonade, drink it!

Belts:

So many choices!

More finger puppets!

You can never have too many finger puppets.

Nail polish:

For after your finger puppets!

That's it, a stroll down Second Avenue.

Saving New York… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #secondavenue #streetfairs #savenewyork

The Real Party

Yesterday was the Avenue C street fair, on Avenue C. In many ways, it's like many other street fairs, with sausage and onion rolls, and Verizon sign-up tables, and bouncy castles:

Bouncy castles!

As fun as bouncy castles are — and they are fun! — East Villagers in-the-know know that the real party is between East 4th and 5th Streets, in front of Casa Adela:

Drumming circle.

Serving frozen fruit drinks.

Remembering Oscar López Rivera.

Singing an old-time canción.

Keeping it real… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuec #casaadela #oscarlopezrivera #streetfairs