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

Come Again Soon

East Villagers love visitors — we love when people come to see our wacky coolness.

Yet, all good things must end, and one East Villager expressed with this sign directed to people leaving from East 5th Street:

I Will Miss You.

Come again soon!

#eastvillage #signs #iwillmissyou #5thstreet

S'Narc Bar

There is a beloved bar on The Bowery called Narc Bar.

It's true! Take a look:

Narc Bar.

Just in case you think I'm joking, here is a close-up of their sign:

Close-up.

To help you narc on someone, they provide a telephone:

Ring your rep.

They even provide you with a script, in case you're new to narcing.

Whiny babies.

S'narky!

#eastvillage #narcbar #thebowery #signs #whinybabies

One Brick

Sometimes graffitiers spray paint entire sides of buildings, or walls, and sometimes they spray paint only one single brick.

Strange, no? And yet, here it is, on the corner of East 4th Street and The Bowery:

One brick.

It's not the white one, if that's what you're thinking. It's the one up and to the left of the white one.

This one:

This one.

Either the graffitier painted just this one brick, or the graffiti remover cleaned the entire wall except  this one brick!

Either is just as likely!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #thebowery #brickwalls #graffiti #bricks #spraypaint

Windy Fall

It certainly has been a windy Fall!

I was walking past Cooper Union, on The Bowery, when I saw the barricades, usually standing, had been blown down:

Blown down.

It's a good thing the crusties weren't asleep there when this happened — they might have been crushed!

#eastvillage #cooperunion #thebowery #fall #barricades

Dancing Emma

I was walking across East 7th Street yesterday, when I saw this banner of one-time East Villager Emma Goldman:

Banner of Emma Goldman.

Emma Goldman is famous for having said "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

Looking at that face, though, I'm prone to thinking that people didn't want her to dance because she was so sullen! Can you imagine her on the dance floor, glaring at the band?!

When I got to the end of East 7th Street, at The Bowery, I saw another banner, this time of Che Guevara:

Banner of Che Guevara.

Che Guevara now, I bet he could dance until dawn — even with his asthma!

#eastvillage #banners #7thstreet #thebowery #emmagoldman #cheguevara #dancing #aiweiwei

Go Packers!

You might not think it to look at them, but crusties are Green Bay Packers fans!

Behold, taken thirteen days ago in the Cooper Union alcove on The Bowery:

Cooper Union alcove.

This is how you know crusties are not from here: East Villagers don't know the first thing about football!

#eastvillage #cooperunion #thebowery #crusties #greenbaypackers

Problem Trees

Trees in the East Village are problematic things: on the one hand, they have leaves; on the other hand, they drop these flowery things that make it look like Winter, and cause people to sneeze their heads off!

Behold, as seen on East 10th Street, two weeks ago:

It's beginning to look a lot like… ah choo!

If you ask me, they should all be replaced by artificial trees — this way, they could be any color or style, and they wouldn't shed!

These trees, on the other side of the border separating the East Village from lower-Midtown South, are a good example of good trees:

Good trees.

#eastvillage #10thstreet #midtownsouth #thebowery #trees

Today Is The Day

It's here: 7-Eleven Day!

In case you're new to the East Village, and don't know where the local
7-Eleven stores are, I will tell you.

One is on the corner of Avenue A and East 11th Street.

This is what it looks like:

Local 7-Eleven on Avenue A.

The other is on The Bowery, just above East 3rd Street.

This is what it looks like:

Local 7-Eleven on The Bowery.

You know the routine: visit both for two free slurpees — I know I will!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #7eleven #7elevenday #avenuea #slurpees #thebowery #3rdstreet

Jeremiai 29:11

East Villagers love their Old Testament graffiti, but they can't spell for doo-doo!

Behold, outside the beloved Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, on The Bowery, last Sunday:

Bad spelling.

What does it mean, you ask?

For I know the plans I have for you — declares the Lord —
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Now that's encouraging!

#eastvillage #jeremiah #thebowery #cooperunion #graffiti #biblepassages

Ripple Effect

When Citibikes first arrived on the scene, East Villagers knew it wouldn't be long before the ripple effect was felt!

Walking past the beloved The Bowery Hotel, on The Bowery, I saw one of these ripples!

Bowery Bikes.

Guests of The Bowery Hotel have use of their own bikes!

East Villagers hope this doesn't hurt our local Citibike!

#eastvillage #bicycles #boweryhotel #rippleeffect #thebowery

7-Eleven Day

All over the East Village this morning, East Villagers are waking up and remembering that today, July 11, is 7-Eleven Day!

Today only, from 11:00am until 7:00pm, you can get a free small Slurpee (at participating stores, while supplies last):

Free small Slurpee.

There are two local 7-Elevens in the East Village: one on Avenue A and East 11th Street:

Local 7-Eleven on Avenue A .

…and one on The Bowery:

Local 7-Eleven on The Bowery.

If you go to both, maybe you can get two — that's the East Village way!

#eastvillage #11thstreet #7eleven #7elevenday #avenuea #slurpees #thebowery

Andy Warhol is Missing

Andy Warhol looks a scream
Hang him on my wall

This is crazy —

I was walking up The Bowery yesterday morning, and I took this picture of a mosaic of Andy Warhol on the side of the beloved The Standard hotel:

Andy Warhol mosaic.

…and I had this whole story written in my head about how to the right of the mosaic there were these tiles that are now missing, and how Andy Warhol was not from the East Village, and how he never lived here, and how East Villagers love people from outside the East Village, and how no one from the East Village ever becomes famous… all of it true!

But then, this morning I was waking up The Bowery again…

Well, take a look:

The mosaic is gone.

The mosaic is gone!

Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can take down murals of famous non-East-Village artists. There is a pestilence upon the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #andywarhol #mosaics #thebowery #thestandard

Pedestrians Break Out

I was walking up The Bowery the other morning, when I saw this malformation at the East 6th Street crosswalk:

Crosswalk malformation.

East Village pedestrians are sure to be confused when they reach this point — what's happening to the boundaries?!

#eastvillage #thebowery #6thstreet #crosswalks #pedestrians

Fixing East 2nd Street

Residents of East 2nd Street between Second Avenue and The Bowery have yet another reason to cheer: construction work is taking place to mend the deplorable condition of that stretch of street:

Construction on East 2nd Street.

What was their first reason to cheer, you ask? Having a Citibike station on their block!

East Villagers know that having a Citibike station nearby improves the appeal of that location — it's only natural that fixing the street would follow!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #citibike #constructionsites #secondavenue #thebowery

A Trip Up The Bowery

Yesterday, I was walking around the East Village, as usual, when I thought to myself "I haven't been over to The Bowery in a while." So I went.

The Bowery is a fun place! There are lots of things to see there:

Bowery 7-Eleven store.

East Villagers love the convenience and low prices offered by the local 7‑Eleven — and they never close!

Walking up a little more, I found myself at St. Mark's Place, where I saw this demolished car:

Demolished car.

The street is pretty demolished too — even those bicycles to the side of the car are demolished!

From convenience to demolition, the Bowery has everything… in the East Village Today!

Phebe's

This is a faux-dive bar on The Bowery and East 4th Street, called Phebe's (pronounced Feeb's):

Is that the Doritos truck reflection in the window?

They closed a while ago for renovations. When they open again, they will no longer be a faux-dive, but will join the trendy new restaurants of the trendy new Bowery. They'll keep their mural as it is though, in homage to their faux-dive past.

East Villagers love to pay homage to the past!

#eastvillage #phebes #bowery #4thstreet

Around the Corner

This is around the corner from Bar Primi, on East 2nd Street, just in from the East Village side of The Bowery:

Some are living, some are not.

Some of them look pretty haggard. Maybe they didn't survive life on The Bowery. Maybe Primi is installing outdoor seating along 2nd Street, and these will form the perimeter? Anything is possible.

East Villagers love to eat outside!

#eastvillage #thebowery #2ndstreet #barprimi #outdoorseating

Paparazzi!

I was a paparazzo today!

I was walking up The Bowery when I saw a bunch of photographers standing in front of The Bowery Hotel:

At first I stood to the right of where the man is leaning into the SUV, talking with another guy with a camera who happened onto the scene just before I did. He didn't know who was coming out either!

We talked for a minute or so, until I realized that no matter who it was, I wouldn't recognize her (I'm sure it was a woman), and that a picture of paparazzi would be more interesting, so I crossed over and took it!

Life in the fast lane, East Village style!

#eastvillage #thebowery #boweryhotel #photographers

Almost Famous

Four musicians walking up The Bowery, this past weekend:

On their way to Bowery Electric.

Musicians still play at clubs on The Bowery. The spirit of the East Village lives on!

#eastvillage #musicians #thebowery #boweryelectric