Turning Vandalism Into Art

At first sight, it appears as if some vandal punched this spider and broke the glass, knowing that the shatter effect would create a web for the spider, at Stromboli Pizza on St. Mark's Place and First Avenue:

Yellow spider on broken-glass web.

Thinking about it for a moment though, it's clear that some clever artist put a spider appliqué on top of the already-broken glass!

All the world's a canvas… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #artists #firstavenue #stmarksplace #strombolipizza #vandalism #vandals

The Green Bike Mystery

I was walking down Third Avenue yesterday, when I spotted this green bike:

Seemingly-normal green bike.

If you look closely though, you will see that the handlebars are missing! Here is a close-up:

Handlebars ripped asunder.

I've always wondered about damaged bikes like this. When the owner returned to find the handlebars missing, did she just throw up her arms in disgust and walk away, abandoning the bike and lock forever?

Usually, when a bike is abandoned, it gets picked apart until nothing is left but the frame, which vandals come and beat into a modern-art sculpture. This bike is still in good shape, which makes me think this is a relatively new occurrence. But then what about that rust?

It's a mystery… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #thirdavenue #bicycles #vandals

Painted Doors

In the East Village, it's very popular to paint over doors. Sometimes it's a business establishment:

East 9th Street and First Avenue

Other times, it's vandals:

East 3rd Street

You'll notice in both instances that the doors are open. East Villagers like to leave their doors open, even when not painted over:

East 7th Street

Well, I guess that's painted.