Sounds No More

By the time you read this, the beloved Sounds, the last CD store on St. Mark's Place, will be closed.

These signs on the stairs today announced their Grand Closing:

Signs announcing the Grand Closing of Sounds.

This was the view inside this afternoon:

The view inside.

Today, I discovered for the first time that they had classical and opera CDs — I never knew that!

I picked up a couple, and after looking through everything else in the store for over an hour(!), I took a last look through the popular music section, thinking "If they have any Neil Young that I don't have, I'll get it."

Wouldn't you know it? They had Comes A Time! (which I used to have, but it disappeared some how), so I took my selection: Verdi's Requiem, Beethoven's Fidelio, and Young's Comes A Time to the register.

The man at the register leafed through them quickly and said "Twelve dollars".

I tell you: my jaw dropped, my eyes popped, and I said "I'll be right back!"

I pulled out of the bins the others CDs I'd been thinking about getting but thought, even with a sale price, they'd be more than I wanted to pay. I got Beethoven's complete piano sonatas, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, Bach's Cello Suites, and since the prices were so good, Vivaldi's Four Seasons and collection of concertos for violin, cello, and oboe.

I went back to the register. He whisked through them again and said "Thirty-five dollars." I gave him my money, and was gone!

But not before getting this picture of an East Villager announcing to the world his tremendous savings:

"I saved so much money… in the East Village Today!"

Time will tell what new store will take the place of the now former, beloved Sounds. East Villagers will miss these great savings, but

We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind

…in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #sound, #sign, #stmarksplace

Dungeon Stairs

Still going through the Drafts folder!

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I was walking across St. Mark's Place some number of months ago, when I saw these dungeon stairs painted on the cellar doors of some place pretty near Avenue A:

Dungeon stairs.

Pretty scary effect — I've seen dogs and small children walk around this!

It's trompe-l'œil all day, every day… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #stmarksplace #trompe-l'œil #cellardoors #vdpizza

Ian Jones Memorials

Back in September, I posted a story about a memorial at the Avenue A and East 9th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park, dedicated to someone who went by the name Lower East Side Jewels.

That same day, further down the 9th Street corridor through the park, was this memorial photograph:

Memorial photograph.

I'm surprised to see these photographs still being placed around the park. Some of you may remember these earlier memorials, from this past August:

Inside Tompkins Square Park.

On East 7th Street.

From dangerous sociopaths to promising young models, East Villagers love their memorials!

#eastvillage #9thstreet #avenuea #ianjones #lowereastsidejewels #memorials #tompkinssquarepark

What Next For Yaffa?

There hasn't been much work done lately to the former, once-beloved Yaffa Cafe, on St. Mark's Place, so these pictures from this past August aren't too far out of date:

Former Yaffa Cafe door, open.

Inside the former Yaffa Cafe.

East Villagers are still waiting to find out what exciting new venue will open up here!

Another fashionable place to go… in the fashionable East Village Today!

#eastvillage #yaffacafe #stmarksplace #constructionsites #opendoors

Keep Council District 2 Clean

Today, I'm cleaning out my Drafts folder!

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East Villagers are modern-day Boosters!

Here's an example, where some respectable East Village citizen discarded fallen tree branches into the trash can on Avenue A and St. Mark's place, back in August:

Tree branches in the trash can.

Green leaves, green trash can, green traffic light control box — Keeping Council District 2 Green, I mean clean… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #avenuea #boosters #councildistrict2 #stmarksplace #trashcans

Above Black Seed Bagels

Regular readers of this blog will no doubt remember my post about the newly-opening, local, beloved Black Seed Bagels, on First Avenue, in the location of the former, beloved De Robertis. And why not? It was only twenty minutes ago!

Here are some pictures of the building itself — the floors above the bagel shop:

Directly above Black Seed Bagels.

Above and to the right.

You know what would be a great idea? For the owners of the building to rent these apartments to the workers of Black Seed Bagels! Then they could hang that sign that says: If you lived here, you'd already be home" next to the time clock, and it would be true!

Living and working… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #blackseedbagels #firstavenue #derobertis #constructionsites #renovations

Inside Black Seed Bagels

East Villagers are all abuzz over the opening of the new, local, beloved Black Seed Bagels, in the location of the former, beloved De Robertis, on First Avenue!

It was rumored to be difficult to take pictures of the inside as it was being constructed, but one blog's difficult is another blog's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

Here is a picture of the inside of Black Seed Bagels, currently under construction:

Inside Black Seed Bagels.

Neighbors are excited for the local air to be filled with the delightful smell of fresh-baked bread!

East Villagers love bagels!

#eastvillage #blackseedbagels #derobertis #firstavenue

Tales of Mystery & Imagination

I was walking through Tompkins Square Park the other day, when I saw this squirrel, lying on a fence:

Squirrel lying on a fence.

Here's a closer shot:

A closer shot.

It's unusual to see a squirrel lying on a fence this way, especially with the park's reputation as a den of hawks!

It made me wonder if something was wrong, like maybe it was dying?

Another tale of the macabre from… the gritty East Village Today!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #squirrels #macabre #gritty

A Gaggle of Shoppers

I was walking across St. Mark's Place the other day, when I saw this gaggle of shoppers, outside the beloved Search & Destroy, waiting to go inside and shop:

A gaggle of shoppers.

People come from all over the world to shop at this store. It's famous!

The wares are on the shelves, all's right with… the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #searchanddestroy #stmarksplace

Dress Rehearsal

You could not be faulted for thinking that this downed, potted tree on East 3rd Street, just east of Avenue B, was toppled by the advanced winds of Hurricane Joaquin…

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But no! This terrible mishap happed September 10! (Yeah, I'm still behind!)

As the sapling falls, so grows the tree… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #trees #avenueb #3rdstreet #hurricanejoaquin