East Village Edition

Greetings from the Alphabet City neighborhood of New York City's East Village

What’s new with you?

I’ve been in the Big Apple since mid-May, caring for my two grand-cats. Instead of the night sky, mountains, and seals, I’m photographing buildings and humans—it took a few weeks not to feel like a creepy stalker having people in my photos, but just like vehicles and trash bags lining the streets here, people are everywhere, and I’ve begun to seek them out for interest and color!

Life in the Lower Eastside is fascinating and loud. A few dozen folks living in the public housing high-rises across the street enjoy their outdoor space on these warm nights which includes sharing their music at high volume with the neighborhood after midnight. Add that to the garbage trucks that come by 4-5 days a week, the busses that run 24 hours, the sirens from the police station a block away, the drivers blasting their sound systems, the daily deliveries to the grocery store on the ground floor, and the manhole cover mid-street that sounds like gunshots when hit at a certain speed, and it’s nonstop noise, unless the windows are shut and the window a/c is running — which is also noise, just less varied. Thank goodness for my “mighty plugs,” or I wouldn’t sleep at all. I would be very cranky if I had to be heading out for work in the mornings.

Instead, I spend mornings Googling directions to essentials like the laundromat, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, as well finding area parks, churches, and gluten-free food to sample. So far, I’ve been to nine parks, four dedicated gluten-free eateries, three historic churches, two book launch readings (one in which I might have been the only person in a crowd of 100 not to know the author who has penned a debut novel to rave reviews), two laundromats (one where I was bit six times on the arm by a bed bug or flea), one drugstore (for bug bite antihistamines), one community poetry reading, and one parade that went past my window. All within a two-mile radius.

Walking almost everywhere I’ve seen a lot of local color, and also tons of trash and recycling set out curbside in bags. Only a few buildings have trash receptacles, and everything is loaded by hand. If a bag breaks (which is often), what falls out is left there. I try to breath through my mouth to avoid smelling the trash, and the dog urine, which is especially bad near the dog parks in each neighborhood park.

But the parks are quite delightful, and the green benches we see in movies are really everywhere, lining every path in every older park, and filled with people getting out of stuffy apartments. I’ve enjoyed finding a shady spot to write my daily poem, listen to live music, or people watch, and practice my stealth street photography.

I’ve also had the privilege to worship at several historic and beautiful Episcopal churches: St. Mark’s in the Bowery which is the oldest sight of continuous worship in the city, Grace with its soaring spire, and its smaller Chantry where I attended mid-week Eucharist, and Church of the Ascension where the pews are “boxes” with doors, a style popular 200 or so years ago when families “bought” their pew boxes.

I have taken hundreds of photos in the past few weeks, and I’ve made a few collages to share with you. I hope you enjoy these glimpses of NYC.

My first outing in the city was to a sold out book launch at the famous Strand Bookstore. I only knew of Paul Scheer from his role in “Fresh Off The Boat,” and didn’t have much to say when he signed my book. I was, however, the first person in line (by luck of the colored wrist-band). I noticed he was left-handed, and I always, always have to comment since I feel a kinship to other lefties. Once I got home, I was delighted to read his inscription, “Left handed people unite!” Clearly we’re kindred spirits! I’m halfway through his memoir, and it really is joyful, and funny, despite the trauma.

In case you thought I was exaggerating about the trash! And yes, there is a rat problem. Graffiti in the lower left photo is covering waste receptacles outside a building. A number of people gather aluminum cans from recycling put out at the streets. My guess is they redeem cans for cash. All these cans are stacked on a single shopping cart.

Bicyclists are everywhere, particularly delivering food and Amazon orders. These men were traveling light and able to navigate traffic easily.

Left: main aisle and altar at Church of the Ascension. Upper right: Chantry altar at Grace Episcopal. Lower right: the pew box I worshipped in at Ascension.

Exteriors: (L) Grace Episcopal, (UR) St. Mark’s in the Bowery; (LR) Church of the Ascension.

The colorful East Village: (UL) “Manhattanhenge” seen from 14th St., when the sunset aligns perfectly with the city’s East-West grid, lighting the buildings. (LL): Lower Eastside Festival on Losaida St./Avenue C; (LR) Lower Eastside parade seen from my window.

Little Island at the Chelsea piers opened in 2021. View from Pier 57.

Left to Right: Top row: The fountain at Washington Square Park. Base of the flagpole at Union Square Park. Middle row: East River Park. Tompkins Square Park basketball court. Pier 53 with a manmade beach. Bottom row: Madison Square Park, Cooper Triangle, Stuyvesant Square Park.

I’m here for another two weeks, so we shall see what I shall see!
In the meantime, I wish you well, and I leave you with poem and selfie from the courtyard at Grace Church (my chin could use a tuck next to all those sharp angles!).

After Two Weeks in the City that Never Sleeps

If I think of the crowds
as a parade and myself
as part of the festivities
swept up in the tide
of bodies rushing
over sidewalks
and across streets
as if controlled
like waves by some
lunarlike force pulsing
our feet as fast as they
can carry us from
one dizzying carnival
ride to the next
lest we miss out
on all the fun ––
and if I think of all
the voices and music
drifting into the streets
day and night, and all
the garbage piled curbside
as novelties, as if I’m
visiting the county fair—

If I frame urban life
like that, then every
day is rosette and ribbon
worthy, every day
is Best of Show.