Tompkins Square Park

NYC Food Truck Association Gives Free Food to Powerless

Between noon and 4 p.m. today, the NYC Food Truck Association in conjunction with Jet Blue will give away free meals to the powerless in lower Manhattan and the Rockaways. See all the locations and participating trucks after the jump.

Croissanteria and Table Verte Open in East Village

Over the weekend, the East Village got a heaping pile of Parisian flair. Two new French spots opened for business near Tompkins Square Park.

Evita Has Gone To The Dogs

Literally. This adorable shot is from the Tompkins Square Halloween Parade on Saturday. And already, the Broadway kids are buzzing with suggested captions.

HAUNTED HOUNDS

Local pups bring the cute

New York City Parks Are Hot Spots For Rapists. Bill de Blasio Credits NYPD "Blind Spots"

New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio says NYPD "blind spots" are partially to blame for a recent spike in sexual assaults in city parks. To fix the problem, de Blasio says the cops need to start tallying park-crime data.De Blasio's suggestion comes just days after a 31-year-old woman was nea ... More >>

What To Look For in the Farmers' Markets This Week: Wild Bush Blueberries

Identify them by their size. [See More Market Watch: Dear New York Plums, You're Amazing | Shishito Peppers] I spotted them at the Tompkins Square market Sunday: bush blueberries of the type that grow wild in northern lakeside and mountainous regions. They are about half the diameter of regular c ... More >>

The Best Places To Smoke Weed in NYC

Hey man...yeah, we know it's early, too. Are you seriously watching all of Star Trek: The Next Generation right now? Dude that's crazy. Riker like, gets turned into a Klingon or some shit on one of those episodes, right? No, I'm good for right now, thanks. I have to work! But is there any pizza lef ... More >>

It's Time To Throw Out Your Damn Christmas Tree Already

The end of today's non-work day means that the holidays are officially over. Yes, we know that Three Kings Day falls on January 6th but we're tired of waiting around so long for it. It's time to get rid of the lights and decorations and fall into the ho-hum that is winter in New York. So what do you ... More >>

What Does East Village Resistance to Occupy Tompkins Square Park Mean for the East Village?

John Penley, by Paul DeRienzo​For about a week now, there have been plans to occupy Tompkins Square Park, led largely by East Villager John Penley, who has a Facebook page set up for the event, which was scheduled to begin on Saturday with a noontime picnic. In the wake of last night's announc ... More >>

5 More New York City Parks Will Get Free Wireless Internet This Week

​Earlier this year the city announced a five-year plan with AT&T to bring free Wi-Fi to 26 spots in 20 New York City parks throughout the boroughs. This Thursday, Astoria Park in Queens, Herbert Von King Park and McCarren Park Field House in Brooklyn, Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, and Clo ... More >>

Occupy Wall Street Eyeing Tompkins Square Park

Occupy Wall Street has been camping out in the Financial District for over three weeks now. They're starting to spread out, though; this past weekend they held a rally at Washington Square Park and they're reportedly eyeing Tompkins Square Park as a protesting location as well. A picnic is planned t ... More >>

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop Opens in the East Village, Amid Gleeful Mayhem

​That's Doug Quint on the left, obviously relieved that the place is finally open (click on any photo to enlarge). A carnival atmosphere prevailed as the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop finally debuted on East 7th Street, steps from the southwest corner of Tompkins Square. By noon, the line stretched ... More >>

Sister Mary Therese Encourages Rodent-Human Relations in NYC

​Apparently, August is the month of the rat. Last week, Rosie Gray explored rat bites, which, it appears, are down this year, and on Monday, Jen Doll shared a new fan trailer for the rats of Tompkins Square Park. Last year, we established that rats are indeed New Yorkers' least favorite pests. ... More >>

The Rats of Tompkins Square Park Have a Movie Trailer Now

It is human nature to be both disgusted and, somehow, deeply intrigued by rats. Maybe it's just August, but this love-hate relationship is again at the forefront of NYC consciousness, as our ratty frenemies seem to be overrunning Tompkins Square Park even more than usual of late. Not content with B- ... More >>

Tonight Marks the 23rd Anniversary of the Tompkins Square Park Riot

via Clayton Patterson's Footage​On August 6, 1988, police clashed with protesters in Tompkins Square Park in a riot that lasted early into the next morning. People had gathered in Tompkins to protest the city's proposed 1 a.m. curfew, which Mayor Koch said would clean up the "cesspool" of a pa ... More >>

Jimmy Webb, Trash and Vaudeville Buyer, Speaks About the Old Neighborhood

Esther Zuckerman​Jimmy Webb leads us out of Trash and Vaudeville -- the famed St. Mark's store where he works as buyer and manager -- to a spot across the street. Over the buildings he points to a white wall that has the word "Muerte" written in block letters at its top. That's where there use ... More >>

Are Drugs in Tompkins Square Park Causing the Homeless to Flee?

​Are the bad old days really back to Tompkins Square Park? The Villager, reporting on "a group of tattooed, homeless young revelers who sip on drinks tucked in brown paper bags and often play music" (they call themselves Asylum), uncovers a sea change of sorts with regard to the city's green s ... More >>

Tompkins Square Park Is Missing Its Crusties

via crustypunks.blogspot.com​Something is amiss in the city. No, it's not the bizarre weather (though wasn't it cold yesterday?). Take a look around. What don't you see? Did you say "nomads?" Yep! You're right. There are no nomads this year in Tompkins Square Park. Well, the New York Times is ... More >>

NEW MOON

Something to howl about

Why I Hate Competitive Eating Contests

Farm Security AdministrationNipomo, California, 1936. Photo by Dorothea Lange​I was pedaling my bike past Tompkins Square on a weekday afternoon, when I came upon a common sight. A long line of people started mid-block on the north side of the street, and twisted its way around the corner of ... More >>

East Village Dog Owners Have Become Knife-Wielding Vigilantes

​A rash of pit bull attacks on both dogs and humans at Tompkins Square Park has forced some East Village dog owners to take matters into their own hands, carrying "knives and other weapons" when they visit the dog run now, reports DNA Info. "Other weapons" include a varied assortment of possib ... More >>

Leftover Crack

East Villagers Don't Seem to Want a Shake Shack

hespeaks.wordpress.comThe end is near.​After a recent New York Times story about East 7th Street so helpfully pointed out that Tompkins Square Park does not contain a Shake Shack, EV Grieve took it upon itself to poll fellow East Villagers about how they would feel about such a possibility. ... More >>

Presenting the Best Food-Related Dog Costumes From Tompkins Square Park

​The 20th Annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade was held yesterday, and many of the dogs looked good enough to eat, like this fellow shown above, who is channeling Lady Gaga in her meat dress. All photos are courtesy of Buzz Feed--check out their 25 Best Costume slideshow. Dog a ... More >>

"Urban Speaker" Gives Loud Public Voice To Strangers (and Foster) via Phonecall

​Getting yelled at by your boss isn't something most people want to have happen to them. But imagine being yelled at by your boss through a public speaker system in a park filled with 50 strangers watching you. That was my reality when I visited "Urban Speaker", a public art installation temporari ... More >>

FLY ON HOME

Charlie Parker’s best tribute

Fat Pants Friday: NYC Icy's Lemon and Coconut Ice

​ NYC Icy returned to the East Village last week with a certain amount of fanfare: Many moons ago, the flavored ice joint first set up shop on Avenue B. After more closings, openings, and closings than anyone cares to remember at this point, it has opened up a compact, bare-bones stall on Ave ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Kenmare; Sarah DiGregorio at Pulino's

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema braves the scene at Kenmare, where "the ingredients were unimpeachable, the facile preparation of entrées was a deadly sin." Sarah DiGregorio samples everything plus the pizza at Pulino's, deeming the toppings "undeniably tasty, especially the dryish, concent ... More >>

Looking Back on the LES Hippie Explosion of 1967

​Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archives. January 4, 1968, Vol. XIII, No. 12 A Long Way from May to December by Don McNeill The hippies are dead and the Diggers may be dying. A year ago, neither word had yet appeared in the pages of the New York Times. In 12 months the Lower E ... More >>

DeNiro and Lee Have Designs on Your Nostalgia

​Reuter's is reporting that New Yorkers longing for a pre-"Rent," pre-luxury condo filled Lower East Side might not have to wait much longer...on television, anyway. Robert DeNiro and Spike Lee are developing the series "Alphaville" for Showtime, which will be set in the Alphabet City of the ... More >>

'Charlie Parker Festival'

SUMMER OF ’88

Tompkins Square remains free

LET'S GO DOWNTOWN!

Another (yes,  another) cool outdoor film festival

STEP OFF

Dancers put it down, flip it, and reverse it

BUST A MOVE

A party for the new LES bohemians

AN INDIVIDUAL HIGH

Audience members become part of the show

More Fun Fest

The monthlong Independents festival turns Gowanus into a home-grown experimental mecca

Message in a Bottle: Homesteaders Rock the Lower East Side

The Tompkins Square Riots

Angel-Headed Hipsters Get Ready for Wigstock

An OD Revival Story

What to do if your friend turns blue? Try Narcan.

We Got the Beat: On the L.E.S., the Spirit of Ginsberg Lives

Savoring Screw Pine

The Lower East Side acquires its own city of entertainment

Dueling May Days: Radicals Compete for Your Allegiance

Rebel Yells

Firing up Tompkins Square's radical roots

Listings

Open City

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Piss, Puke, and Prizes

Gross-Out Web Show Sickens Crowd in Tompkins Square Park

East Village Other