Bowery Boogie | A Lower East Side Chronicle

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Guitarist and innovator Les Paul is dead at 94.  Cause of death was complications from pnemonia.  Not only did he invent the solid-body electric guitar, Paul was a pioneer in multi-track recording [Gothamist]

Both Grieve and Jill have detailed reports on last night’s community meeting regarding noisy East Village bars [EV Grieve, Blah Blog Blah]

Nordstrom Rack just installed plywood at their new Virgin Megastore diggs [Vanishing NY]

Elephants guarding select apartment buildings [Ephemeral NY]

The evolution of Lunasa on First Avenue, as it celebrates its sixth anniversary [Hunter-Gatherer]

A look at the graffiti on Jay Maisel’s 190 Bowery.  Easily one of the coolest buildings in the area.  We hope the artwork remains [Lost City]

More controversy over whether the Washington Square Park fountain is actually aligned with the Arch [WSP Blog]

The payphone outside Lolita (it still blows) on the corner of Allen and Broome Streets is battleground for two networks airing vampire programming. But there’s really no contest. One side of the “Vamp Phone” features the brilliant negative-space ad for True Blood, a particularly rare sight this late in the season; the other side boasts the new CW show The Vampire Diaries, the bill for which was inserted upside-down.  CW, epic fail.

Speaking of which, those obsessed with True Blood might fancy a four-pack of the liquid nourishment.

Stationed beneath the scaffolding at the corner of Norfolk and Delancey is a pushcart slushy business operated by an older gentleman wearing a khaki hat.  On the hottest summer days, neighborhood children and adults alike queue up for a dose of frozen treats done up old-school. No fancy equipment or crazy modern technology.  Just a huge ice block and liquid flavoring.  Watching him truly feels like a time warp to a bygone era.

Crosswalk and traffic lane markings along Allen Street are ready for a makeover.  Earlier this week, both sides of the thoroughfare, from the Houston intersection southward, were primed with white paint for its imminent improvement.

This sudden outbreak of roadwork activity is part of the DOT’s sweeping plan (PDF) to improve pedestrian safety in the area.  Other components of the project include, among other things, eliminating “left turn conflicts,” connecting the Allen Street Mall in four locations (Stanton, Broome, Hester, Monroe), and creating protected bicycle lanes.

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