Bowery Boogie | A Lower East Side Chronicle

Last month, we received a scare after seeing crews unloading debris into a dumpster outside 87 Rivington Street.  At the time, it seemed that all signs pointed to demolition – the yellow box with RO drawn on shuttered gates, boarded windows, and constant site activity.  However, freshly renewed DOB permits issued a few weeks ago [...]

Utilizing chalkboard signage to mark a storefront is not the smartest of ideas, as evidenced by The Norry at 78 Rivington.  Their nameplate was all but erased during the washout of this past weekend.

While strolling the Bowery yesterday morning, we came across a hopscotch matrix of faces chalked on the sidewalk outside the Bowery Mission.  Spanning nearly half the concrete between Rivington and Stanton, the graffiti layout included 180 faces, marked at various numeric intervals, as well as a “good luck spot” starting circle.  Check it out before [...]

Mounted to the side of 176 Rivington Street, overlooking Nathan Straus Playground, is this rotting piece of artwork.  It portrays a blue Puerto Rican flag with an inscription in Spanish reading, “tell the drugs, no, and life, yes.”

The oft-heralded bargain district of historic Orchard Street continues to fade into, well, history.  It seems like every few months, there’s yet another vendor closure to report.  Since December, four merchants north of Delancey have called it quits – ZACC Fashions, S.K. Gift Shop, and Fashion & Fashion.  Not to mention the disappearance of Kebab [...]

[Photo via Joanna Pan]