Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.

By James Maher

Name: Roger Jazilek
Location: 3rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue
Time: 5:50 p.m., July 25

"I’m reading the New York magazine about Martin Amis. He just moved to Brooklyn from London, so I find it interesting since I’m from England.

I’m a painter. I do hard-edge abstraction and I cut paper. I used to have a studio on 2nd avenue but I work out of my apartment now. I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 23 years, in this same building. It was very quiet around here. The Hells Angels are still down here, of course. It used to be the safest block because anyone robbing around here would be chased by them. But I think that’s calmed down now due to their bad knees. Now there are lots of kids everywhere — gangs of girls and boys running around all day and night.

I don’t know if you know the story of the tenement apartment right here where the owner turned it into his own mansion [the Economakis mansion]. It must be a big family but I haven’t seen any of them yet. Maybe they have a tunnel somewhere.

My favorite restaurant near here is Il Buco, and Mermaid Inn is also good."

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.