On Aug. 1, 2012, we debuted a feature here titled Out and About in the East Village. Our first interview was with Mike Stupin, who worked making deliveries for (the now-closed) Mama’s Food Shop on East Third Street.
Delivering to pantsless people is very common. It’s not just guys; it’s everyone, all the time. People of every shape and size answer their door pantsless. Every once in awhile they get embarrassed and apologize and I’m like, ‘don’t worry about it.’ It’s kind of what I do, I put on pants so you don’t have to. Strangers love that joke. I’ve got one customer that I’ve never, ever seen wearing clothes. She’s always in a towel or a bathrobe. It doesn’t matter the time of day.
And here we are some 150 people later.
So many thanks to East Village-based photographer James Maher for his ongoing work on this series. (And thank you to Stacie Joy for filling in several times through the years.) And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share his or her story.
You can revisit every interview here by year...
• 2012
• 2013
• 2014
• 2015
• the first quarter of 2016
And we were very sorry to hear about musician Bill Gerstel, who we featured in April 2014. He is facing a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We wish Bill and his family all the best.
Terrific series. I've read many, maybe most. Thanks to all involved in bringing us our neighbors this way.
ReplyDeleteOut and About is a great feature. Thanks to EVgrieve and all who make it possible.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best features on the blog!
ReplyDeletefantastic series, thanks so much for hosting, and thanks to james maher for providing! warm wishes to the inspiring mr. gerstel; i'm very sorry to hear of his diagnosis.
ReplyDeleteThis series is why I look forward to Wednesdays!
ReplyDeleteLove this feature so much. Thank you, James and Grieve!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! It's been so much fun to do and I love reading the comments each week. The real thanks goes to everyone who has stopped for a random person on the corner (especially in winter and summer) to tell me about the neighborhood and their lives. It's been a big learning experience for me over the last four years.
ReplyDeleteWell done
ReplyDeleteHow about interviewing a crusty or someone who gets services from the Bowery mission or maybe someone who is a new resident? As great as this series is sometimes I feel its the same type of stories from longtime residents. "The area had character and flavor, the drug dealers kept the peace, my rent was dirt cheap, people didn't want to visit me, etc."
ReplyDelete