Sunday morning's cleanup

A super on 13th Street near Third Avenue was sweeping up some remains of SantaCon...

SantaCon 2017

[Photo via Instagram by James and Karla Murray]

A few scenes from SantaCon today in the East Village...





Above two photos by Steven...

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Above photos by Derek Berg...

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Photo at the DeathStar Shake Shack by 8E...

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1:30 p.m., 2nd Avenue and 9th Street

Photos by Steven

Storm center 12/9/17: City crews, IHOP prepped for the snowfall

If you were unsure about going out this morning with the inclement weather, then put your mind at ease... IHOP has prepped its sidewalk on 14th Street for the incoming flurries snow.



Elsewhere, 1 Avenue B has already blown its 2017-18 ice melt budget in one morning...



City crews are out...





Supply lines are open...



So sit back and relax...



P.S.

First sighting... 8:36 a.m.

SantaCon 2017 includes these East Village bars

Organizers have announced the participating bars for SantaCon 2017.

The starting point tomorrow — snow is in the forecast — is at the James A. Farley Post Office Building on 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue. From there, some 50 bars and clubs in Midtown, Murray Hill and the East Village will be welcoming the Santas (you need to pay $10 ahead of time for the special Santa badge to enter).

Here is the list of local places [UPDATED: The original list included the Spotted Owl on Avenue A — they are not participating!] ...


[Click on the image for better view]

Also, Solas on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is serving as one of the "Santa Clubs" for the day.

The above list is very similar to last year's announced participants in the East Village. (The 13th Step wasn't on that list, though they had one of the longest lines of Santas.)

You can find the rundown of NYC SantaCon bars here.

The official SantaConning begins at 10 a.m. (You still have time to #SitOutSantaCon.) The listed hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. At 7:01, everyone will quietly return home.

Meanwhile, EVG reader Jefferson Siegel shared this photo from the window at Ricky's on Third Avenue near 14th Street... he notes the Santa costumes each have different price stickers — $4.99 and $5. Hurry and save a penny...

A campaign to #SitOutSantaCon

SantaCon is scheduled for Saturday... ahead of that, DiMassimo Goldstein, an NYC-based ad agency, along with Crew Cuts, a broadcasting and media production company, launched a #SitOutSantaCon campaign. (The website notes that the campaign is also brought to you by "Decent People Everywhere.")

And there's a video, described this way:

This year, tens of thousands of people will flood the streets for SantaCon in cities across America. Like every year, adults will see overserved Santas, inebriated elves and reckless Rudolphs.

But what will the children see?

The #SitOutSantaCon website features a variety of posters and GIFs to share...



Not taking part in SantaCon is one thing. It's a choice. One problem with SantaCon, depending on where you are, is that you don't have much of a choice of being surrounded by it if you decide to venture outdoors.

As Jason Gilbert wrote for the Times in 2013 (in calling for a ban):

Perhaps most distressing about SantaCon is its size and the way that it shuts down and befouls dozens of blocks. Any East Villager (I am one) can tell you that the event makes doing absolutely anything beyond one’s front stoop an impossibility, unless you own swamp waders and a riot shield.

And...

For a New York City event of its size, however, SantaCon is distinctive, and arguably impressive, in that it contributes absolutely zero value — cultural, artistic, aesthetic, diversionary, culinary or political — to its host neighborhood. Quite simply, SantaCon is a parasite.

As for SantaCon 2017, organizers have yet to divulge what neighborhoods they'll congregate in this year.

Happenings 1 month from today

Among the Good Santa-Bad Santa events taking place on Dec. 9 ...

The 9th Annual Cookie Walk is set for Dec. 9-10 at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street (find more details here)...



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Also on Dec. 9 — SantaCon... the location hasn't been disclosed yet, though the East Village is always a good possibility as the host...