Friday's opening shot

Along the Ninth Street pathway in Tompkins Square Park this morning... enjoying the foliage while we still have it. 

And if you don't like foliage, then move back to...

Friday's opening shot

A pre-8 a.m. view of Tompkins Square Park today. 

On this Friday, expect some sun before the clouds arrive. High of 60. 

AccuWeather says tomorrow will be the "best day of the weekend" with a drizzle-rain combo expected Sunday, making that the best time slot not to tell anyone you're going to see "Predator: Badlands."

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A post-storm scene in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon (the Halloween stuff was there before; it did NOT blow in with the wind).

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Ceremonial burning of some DJT toilet paper in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon...

Free compost giveaway in Tompkins Square Park this Sunday

The LES Ecology Center is celebrating Tompkins Square Park with a free compost giveaway on Sunday. 

Per the invite: Stop by to bag your own finished compost and learn how it's used to help steward the park. 

The Center will provide the compost, shovels and wheelbarrows (sounds like the start of a horror film) ... just bring your own containers or a cart to take home as much as you'd like. 

Enter the park through the Seventh Street entrance between Avenue A and Avenue B and follow the signs to the compost pile. 

Registration is recommended here. The event runs until 1 p.m. — or until the compost pile is gone.

Monday's parting shot

View of a rainswept Tompkins Square Park this evening (and no sign of any downed branches)...

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Steven 

As seen in Tompkins Square Park today... and a little later...

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns for its 35th year on Oct. 19

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back this fall, marking its 35th year on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 1–4 p.m.

This year's event will feature a parade along Avenue B and a limited-entry costume competition. Advance registration is required to participate in both, and it opens on Oct. 6 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Four dogs from Pup Starz, Social Tees and the ASPCA will serve as Parade Grand Marshals, spotlighting the importance of adoption. The day will also include a festival block for participants on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, where sponsor Stella & Chewy's will be handing out treats for four-legged guests. 

The parade is organized by New York Dog Parade, a nonprofit founded by author and canine columnist Fern Watt ("below, and with the dog parade team). 

Organizers say they've been working with local groups and city agencies on safety measures and crowd-control strategies, with expanded programming planned for both dogs and humans.

The event is free to attend. Volunteers are also needed; those interested can email volunteer@nydogparade.org. 

For updates, visit nydogparade.org or follow @nydogparade on Instagram.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Jose Garcia 

A moment today at the Tompkins Square Park pigeon dog run...

Summer's parting shots

Last day of summer... and some scenes from Tompkins Square Park this past week...

A new in-ground pool is in the works for Tompkins, but no one knows when. Was this the last summer for the mini pool?

Noted

Thanks to Sonya for the photo outside Tompkins Square Park today... background here if you really want to know.

Friday's opening shot

An 8 a.m. view from Tompkins Square Park...

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s infamous fight restaged in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The cast and crew for Ryan Murphy's series "American Love Story," which chronicles the love lives of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, returned to the East Village on Thursday. 

The location: Tompkins Square Park, standing in for Washington Square Park, where the couple was seen in a very public fight in 1996. The crews restaged that here. (The Daily Mail has some fight pics from Thursday.)

Crews also brought in some early 1990s trash cans...

Why film in this neighborhood? Bessette reportedly lived in the East Village when she first moved to NYC in 1989. 

And here's Paul Anthony Kelly playing JFK Jr. in the series, due out on FX next Valentine's Day.

Sunday afternoon, Tompkins Square Park

Just before 2 p.m., about an hour before the start of the annual Charlie Park Jazz Fesitval in Tompkins Square Park... until 7 p.m.

Saturday's opening shot

At the Seventh and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park this morning... as barricades await their instructions ahead of the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival here tomorrow from 3-7 p.m. 

Hit this link for info on the performers. 

The weather will be sunny and pleasant today, with the humidity creeping back up tomorrow ... not to mention a possible late-day thunderstorm.

This is why you should not feed the pigeons

As seen in Tompkins Square Park today... thanks to Beth Grossman for the photo...

Wednesday's parting shot

A post-storm stroll through a mostly empty Tompkins Square Park this evening... (and no tree limbs down!).

Report: 1 of the young hawks from Tompkins Square Park has died

Photo from June by Steven 

Goggla has the sad confirmation of a rumor that circulated toward the end of July: One of the red-tailed hawk fledglings has died. 

The young hawk was found dead on a fire escape along Avenue C on July 27. 

Per Goggla: 

It's not known exactly what happened, but the situation looked a lot like one we saw in 2022 when a fledgling had to be rescued from a fire escape after displaying obvious signs of illness. In that case, the theory was it had been weakened by rodenticide poisoning and died just a few hours after being rescued.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has the deceased hawk, and hopefully, they can determine the cause of death. 

In more positive news, the other two 2025 offspring of Amelia and Charlie remain active in the park this week, Goggla reports (even nabbing their own meals!).

This marked Amelia's eighth season raising chicks in Tompkins.

American elm chainsaw massacre

Parks workers chopped up and removed the remains of the stricken American elm in Tompkins Square Park. 

However, it wasn't easy. East Village resident Joe Kay shared this photo, noting "that elm ate one of their chainsaws!"

Post-mortem on the freshly cutback American elm in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, the Parks Department cut back the drooping American elm inside the Seventh Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Before this happened, I had reached out to urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab. (Read her initial response here.) 

As she's out of town, I sent her several of the photos of the trimmed back tree. Her response: "Looks like there was a major crack in a large branch. It also looks like staining from Dutch Elm Disease on the left front branch."