Wednesday's parting shot

April 1 view of Seventh Street and Avenue A heading into Tompkins...

A new edge in Tompkins Square Park

Photos Saturday by Stacie Joy 

Skateboarders in Tompkins Square Park got a pleasant surprise Saturday morning. 

Early that day, a crew delivered a 15-inch-high granite ledge to the multipurpose courts/TF. (The ledge sits outside the main field and walking lanes, so it won’t need to be moved for field hockey leagues.) 

As Quartersnacks first noted, this arrival was a collaboration among the Parks Department, Nike SB, The Skatepark Project and California Skateparks.

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Given that this thing weighs a few thousand pounds, it will likely stick around the TF for awhile. (Quartersnacks deemed a sliver of triangular granite, nicknamed The Tombstone, as the most popular TF obstacle of the 2010s.) 

On Saturday morning, we spotted skaters lining up to test out the ledge … and start wearing down the edges.

As of yesterday, the Ledge remained the main draw here... and it was already showing a little wear...

Sunday's parting shot

Slowly spring in Tompkins Square Park...

A Tompkins Square Park sendoff for the No Kings march

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Local residents assembled in Tompkins Square Park early this afternoon, setting off for Columbus Circle and the No Kings march, part of coordinated protests across the U.S. and overseas.

Attendees included local City Council Member Harvey Epstein and Council Speaker Julie Menin...

... Assemblymember Grace Lee...

...former District 2 City Council member Margarita López...

... and Matthew Marrero, whose husband Allen Dabrio Marrero is still being held in ICE detention despite an order for his release... seen here with Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft of Middle Church...

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

A day after being fined for vending via the PEP in the park without a license, Claudi of Pinc Louds returned to Tompkins this afternoon with an inflatable pink Christmas tree, noting there weren't any fines for "Christmas treeing" ... as well as sketching and blowing bubbles.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Salim 

An early morning view of Temperance Fountain in Tompkins Square Park... now with a stool...

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by riachung00 

Hopefully, more than a temporary spring today in Tompkins Square Park...

Monday's parting shot

From a sunny and 67-degree day in Tompkins Square Park...

Wednesday's parting shot

A path through the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts today...

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Kelley Ryan 

The snow in Tompkins Square Park is going... going...

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Taking in the almost spring-like weather today in Tompkins Square Park...

Tompkins Sculpture Park

If you've yet to wander through Tompkins Square Park post–Great Blizzard (Feb. 22-23 edition), you're missing a surprisingly robust collection of snow sculptures. 

Thanks to Andy Bodor for documenting some of the artistry...

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Susan Schiffman 

Scenes from in and around Tompkins Square Park tonight.

And ICYMI: A travel ban (for cars, trucks, bikes, etc.) is in effect until noon tomorrow.

Your turn to weigh in on Tompkins Square Park’s next round of upgrades

Residents have until Feb. 13 to submit comments about the latest proposed upgrades to Tompkins Square Park. 

During a virtual meeting last Thursday evening, NYC Parks kicked off the process for a reconstruction project involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool and basketball courts. 

Parks officials still want to hear from you, specifically: 

• What matters most to you in renovating the park? 

• What would you like to be able to do in the park that you can't do now? 

• What are the three most important improvements you want to see in the park? 

While these are more broad-ranging questions about the overall park, this is what's on the table for the 10th Street and Avenue B corner: "This project will demolish the existing above-ground mini pool and construct a new, expanded in-ground mini pool and reconstruct the basketball courts and adult fitness area." 

The mini pool would remain open only to kids and their guardians. (More background here about the funding.)

And the timeline is as follows, per the Parks website: 

• Design

The average time for design is 9-14 months. The design timeline for this specific contract will be established once the project scope is determined. 

• Procurement 

The average time for procurement is 9-12 months. The procurement timeline for this specific contract will be established at the conclusion of the design phase. 

• Construction 

The average time for construction is 12-18 months. The construction timeline for this specific contract will be established at the conclusion of the procurement phase. 

In other words, no time soon.

Submit your responses here.

Saturday's opening shot

In the frozen tundra of Tompkins Square Park, spring bulbs remain in progress. 

Wind chill advisory in effect again over the weekend, with WC lows as low as -10. 

We might be speaking for the entire class here: Ready for spring.

Crowdfunding effort moves to guard a tree around Tompkins Square Park

Here's an item about a small but meaningful win for Tompkins Square Park.

 A crowdfunding effort to protect one of the vulnerable trees along the perimeter of Tompkins Square Park is (as of last night) just a few dollars shy of its $2,000 goal. 

The campaign was organized by Zachary Thomas and Tal Roded, who serve together on Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. Their goal: to install a durable metal tree guard around a Ginkgo tree on Seventh Street near Avenue B, which is currently exposed to the daily grind. 

Enter tree guards, which help protect against dog waste, vehicle and delivery damage, and soil compaction from foot traffic, all of which can slowly kill a tree. 

Last year, according to the GoFundMe, while walking the park's perimeter, Thomas noticed a troubling imbalance: of the 58 trees lining Tompkins Square Park, only seven had guards. That leaves nearly 90% exposed to damage every day. 

NYC Parks is prepared to install a guard, but with limited funding and street tree maintenance low on the priority list, the cost has fallen to the community. The quoted price for the fabrication and professional installation of a standard metal tree guard is $1,950 — a one-time investment that is meant to last for years. 

The campaign's success shows just how much neighbors care about the small details that keep the East Village green. It may only be one tree, but it's a step toward protecting the edges of Tompkins Square Park — one guard at a time. 

You can read more about this campaign in a Substack post by Thomas and Roded.

Virtual meeting set for Tompkins mini-pool and basketball courts redesign

Top photo by Stacie Joy 

Updated: You have until Feb. 13 to leave comments with Parks about this project.

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NYC Parks is kicking off the design process for a reconstruction project involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool and basketball courts — and there’s a virtual community meeting scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. 

According to Parks, the project will include a major change to the mini-pool: the current above-ground pool will be redesigned as an in-ground pool. Parks is also inviting neighbors to weigh in on what they'd like to see as part of the improvements, with a focus on how this section of Tompkins can better serve the community. 

Sign up for the meeting at this link. 

Here's an aerial view of the area that will eventually be under-construction along 10th Street and Avenue B...

... and how it looked the other day before the snow...

In August 2024, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants through the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative. As part of that, Tompkins Square Park was awarded $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the capacity of the current above-ground trailer park model. 

Other areas of the park have undergone renovations... last April, the field house and restrooms reopened after more than 18 months of rehab work. In 2023, reconstruction of the multipurpose courts took place.

Petition seeks to rename Tompkins Square Park skate area for Harold Hunter

There's an effort underway to rename the skate area at Tompkins Square Park in honor of the late Harold Hunter. 

The Skatepark Project, which Tony Hawk founded, and the Harold Hunter Foundation have launched a petition to rename the multi-use/skate section of the park Harold Hunter Park. 

Hunter — a charismatic and influential skateboarder and actor — was born and raised at Campos Plaza on 13th Street. He died in 2006 at age 31. 

Tompkins Square Park was one of Hunter's favorite places to skate, and in the 1990s, he helped shape it into a creative hub where skaters, artists, and musicians crossed paths. That era helped cement the park's global reputation as a destination for skate culture. 

The proposal was scheduled to be heard tomorrow by Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee, but the item was withdrawn and is expected to return at a later date. 

You can read more and view the petition here.

 

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Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the Harold Hunter Skate Jam in Tompkins Square Park

At Mulchapalooza 2026

Photos by Stacie Joy

MulchFest 2026 returned to Tompkins Square Park today, kicking off what is arguably the event of the early winter social calendar. 

Neighbors arrived with last season's Christmas trees, left with fresh mulch, and lingered long enough to catch up, people-watch and debate the finer points of tree disposal. 

Day 1 scenes, as captured below...

Parks will be back at it tomorrow (Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ...

The Parks Department will be mulch obliged if you bring your Christmas tree to Tompkins this weekend

Photo from Sunday 

FYI: MulchFest 2026 (aka Chipping Weekend) runs tomorrow and Sunday (Jan. 10–11) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Tompkins Square Park is one of the official chipping sites, which means city crews will happily turn your discarded Christmas tree into a bag of fresh mulch for you to take home — perfect for gardens, tree beds and other responsible, plant-related uses.