Saturday's opening shot

A picturesque Tompkins Square Park this morning... thanks to Cecil Scheib for the photo...

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Zines for sale outside Tompkins Square Park today by Jasper Krents... find 'em online here.

The piebald squirrel of Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

In recent months, there have been sightings of a squirrel with a dappled mix of white, brown and grey —or maybe you see blue and black. (Jeremiah Moss first shared an image of the squirrel on Instagram in late December). 

 

We don't recall seeing it before then... what's known as a piebald squirrel... Steven took these photos yesterday...

Per AZ Animals: "White squirrels are a genetic rarity caused by either albinism or leucism. Although there are over two million Eastern grey squirrels in North America, piebald — also known as pied or leucistic — squirrels make up a small fraction of the total squirrel population." 

The site says that if you see one, "then you can consider yourself lucky."

The first opossum sighting of 2024 in Tompkins Square Park

Thanks to EVG reader Richard for this up-close shot from yesterday in Tompkins Square Park. 

There have been opossum sightings through the years in the Park (hence its own EVG opossum tag).

And now some facts about these members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia:

Opossums' diet includes all types of bugs and insects, including cockroaches, crickets, and beetles. They also eat mice and rats. Nocturnal opossums are attracted to neighborhoods by the availability of water, pet food left out at night, and overripe, rotting fruit.

Odd that opossums would be attracted to this neighborhood — as we have none of these things!

Kestrel-eye view of Tompkins Square Park

Thanks to EVG reader Jeremy Schipper for this photo by Tompkins Square Park...

(And one more fire-escape shot and we will have a trends piece!)

Tompkins Square Park remains without restrooms for public use

With reporting by Stacie Joy

As we first reported on Jan. 9, the three porta-potties were whisked away from their temporary home in Tompkins Square Park near the Ninth Street and Avenue A entrance. At the time, we didn't realize that this might be permanent. 

Sources tell us that there are no plans for new ones and that the old porta-potties were constantly trashed and not really the most fun things to use. So, the thinking is, Why replace them with more only to meet the same fate?

A contact at the Parks Department provided us with a porta-potty-worthy comment: "We don't know anything. No one tells us shit."

As previously reported, the restrooms in the Tompkins Square Park field house are closed due to an 18-month (or so) renovation that began last May. The porta potties arrived around the same time ... before an August relocation.

The temporary toilet situation has caused a stink from the get-go.

In February 2023, a Parks official explained that temporary toilets were not part of the contract "and cannot be supplied during construction." The alternative for public use during this period: The restrooms at the McKinley Playground on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue adjacent to P.S. 63/the Neighborhood School — roughly a seven-minute walk.

By March 2023, though, Community Board 3 noted that porta potties would be on-site after all. 

According to the Parks Department website, work at the field house is 27% complete, with an anticipated wrap-up date of September 2024.

For now, the 10.5-acre public park doesn't have any restroom facilities, which, predictably, has caused an uptick in sightings of (and discovery of afterward of) public urination and defecation from everyone from TSP regulars to asylum seekers waiting near St. Brigid on Seventh Street and Avenue B.

We're told that the McKinley Playground is the default public loo, though there isn't any signage anywhere to inform people of that development.

If the park remains porta-potty free, the situation will only get more fragrant this spring and summer as people will spend more time here with concerts and other warmer-weather social activities, from children's birthday parties to White Claw blanket ragers on the main lawn.

A bench in honor of the 'Birdman' of Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

A longtime regular of Tompkins Square Park now has a bench dedicated in his memory.

Dennis Edge, an East Village resident since 1970, passed away on Sept. 1. He was 85. For years, he documented the birds of Tompkins Square Park, where he was a regular and welcome presence.

His family, friends and fellow birders came together to make this happen... you can find it by heading into the park at the entrance on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Meanwhile, throughout February, an exhibit of his urban wildlife photography will be on display at the Loisaida Center, 710 E. Ninth St. just east of Avenue C. 

There is also a bench dedication on the afternoon of Feb. 14.

Dennis' friends wish to thank Loyan Beausoleil for spearheading the GoFundMe and Florence Marcisak for arranging to have the plaque made.

Tuesday's parting shot

As you likely heard/read, NYC received its biggest snowfall today in 701 days... with a whopping 1.2+ inches... (so we'll likely keep with the "Remembering when it snowed" posts). 

Thanks to EVG reader Bob Smith for this photo today from Tompkins Square Park

Sunday's parting shot

Photo today in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg...

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

Hey, it's Christo... one of the resident red-tailed hawks on the hunt in Tompkins Square Park this afternoon...

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

This evening in Tompkins Square Park ... where another strand of lights on the tree seemed to have gone out (since Dec. 26) ...

New mats for the outdoor fitness area at Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

Several readers have noted this in Tompkins Square Park ... the fitness area adjacent to the basketball courts in the 10th and B corner is currently barricaded off (not the most elaborate security system)...

... while Parks workers install some new heavy-duty weatherized mats...

As we recall from the last time we were there to see how many pistol squats we could do in 60 seconds (answer: zero)... the old mats were well-worn. 

Also, Parks staff did not know when the work would be complete.

The porta potties are MIA in Tompkins Square Park

Photo by Steven 

Has anyone seen the porta potties in Tompkins Square Park? The toilet triplex near Ninth Street and Avenue A outside the ballfield/skate area is no longer in the spot. 

Park workers we asked didn't know anything about their whereabouts. Hmm!

The porta potties first arrived last May... before an August relocation.

As previously reported, the restrooms in the Tompkins Square Park field house are now closed as part of an 18-month renovation underway. 

On the clock for MulchFest 2024

Photos yesterday by Steven 

As a reminder, MulchFest 2024 happens today and tomorrow (Jan. 6-7) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Tompkins Square Park is also a chipping site... which means! "We'll chip your tree and give you your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree."

Monday's opening shot

Tompkins Square Park this morning...

This afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

Could it be our old oppossum friend Opie aka Nicodemus Punch Sugarpop????? (Background here and here, as to what the *&^%$%^^ we're talking about.)

Thnaks to the reader for the pics!

Another look at the newly reconstructed Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts

Back on Friday, the city officially reopened the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square (hitting their Dec. 1 deadline in the process). 

Here is a look around at the upgraded amenties... including the new surface, benches (1939 World's Fair style, or not)...

... a few expanded tree pits...

... three new basketball backboards...

...with the double rims (bad for our 3-point shooting, but good for our thunderous, backboard-shaking dunks)...

... and the high-low fountain that isn't dispensing water just yet...

So far, no sign of any painted lines for kickball or markings for a walking-running track that the Parks Department touted in a previous presentation...

We reached out to the Parks Department to see what the status is of these markings. 

And the new asphalt seems to be OK for skateboarding too. (Skaters are worried the new asphalt would be either too soft or too hard for skating, turning this decades-long hotspot into a useless spot.) 

On Saturday, a reader shared this photo... with skaters seeming pleased ... 

And from an early test run last week...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tompkins Flatground (@tf_report)

Breaking: The multipurpose courts at Tompkins Square Park are OPEN

After 1.5 months, the reconstruction of the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park appears to be complete. 

Rather impressive, too, as the posted signage stated the work would occur between Oct. 16 and Dec. 1. (And today is Dec. 1, FYI.)

A reader shared this (and the photo!) from this corner of the Park along 10th and A: 

We saw the NW TSP court being unlocked this afternoon! 

Current park-goers: 

1 little kid soccer player 

1 kid skateboarder 

3 bench goers 

0 walking tracks

Aside from new asphalt (which is apparently skateboard friendly, per our TF sources), new amenities include a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, three new basketball backstops, and the 1939 World's Fair-style benches that people yelled at us because they aren't actually 1939 World's Fair-style benches. (Well, we were at the World's Fair in 1939, and the benches here are as we remember there.)

More on this later, obviously.

Bench mark: A throwback to 1939 arrives on the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts

Photos by Steven 

One of the new amenities has arrived at the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park — your 1939 World's Fair-style benches...

Work started on this space along Avenue A and 10th Street on Oct. 16, first with ripping up the asphalt that hasn't been repaired since the mid-1990s. (And then the arrival of new asphalt.)

Still to come: the outline for a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end.

Posted signs say that the $1.4 million project will be completed by Dec. 1.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Big changes are coming to the iconic skate spot in Tompkins Square Park

From Tompkins Square Park: Christo in Don't You (Forget About Me)

Photos by Steven 

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, is getting all the attention this week after decamping to the East Village and Lower East Side from Central Park. (And yes, we have a Flaco post coming soon.) 

This may be why Christo, the resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, has been extra photogenic of late ... as seen yesterday near 7th and A ...

And 2023 marks Christo's 10-year East Village anniversary.

Headline H/T