We're DOOMED

Zoltar is out of order again outside Gem Spa... He was fine this morning when I walked by... At this rate, the Mets should sign him to a big contract.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Zoltar officially welcomed to the East Village

Awww...

Religious zealots target Zoltar

Outside Gem Spa today...

A quick break in any serious reporting to let you know that ...

Zoltar was fine. Here he is yesterday afternoon.

Zoltar remains a voice of reason during these Scary Sandy days

Secured behind a bar now... Via EVG reader John S. ...

Safe ... for now

Many thanks to EVG reader John S. for the photo... back early in the morning with more news... some of it even pertinent ...

Before Zoltar, there was Treasure Chest

Sure, Zoltar (now repaired!) is getting all the publicity these days, but for my money, nothing beats the Treasure Chest on East 14th Street near First Avenue. I've long admired this game of chance outside the Community Grocery & Candy store.

For starters, I like its battered, I-Survived-the-Apocalypse look. You could ram it with an M14A (or M14D) bus and the thing would still gamely make you work for that pink teddy bear.

It seems like every time that I see it, there's another chain or tag on it. And more tape. Lots of tape. Perhaps holding it together, preventing its treasures from spilling out on the sidewalk...

And, recently, I finally saw another admirer admiring it... and playing! But he was gone by the time I got up to it... I was hoping that we could start a Facebook group or something.

Awnings and storefronts come and go around here. But not the Treasure Chest. Long live the Treasure Chest!

Why couldn't Zoltar foretell this development?

A readers passes along this unfortunate bit of news from outside Gem Spa tonight...

Get well soon, old friend... Plus, we need you — the Breeders' Cup is coming up...

Zoltar is the greatest thing to happen to St. Mark's Place since ______________?

[Submitted by an EVG reader, Zoltar fan]

Zoltar, the all wise and knowing fortune teller, arrived at Gem Spa on St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue on Sept. 23. Since then, it's all everyone a few people can talk about.

Have you been by?

Don't get too close.



That's the one thing. Get too close to Zoltar and he starts hitting you up. By the time I got to Gem Spa on this day, five people along here had already asked me for change, cigarettes or directions to Little Italy.

A few things to make your Zoltar Experience more pleasant.

1) Zoltar only accepts $1 bills. So no quarters or $2 bills in the well-marked $1 slot.

2) Despite the sign, the ATM is not inside Zoltar's box.

Zoltar arrives on St. Mark's Place, sees 'a great deal of happiness' in return for $2

An exciting development to report outside Gem Spa on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place: A Zoltar Machine arrived yesterday! (Like the one in the movie "Big," I think.)

My fortune said something about a Death Star. Weird. I wanted to ask Zoltar if he will last longer here than the Boxer machine did.

Your move, 7-Eleven.