Where to get free N95 masks today in the East Village

Air quality advisories remain in place as the Canadian wildfire smoke continues to cover the Northeast.

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office is providing free N95 masks today until 5 p.m.

Air quality levels today are expected to be unhealthy and hazardous, and the City is advising that residents limit outdoor activity. We have N95 masks available at our district office at 254 E 4th St for pick up through 5 pm, while supplies last.

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) June 8, 2023

The office is at 254 E. Fourth St., just east of Avenue B. 

And how long will these hazardous conditions and photogenic skylines remain?

Per Gothamist: 

 The National Weather Service said Thursday that a low-pressure system over Maine will be stalled at least until Saturday, keeping the smoke funneling southward instead of floating east.

Photo from this morning at 6:30 

Friday's parting shot

The free mask promo via Borat's crotch today on Houston and the Bowery ... photo by Derek Berg...

Saturday's parting shot

Reader photo from Sixth Street at Second Avenue ... added door signage: "Fuck you, wear a mask."

Masking the East Village

[La Sirena owner Dina Leor]

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

If you're in the market for a well-made, reusable, nonmedical face mask, then you're in luck. Several East Village shops and artists have a variety of homemade creations available for sale. Here's a look at some of them in honor of World Mask Week:



La Sirena Mexican folk art store, 27 E. Third St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, is selling handmade masks by Mexican artists, including sugar skull masks designs from the Chiapas region and Lucha Libre wrestling-style masks. You can also shop online for them here.



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Kadette from Pretty Decorating & Upholstering Company sells her handmade masks at a table on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. You may also email her at skaydette@yahoo.com or call 212.674.1310 to place an order.

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Jane’s Exchange, the secondhand and consignment shop for kids at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, has homemade kids’ masks by Frank New in stock.

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Spark Pretty at 333 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenues carries Laura Texter’s homemade masks, including a popular rainbow design and some colorful and pastel prints.



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Modeling a couple of his designs, East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge offers his decorative, painted custom and bespoke masks via Patricia Field.



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East Village-based costume designer Laura Texter can sometimes be found selling her homemade masks outside Tompkins Square Park or by contacting the artist directly for pickup on St. Mark’s Place.

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East Village Vintage Collective at 545 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B features handmade masks by Frank New and Sara Ann Rutherford available in a range of sizes and patterns, including some NSFW...



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Tuesday's parting shot

ICYMI: This has been up the past few weeks on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C ... Kermit's word of the day — mask... (thanks to Mark White for the photo!)

The free face masks went quickly today at East River Park

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

I arrived at around 11:15 his morning at the East River Park Sixth Street Promenade for the free masks.

Unfortunately, the Parks Department had already given out all the 5-packs of white reusable masks. They had a small stock of camo-green size XL bandana handkerchiefs left...







Parks Department workers told me that there were more than 50 people lined up at 10 a.m. when they opened, and that they went through 2,000-plus masks immediately.

They will be back at the same spot on Thursday at 2 p.m. with double the amount of face masks.

Where the city is distributing free face coverings today

The city has been handing out face masks in NYC parks since Saturday.

This morning (May 4!), you can pick up the five-pack of masks in East River Park — specifically the promenade at Sixth Street from 10 to noon.

Our friends up at the West Side Rag reported on Saturday that the city exhausted the supply of 2,000 packages after 45 minutes from a location in Central Park.

This link has the other NYC locations where the city will offer up the masks.

As of April 17, all New Yorkers are required to wear a mask or face covering when out in public and in situations where a 6-foot distance from others cannot be maintained.

Video: Man chases after Citi Bikers on 2nd Avenue for not wearing masks

There has been a lot of debate over wearing masks in public.

Gov. Cuomo issued an executive order, which went into effect at 8 p.m. on April 17, stating that every New Yorker must "wear a mask or a face covering when out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation."

Not everyone is adhering to this, of course (Gothamist has more about it in this post) ... which has prompted COVID-19 Urban Etiquette Signs like this one. We've heard about some public shaming incidents in which mask-wearing residents will scold people without masks.

Meanwhile, one man took the mask policing to a rather dangerous level on Saturday afternoon on Second Avenue. In the short clip below posted to Twitter via @fashionweak, the man can be heard yelling "Where is your mask?" as he lunges at Citi Bikers riding outside the bike lane between Ninth Street and 10th Street. The bikers swerve and speed up to avoid the man. (Thankfully there wasn't any vehicular traffic at this time.) He appears to be filming these encounters as well ...

Anyone else catch this man yelling at bikers today? pic.twitter.com/WO50ZDaMV5

— steph castro (@fashionweak) April 26, 2020

According to @fashionweak, the man was stationed on Second Avenue for nearly five minutes yelling at various bikers who weren't wearing masks. He moved on after an argument with a passerby, who apparently called the NYPD.

An assortment of masks on East Village streets

A roundup of face masks — homemade (from a bra, as seen in the last photo) or store-bought — spotted on East Village streets by Derek Berg in recent days...



























On April 2, Mayor de Blasio urged New Yorkers to wear face coverings, such as cloth masks or bandanas, when going out in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Friday's parting shot

Outside Forbidden Planet on Broadway today... photo by Derek Berg...