Opossum where art thou?

The (an?) opossum was spotted traipsing around Tompkins Square Park again today... (this time without a plastic bag) ... Steven shared these photos...









... while EVG regular Cheyenne passed along these shots...







To date, the opossum doesn't have a name/branding/Instagram presence. Found a website that generates opossum names...



Other favorites so far from the generator have been Rasta Jenny Ju, Nicodemus Punch Sugarpop and Parachute ChingChing Yanoonoo.

Week in Grieview

[1 explanation for the recent cold weather via Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Bea Arthur Residence nearly ready to accept first tenants on 13th Street (Thursday)

After 42 years on St. Mark's Place, the Grassroots Tavern closes on New Year's Eve (Monday)

Permits filed to renovate Webster Hall (Tuesday)

MTA, DOT outline plans for life without the L train (Thursday)

Fire at 80 E. Third St. (Friday)

Sidewalk bridge finally hauled away from the Verizon building on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

The latest installment of I Am a Rent-Stabilized Tenant (Friday)

EVG contributor James Maher has an exhibit at the Manny Cantor Center titled "Storytelling in our Immigrant City" (Monday)

Traffic lights for the East Houston-FDR-East River overpass (Monday)

$1 coffee talk (Thursday)

Another case of stolen packages from an East Village lobby (Wednesday)

243 and 245 E. 2nd St. asking nearly $18 million (Wednesday)

Citi Bike of the week (Thursday)

Honeyhaus is the latest departure on 11th Street (Monday)

Opossum drama in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)

A look at the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree (Sunday)

Checking in on the Moxy hotel project (Tuesday)

Applicants looking to bring live jazz to the former East Village Tavern (Monday)

The "other" hawk (Sunday)

More about Poke N' Roll, coming soon to 9th Street (Tuesday)

Gramercy Kitchen debuts on 3rd Avenue (Tuesday)

Chat 'N Chew looks closer to reopening on Union Square (Wednesday)

Boris and Horton, the dog friendly coffee shop, now hiring on Avenue A (Monday)

House of Fluff pops up on the Bowery (Tuesday)

Construction watch: 606 Broadway and 300 Lafayette (Wednesday)

... and yes, these were seemingly everywhere after Friday evening's snowfall... plenty more where these came from...


[Photo by Steven]


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

Opossum drama in Tompkins Square Park

Parkgoers spotted an opossum this morning ... near the entrance on Seventh Street at Avenue B... unfortunately, the critter had been entangled in a plastic shopping bag...





At least one bystander attempted to remove the bag... but the opossum raced back up the tree as the person approached...



After nearly 30 minutes, EVG correspondent Steven, who shared these photos, said that the opossum was eventually able to free itself from the bag.

P.S.

Bonus photo of an opossum yawning...

Opossum, where art thou?

Possum or opossum? This little Manhattanite is glad you asked https://t.co/BoaKjHbrzo pic.twitter.com/napFCdEcKY

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 30, 2017

As the Daily News reported, it was "marsupial madness" today as an opossum was discovered inside the Classic Gourmet Deli on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

There isn't much more to the narrative, other than the NYPD Emergency Services Unit was called in ... and the critter "was safely removed in a crate by Animal Care Centers." He was then released on the rooftop garden at Steiner East Village.

Reader report: Gas main replacement brings new wildlife to East Seventh Street

A resident on East Seventh Street between Avenue C and Avenue D shares the following:

East 7th Street between Avenue C and D has been graced with multiple weeks of gas main replacement, causing the area's typical wildlife, frisky rats, to find alternate habitat. You'll notice in this photo, the planter's dirt has been covered in Belgian block and chicken wire to prevent the erstwhile rodents from nesting in them.

Well, the absence of our rats has brought another form of wildlife to 7th Street. Peeking from between the planters is a frightened little opossum.



311 has uninterestingly responded that opossums are the "property owner's problem."

We hope the little guy hasn't been poisoned by the block's copious rat bait stations...

This morning at the East River Park Track

Spotted by EVG reader Brad212.

And beware…

@evgrieve angry raccoon-sized east river park (5th st) opossum!! pic.twitter.com/ksYIIO4Iqb

— East Village Kit (@EastVillChris) September 27, 2014

Rejected headlines:
Opossum, where art thou?

Critters on the loose in Manhattan! (NOT on the menu at Serge today: Possum)

While walking to a dumb lunch appointment today up in Midtown ... I saw five police cars parked along Madison Avenue in the 30s. Several police officers and passers-by were staring at the trellis next to the door at the French eatery Serge.



A makeshift barrier was set up outside the restaurant, which was not yet open.



Uh, so why are we all standing here looking at the trellis? A building maintenance man and bicycle messenger said in unison, "Possum!" Well, sure enough, a possum was hovering in the corner....looking pretty menacing...



So we all stood around like a bunch of dopes while the police officers figured out the best method of humanely trapping the possum. That left people time to theorize. "How do you think he got here?" Well, said one man, "I've seen possum in the Bronx." Another man chimed in, "I bet he took the subway!"

Yeah, OK....the police eventually got a little cranky with so many people — now maybe 40 strong? — milling about.

Back up, people!



We did. People new to the crowd said things like, "What is it, a gas leak?" Tourists took photos.



A few minutes later, an officer approached the possum with an apple-picker-looking thing. The possum was placed inside a plastic trash can and carted off... We didn't hear where the possum was being taken. People stood around for a few more moments, seemingly disappointed to see the free entertainment come to a conclusion.

[Oops...Thanks to the e-mailer...it's an opossum in the Western Hemisphere...Apologies...]