Who made this bed? Do I have to sleep in it?

The gentleman who sells tube socks on the street, up and down every street, in our neighborhood and who has done so since before any of us moved here, still is.  Heidi, mother of Stella (3 legged, and not to be confused with Stella 4 legged who lives next door) says she's never seen anyone buy any of his socks, and Lota and I realized, yeah, neither have we.  But he soldiers on.  None of us have seen for quite a while the man who used to sell pencils - maybe not for a few years now, but we are only just realizing it.  I've always loved pencils, and if I ever have to choose between selling pencils and tube socks, it's a no-brainer for me.

(The top image is AP, the bottom Reuters / NYT.  Anyone with seriously nothing to do or a morbid curiousity might want to read the text of the defeated bill.)

Red Hook vendors: The ceviche hasn't suffered, but the huraches are dangerously cramped

Dan and Nina tried weekend before this last and, of course, nada. But Lota and I were there this weekend, hot as it was, and had the shrimp ceviche and the tuna sopa. And cheese empanadas. But we didn't know about the cart / truck arrangements. Here's a Gothamist link, voicing some of the crowd's disappointment. It's true what some of the comments say - what had been a beautiful, earthy neighborhood thing has been squeezed into tin cans. Gone are the big tarps over the woodchips at the edge of the fields and the crowds around the chairs and tables. But, damn, that tuna soup is still mindblowing.

Joe Ades - my all time favorite street vendor

I passed by a Halal vendor cart on Water Street yesterday and noticed sign it bore saying that it was a finalist for a 2007 Vendy award. Heck, I never knew there was such a thing - that led me this morning to the Street Vendor Project and browsing there I saw the article Don't Cry for Me and it's link out to New York Daily Photo's December 6, 2006 shot of Joe Ades. I find myself mentioning Joe Ades (but not by name - I didn't know his name until just now) to people all the time, and I'm amazed when I speak to long-time New Yorkers who've never seen him. I saw him last only a month ago, outside the courts downtown Brooklyn, near where I lock up 'ittle Bikey.

None of the pics there show the amazing star thing he sometimes does with carrots.