Tae Yoon: Life from 2006-2021

i've always loved the east village, and especially love the fact that the restaurant i work at is located there as well.

it feels nice not to work a block away from soul-sucking times square anymore---that place is ridden with corporate assholes and tourists galore. i mean don't get me wrong, every office of most major magazines in nyc is practically located near times square and i would never turn down a job because of its location, but it sure is nice not to be in midtown everyday. instead, now i get off from brooklyn at the F stop at houston and 2nd ave and have a leisurely walk up 2nd avenue to work. i love this part of my day because i just love the neighborhood so much. especially now with the spring weather, i like sitting on the benches at the church on 2nd and 10th street and people watch if i have any time before my shift starts. even when i go out with friends to grab dinner or a drink, we're usually always in the east village (at least somewhere around there). my favorite haunts are any of the small hole-in-the-wall japanese restaurants and bars such as Go, Decibel or Yakinuku West, gay bars such as Urge (my favorite gay bar in nyc) or Eastern Bloc, and the countless other establishments with an unlimited amount of crazy characters and experiences just waiting to happen.

i'm writing of my love for the east village because i felt such a camaraderie with the neighborhood earlier this evening. i've felt this way before, but something about today felt extra special. eating my $5 chicken-over-rice halal food on the steps of the park next to the sunshine theatre around midnight tonight as i avoided the 3 shady looking characters that kept circling around me, all i did was exhale and smile as i looked up at the clear sky and felt such content.

below is a pic i took of a crosswalk on 1st street and 2nd ave awhile ago. it was left like this for weeks, but i noticed a few days ago that the sign has gone back to normal.

i <3 br="" ny.="">