Halloween Bonus: Zombie PinupBack in September I posted Little Dead Riding Hood, courtesy of Amy, who I met in Penn Station.Amy has a new tattoo, which she generously shared:It's a zombie pin-up girl, and appropriate for the holiday today.Like the previous piece, this was created by T.J. Mcinnis at Mcinnis Tattoo Company in Pro…
Choose the Right TattooMatt has twenty-three (23) tattoos and he offered up this simple trio of letters:The CTR represents the expression "Choose the Right," a common thread in the ideology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly referred to as the Mormon church.In essence, Matt explained, it mea…
Shiri's Logos"Excuse me," I called, loudly, on the 34th Street train platform, "Can I ask you about your tattoo?"Anyone reading this who has been featured here may recognize this as my opening salvo. Most people are open to my questions. Very few dismiss me. For this I am thankful.Shira was the woman to whom I w…
"You Gotta Go There to Come Back": Sarah Shares Three TattoosSarah's half-sleeve jumped out at me in Penn Station as I was quietly bemoaning cooler weather and the dwindling of my blog backlog.I was pleased to find Sarah more than accommodating, as she shared several perspectives of the ink tattooed on her upper right arm.Visiting from Newcastle, Australia, h…
Hang the DJI met Rohan on a Brooklyn-bound A train.He has "thirteen or fourteen" tattoos, and he offered up this one from his right arm:The phrase "Hang the DJ" refers to lyrics sung by Morrissey when he was with The Smiths.I was only on the train with him for two stops, so I didn't get a full explanation of t…
Benjamin's Amazing Viking-Geisha Sleeve by Tim KernPlease join me as I extend a metaphor.I approach inkblogging as if I were one of those guys that goes out on the beach with a metal detector.You find a lot of interesting stuff and, every once in a while, you find treasure.Earlier this month, I saw a man in front of Madison Square Garden walking sou…
Maggie, a Fan of Pink, Shares Some InkOne of the pluses of working near Madison Square Garden is that concert-goers and fans are always about.Occasionally, they can be found camped out near the artists' entrance on 33rd Street. The presence of fans milling about can often be great opportunities to spot tattoos, as in this case, previous…
Joe's Tribute to His UncleI spotted Joe earlier this month outside of Penn Station. He has seven or eight tattoos, and chose to share this one from his right forearm:Joe explained that this piece is a tribute to an uncle who had passed away. He had served proudly in the United States Marine Corps and had had a skull tattoo …
A Little Sunshine on a Cloudy DayI met Cristina on the R train several weeks back.The weather was just beginning to turn cooler, and I noticed that summer had ended quickly, with no gradual diminishing of tattoo sightings, but a sudden disappearance, like shutting the light switch off in a large, bright room at midnight.Cristina ha…
Bill's Ink Honors Generations Past and FutureI met Bill in mid-September on the 34th Street train platform while waiting for a downtown A train.You may have heard of the scent known as a "new car smell". Bill had whatis known as a "new tattoo sheen," which occurs when one anoints a fresh tattoo with a healing ointment used to protect the ink.T…
Two for Tattoosday: Hawai'i Calling and a Pin-Up BoyI met Joakim and Marina last month on the sidewalk, just outside of the 34th Street Penn Station entrance.The couple were visiting from Sweden and it was Joakim's sleeves that jumped out at me.He shared this one segment on his lower right arm:He asked me if it looked familiar. It did, but I couldn't…
Whole Lotta InkI spotted Dina's runic tattoos outside of Borders on Penn Plaza, late one Friday afternoon:Dina is a big fan of Led Zeppelin and, as most fans know, these runes represent the four members of the band.The four symbols represent, from left to right, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and Robert…
Ian's Three ClownsI met Ian on the West 4th Street subway platform last month and spotted this tattoo on the outside of his right leg:Ian had this done three years ago when working in Miami. He's an audio engineer in the television industry, so he travels a bit.He picked the flash out of a book in the tattoo shop. He…
Joe's Piece of πI was on the 34th Street subway platform, waiting for a downtown N express train, when I met Joe who had a series of numbers inked around his arm:I asked him if the digits represented his social security number (don't laugh, I've heard it has been done) and he shook his head and rolled up his sleeve…
Dean's Wolverine Tattoo Shows Amazing PerspectiveI met Dean outside of Penn Station late one Friday afternoon.I was interested in talking to him about this leg tattoo:When I approached him, he challenged me, asking if I knew what it was. There's nothing more embarrassing than misidentifying someone's tattoo, so I gave it a careful look."Wolverine?…
Gypsy Roses and a TombstoneLast month, I ran outside toward the end of the day to throw a letter in the mailbox at the corner of 31st and 7th, near Penn Station.Always prepared, I had a flier and my camera with me, just in case, and I spotted a woman ahead of me on the sidewalk with an interesting-looking tattoo on the back o…
Tiger Versus ViperI had the good fortune of meeting Burton in Penn Station as he was headed back to Georgia.He was in town because his friend had won tickets to the MTV Video Music Awards the night before, and he got to tag along.Burton is a tattooist with thirteen tattoos, and the one he shared with me is truly spec…
