Serenity from AnthonyI spotted Anthony's ink while biking along the Belt Parkway promenade at the end of May.Always a fan of word tattoos, I stopped him while he was jogging and he was kind enough to stop and allow me to snap the photo above.It was only after I got a chance to see it that I recognized the top verse as w…
Dave's Unusual SkullJust a quick post for Friday.Earlier this week, I met Dave on the West 4th Street platform and took a picture of this tattoo on his leg:I like this skull because it's so unusual. It has the feel of a sugar skull, but it's not quite, It's certainly not your typical piece, and the neon colors really m…
Laici's Astrological ClusterI met Laici last month outside of Penn Station, near the corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue. I was intrigued by this design on her upper right arm:This design consists of several symbols from the Zodiac.Laici explained, "My dad's a Cancer, my mom's an Aries, my sister and I are Scorpios, and my br…
Sierra's Mayflower in JuneLast month, I found myself at the corner of 86th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, waiting for the crosstown bus.I looked over to my right and saw a tattoo with incredible line work:This tattoo belongs to Sierra, who was kind enough to send me a photo of the tattoo later that evening. She also tol…
Anna's Ship, With a Nod to a Favorite SongYesterday I posted Bjorn's Michael Jackson Thriller tattoo. When I met him, walking on the Coney Island Boardwalk, he was accompanied by Anna, who also had quite a few tattoos. She offered up this one on her left thigh:The banner around this classic ship tattoo reads "Yo no soy marinero soy el capit…
Remembering the King of Pop, Three Years LaterIt's hard to believe that it has been three years since Michael Jackson's tragic passing. It only seems fitting that we pay our respects by sharing this tattoo, which illustrates the King of Pop in one of his most famous incarnations: a zombie in Michael Jackson's Thriller.This piece belongs to Bjor…
Update from the Mermaid Parade, 2012Yesterday I attended the 30th Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade. It was my first excursion to Coney Island for this specific occasion and, let me say, it is sensory overload, especially if you are interested in tattoos.Fueled by Coney Island lager, I managed to meet a few people, take photos, and e…
Coney Island on My MindEarlier this month I met Jamie outside of Macy*s on 34th Street. She has eight tattoos and shared this fantastic piece on her inner right arm:Jamie got this because she is from Brooklyn and, like most Brooklynites, Coney Island has a special place in her heart. The piece is a collage of all the Cone…
Nicky Shares a Famous MermaidWith mermaids on the mind, how about this tattoo from Nicky?I spotted Ariel, aka The Little Mermaid, on Nicky's arm while walking through Penn Station last month.When I asked him why he got this tattoo, he replied that she was "my favorite since I was little - she's awesome." He credited an artist n…
Lindsay's Mermaid Kicks off SummerWell, it's officially summer and we are expecting a scorcher here today in New York City.I wanted to share a tattoo that would fit the theme, but I've been looking ahead to this Saturday's Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.A couple weeks ago I rode my bike out to the boardwalk and was rewarded with a l…
Alfredo Shares a Sugar Skull with a Family TwistI ran into Alfredo last month in Penn Station and he shared this tattoo:He credited this to an artist named Sy at Sunset Park Tattoo.Alfredo, who has "over 23" tattoos, told me that this traditional sugar skull is embellished with a hairstyle modeled after the way his mother wore her hair on her wed…
Spiro Shares a Cool John Lennon TattooBeing that today is Paul McCartney's birthday, I thought I would share this tattoo of John Lennon, since he and Paul are considered one of the greatest songwriting duos in popular music.This tattoo was spotted in Penn Station earlier this month, on the back of an arm belonging to Spiro.He got this p…
Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!In honor of the day, I am re-posting a piece I featured on Father's Day in 2009:Last week, I posted about a trio of friends that had recently moved from San Francisco to New York, all of them inked.Jake was the first of the three to share his tattoo with us, and it is such a good piece, I saved it f…
Blaise & A Unique Sugar SkullI met Blaise on a sunny spring day near the corner of 8th Avenue and 33rd Street.He has a lot of ink, the majority of which was tattooed by Alex McWatt of Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn.Blaise pointed out the sugar skull in the center of his arm:This is a sugar skull with a twist - note the rainbow …
An Anonymous Half-Sleeve from the SubwayThis is an orphan post - I ran into the subject on the West 4th Street subway platform back in April. She consented to my photographing her half-sleeve but, before I could get any info, including her name, her train rolled in and she left me in the station with only a few photos.I asked her to e-mai…
Be StillI love tattoos comprised of words. When done well, they are fascinating.The phrase "be still" on the inner left forearm of Tara, above, has a simple and beautiful meaning.She explained that she understands the phrase as the only expression that is common to the Bible, the Koran, and ancient Hindu pr…
Karen's Order of the ElephantComing home from the New York City Tattoo Convention last month, I ran into Karen on the R train in Brooklyn. She had this unusual tattoo on her left arm:Karen got this on a trip to Denmark from Anders Wester at Bright Side Tattoo in Copenhagen.It is inspired by the Order of the Elephant, the highes…
Erica Wears Her Heart on Her SleeveThe concept of wearing your heart on your sleeve isn't completely original, but when I met Erica in the grocery store last month, I was impressed with this interpretation:Erica said she got this, one of twelve tattoos she has, to remind herself "not to toughen up ... you go through some shit and you…
Sarah's Romance OwlSarah passed me as I was leaving from work one afternoon back in March, at the corner of 31st Street and Seventh Avenue. Of course I had to stop her and she kindly let me take a photo of this colorful owl tattoo on her left arm:Sarah explained how she went to Robert Ryan at Electric Tattoo in Bradle…
Madison Shares a Coming-of-Age TattooI posted Friday about meeting Lex in Penn Station here. Her friend Madison was sitting nearby, and she shared a tattoo, as well:This tattoo is located on the side of Madison's left thigh. For those who may not be familiar with the word bildungsroman, Madison explained, "it means ‘a coming of age sto…
Lex and The Little PrinceI met Lex in Penn Station a couple months back and started talking to her about her tattoos. She has five and offered up this piece, which was her first:“It’s from The Little Prince [by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]," Lex explained, "I read it when I was a kid, it’s one of my favorite books. It means a …
Kenevin's Vikings Honor His HeritageI met Kenevin outside of Strabucks on the corner of 31st Street and Seventh Avenue a couple months ago.He estimates he has had about seventy hours of work done on his body and he shared an amazing tattoo anchored by this hammer of Thor in the middle of his calf:But it was the whole piece that was tr…
Avery's Spider-Man View of the CityYesterday we met Cat and her tattoos (here, in case you missed it). But you may recall I mentioned that she was not alone. Her friend Avery was standing by and she, too, had ink to share. Of the eight tattoos she possessed at the time, she offered up this piece, from the inside of her upper left arm…
Cat's Eyes and More!Back in March, on a particularly warm end-of-winter day, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station, one of whom was named Cat. I spotted three of her tattoos almost immediately, and we had a nice discussion about her ink.Cat explains:"the eyes were my first [tattoos] ... on my eighteenth birthday …
Laura Brooks Shares Her Parents Names and Her Toe KnucklesI met Laura Brooks outside of Macy*s on 34th Street last month. She has a lot of tattoos (she estimates 60% of her canvas is covered), so I deferred to her, asking which she wanted to share with us here on Tattoosday.She offered up her wrists:These are her parents names, Davis and Blythe, and they w…
