Several weeks ago, near the corner of 86th Street and 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, I passed a couple sitting at a bus stop.
The woman had some words inked on her left arm and, as I paused to consider talking to her, I noticed a colorful tattoo peeking out from under the man's left shirt sleeve.
I told them about Tattoosday and the woman indicated that she had tattoos as well, but she would have to take her clothes off in order for someone to see them. I was intrigued as she implied that she had a relatively large piece that covered a significant part of her body.
However, the man was accommodating and pulled up his sleeve to reveal this bright, colorful tattoo:
And that, my friends, is where this story sadly ends. I had been watching the B63 bus slowly approaching from several blocks away and, no sooner had I snapped the photos, the bus crossed 86th Street and pulled up to the stop.
I handed him a flier and asked him to please e-mail me so I could finish interviewing him. But he never did. Oh well. If only I had been carrying a Metrocard, I could have boarded the B63 with them and talked with them briefly on the bus.
At least we have the photo of the cool tattoo to appreciate and hopefully, some day, our paths will cross again.
The moral of the story: shoot first and ask questions later. Also, always carry a metrocard!
Two Feathers, Their Story Still Untold
Jenny's Amazing Peacock
Timing is everything when it comes to successful inkspotting. Luck is essential. The turning of one's head can result in missing an amazing tattoo.
Case in point:
I met Jenny and her friend Kate by chance coming out of the subway one day.
Jenny has six tattoos, including this phoenix on her left forearm:
But it was this peacock, further up her arm, that really amazed me:
Generally, the peacock represents self-worth and valuing oneself. In Jenny's words, more poignantly, "be happy with your feathers."
The peacock was tattooed by Poohki at Steady Tattoo in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The phoenix was inked by Trevor Kennedy at the same shop, although he now works in California.
Thanks to Jenny for sharing such wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!