February 5, 2009
R.I.P. Joe Ades, aka “the gentleman carrot peeler.” “The city lost one its quintessential characters Sunday when the enigmatic Joe Ades died after decades spent selling his $5 vegetable peelers at the Union Square Greenmarket, and other locations around town. Ades, born in Manchester, England, was an unavoidable and entertaining presence at Union Square, and eventually became something of a media darling for his loud, hypnotic patter; his distinctive suits; and his incongruous Park Avenue address.” Over the years, I’ve seen him on the most random of street corners and at Union Square Greenmarket. I’ve stopped to join the crowd to watch his demonstration. His pitch never wavered, yet his charm always grew. Rumor has it, Ades put his grandaughter through college by selling his peelers. I really wish I had bought one. more info: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03ades.html?_r=1

R.I.P. Joe Ades, aka “the gentleman carrot peeler.”

“The city lost one its quintessential characters Sunday when the enigmatic Joe Ades died after decades spent selling his $5 vegetable peelers at the Union Square Greenmarket, and other locations around town. Ades, born in Manchester, England, was an unavoidable and entertaining presence at Union Square, and eventually became something of a media darling for his loud, hypnotic patter; his distinctive suits; and his incongruous Park Avenue address.”

Over the years, I’ve seen him on the most random of street corners and at Union Square Greenmarket. I’ve stopped to join the crowd to watch his demonstration. His pitch never wavered, yet his charm always grew. Rumor has it, Ades put his grandaughter through college by selling his peelers. I really wish I had bought one.

more info: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03ades.html?_r=1

•