“Stop leaning against the wall — it's wet”

NYC street art I've photographed over the years...

5 Pointz (2013)

“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colors and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall — it's wet.” (Banksy)

---

Freemans Alley (2018)

---

During the 1920s and 1930s, Seventh Avenue in the 130s was nicknamed the Boulevard of Dreams — a stretch of Harlem lined with top theaters and clubs.

Between the Lafayette Theater and Connie’s In sat a lone elm tree known as the Tree of Hope that was viewed as a talisman — bringing good luck to any up-and-coming entertainer who touched it before hitting the stage.

The tree eventually fell to the axe, but the steel sculpture above was built in its place in the center median at Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and
131st Street. (2019)

---

The future is unwritten.

(Alphabet City, 2017)

---

That time Banksy made a visit to my neighborhood (2014)

---

“You owe the companies nothing. You especially don't owe them any courtesy. They have rearranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs.” (Banksy)

---

The mural, “El Regalo Mágico/The Magic Gift,” refers to the gift of inspiration and can be found in East Harlem on the side of a large elementary school at 111th Street and Lexington Avenue. The figure is respected Nuyorican author Nicholasa Mohr, who lives nearby and is known for being one of the first widely published Latina authors in the U.S. (2019)

---

5 Pointz (2012)

---

“The walls are the publishers of the poor.” (Eduardo Galeano)

---

Soho (2019)

---

Not exactly “street art,” but in the area of Harlem once known as Striver’s Row, you can still find glimpses of the 19th Century. (2018)

---

“Painting completed my life.” (Frida Kahlo)

(Welling Court Mural Project, 2020)

---

Astoria (2021)

---

Questions for daily self-exploration (Ridgewood, 2018)

********************************************************************

It would be deeply appreciated if you’d sign up to be a paid subscriber for as little as $5 per month (less than 17 cents a day) — it directly enables this blog/podcast to keep going and growing. You can find the link at the bottom of the post.

If you prefer, you can make a one-time donation whenever you’d like by clicking here. Thank you in advance!