Street Art in the East Village
A few weeks ago my videographer and I decided to take a little stroll through the East Village and profile a few streets with some pretty amazing street art. It’s safe to say that almost anywhere you wander in New York City, graffiti is not far behind. The outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are not to be missed either. There’s a huge mix of international artists residing in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn and a large community of writers penning their next novel in Park Slope.
This particular day we decided to concentrate on the East Village. Although I’m currently a west side soho resident, the east side of Manhattan holds a special place in my heart. Moving to New York about a week after my college graduation with only a little money saved up and no job, I found a steal by living in the SVA dorms, which were conveniently located on the always bustling Ludlow Street. My next apartment was about 20 blocks up, so East Village remained sandwiched between the two, giving me plenty of time to develop attachment toward the grungy streets.
While we had no set plans for the day other than making our way to 2nd and 2nd at some point, we stumbled upon an array of art on a single wall on Tompkins street. Almost as if it was planned (and believe me it wasn’t) a man interrupted our recording to tell us that the image on the far right was actually a marriage proposal.
How did he know this? Well, in true New York fashion he was simply walking by and although New Yorkers are the most jaded people in the world, a man on one knee asking his girlfriend to marry him was a sight worth stopping for. Almost immediately after learning this, two pug dogs (as seen in the image) walked by the camera. Talk about perfect timing!
To see where else I wandered, check out our video of East Village Street Art.
Like Bohemian Trails on Facebook and Tweet me at @BohemianTrails
15 Comments
That is so freaking awesome. I love the proposal!
I love street art and there’s some great stuff in NYC. I think I remember seeing that marriage proposal before — might have been on Downtown Traveler’s site. Nice to see it again here!
Really?! We were lucky – the man in the video walked by at just the right moment. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known the back story.
I love street art … it’s my new hobby to try and find some in every place I travel.
Lovely post!
Love street art too – especially when I travel!
What a great use of street art!
Thanks! We did this just by wandering around aimlessly haha. You never know what you will find in New York!
Glad I stumbled upon your site! Im a New Yorker myself trying to take my own blog a little bit more serious. And speaking of street art, my sister used to live by that marriage proposal one! Pretty neat huh?! Street art is one of the biggest things I photograph everywhere, especially while traveling. I saw on your other post how you loved the Berlin Tourism Board party – if you love street art, you will definitely fall in LOVE with Berlin the way I did; more than half of my pics were of street art!
Antoinette, I’m so glad you stumbled upon our site too! I’m a huge street art fan and I’m glad to know you are an avid art lover as well
Definitely planning on visiting Berlin this summer. Can’t wait to explore the art culture there.
Megan recently posted..Christmas Beauty Around the World
If all graffiti was as unique and interesting as that you’ve shown, well, it would most certainly have a better reputation! Hate the tagging; it’s like, what’s the point!? I found some equally cool street art down Melbourne’s laneways in Australia, let me know what you think! http://bit.ly/rvQE0T
Glad you liked the post! I stumbled upon a lot of the East Village street art by pure chance. Took a look at your pictures – very colorful. I’m a fan!
Megan recently posted..4 Countries. 3 Continents. 2 Bags. 1 Girl
That’s the best way to find this stuff; by pure chance. I saw your Tweet – I think a series of Manhattan street art and neighbourhood guides would make very interesting reads and photos. I look forward to them!
Thanks for the feedback Francesca! I’m excited to start the series. Stay tuned
Megan recently posted..4 Countries. 3 Continents. 2 Bags. 1 Girl
I feel so lucky to live in a neighborhood with a thriving arts scene! Street art is constantly popping up in the most unexpected places. The East Village is amazing
Leslie (Downtown Traveler) recently posted..Top art trends from Armory Arts Week 2012 (photos)
I know – cannot get enough of East Village street art!
Megan recently posted..Delicious Foods from Norway