Bowery and Spring

Welcome back graffiti fans. We are enjoying spring temperatures here in New York (finally!) and I hope it's getting warmer wherever you call home.

This week's Polaroid comes from the corner of Bowery and Spring Street. This is an interesting area in Manhattan as it hugs the borders of several different neighborhoods: the East Village, Chinatown, and SoHo.

There is a lot of graffiti on Spring Street close to this particular location, as well as throughout Chinatown and the East Village. What made me decided to photograph this particular set of tags is its location. As you may be able to make out in the picture, the building that is the canvas for this graffiti is a rather large, stately building. It was probably a very grand building at another point in time, but now it seems to have fallen into a state of disrepair. I thought it was particularly interesting that the doors of this building were tagged. Like the "I Dream of Love" tag a few posts back, there are things pasted on the doors (the white and green house shape and the yellow hourglass shape) mixed in with the different graffiti tags.

It is obvious that several different artists have contributed to this particular area. I like the overall effect. It makes the building look like a collage of sorts. I also think it is interesting that the different artists are respectful of each other's work. Apart from the two paper pieces pasted on the doors, all of the artwork is distinct, and the artists do not encroach upon each other's work.

There is a lot to do in the area by this particular tag. Because it edges on three different neighborhoods, the possibilities are nearly endless. If you feel like hanging out in the East Village, I recommend Alt.Coffee, a coffee shop located at 139 Avenue A, between St. Mark's and East 9th Street. They serve up a great cup of coffee, as well as pastries and other goodies. They also serve as a gallery space for emerging artists and have internet access as well.

If you're hanging out in Chinatown, there are tons of different places to get authentic Chinese food for cheap, as well as funky indoor malls selling all sorts of goods, ranging from the basic to the crazy. One of the best things about Chinatown, in my humble opinion, are the Chinatown buses between New York and Washington, D.C. (my hometown and all-time favorite city!) or Boston (another awesome city!). For service to Washington, D.C., I recommend New Century Travel. It's only $20 for a one-way ticket or $35 round trip to our Nation's Capitol (and one of the coolest cities around) and they get you there pretty quickly. For service to Boston, there's the Fung Wah bus, which offers one-way tickets for $15 and round trip tickets for $30. So if you're feeling like seeing another city, those are some options!

That's all for this week. Until next time...

SoHo's "GodBuns"

Hello intrepid graffiti fans! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. Life has been keeping me very busy as of late.

Today's Polaroid comes from Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. It can be found on Thompson Street between Spring and Broome Streets.

I happen to work in SoHo, and lately I've noticed lots of tags around the area saying "GodBuns". While I was walking on my break one afternoon, I noticed this particular wall and it interested me a great deal. On this wall there is a mural of three women in bikinis. There are gaps between the three women, as you can see in the Polaroid, and one or more graffiti artist has chosen to decorate the empty space. There are several other skulls painted on this wall in different colors, similar to the one shown in the Polaroid. There are also what appear to be drink cups, which you can see half of in this Polaroid. There is an "MF" tagged next to the skull, which may or may not be an artists' signature. It is confusing because "GodBuns" is tagged so close below. I am not sure that the skulls are "GodBuns"'s work, however, since most the rest of his tags are just the words "GodBuns."

Years ago, SoHo was an area where artists congregated. They lived there and had studios there. The rent in SoHo is now far too high for most people to live and is now inhabited by the posh and wealthy. It is refreshing to me to see this kind of tagging going on, because it is a reminder of SoHo's roots. SoHo is not just about overpriced boutiques and cafes and million-dollar lofts. It was once a place where fantastic works of art were created and ideas were shared.

That being said, SoHo still does have a lot to offer. For those of you who love to shop, there are plenty of stores and boutiques in the area, ranging from cheap to high-end. I recommend visiting on a Sunday afternoon and going to West Broadway between Spring and Broome, one block up from the location of this week's Polaroid. There are many vendors who set up along this stretch of SoHo and sell original paintings, photographs, sketches and other works of art.

If you get hungry, I recommend you visit Ben's Pizzeria, located on the corner of Thompson and Spring. It's a little hole in the wall, but the slices there are absolutely delicious. I recommend the fresh marinara and mozzarella. I've never had better.

Well, that's it for this week. Please feel free to let me know about any tags you'd like for me to visit or any interesting graffiti sightings you've had!