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Wall Dogs: The Midair Muralists Who Paint New York

It’s 8am in Soho, the thermometer reads just above freezing, and the sky is bleak. Taxis splash down the streets; New Yorkers stride with their heads down, leaping over puddles, carelessly bumping into each other. Everyone wants to get out of the cold, out of the rain, into the warmth.

Ten stories above — on a long, skinny platform hanging from the facade of a building at Canal and Mercer in downtown Manhattan — it’s a different story. Climbers’ ropes secured around their torsos, Jason Coatney and Armando Balmaceda stand in a melange of open paint cans and brushes. These two muralists of Colossal Media, the largest hand-painted advertising company in America, are heavily layered in sweatshirts and raincoats. But in this industry, c’est la vie. Paintbrushes in their fingerless-gloved hands, earbuds in their ears — “I like to start out with Miles Davis in the morning,” Coatney smiles, his breath visible in the frigid air — they begin yet another workday in the sky.

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I love this. I’m always fascinated by the enormous murals in NYC.

I went to the Everlane pop up shop yesterday and wanted to buy everything. It was all high quality and reasonably priced, especially the bags. I’ll own this one by the new year.

(via The Snap Backpack Military - Everlane)

Republicans in NYC

(h/t @jsteeleeditor)

(via nycpast)

Fireworks from the west village.

(Source: joshua)

When leaving work today I saw the Piano Across America guy playing in Union Square. Here’s how he describes himself on his blog:

My name is Dotan Negrin and I’m Traveling Across America, Playing my Upright Piano on the Streets of America’s Finest Cities. I hope to Inspire and bring people together through the power of Music. Here is how my story begins.

I think I came across his blog through someone at work, and I wish I had known about it sooner so I could have convinced friends from around the country to find him when he was in their city.

I just missed him when I was in Madison, WI recently and I’m glad I got to see him play (with a dog and a little girl) today and donate a few dollars. I really suggest reading through some of his previous blog entries and hunting him down if you live in NYC (he seems to go to Union and Washington Squares pretty often).

Every single person in Union Sq is taking this picture. I love this city.

You should all check out my friend Bethany’s blog, The Bored Vegetarian. That’s her up there on the tumblr spotlight next to Anthony Bourdain. If you dig deep enough, you’ll find a recipe for French 75 Jello shots (which are arguably non-vegetarian, but then again neither am I), which would be a great way to celebrate surviving a hurricane.