We're already in NYC for about a week but keep discovering the blocks around the place where we stay. Once again, we're amazed to find rare spots just around the corner. There are so many realities that this town offers for the curious! We had our morning coffee and empanada at the Puerto Rican Coffee shop, where you don't just get great coffee but also a load of happiness as the barrista greets everyone as an old costumer. To be fair, we were probably among the rare ones he did not know yet. The little shop was housed in a small place painted with murals, which fit with the theme we chose for today: discovering murals and other NYC boroughs.
We already feel like locals when navigating the metro: It took us however almost one hour to Queens/Williamsburg where we wanted to explore street art and the neighbourhood.
Today is a federal holiday in the USA, which is called "Memorial day" and is celebrated every last monday in the month of may to honor the nation's military members who died in service to the country. This meant that there were more people in the streets enjoying the sundshine as compared to any regular monday.
We were guided by an app that offered insights and clues that made us feel like doing a scavenger hunt. We did not miss out on ice cream, amazing architecture or local breweries. We also followed maps of the buckwish collective, which showcases street art in the region among other "open air" painters that make for these street to be the probably most changing and colorful place in NYC.
It almost felt strange not to be surrounded by high rise buildings anymore and also people are more diverse and mostly younger: We did not fully fit into this hipster place but for sure enjoyed the visit!