Our Site Images
You've noticed our background images. And you've asked about them. You want to know where they come from. You want to know why we chose them. We appreciate an inquisitive audience, so we have some answers for you.
There is one universal truth about New Yorkers- we all experience the city differently. That’s what makes New York so special, within its frenetic and loosely defined boundaries exists 8 million parallel universes. We navigate the grids and knots that cascade across our boroughs in a way that makes sense to us. We choose to walk down certain blocks, while avoiding others- either intentionally or subconsciously zigzagging with the turn of a walk sign. We regularly make note of the same landmarks and completely bypass others. In our pedestrian travels we carve out concentric circles of familiarity within a city that often feels overwhelming.
And these circles change. They are picked up and dropped off blocks away as we start new jobs, move to new neighborhoods, mature into trendier or trendless nightlife, spend the night at new apartments. Every time we relocate to a new circle we add a new chapter to our own New York novel, or we abandon existing circles and start a new story completely.
The images that cover the background of our site exist in Alexis's circles and those of our interviewees. Choosing only 12 images was a challenge- so look alive, we may switch 'em up on you. Enjoy the images in all their glory, with attributions below.
Images, row by row, left to right, starting in the top left corner:
Barbara Kruger MetroCards: On November 1st, 2017, the MTA released 50,000 MetroCards featuring questions Kruger asked in her artwork over the years. The questions are printed in Kruger's signature white Futura font on a red background, now synonymous with a certain streetwear brand who calls Lafayette Street home... and maybe also with NYILYBYC? It's all out of tribute Barbara. Like Kanye, Alexis also gets emotional over fonts.
Keith Haring's Crack is Wack! Mural: The late, great Keith Haring originally painted this mural in the Summer of 1986 on the wall of a handball court on 128th street and 2nd Avenue. Haring's best friend and studio assistant, Benny, was hopelessly addicted to the drug at the time. Haring's frustration with the city's participation in the War on Drugs and its inability to compassionately help addicts motivated him to create the mural. The Parks Department fined Haring and washed over the mural, but an outpouring of positive publicity led to the Parks Commissioner asking Haring to repaint it. Haring died 4 years later from AIDS related complications. The city renamed the park where the mural lives the Crack is Wack Playground in his honor. Read more about the mural's history here and more about Haring here.
Street art is often the first thing to be scrubbed when neighborhoods gentrify (R.I.P. 5Pointz). Check these spots for more of the city's best.
D.J. KaySlay Spins in the Bronx: This picture was taken in 1982 at a playground in the South Bronx- the home of hip hop. KaySlay was profiled (along with Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Joe Bataan and more) in the documentary FROM MAMBO TO HIP-HOP: A South Bronx Tale, which aired on WNET in 2006. The New York Times once called KaySlay "Hip Hop's One Man Ministry of Insults."
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s, Untitled: It's hard to pick a place to begin when talking about Basquiat- and there certainly is no place to end. So we will stick to talking about the painting above (read more about Basquiat here). Basquiat painted Untitled in 1982, a year considered to mark his transformation from street artist to gallery fixture (and also when he was dating Madonna). Untitled features a skull, which is a staple symbol in much of Basquiat's work, wearing a crown of symbols and letters. artnet calls it a "headbutt of a painting, thunking you into attention." Untitled made its museum debut at the Brooklyn Museum, where Basquiat was once a junior member, earlier this year. Untitled is owned by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Maezawa purchased the painting in 2017 for $110.5 million.
And this link will deposit you in Genius' search results of songs that reference Basquiat.
Women's March Protest Signs, 1/21/2017: New Yorkers have been protesting for years, but protests in our new political era have gained a ton of media coverage. Alexis attended the 2017 Women's March. The pile of signs protesters left behind at the 57th Street-7th Avenue Q stop exists as her most salient memory of the march. They weren't discarded, but rather installed as a collective reminder that we will never be silenced.
Empty 6 Train Car, Sometime in 2017: Alexis loves the subway, an uncommon sentiment amongst New Yorkers. Boarding a completely empty (and immaculately clean) subway car is a rarity. She documented it, then probably promptly exited it. Empty subway cars are empty for a reason, y'all.
1994 Knicks Eastern Conference Championship Team, Henry Kaye @hoopdreamink: Interviewee Tommy loves the Knicks. So does Alexis' roommate. And her dad. And her brother. All are loyal fans despite the fact that the Knickerbockers have not delivered a league championship since 1973. (The Orange and Blue have instigated a lot of Haut men to yell at TVs over the years.) The 1994 squad was a ray of hope for beaten down fans. Depicted above are coach Pat Riley, Charles Smith, Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Mason, Derek Harper, Greg Anthony, John Starks and Doc Rivers. The team went 57-25 that year and made it to the NBA Finals.
The Brooklyn Bridge and the Twin Towers, taken from Brooklyn in 1990 by Ron Cogswell: No further commentary needed.
Lead image on the blog Yellow Cab NYC featuring yellow cabs in Times Square. Yellow Cab NYC is a private blog that post stories about the taxi industry. Recently, they've focused on the impact services like Lyft and Uber have had on drivers and their ability to make a living.
The Stonewall Inn: Located on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, The Stonewall Inn was the site of the Stonewall riots in 1969- considered THE watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQIA rights. The Stonewall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. You can buy the print of this photo on Etsy.
Brownstones in Crown Heights, BK (exact location purposely withheld): Alexis, Erin and interviewee Ruth are all Crown Heights residents. If you want to know more about why this is the greatest neighborhood in Brooklyn, listen to the episodes. We give you just enough to pique your interest, but not enough to inspire you to Williamsburgify it.
If you don't recognize the animated visages of these two ladies, I am not really sure what you have been up to for the last five or so years. This is a still from episode 4 of season 4 of Broad City, Abbi and Ilana's first foray into animated content. They are wading through Ilana's home neighborhood of Gowanus on a mushroom trip that ends with Abbi accidentally smushing Wanda Skyes' cat in a sliding door.