Underneath the Graffiti

After three days in the city that never sleeps or takes a beat, I’m off to Spain. Whenever visiting New York City, there's an instant recognition that it's a living entity. From the surface, you may see the good the bad and the ugly, but haven't we all been taught not to judge a book by it's cover? Admittedly there are times I loose sight of what's in front of me. But as a photographer, I get the chance to look beyond the somewhat gritty exterior and see something beautiful. I love New York, I played tourist for a few days, snapped a few photos and prepared myself for the travels that lay ahead. 

After a day of travel, a short visit with my friend sleep, a few airport hiccups later, the taxi pulls up to our Madrid Airbnb. Sitting in the cab, my friend I'm traveling with turns to me, eyes wide with cheer in her cheeks and says "Woah, this is such a great spot!" Instantaneously my first thought was the exact opposite, one of pure skepticism and unease as the area was littered with graffiti and a seemingly empty square. Swallowing my doubts I retreated to a position of complacency as we unloaded our bags and waited for the host to buzz us in.

Once I started walking around the area, I quickly discovered that my perception of the area was entirely misguided. The graffiti-riddled doors were beginning to morph into works of art the closer I looked. It was the action of pulling up the garage doors that suddenly changed it all. Behind the paint there were sweet little shops, vendors brushing off thresholds preparing their services. It was a small realization to give more credit to what sits on the other side.