August 1st. The date that sends some into panic during summer, compelling them to drive themselves crazy with all the things they feel they haven’t done for the summer. I always felt like that was foolish because summer ends sometime in September officially.
I wasn’t really thinking about that as I was making my way into the city, en route to the Time Out Market in Union Square. Stepping off the 4 train and popping up to surface level, I saw the morning crowds of joggers and bikers zipping up and down 14th Street. I arrived at Time Out Market, ready to take part in an Art of Noticing Walk.The walk was a joint event organized by Peak and Pace, a group created in 2024 with the purpose of fostering community and culture through movement, and outdoor footwear brand Merrell and Time Out.
The friendly team members signed us in promptly at 10 A.M., and ushered us to the outdoor patio, where we were greeted by a vibrant mural created by artist Bianca Romero. (You can check out how she created the mural right here.)We were all the first to see the mural, entitled “City In Bloom”. It’s a love letter by Romero to Union Square, where she grew up. All the walk participants got to indulge in breakfast provided by Cafe D’Avignon, and lounge before we got to hear from Romero in an exclusive talk before setting out on the walk.
“For me, whenever I have creative blocks, I’m too much in my head or if I need inspiration, without fail just going on walks has always been it,” she told all of us. “Subsconsciously, I find myself back in Union Square because that’s where I’ve been my whole life, so I kind of wanted to bring that into this mural.” Romero’s mural will be on full display at Time Out Market Union Square, and Merrell is hosting experiences there on the patio for the entire month of August.
After another few minutes, we all ventured onto the street, led by Romero and our guide, Audrey, who is also a longtime resident of the area and historian. She set the tone by telling us that “the word in graffiti here and around the world is, no face, no case.”
With that, we set off down 14th Street toward Avenue A. Even though it was just after 11 A.M., the heat had already cranked up somewhat. I took note of the vacant storefronts here and there the closer we got to Avenue A. Old-timers in short sleeve t-shirts and slacks eyed us all with some curiousity, with a few of the group still walking with plates of pastries they took for the road.
We made the corner of Avenue A, and I marveled at the multitudes on their way to brunch or yoga classes, some all carrying the same blank expression behind varying styles of sunglasses. At the corner, we got to learn about various styles of sticker street art. Romero shared that she began doing wheat paste art, which helped build up her comfort level being creative in the streets.
We also got to see a mural of The Beastie Boys done by the iconic artist Shepard Fairey.Our group walked down, past Tompkins Square Park and as we paused to take in another artist’s work, a guy driving a silver SUV hollered at us. “HEY LISTEN,” he shouted, “YOU’RE IN THE HEROIN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. NEW YORK CITY, RIGHT HERE.” Some of the group let out nervous chuckles, while some of us who’ve seen that type on subways and other parts of this metropolis often just shrugged and laughed.
From there, we strode back towards Union Square, stopping periodically to check out key murals from artists such as Elle Street Art’s striking depiction of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on East 11th and 1st Avenue, just across the street from Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra’s “Black or White” mural of the late superstar Michael Jackson.
“New York has always told its story on our walls,” Audrey said to us as we gathered by St. Mark’s Church on The Bowery for another break as she related to us how new immigrants to the city would find out news from their communities from messages that were written on the pillars by the church.
Our walk continued on, as the sun hit its high point in the sky above us. Fourth Avenue was packed with people enjoying the road, free of cars for the Summer Streets program. We made our way back to Union Square Park, still full of energy that carried us by the farmer’s market and a couple of pop-up giveaways including one from San Pellegrino that presented free beverages - highly welcome in the heat.
We closed the walk by arriving at Paragon Sports on Broadway, grabbing some more welcome refreshments and getting gifts from Merrell while checking in with each other to get their reactions about the experience. I honestly felt invigorated. I enjoy getting walks in, but to do it with a group of folks from various backgrounds while checking out street art was special.
As I stepped out of the store, I looked back south towards Union Square Park. For a brief moment, I felt as if I saw parts of Romero’s mural come to life with everyone walking around. You can sometimes forget how much inspiration is right in front of you, if you don’t make it a point to notice it.