^^ From Left to Right: Charles, Moi & Tarek
Our dear friend, Tarek, is counting down the days before he travels abroad to teach for two years. If you don’t follow him on Instagram (@schoolb0y) you should because the man has been ferociously exploring and eating his way around the D.C. area this summer and sharing photos of his adventures along the way.
What with his departure looming closer and closer, Charles and I made a point to spend as much time with Tarek before he leaves. One particular weekend, we all hopped in a car and drove to Baltimore (located about 45 minutes from the D.C. area) to see Haitus Kaiyote perform live at the Baltimore Sound Stage.
With a few hours to go before the show was scheduled to start, we grabbed a prime parking spot in front of the musical venue and then called an uber to transport us to Graffiti Alley, the only legal art space in Baltimore City where street artists can create their work freely without fear of prosecution.
When I lived in NYC a couple years ago, 5 Pointz (the graffiti mecca of the world at the time) was still in existence… Unfortunately, in 2013, the colorful walls of the 200,000 sq. feet abandoned warehouse were whitewashed by the owners of the building who decided (after 30 years of ignoring this space) that they were going to turn it into a condominium. It made my heart so sad to hear this news. As such, I truly believe that more cities should invest in providing allocated/protected space for street artists to share their works because to me, street art is beautiful (not vandalistic <- is that a word?) and soulful in its own wonderfully cultural way.
With that said, I’m sharing a few of my favorite photos from our visit to Graffiti Alley below. Enjoy :)
^^ Ready…
^^ Set…
^^ Blast Off!
If you ever visit Baltimore, I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to stop by Graffiti Alley. Once you’re done exploring this colorful oasis, make sure to walk around the surrounding areas because there are some great murals located near by that I’m sure will brighten your day. Support The Arts!
North Howard St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
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