5 x 5 x 5

This month we take five quintessential New Yorkers from five quintessential New York institutions/occupations (a bar, a record shop, a photographer, an artist/pop up shop and a rapper) and ask them five questions.

This month we take five quintessential New Yorkers from five quintessential New York institutions/occupations (a bar, a record shop, a photographer, an artist/pop up shop and a rapper) and ask them five questions.

It’s a fresh take on the same old ‘best of’ lists which populate the media, and not the usual ‘people/places to watch for’ in 2013.

They’re all products of New York and reflect both our heritage and our journey ahead in the city we’re from and love.

And these are our questions:
What’s your favourite view of New York?
What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
What smell most reminds you of New York?
What’s your favourite subway line?
On any given day where would we find you, uptown, down town or mid town?

STEVE POWERS/ESPO’S CREATIVE OUTLET

Graffiti writer turned artist and now a sign writer as well, Steve Powers a.k.a ESPO, is the proud owner of the newly opened ESPO’s Creative Outlet in New York City. The dual-purpose space serves as the workshop for Icy Signs early in the week, only to transform into a gallery/shop from Thursday to Sunday. Fans can wonder around the shop to look at his works on paper, metal, and wood, alongside selected ephemera, books, and catalogs from the past. If you are in the downtown Brooklyn area, be sure to drop by the store.

What’s your favourite view of New York?
Driving through the meadowlands towards exit 14C. It looks like the Emerald City rising out of a dumpster

What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
That second right turn out of the tunnel that leads me home

What smell most reminds you of New York?
Dumpster juice in mid July, always makes me smile

What’s your favorite subway line?
the original one, the 1! I also love the D train

On any given day where would we find you, uptown, downtown or midtown?
Ideally all three, today I hit that trifecta from Harlem to Tribeca

BARCADE

PAUL KERMIZIAN is one of the owners of Barcade – the ultimate boys own den: a bar with a dual focus; an endless rotation of American craft beer and an equally eclectic lineup of classic arcade games. In 2004, five (!) friends came together and opened their own bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each had been working in either Film/TV or graphic design in New York and four of them had attended Syracuse University together. They were enthusiastic about American craft beer and had grown up in the 1980s playing classic arcade games. Looking to start their own business, they decided to take a chance and combine the two passions. Barcade now has three spots, here in New York, one in New Jersey and the third in Philadelphia.

What’s your favourite view of New York?
The inside of Grand Central station, or driving on the street above the station.

What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
NY sports talk radio

What smell most reminds you of New York?
A pizza slice joint

What’s your favorite subway line?
JMZ

On any given day where would we find you, uptown, down town or mid town?
Brooklyn!

PERMANENT RECORDS

This welcoming spot caters to music nerds on every budget, from penny-pinchers (used CDs, cassettes and records go for as low as a buck each) to big spenders (a first pressing of the Kinks’ 1965 Kinks-Size $75). It has an old-school, pretension-free vibe and knowledgeable staff.

Beyond a broad selection of indie-rock staples and curios, this Greenpoint haven houses an inviting selection of jazz and funk. As well as offering good deals on trade-ins and fairly priced used vinyl and CDs, Permanent Records hosts regular in-store performances.

Employee Meg Cain gives us the word.

What’s your favourite view of New York?
I’m really partial to the view from East River Park down in Williamsburg.

What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
The sheer number of underground shows that are around almost every corner in north Brooklyn. There’s always something to see if you’ve got an open ear.

What smell most reminds you of New York?
Probably the smell of pizza steam coming out of almost every block in the city. That and the indefinable subway smell of damp, dust, and trash.

What’s your favorite subway line?
The G train. It’s sort of the underdog of the subway line, everyone makes fun of it but its always done right by me and it’s the lone non-Manhattan route in the whole system.

On any given day where would we find you, uptown, down town or mid town?
None of the above? I’m usually in Brooklyn where those terms lose meaning. But if I am in the city its almost exclusively downtown.

LLOYAL

Lloyal is a Harlem/Bronx representative known for his storytelling skills, comedic rhymes, and selection of beats. His parents were brought together by music. His father was a DJ and one night at the club he was spinning, a club singer came in to sing medleys. They met, fell in love and gave birth to this MC. Music is in Lloyal’s blood and he lets it show in his songs. He’s the product of another New York love story.

What’s your favourite view of New York?
For tourists: Le Bain in The Standard Hotel, it’s in the Financial District. Basically this rooftop spot that has glass walls so you get this 360 degree view of the city inside this room with a disco ball. Add some expensive drinks, beautiful ladies & city lights and you’re experiencing NYC. But for me, my favorite view is outside my window. Beautiful view of Wagner Projects & Taino towers in Spanish Harlem. You can even see Yankee Stadium in the distance.

What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
Depending on where I’m coming back from, but usually the tree. Honestly, I most look forward to getting my clothes back in the closet. I hate having them folded in a bag. I know that’s not city-related but that’s what be on my mind.

What smell most reminds you of New York?
On the hottest days in the Summer, New York smells like garbage! Literally, the heat hits all the garbage on the streets & the aroma just fills the air. So hot garbage.

What’s your favorite subway line?
The 6 train is my favorite subway line. I’ve always lived on the 6 line so I’m biased but it’s got the newest trains & most technologically advanced stations. It’s always reliable even at the most obscure hour & on weekends (when many other lines suffer).

On any given day where would we find you, uptown, down town or mid town?
Uptown & Midtown. I work Midtown so I spend a lot of time there but other than that I mainly keep it Uptown.

BRAD OGBONNA

Readers of Vice, Spin or Bullett magazines, to name just three, will be familiar with Brad Ogbonna’s work. Primarily using film, he feels most at ease when capturing pure moments of age-old friends and locating the unhinged beauty of the places he visits. However, not satisfied with only these aspects, Brad has incorporated the use of digital and video to his style of work, exploring the realms of fashion photography and short concept films.

What do you most look forward to on your return to the City?
I always enjoy getting back to my neighborhood (Clinton Hill), because my bodega guy, ‘Yaya,’ is aways excited to hear about my travels—and it might sound trite, but it’s always really nice to just be back in the city and surrounded by so many different people and the energy of NYC.

What smell most reminds you of New York?
The smell of Chinatown (if you live here you know—I don’t want to get into describing that smell), street meat, excessive perfume, the Subways—both the sandwich chain and the hubs of transportation.

What’s your favorite subway line?
Definitely the F line. It cuts through some of my favorite jaunts like: Chelsea, the West Village, the Lower East Side, Chinatown, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and a bunch of other neighborhoods down to Coney Island.

On any given day where would we find you, uptown, down town or mid town?
If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago I definitely would have only mentioned Downtown or Brooklyn, but as of late, I’ve been checking out the MET, MOMA, and Natural History Museum in my free time… I’m originally from the Twin Cities, Minnesota which is not suited for long walking excursions. So, I take advantage of living in NYC by walking around aimlessly looking for something that’ll strike me. My aunt lives out in Jamaica, Queens so I’m out there from time to time. I did a year of school in Flushing and I’m out there every now and then for the food. There’s a good pizza spot in Staten Island so it’s fun to take the ferry down there for that. Most of my photography work is shot on location so honestly you can find me all over.