citylikeyou — New York / Michael Deal

Michael was born and raised in Seattle, and has lived in New York since 2009. He’s done graphic and interaction design for Pentagram and Local Projects, and is currently a designer at the Google Creative Lab.

http://www.mikemake.com

Designer

Current city: New York

mikemake.com

New York / Shop

Strand is a castle of books. It claims 2.5 million new and used books, across 18 miles of shelves, cared for by 200 employees—so set aside a couple of hours. Plenty of art books and good prices. Get your healthy huff of that old book smell.

New York / Bar

Geek out over the massive menu of Belgian beer at Spuyten Duyvil. Relax in the backyard seating and say, "Ooh, I gotta remember this brew," without realizing you probably won't see it again elsewhere. Then cross the street to Fette Sau, a BBQ experience equally well designed because it's owned by the same couple, the Carrolls. Order from their wide selection of meat cuts, served by the pound on butcher paper. The sides shine too, with the best potato salad and best BBQ beans I've ever had.

New York / Place

Occasionally I'll look at the Manhattan skyline and wonder what it was like in 1931 when people around the world were saying, "Holy shit, did you hear what they just built in New York?" Just get up there and trip out about humanity. And be sure to keep an eye out for the unmarked locked door guarding a set of stairs leading to a hidden terrace that was originally designed as a fucking docking station for zeppelins.

New York / Park

I read that the design of Central Park's curving spaces was a Romantic counter to the geometry of Enlightenment-era gardens. I heard this design was influenced by landscape painting, where its foreground, middleground, and background constantly shift as you walk the paths. I find new pockets and features every time I'm there. One of my favorite spots is with the Central Park Dance Skaters, a group that roller skates in circles all day to vintage electro funk. These characters generously lend you the feeling of being in your own 1980's New York film.

New York / Visual Artist

Joan Wong is a designer that creates visual responses to narratives. She has designed book covers for Penguin, Random House, Alfred A. Knopf, Farrar Straus and Giroux, New Directions, Simon and Schuster, and Harper Collins. She is also a frequent collaborator with the New York Times, creating spot illustrations for their articles. In 2018, she curated and illustrated a collection of online stories about “lives that could have been” called “Sister Life.”

New York / Illustrator

Jing Wei is a Chinese-born, Brooklyn based illustrator. Her work takes on a variety of applications, from magazine editorials to one-off objects to large scale murals. Jing was previously the illustration director at Etsy, but is now running wild and free as a full-time freelancer. Most days, she can be found in her Greenpoint studio, eating sandwiches and drawing chubby people.

New York / Animator

Venezuelan artist, animator and director working and living in Brooklyn. I make short films, GIFs, prints, ads amongst other things.

New York / Artist

Patrick Jacobs lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He studied art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is represented by Pierogi Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His work, including sculpture, photography and video, is often characterized by a kind of pseudo-science or homespun natural phenomena. "When one settles down to a new home, they immediately set out to discover those things which captivate and hold meaning for them. I moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1999 and twelve years later, I'm still writing my own personal travel guide of the city's unlimited attractions and temptations."

New York / Photographer

Stephan Würth is a photographer originally from Germany who grew up between Munich, Texas and California. He discovered photography at age fourteen during a family vacation in Spain; his favorite subjects were sun-bathing women on the Costa del Sol. In 2000, he enrolled in the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale to study photography, and after graduating, became a full time photographer. Some of his clients include Vogue (Latin America), GQ (UK, Italy and Germany), Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Esquire, Levi’s, AOL, Bonobos, Macy’s. In 2011, Stephan released his first book “Ghost Town” published by Damiani. Würth currently resides in New York City's West Village with his wife, Vanessa.

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