Street artist Steve “ESPO” Powers, whose studio is here in Tribeca, has tagged a series of boarded up windows in Soho themed to the pandemic, and it is worth a stroll over to Broadway and Spring, especially since street art is the only art we can view right now. Along the way, there’s some other street art to catch that’s notable, including a new installment by JR in his “Faces Places” series on the boarded-up windows of the Kendra Scott store.

Powers is the artist behind the giant message on Pier 40 — “I want to thank you” — and is known for his witty word play. You can see him installing this newest one in the video below by James and Karla, an East Village couple who have been documenting the city’s vanishing unique storefront signage (and the businesses that go with them) for years.

JR, who is also a huge global presence in the street art and film scene, had the ballerina and the cluster of Ellis Island children on the wall that is now behind 100 Franklin. His unfurling dancer at 250 Hudson at Spring now has an addition by Queens native UncuttArt whose ubiquitous stencils of “Protect Yo HeART” are painted on sidewalks all over the country.

So here’s the route (and chime in if you have other good spots along the way for folks to see) (And thanks to K. for the Hudson Street additions):
> walk north on Hudson the Arlo Hotel. Catch the book reader by Frank Ape there (Frank Ape also has a big mural at the WTC, see vid below) at what is about 251 Hudson.
> walk a bit further north on Hudson to the JR at Spring.
> head east on Spring to the ESPO at Broadway (you can hit Trader Joe’s as you go by)
> walk back and head south on Greene for the JR south of Prince
> go a little out of your way for the Stik classic at 188 Lafayette and Broome

Frank Ape Mural at the Future Home of Tower 2 World Trade Center. from Bobby Grandone on Vimeo.