madrid’s neon sleeper nights and my 3am street art bender
woke up at 3am to that 5.99 temp outside. not sure why i don’t mind the ice bite. maybe it’s the same thing that kept me up sketching on the pavement near pes m spanish. the wind here? it’s like a snarky neighbor who occasionally texts you ‘stay put’ through the window. if you get bored, crave an hour’s drive to the pyrenees or something. i heard that thing from a guy at a 24-hour café who was definitely not sober. bar hopping here feels like watching a movie where the script keeps getting shredded. someone told me that the tapas spot on carmen has a secret sushi roll. don’t quote me on that. probably some drunk’s fake gossip. but hey, i tried it. it was weird but not bad? maybe.
last night i stumbled into this alley with a bunch of street artists tossing pigment pastels. one guy’s bike was covered in random character sketches. he said it’s his way of ‘punching holes in the grid.’ whatever that means. i took a photo of his station. it looked like a war zone. maybe that’s the point.
the weather app said feels like 3.31. i rolled with it. got a jacket and just wandered. kept seeing this gray concrete building near green trees. looked like it belonged in a dream. or at least a bad one. parked my bike there for a bit. woke up to pigeons stealing my sketchbook. classic.
reviews? i overheard two tourists arguing about the best vermouth bar. one said ‘it’s a trap’ and the other insisted ‘it’s a cult.’ never went. instead i found this tiny art exhibit in a bookstore. they sold postcards with weird scribbles. bought one. it made me think. or maybe i was just caffeinated on that second coffee.
links? tripadvisor for the tapas place ( seulísticas, i think), yelp for cafes (café do mestizo is chaotic but good), and this local artist forum (madridartcollective.com). the weather’s a mess, the vibe’s a mess. embrace it. if you’re here, text me if you find the sushi roll. i need verification.
ps. the humidity’s 75%. not terrible. the pressure’s 1013. whatever that means. just don’t step on any graffiti. or do. it’s all optional here.