The Freakiest Corners in New York City

Jupiter Disco, a bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn, during Pride in 2024.Credit...Stefaun Maldonado

“Listen, any queer bar that has a dark room or anything of that nature.” — MissMa’amShe, drag artist

 

 Interviews by Nicole AcheampongJason ChenRoxanne FequiereKate GuadagninoJuan A. Ramírez and Coco Romack

Interviews by Nicole AcheampongJason ChenRoxanne FequiereKate GuadagninoJuan A. Ramírez and Coco Romack

The people we gathered for T’s freak extravaganza first arrived in New York from places as varied as Austin, Texas, and Chengdu, China, but all are deeply connected to the city. It’s where they established their careers and continue to showcase their work, whether on fashion runways or gallery walls. As Mark Harris writes in the feature’s introduction, freaks have long “proudly populated, redefined and expanded the shadowlands of New York City — a metropolis that, for a century or more, has in turn reshaped and reimagined itself to accommodate them.” Still, that begs a question: What’s the freakiest place in all of the city? When asked, our interviewees (unsurprisingly) had their own singular ideas.

Freak City

New York has always attracted the most out-there artists. Here, T looks at the singularly strange talents who’ve built a metropolis unlike any other. Plus:

- Why New York has long been the freakiest place to be.

- Julia Fox’s advice on how to be a freak today.

- Cole Escola, Princess Nokia and more share their favorite freaky artworks and city spots.

- How New York Fashion Week came to outfreak Paris and Milan.

A man in dungarees stands in front of a row of mannequins.

A scene in Manhattan’s garment district.Credit...Chris Protopapas

“The garment district. It’s visually become such a source of inspiration for ‘Fantasmas,’ my [recent] HBO show, and [my 2024 film] ‘Problemista.’ They’re very much tributes to New York people and New York characters.” — Julio Torres, writer, performer and filmmaker

“Marshalls and T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods. That’s where my true freak flag flies. I don’t want to be at the club. I want to be at Marshalls on Tuesday morning when their inventory is freshly stocked.” — Princess Nokia, rapper and actress 

Freak City

New York has always attracted the most out-there artists. Here, T looks at the singularly strange talents who’ve built a metropolis unlike any other. Plus:

- Why New York has long been the freakiest place to be.

- Julia Fox’s advice on how to be a freak today.

- Cole Escola, Princess Nokia and more share their favorite freaky artworks and city spots.

- How New York Fashion Week came to outfreak Paris and Milan.

 

More in T Magazine

• The Freaks Who Rule New YorkDec. 3, 2024

• Inside a Legendary New York Hotel, a Home With Wall-to-Wall Tiger PrintNov. 27, 2024

• This Beloved Ginger Ale Is Made With a Dozen IngredientsNov. 28, 2024

A police officer climbs a wall.

A police officer near Tompkins Square Park in Alphabet City around 1980.Credit...Jill Freedman/Getty  

 “In the late ’80s, it was definitely Alphabet City, where it always felt like you were on a movie set of a failing city. Now, it’s Hudson Yards. That vision of the future looks pretty but feels lonely.” — Zaldy, costume designer

“Industrial areas where you see trash being processed. I love walking by those big empty areas and seeing the huge machinery smashing up the trash. It’s weirdly beautiful.” — Anna Bolina, fashion designer