Most mornings, I wake up early and begin writing. Today, though, when I got out of bed just before 4 a.m., yesterday’s essay about really seeing the world was still rattling around in my head.
Mural Fest 2026 happened yesterday here in the neighborhood, and instead of sitting down to prattle on about something, I felt like walking over to the Plaza and looking at some of the new murals that had caught my eye.
So that’s what I did.
I wandered through the Plaza alone at 4 a.m., taking pictures of a few new works that made me smile. No crowds. No traffic. Just empty streets, fresh paint, and enough quiet to actually look.
One of the things I love about public art is that these pieces will now become part of the landscape of my everyday life. I’ll pass them again and again over the next year, and if I remember to pay attention, I’ll probably notice something different each time.
So today, instead of more words, I’ll just share what I saw.
