Jorge Elbrecht, musician

Elbrecht is lead singer and guitarist of local orchestral-pop rockers Violens. He is also part of the music and art collective Lansing-Dreiden. Elbrecht was born in Costa Rica and lives in Chelsea; he’d rather walk than take the train (so he can focus on music while on the move).

Photograph: Jorge Elbrecht

“My first stop, Ninth Street Espresso in Chelsea Market (75 Ninth Ave between 15th and 16th Sts, 212-228-2930), inspires me to get inspired. The coffee there makes it so you can’t drink coffee anywhere else.

“I walk along Gansevoort Street near Little West 12th, because at a certain time of day you experience the union of high-end boutique design and the shadows of Chichen Itza.

“Then I walk back to Ninth Avenue, past Pastis, and then east on West 13th toward Eighth Avenue. Around Bank Street and Greenwich Avenue, the buildings have brick dimples that seem to have no purpose, but the shadows are so severe they look 2-D.

“On 10th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, there’s a huge concentration of wrought ironwork on brownstones, with layers and layers of glossy, oil-based paint. When you look at the railings, all this optical stuff happens. Geometric patterns cross over; it’s kind of psychedelic.

“On 10th Street, there are buildings with really ornate facades. Long ago, people took the time to fabricate amazing things by hand.

“I sometimes walk by Cooper Union, which is where I went to college. The building helps me imagine the city the way it was when it began.”

"When you look at the railings, all this optical stuff happens."