CURIOCITY | New York City with Matt Oliver

New York

Lower East Side + Chinatown

Curiocity Guides celebrates cities, travel, friendships and the joy of the journey. We’ve been around the globe, so you can travel like a local.

“The best part of any journey are the friends you make along the way”

— Susan Knof

Meet Matt

Matt Oliver is a New York based street photographer.

Hi Matt, Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a lifestyle photographer based in Lower Manhattan. I ride a fixed gear bike, run, or walk almost everywhere.

Curiocity Guides likes to celebrate friendships made while out in the real world. Can you share with us your memory of how we first met?

We met through a Craigslist ad! We were roommates in a fifth floor walk up apartment in Kips Bay, Manhattan.

I know you love coffee, can you give us 3 of your favorite spots to get caffeinated?

1. I don’t go out for coffee much anymore. Usually just Nespresso at home

2. Two Hands on Bleecker Street

3. Blue Bottle

Two Hands

Cafe on Bleeker Street

Let’s talk culture, where do you like to go in NYC to get Inspired?

It always comes from walking the streets, especially urban areas. I love cities. My own neighborhood (Chinatown, Lower East Side) always inspires me.

Chinatown and Lower East Side walking tour: East Broadway, Grand, and Mott

Let’s imagine the entire world is about to experience a global pandemic. You have one week to eat at all of your favorite spots before a lockdown - Where do you go?

Jajaja. It’s awesome vegan Mexican, and it’s right next to my apartment!

Jajaja Vegan Mexican Comida - A patchwork of culture, community, and comida threading plant-based eaters to the Mexican palate.

That is a great food spot! Now we may need to walk it off…Do you have any favorite strolls to people watch and take it all in? 

Just an easy loop through Chinatown and Soho. Grand Street, East Broadway, Mott Street. Lots of variety there.

Street Photography by Matt Oliver

Tell us a hidden gem that only a real New Yorker knows?

Well I think my neighborhood is awesome in that regard. It’s kinda off the beaten path. People don’t pass through there going somewhere else. So it feels very local.

We are a big fan of your photography work. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got into street photography and what inspires you most?

The iPhone got me excited about photography. It’s so easy to take photos, to be experimental, see the results instantly. I shot an iPhone for a long time, before finally switching to “real” cameras (Leica at first, and now Sony). I get inspired on the streets, I love finding scenes and angles that are out in plain view for anyone to capture.

Check out Matt’s work!