How to Be Outside, Inside featuring Lauren Davis

St. Louis-born, Brooklyn-based comedian, artist, and TV/film writer, Lauren Davis, is no shrinking violet. She hits the stage all over NYC, and even made a convincing argument against language purity on the viral Subway Takes series (because why the hell is “colonal” spelled like that?). This week, Lauren shares her New York — artsy, fun, and not too serious.

Okayplayer: When you want to be “outside” without being OUTSIDE, where do you go in NYC?

Lauren Davis: While they can be a little pretentious at times and sometimes a tad too, MIXY art openings are a very simple and cute way I like to be outside without being OUTSIDE. I just saw my friend Khalil Robert Irving’s solo show at Canada Gallery. Like me, he’s from St. Louis and makes these incredibly complex mixed-media sculptures. 

A lot of these art galleries are also in close proximity and will often have openings on the same night, so I love to hop around with friends to a few, which is nice. I be feeling cultured and socialized. And basically, I like to feel like my BFA from Parsons and my MFA from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts weren’t for nothing, and they matter (they don’t).

Where do you go when you want to be around people, but not overwhelmed by crowds?

I work from home, and sometimes I miss co-working with people. When I want to be around folks, I’ll pop into some cafes in my neighborhood where I know no one is truly locked in and everyone is a bit chatty. Corto on Tompkins is really good for that. There are no outlets there, great for pretending to do some work. Prima is also good for non-lock-in required work, and I also love Padmores, such a great community vibe, amazing music, and a lovely owner.

What does your perfect NYC day look like, from morning to night?

Perfect day in NYC: Okay, so boom. 

I wake up to some money. Maybe from a comedy gig, maybe a random Venmo, or maybe from my day job, either way, a perfect day is going to start with that. I usually make a smoothie at home, but on a perfect day, I might hop to BKLYN Blend and grab a Pop's Special, make it a LARGE. Then, I’ll go hit some sort of workout class for some endorphins. The dance classes at Good Move are great because I can’t dance, BUT the classes are majority caucasian, so I’m usually the best one there. Fantastic. 

Afterwards, I'll head to the Fort Greene Farmers Market with my nephew Ralphie, a sweet GoldenDoodle owned by my cousin, whom I babysit from time to time. Maybe a friend joins and we stroll and browse like we are going to buy something, and then ultimately end up getting fresh flowers and eucalyptus for the shower. 

Mid-day, I stop over to Great Jones Spa for some sauna/cold plunge action and a facial, although my all-time favorite facial is at Christine Chin (but you won’t leave immediately looking cute). In the evening, I tell my little jokes at Union Hall, one of my favorite venues for comedy, or I’ll check out a friend's show. If I still have energy and it's a perfect day, so I actually do, I’ll check to see where my bestie Ayanna Heaven is DJing. The music is A1, transitions are flawless, and people are actually dancing. I meet some cool people. Not a single man tells me to smile. It’s an incredible day.