How to Be Outside, Inside with Cebo Campbell

For this weekend’s edition of How to Be Outside, Inside, we’re profiling a bona fide renaissance man who operates in the spaces of books, film and hospitality. His name is Cebo Campbell, and he’s the bestselling author of the fiction novel, Sky Full of Elephants. His next book, Wells Without Water, will be published by Simon & Schuster. His other creative endeavors include being a founder of UnOthr, a multimedia storytelling platform, and a hospitality creative agency named Spherical. 

Campbell’s picks for refined NYC leisure outings include proper movie nights, poetry listenings, tasty brunches, and museum visits for creative inspiration. Check out his choices below. 

Okayplayer: Where do you go in NYC when you want to be outside without being outside? 

 Cebo Campbell: My go-to spots are Aunts et Uncles in Brooklyn. A plant-based French/Haitian restaurant on Nostrand Ave. The food is singular, but more than that, the culture, style and energy of the neighborhood flows through. Always end up in deep conversations over a cocktail, and go home with a new book or a new record to dig. Also love popping into the Center for Fiction or BAM when I just want to tap into something. The Center's events are amazing and you can never go wrong with BAM. My office is also in Soho, so the neighborhood always has my heart. Moving from Soho, to Little Italy, all the way to LES, never a dull moment. 

Where do you go when you want to be around people but not with people? 

Metrograph. A good meal and a movie that still feels like a movie. Metrograph is unquestionably the best movie theatre in NYC. Debate me. Also love solo listening to some poetry either at the Nuyorican to Brooklyn Poets. 

What does your perfect NYC day look like? 

For a while, down on Franklin Ave, I had the same Saturday routine. I would get up and go have brunch at Cent'Anni, take a stroll down Eastern Parkway to the Brooklyn Museum, step in to enjoy the art (highly recommend the membership), then head over to the farmer's market for some fresh fruit and Eucalyptus, then to the park for a picnic and hang with friends, maybe some football, then walk down to Franklin Park for a beer. It remains my ideal Saturday.