A taste of Malasaña

Once, we were driving down a tiny one way lane and a guy was standing in the middle of it. The car came up to right in front of him. He didn't move away.
Instead, he broke out into a sexy little dance, all the while maintaining eye contact with us. This lasted for 10secs.

I wondered: "Was he made to do this as a dare?”
I was too astonished to whip out my camera.
When he was done with his dance, he unrolled a t-shirt which was in his hands, and there was a message on it about some triathlon. Then he just smiled and moved to the side.
I think he was a living, moving, dancing advertisement. This happened in Malasaña.

Malasaña is a colourful area in Madrid known for its indie character, its alternative scene with trendy bars & cafes covered in heavy graffiti, and its very chic shops. You can see all sorts of people there; rastafarians, topless punks, tattooed bikers, hip fashionistas, gays, tourists, etc.. The network of streets in Malasaña is narrow and web-like and it's best explored on foot.

Just my lunch before I hit the streets



















Everyone knows about the hanging shoes in Malasaña. So what about them?
Here’re some of the explanations:
1. Drug dealer’s ‘point of sale’ marker
2. Artistic expression
3. à la Tim Burton’s Big Fish
4. In remembrance of an ex-resident who left the Malasaña district
5. Turf marking by gangs

I say it's # 2. But it really could be all of the above ;)