Viral stoop on Upper East Side becomes 'must-see' NYC attraction
UPPER EAST SIDE (WABC) -- A new destination in New York has gone viral and is grabbing the attention of sidewalk strollers.
And just like that, the small stoop on the Upper East Side has a big personality with its new fame.
The townhouse stoop and Instagram account Stoopandthecity are capturing the hearts of those near and far, including tourists from France.
What's not lost in translation is how the front of a townhome on East 78th Street is making people feel.
Kristi Hemric, a photographer, lives at the townhome with her husband, David, and their four kids.
It started with a few flowers over the front door to hide scaffolding.
Then, every few weeks, Hemric switched things up.
She said she pays for everything to decorate the viral stoop, but has recently scored some big sponsored collaborations with a few companies.
"I get a ton of joy out of this and at first I thought our neighbors would think I'm extra and wouldn't like it, but it's been the opposite," Hemric said.
She said it's encouraged to take photos on the stoop and there's even been an engagement there.
"Christmas is the best! have you seen Christmas? a passerby said.
"One of the great things was the ah-ha moments when someone came close and realized they were Legos, not real flowers," said David Guttag.
Guttag put 120,000 Lego pieces together to look like real flowers covering the stoop.
The magic goes both ways. Kristi and David have a ring camera positioned so they can watch all of the people out here, some even leave them messages.
"This was a creative outlet that turned into something bigger than I ever expected," Hemric said.
Check out the viral stoop creations below.
Stoopandthecity Instagram
Kristi Hemric Instagram
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