What It's Like To Live Above An Instagram Pop-Up

It's all fun and games until people start lining up in front of your door.

While the boom of the ubiquitous "Instagram Pop-Up" seems to be slowing down, there will always be something worth gathering around for the sake of social media in this city. The latest must-visit mecca comes courtesy of Louis Vuitton, c/o Virgil Abloh: a high-end concept shop on the Lower East Side, covered both inside and outside in green, the color even spilling onto a fire hydrant, dumpster, bike, and some perfectly staged garbage bags out front.

Hype beasts and fashionistas wait outside within the ropes and police barriers. And from the opposite corner, or middle of the street, Instagrammers capture the perfect shot of the store's facade. During a recent stroll through the neighborhood, I happened to be one of them. When I posted the proof that I had physically been in the vicinity of this designer pop-up on my Instagram stories, one of my favorite members of the GofG alum (love you, Catie!) responded, "I live in the building above this," punctuated by a laugh-cry emoji, because truly, that could be one's only emotion in such a case. 

"NO YOU DO NOT," I wrote back, deciding immediately that I needed Catie to come out of blogging retirement in order to share with the world what it's like when your apartment becomes the site of an Insta trap. She did not disappoint. 

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I’ve been to the @louisvuitton pop-up store in Lower East Side. Was it to discover the men’s fall 2019 collection, or because the Instagram-appeal of this place was too high to ignore? I think we all know. I was welcomed by a non-requested but very welcome personal stylist, that told me everything I needed to know. I’ll try to explain his detailed and nuanced knowledge about that collection in later posts bc #hypebeast 😂
A post shared by Lala Huré (@holistic_gangsta) on Jul 17, 2019 at 12:45pm PDT

Below, some firsthand tidbits of the everyday struggle:

-Taking out the trash: Can't, because my dumpster has been painted neon green with the LV monogram all over it and has been locked shut. 

-Walking back from the gym: A wannabe influencer asks me to take their photo. No big deal. I have to re-do it four times. This happens with seven different "influencers" in less than a week.

-There's a man wearing a gorilla suit: But why?

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Who wanna see King Kong In Some Louie Drip? My New Single King Kong👑🦍 Is Out On All Major Platforms. The Link Is In My Bio❗️ 📸: @foxylabarbie
A post shared by El CHOPii (@chinamac) on Jul 16, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

-Leaving for work in the morning: On two instances people are doing their makeup in the reflection of my building's door. Preparing, no doubt, for a photo shoot. Please move!

-I can no longer order Seamless in peace: Because the delivery man wants to have a 10 minute conversation about what's going on downstairs.

-Hmm what's that noise: Oh just an amateur rapper shooting a MUSIC VIDEO as the sun rises in front of the store. Full blown music and all. Can you not?

-On the plus (or minus) side: Suddenly a lot of friends want to come over. If you haven't spoken to me in six months, FYI, you do not get a pass!

-Oh and this happened:

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@louisvuitton welcome to new york
A post shared by @ better_off_dad on Jul 17, 2019 at 4:36pm PDT

Well, at least it'll all be over soon. This pop-up is set to shutter on July 21st, but watch out, folks - your home might be next.

[Photo via @thatsmileflow]