Bushwick Goes National
Like Williamsburg before it, the Bushwick brand is spreading beyond New York City’s borders. This weekend, The Philadelphia Inquirer brought news of the gritty but increasingly arty nabe to its readers in the City of Brotherly Love. “Over the last few years, the two-square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood has been attracting visionaries outpriced by neighboring Williamsburg or…
Like Williamsburg before it, the Bushwick brand is spreading beyond New York City’s borders. This weekend, The Philadelphia Inquirer brought news of the gritty but increasingly arty nabe to its readers in the City of Brotherly Love. “Over the last few years, the two-square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood has been attracting visionaries outpriced by neighboring Williamsburg or disillusioned by Chelsea’s artiste scene,” writes the paper. “Studios, galleries and spaces that defy categorization are appearing in former bodegas, 99-cent stores, and other unglamorous structures.” The ‘Wick manages to maintain its street cred with a killer quotation from Laura Braslow of non-profit Arts in Bushwick: “The Bushwick art scene is not about sipping wine and looking at white walls,” she said. A few of the recommended galleries include English Kills, Ad Hoc and Factory Fresh.
Art Grows in Bushwick [Philadelphia Inquirer]
now most people get kidnapped by bouncers at expensive clubs NOP. Same shit different way of getting fucked.
NOP, the problem was you had to wear a jacket and tie! I hated that shit! I got tossed from the Oak Room for that once.
But you’re right about the ’70s. Life wasn’t as bad as advertised, you could get a table anywhere, and a lot of shit was free. The museums, for example.
Well, Mr. and Mrs. CWB, it’s good to know that people still drink in New York.
In the early 70s, a “high ball” (scotch and soda or bourbon and soda) cost all of a buck, which meant the college crowd could get loaded — fast — at some pretty good places.
We “conned” at the “Gonk” (the Algonquin Hotel)and tippled at the St. Regis’ King Cole, until our raging political arguments got us thrown into the street. No matter, there were McSorley’s and Chumley’s downtown. (Where cheap beers left us enough for taxis back uptown.)
Now, remember, New York in the 70s was broke, dangerous and, yes, ugly. But it was possible to throw on a dinner jacket and hit the high spots for very little money. (Today’s “hipsters” have nothing on my pals and me. Bushwick? A cake walk, compared to finding yourself waking up under a stoop on Avenue D, your cash and dignity gone, as it happened to me.)
I do try to get back to the old haunts when I’m town (Sister Woman and I had a champagne-fueled tea at the St. Regis recently), but somehow it’s just not the same.
NOP
I’m gonna stick a toe in this mess…
First, for sure what WL said was way out of line. My wife, btw, is a first gen Colombian, who came here (legally) when she was six years old, with her seven bros and sisters, and not speaking a word of English. Now she’s an immigrant success story, with a degree and a six figure income. And me, lol.
Also, I’ve never read a serious economic study that indicates immigration, legal or illegal, is anything but a plus for the USA.
Nevertheless, what WL was possibly getting at, and elaborated on in a subsequent post should not be overlooked. It should be remembered that African Americans are the only ethnic group brought here against their will. It should also be noted that they have been here in the US longer than most Americans, whose ancestors tended to come from Europe in the 1900s. Yet many still live in appalling conditions with little opportunity. How are those schools in Bushwick?
Unfortunately WL turned it into a them-vs-them contest, when it shouldn’t be that way at all. Nevertheless it’s that way on the street, with some Latins picking up prevailing prejudices about African Americans without being aware of American history, and African Americans feeling that Latinos are taking their jobs, with many believing that the system turns the other way to illegal immigration to ensure a supply of low-priced, pliable workers.
“When Work Disappears” by William Julius Wilson has some interesting analysis on this subject.
The Oak Bar? Racing through Central Park in taxis (let me forget the frat aspect?
How very Gilded Age… That’s a compliment 🙂
ive found that bushwick is too expensive for what you get. Landlords are getting greedy and charging high rents in apartment buildings that are very shitty. Also as a young person who would be labeled as a “hipster” by most old people who know the term I find the huge number of spaces devoted to shows and art appealing. However everyone I know and hang out with live around where I live in prospect heights so I take the G to the L if I want to go to bushwick.
these places are why people pay sometimes too much for apartments. Easy access to williamsburg, manhattan and semi-legal loft shows. You can find cheaper apartments in sunset park, kensington, crown heights or parts of flatbush, the areas just lack cool stuff.
NOP – thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoy the drink posts! I love cocktails and I hope someday to own a bar which serves many good ones (including some of my own creations).
And yes, MrsCWB is indeed French.
Hey DIBS – we were in your hood on sunday looking to attend an open-house on Halsey, except the house … wasn’t open (no one there). So we wandered around a bit. What do you think of this: http://www.fillmore.com/view_details.php?WebID=828025
Obviously in need of major work but we could figuratively put like $200-$250k into it right away.
Mrs. CWB:
Now you’re making me nostaglic for the old Biltmore’s bar (which was probably before most Brownstoners’ time).
Or the Oak Bar, long before the Plaza was condo-ized.
My frat brothers and I would race taxis through Central Park, the last to arrive paying for our rounds!
NOP
I like the column, NOP, but I like the testing even more!