A night I remember...

Some things that I took for granted as a kid, I now look to for rejuvenation and fulfillment. Saturday May 16th was the annual Bedford, Barrow, Christopher Street fair. As a kid it was always fun to hang out in the middle of the street, exploring the hundreds of vendors while eating corn on the cob and dancing into the evening with friends and family. But as I got older and preoccupied with the teenage life, the magic of the fair diminished or at least, was forgotten. However, living here again these last few years after spending seven in Massachusetts, I have come to find that there are few things in the neighborhood that remind me of the way Greenwich Village was when I was a kid.

Admittedly, being old enough to drink provides the occasion with a different twist from my youth; My friends and I sipped bottle after bottle of wine throughout the afternoon and into the night. But, it was the live bands that played until 11 p.m. and how they invigorated the dozens of street dancers, from toddlers to their grandparents (some of whom I'm sure were a bit tipsy themselves) that made the event so special. It felt like "neighborhood" was still alive and well in the West Village.

Perhaps my constant frustration with the changes I see all around me need not be so consistent. Maybe, just maybe, there is still magic left here from the days past, and possibly even the chance that I may witness new magical G.V. traditions in the future... or maybe it will only be for one night a year...

Regardless, the B.B.C. fair cured my chronic nostalgia for a while, reminding me why I call NYC home.

Loss of Mystique Countdown...

Yesterday my good friend and neighbor informed me that he was moving to Miami.  To be more specific, what he said was that he was moving to Miami in 2 weeks!  This certainly came as a shock to me as he is the most popular guy on my block.  When he moved here from England he did so with an idea of what living in a New York City neighborhood was supposed to be like.  But when he got to this neighborhood much of that community feeling that the West Village once had was dissipated,so he he did his best to recreate that feeling all around him. In the summer he hangs out on his stoop when he's not working or at the gym or riding his motorcycle.  Everyone who walks by gets a hello, and most of the time he knows the person. 

So when he told me he was moving after ten years on the block I was a bit confused. All that love I thought he had for G.V. yet he was still able to just pick up and book it at moments notice... Thus the question of the day is: How long does it take for Greenwich Village to lose its mystique?

The rent is no longer affordable, the food is outrageously overpriced, most of the tenants would never have fit into what G.V. was twenty years ago...  Still, my buddy was able meet and even introduce me to newer members of the community who I, with my nostalgic chip on my shoulder, would never would have thought twice about speaking to...

The constant is always that things change.  But whether or not they have changed for the better is the real question. I suppose for my buddy, with the constant cycling of new people in and out of the area, the insane increase in the price of living, living in GV had become as much of a burden as it was an adventure... Plus he got robbed the other day, something that could happen anywhere. I guess he figures it's time to try living anywhere else...

An Introduction..

Welcome to "Where's My Village?" A new blog chronicling the transformation of Greenwich Village from the perspective of a native.

Springtime in Greenwich Village has always been my favorite time of the year. The flowers are blossoming, while bicyclists roll down every street and people are strolling the sidewalks admiring 18th and 19th century architecture. The breeze off the Hudson that floats in pollen from Jersey brings us all sneezes. Dog walkers smile in the sun as they and their companions make new friends, and kids are cutting school to shoot some hoops at the West 4th St. Cage. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Somethings never change in this part of town, but over the last decade Greenwich village has undergone huge transformations, from the waterfront high rises (high for this part of town), and corporate coffee shops, to the great increase in young adult tenants. Many of the older folk who were Village mainstays have left or passed on, and with the remodeling of their formerly rent controlled apartments, and the expansion of N.Y.U.'s empire, an influx of young, successful professionals have taken their place.

While the Village has always welcomed people of all backgrounds and lifestyles (at least more than other parts of New York), much of the funky, artsy, and family flavor that once existed is gone, replaced now by out-of-towners who overpay for both their slice of pizza and of an idea that barely exists anymore. I am one of the last generation to grow up in the Greenwich village of stories. The G.V. where old school New York Italians intersected with Gays and students, and interracial couples with ex-hippie turned day traders, and writers. And while much is gone that was, this new manifestation of one of the cities oldest neighborhoods will certainly be interesting to write about.

This blog will not pull punches... beware, and enjoy.