Williamsburg Brooklyn I Miss You

Before moving to Hoboken about a year go, I lived in an industrial park section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Even though my living conditions have vastly improved (I’m in a browstone now), I still miss my top floor corner-unit 2000 square foot loft. I’ve lived there for about 3 years, went through over a dozen roommates and decided to move on across the Hudson in order to have a more convenient commute to work.

What I miss most about the area is the romantic notion of everything being raw; psychedelic spray-pained murals, multi-cultured friendly and approachable people, coffee shops decorated with local artists work, and last but not least the amazing restaurants.

The rawness however, is changing in Williamsburg as with many other artist-packed neighborhoods around the country. At first the new condos popping up all over the place in a way complemented the neighborhood; they’d occupy some old run down parking lot which no one ever payed attention to. Unfortunately, the sky rises that began their development by the water in a way started a more major transformation of the neighborhood.

The starving artists of the early 90’s, helped to romanticize the culture of art and music in Williamsburg the very same way  SoHo in Manhattan was transformed by artists in the mid 80’s. Their impact on these neighborhoods is now being tarnished by the rapid new development. I’m glad I got to experience some of that rawness. I miss it.