A couple of weeks ago natalie and I hung out with our family in Williamsburg. My sister has this amazing Schwinn bike up on my mom’s terrace that has an amazing looking contrast against her yellow-ish tinted wooden fence that divides her from the neighbors. At right, Natalie downs quenches her thirst, while my sister Agata, still in her vetinary scrubs, entertains her husband Sebastian and I with some YouTube comedy. Next week, we’re firing up the grill and I’m bringing my camera.

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.