Bohemia

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Vanity Fair on the West Village's sad future

In last month's Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens considers the importance of urban "Bohemias" and why the ultimate demolishment/development of New York's Greenwich Village is a very, very sad thing. From the essay: It isn?t possible to quantify the extent to which society and culture are indebted to Bohemia. In every age in every successful country, it has been important that at least a small part of the cityscape is not dominated by bankers, developers, chain stores, generic restaurants, and railway terminals. This little quarter should instead be the preserve of?in no special order?insomniacs and restaurants and bars that never close; bibliophiles and the little stores and stalls that cater to them; alcoholics and addicts and deviants and the proprietors who understand them; aspirant painters and musicians and the modest studios that can accommodate them; ladies of easy virtue and the men who require them; misfits and poets from foreign shores and exiles from remote and cruel dictatorships. Though it should be no disadvantage to be young in such a quartier, the atmosphere should not by any means discourage the veteran. It was Jean-Paul Sartre who to his last days lent the patina to the Saint-Germain district of Paris, just as it is Lawrence Ferlinghetti, last of the Beats, who by continuing to operate his City Lights bookstore in San Francisco?s North Beach still gives continuity with the past. In aspect and design, New York?s West Village is the opposite of Soho in London in that it began its existence before the famous evolution of Manhattan as a grid had taken shape. As Malcolm Cowley phrased it, evoking the Village just after the First World War, ?Most of us drifted to Manhattan to the crooked streets south of Fourteenth, where you could rent a furnished hall-bedroom for two or three dollars weekly.? We came to the Village ? because living was cheap, because friends of ours had come already ? because it seemed that New York was the only city where a young writer could be published.? Trying to sum up the ethos, Cowley wrote that for his generation the Village was something more than ?a place, a mood, a way of life: Like all bohemias, it was also a doctrine.? Last Call, Bohemia (Vanity Fair, thanks Jess Hemerly!)...

MyHeart's in San Francisco, MyStudio yours 4 months from this weekend (north beach / telegraph hill) $1475

My studio top of Telegraph Hill will be available for 4 months from Sept. 1; and you may move in this weekend. It is $1475/month with $1000 security deposit. It's a good size for one person, but not 2; approx. 300 sq. ft. One large room, a kitchenette, bathroom, which has a shower, but no tub. All utilities are included: Gas & Electric, Water (cold AND hot), a telephone land-line, Hi-Speed DSL Internet. A 4-burner stove-top, and my electric toaster oven, microwave, coffee maker, silverware, dishes, some pots & pans. Stereo Amp/receiver, Also a 27" TV; you may hook-up cable if you wish, but i have not included that service in the price. i am not provding towels or bed linens. It will be available to move in by the weekend, but official move-in date would be Sept. 1. and then at least thru the end of the year. Beyond that may also be available, but i won't know about that right away. As I said, the price is $1475/month with a $1000 returnable security deposit. I would prefer to have the customary 1st & last month's rent plus deposit by move-in. And i will expect at least one month's rent right away to guarantee your decision. (Obviously if you change your mind at the last minute, i would by then have turned away the other respondents. The space is ideal* for one person. It's not going to work for 2 (roomates) if you are thinking of asking. *ideal? yes!! more than ideal! It will be totally perfect for the right person. The view is not spectacular,not bad either; but it is the neighborhood which is Fantastique. the real deal san francisco. If you are looking for a bright new condo/hotel kind of thing, this aint it! If you work in the financial district, it is a wonderful 15 minutes walk. and it is right in Little Italy, North Beach, adjacent to Chinatown, You are at the top of the hill. Down one side is fisherman's wharf or embarcadero, down another, Washington Square. If you are out-of-town, i feel confident that if you ask anyone they will have a big smile when they say this is the very best part of town to live in. This may be necessary because you may not be able to view it in time. This has been the case before. No one has regretted it. no smoking no pets. Here are some photos. and here is my FAQ based on my experience. i have stated the parameters which are not variables: the rent amount, deposit amount. the points in time when those monies need to be provided, and the move- in dates and term of the stay (that is 4 months, and you may have the possibility of further). The most FAQ ask if those parameters are variable. No. You may ask if you wish, but i probably wont answer. I dont mean to be rude. Consider this, there are people for whom this is a perfect fit, so i have no incentive to welcome more difficulty. I am most happy to talk about any other questions, even including, whether reality is an illusion. This is San Francisco, after all, and there are traditions which must be upheld. The Beats made this their home, and earlier generations before them called this Bohemia. I honor this history and the true heart of San Francisco.