Viva La Vie Boheme!

My mother insists that when I was in the 6th grade I told her that I wanted to move to New York and be a Bohemian and wear a beret. I fully deny having ever said this soley on the accusation that I would ever wear a beret.

In the New York Times Magazine this weekend, their weekly feature The Way We Live Now talks about the ever shifting Bohemias of NYC. They raise the question...Can Bohemia still exist in the rapidly changing, formiddably priced, landscape of 21st century New York City? I don't know that I've attained my aparent dream of moving to New York and becoming a Bohemian. I eat organicly and wear sneakers to work. That might be as close as I come. I was talking with a friend at Sunday Brunch (probably very un-Boho, as it was in the Financial District) about the changing of neighborhoods. He lives in Battery Park City, which used to be populated primarily by Wall Street financiers. Now these people are married and have children, greatly changing the face of the neighborhood. I live in Park Slope in Brooklyn. This area was in the 1980s a very dangerous place. And then in 1990s the Boho crowd moved in. The neighborhood still has that feel, but has been invaded by the stroller set. People who were artists 10 years ago are now freelance graphic designers. Once again, practicality reigns supreme.

When I was in college my friends and I went to see Rent for the first time. We were an English major (me), a Journalism major, a Nursing major, and a Finance major. After the show, we talked about it and my more practical friends were like "I understand they're artists and all, but there's no reason to starve. Why don't they just get jobs?" I, however, enjoyed the romance of it all. Sacrificing yourself for your art. Not giving in to the man. But now, of course, I've had to start paying my student loans back. This is something Bohemia doesn't really allow for. It's sad when you have to give in and get a profession. But, I will not give up hope that I will someday get to stand up and sing in a line (see photo above).