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Philebrity Wonders: What Is The State Of Philadelphia’s Bohemia?

Earlier this morning, we were reading Christopher Hitchens‘ “Last Call, Bohemia” in the most recent issue of Vanity Fair. Now, while we do have an inexplicable love — mancrush, even — on Hitch, we’ll fess up as quick as anyone that the last year or so of his VF column has been infuriatingly fluffy; in the piece in question, he’s a full ten years late (or more) on calling out Manhattan developers for fucking up the West Village. But he gets to an interesting point: All cities — all nations, and the world, really — need a bohemia, a section of town that serves as an incubator for good ideas and the people who make them, and yes, along with that, bad ideas and the people who pose at making them. And it got us to thinking: What is the exact zip code of Bohemia in Philadelphia? Being veterans of the Northward Gentrification Wars — Old City > Northern Liberties > Fishtown — it is our gut reaction that it isn’t here; those first two neighborhoods we mentioned have become at best developers’ wet dreams and at worst, urban suburbs who play to material culture in a way that would make ol’ Jack Kerouac (pictured) puke in his Proust. Meanwhile, Fishtown, despite the hype, is no Bohemia — no matter what anybody tells you, it’s still the province of dying racists, Oxycontin teens and profanity-screaming five-year-olds. We’ve spent some time in Bohemia, we know it when we see it, and we know this: Fishtown just doesn’t have the free-ing effect of a good Bo’. So what does that leave? West Philly? Try again: While Bohemias in the past have enjoyed a proximity to institutions of higher learning, the not-very-wild West is a conundrum of haves and have-nots versus American Princesses and fashion-activists. The true Bohemian could get no serious work done there. After it all shakes out, though, could it be that South Philly still, as ever, retains the closest bead on Bohemia? We think this could be case. While all of the neighborhoods we just mentioned have (or are about to) experienced a logjam of development, it’s South Philly that is hemmed it by both the love of the old and serial civic failure that makes a true Bohemia possible. East Passyunk could never become what Old City is now on the basis alone that there’s nowhere to put a Starbucks. Or at least, so we think now. But don’t leave it up to us: We wanna hear from you, in the comments. Where is the Last Best Thing in Philly? And would you wanna take over our lease in Fishtown after you tell us?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am.

  • fuckermost

    yeah, the thing about philly is that it’s so rife with my side / your side player hatin’ that if a bohemia began somewhere, another one would pop up in a completely different part of the city to claim it’s rite as the actual bohemia. the whole city is still shaking off the sixth borough rub which may, unbelievably, be a bad idea, considering that said rub at least managed to unify the people here even in disagreement. people need to get along and establish some unity before any one bohemia is established. and good luck with that. even the biggest crabs in the barrel can’t climb out.

  • Su Su Pseudonym

    I have searched high and low only to find that Bohemia is a state of mind. It’s just easier to get there from the Broad Street line.

    Starbucks is also conveniently located at Broad and Jackson.

  • Allan Smithee

    Don’t know whether this comment should be directed towards a Phashionista entry but it may affect some bohemians in Port Fishington.

    The clothing shop for little people, Urbanite Baby, located on Gerard/Germantown has shut its doors and the space is now for lease.

  • plaidtattoo

    Much as I both love and hate the idea of bohemia, it is here in South Philly. It makes me shake my head in wonder after telling all of my friends not to move to Fishtown.

  • http://www.myspace.com/bleached_black jeffreybleachedblack

    I’ve seen Bohemia, its on 22nd street under JFK blvd or that tent under 95 you pass while taking the EL into the city from Northern Liberties.

  • lord_whimsy

    The reason most bohemias implode so quickly is that they’re merely radical when they should be marginal.

    Bohemians break rules that mainstream society cannot afford to ignore. Dandies obey rules that mainstream society cannot afford to follow.

  • http://bostodelphia.blogspot.com C. The Impaler

    If you can put a SWEAT Fitness on East Passyunk, you can cram in a Starbucks.

    Otherwise, I actually agree with you, though I think you’re defining South Philly as say South of or maybe including Bainbridge, N. of maybe Morris(?), E. of Broad, and W. of let’s say 4th. That cuts out a lot, at least among the purists who tell me everything south of South St. is South Philly, but I think it’s what you’re talking about. I agree with you enough to live there at least; but my serious deciding factor was just my proximity to tacqueria land, not this “idea” thing you’re speaking of. I really like tacos. They’re better for me than hot dogs, or so I tell my doctor when we’re having “the talk” about my bloodwork.

    Someone may throw out a “what about G-Ho?” if they still call it that. There is a really cool yarn place, or so I’m told, and I understand the Sidecar’s a pretty nice social anchor, but whenever I’m in that area on say a Saturday afternoon, I feel like I’m surveying the effects of a Neutron bomb.

  • John Lightstone

    Bohemia is on Long Island, exit 57 of the LIE, and definitely NOT in G-ho.

  • http://www.myspace.com/threecar dr_gingivitis

    G-Ho is way too yuppy and expensive to be Bohemia.

  • killabee

    there are no “haves” west of 44rd st. or so. but then again it wouldn’t be philebrity if anybody had ever been west of penn.

  • tips

    So is west of, um, “44rd” St. no longer West Philly, killabee? The axe you’re grinding is a dull one, friend. And for the record, we’ve lived in/grown up in Upper Darby and Overbrook. Which are also not Bohemias, but man, would that it were, Overbrook would make a great one. Just think of the house parties.

  • egebamyasi

    here goes philebrity again with the quick and easy dismissal of west philly. while by no means is it bohemia, having lived for a while in south philly (which i still love, very deeply) and now out west, the relationships i’ve developed with neighbors and longtime residents here have been much more meaningful. the problem with most other philly ‘hoods is that with gentrification, or shall we say hipsters, has come a communication breakdown between neighbors. people aren’t used to communicating with other folks on the block. this is a generalization, for sure, because i know there are people in places like fishtown or g-ho that make those connections right away, but overall it seems the breakdown in community culture is happening. kids like us would rather move to ‘hoods we deem “cool” en masse so we can go out and get drunk together every night, rather than attending community meetings or arranging block parties.

    this, however, i see more in west philly – not to say we don’t have our fair share of pretentious hipsters and crust punks – but if anything, i think the pretty victorians and DIY/socially oriented culture alone (west of 44th st, that is, or down by clark park) make west philly a good contender.

    but for chrissakes, let’s not make this into the us vs. them neighborhood argument that is sooooo played.

    end of rant.

  • egebamyasi

    overbrook would be great if you nixed all the st. joe’s jerks.

  • A Feculent Rainbow

    Souf Philly?!?

    As a current resident (8th and reed), I can confirm the bohemian status of the Durty Souf if you define bohemian as, “unfriendly, nonconformist-uniform-adorning, yipster-douchebag who frequents pretentious coffee shops and gastropubs that are owned by their previous-generation counterparts.”

    However, let’s check out what the non-adorable-li’l-black-kid Webster has to say:

    Main Entry: Bo•he•mi•an
    Pronunciation: \-mē-ən\
    Function: noun
    Date: 1555
    1 a: a native or inhabitant of Bohemia b: the group of Czech dialects used in Bohemia
    2often not capitalized a: vagabond, wanderer; especially : gypsy b: a person (as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others

    As I am relatively sure that there few if any Czech enclaves in the city (though they may exist in the Northeast), let’s work with definition number 2.

    By those standards, West Philly is the most likely candidate – though you might not know it until summer time (as Penn students walk amongst them throughout the rest of the year). West Philly reigns supreme when it comes to squatterdom and large groups of transient artsy-fartsy kids in giant row-houses (in Souf Philly, row-houses are filled with old Italian Families who have had the places forever, or 15+ person collectives of undocumented Chinese/Mexican/Cambodian immigrants – see Target Realty as the primary facilitator of said collectives).

    If we want to add the element of political activism as bohemianism, then West Philly may likely take the prize there too. If we want to add the element of anarchism as bohemianism, then there is no question.

    Don’t believe me: hang around in Clark Park sometime this summer. They’re having a festival this Saturday, June 21st from 11-7pm. Citywide Specials, Northern Liberties, Bear is Driving and McRad are headlining the festival.

    Now that I have reloaded the page – I see that Egebamyasi beat me to the punch. He/She is right on.

  • egebamyasi

    having read the definition of a bohemian, the co-op style that reigns supreme out west no doubt fits that definition. not to mention the kids that go to “penn christmas” (that is, the penn students who throw away perfectly good items at the end of the spring semester) and scavenge for expensive textbooks to ebay and make rent for at least two months.

    i’m really looking like a douchebag here – i’m not a west philly cheerleader – but it needs some defense once in a while.

  • fuckermost

    man alive people i’m on deadline and i don’t have time to chime in other than to say this: start from the top and read these comments and if my point didn’t make sense in my first comment, it surely does now. good lord!

  • doozer

    ah shit, it took like 3 days for me to get “bohemian like you” out of my head after joshua tree and now it’s back.

  • http://www.thehighstrungloner.com HighStrungLoner

    No “haves” west of 44th St.?? Tell that to the people at 47th & Larchwood! Those places are still huge, beautiful and expensive.

  • mBeck

    48th and Regent here. yo.

    West Philly has always had a “bohemian” air about it, for one it’s larger than all the other neighborhoods talked about here; Kingssessing to Powelton and 42nd to 52nd is a big swath

    art people have been living here forever . . . for people 35 and up, some of us moved to Rodman then South Philly during the late 80s crack years and later some moved to 2nd and American pre 700 Club

    but before than non-PENN West Philly has always been a mix. Ira Einhorn man!! but really, surely a better, friendlier, worldlier, mix then the Xenophobes who are the natives in Northern Liberties and the Italian Market area . . . come on you know it

    800 square foot rowhomes versus 8 bedroom Victorians

  • Johnny Goodtimes

    G-Ho yuppie and expensive? ‘Cause I live here and I still see hustlers playing the corners (though they’ve moved two blocks further south in the past few years) and my rent is still off the hook cheap. Property values have gone up, yuppies moved onto Christian Street, and Ten Stone is a yuppie bar even if the bartenders wear tattooes. But the neighborhood still has plenty soul, Sidecar is one of the best bars in the city, and we got lots of coffee shops (w/ no Starbucks), and nobody wears popped collars. Not saying it’s bohemia, (not enough artistry and overall weirdness here for that), but a few yuppies can’t define a neighborhood. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta detonate this neutron bomb.

  • expat attack

    no doubt half the people commenting here are yuppies themselves and don’t even know it.

  • http://www.myspace.com/threecar dr_gingivitis

    Oh, I made the yuppie comment about G-Ho, I live there, and unfortunately I realize I now fall into that category. There’s nothing sadder than a yuppie in denial.

    The hustlers aren’t keeping the yuppies away, it’s crazy, but yuppies and hustlers living side by side doesn’t make it bohemia. Sidecar’s a great bar, my yuppie ass was there tonight, but it’s not bohemia, it’s full of yuppies, yippies, and hipsters, and hipsters are just this decade’s frat boys, soulless drunks.

    We need some artist around here, but it’s not really happening. I will say that because I live between empty houses my band can rehears late in my basement, so maybe that’s bohemian.

    I miss all the tranies who used to live here a few years back, that kept things interesting.

  • A Feculent Rainbow

    You including yourself there, expat? Once again, let us consult the non-adorable-li’l-black-kid Webster:

    Main Entry: yup·pie
    Pronunciation: \ˈyə-pē\
    Function: noun
    Usage: often capitalized
    Etymology: probably from young urban professional + -ie
    Date: 1982
    : a young college-educated adult who is employed in a well-paying profession and who lives and works in or near a large city

    That would include a lot of us. Just to clear up future debates:

    Main Entry: hip·ster
    Pronunciation: \ˈhip-stər\
    Function: noun
    Etymology: 4hip
    Date: 1940
    : a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion)

    and, for the win:

    Yipster
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Jump to: navigation, search
    Yipster is a terminological hybrid of the the words, “Hipster” and “Yuppie” borne out of the geographical and cultural proximities between two gentrified neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York: Williamsburg and Park Slope. The word’s significance is based around the idea that cultural features associated with “hipsters” (Williamsburg), such as particular interests in music, art and fashion, blend with the economic advantages of “Yuppies” (Park Slope), which simultaneously facilitate and promote such interests to the extent that members of both groups are identified by them.

    Although a significant amount of animosity and a number of cultural prejudices are shared between both two social groups and neighborhoods, [1] the social strata of the people who populate them are, in terms of race and class, more alike than they are different.

    Now go learn/paint something!

  • http://bostodelphia.blogspot.com C. The Impaler

    Feculent One, here’s one for you:

    Wanker
    From the common knowledge lexicon of people who can use language without consulting reference books or cutting and pasting their “research” into a blog discussion that was launched more for shits and giggles than seriously cultural analysis.

    1.) Brit. slang for one who masturbates.
    2.) Brit. slang using the above’s connotation as a perjorative aspersion.
    3.) One who consults print and online lexicography to win etymological arguments over evolved residual elements of Richard Hall’s “sniglets” stand up act, a consultation which hopefully achieves ends similar to the goals of someone characterized in def. 1, otherwise what’s the point?

  • expat attack

    A Feculent Rainbow: I was including myself, although not to the extent that I’m not aware of being a yuppie. After reading your quotes though I guess I’m a Yipster. I live in Park Slope and am way into tunes, so…

  • A Feculent Rainbow

    Impaler: Touche.

    expat: yup, I’m a yipster too. However, I still sling the word as a derogative.