The O.G.s of Bushwick

Bushwick is cracking lately. Arancini Bros. has killer rice balls next to Wreck Room, The Morgan’s soft opening this weekend was a success, and Cafe Gia on Irving and a row of other little restaurants may make Irving St. the ideal walk in the neighborhood.

Morgantown is like a college campus. It is literally a small town, except without a mayor, although we nominate Cat Agonis, for her vast knowledge of New York, and in order to help promote her forthcoming genre-blurring novel, Chicken on the Hudson.

All these people be coming outta the woodwork and new hordes of youngsters be moving in. Just wait till summer. Hell, just wait till next year. I’m going to be an O.G. of Bushwick pretty soon. 

All these new joints in town make it seem like we never have to leave. And we don’t, really. Because our thriving arts culture is at the heart of it all. Those who know about Bushwick have the vague idea that it is semi-desirable. Boy, they have no idea.

Bushwick and Swallow Cafe

This is where I do a lot of writing. I watch Gio flirt with Sam(antha), who clearly likes him. She is pretty popular in the community, being a barista and all. But there's something about the way she smiles when she talks to him that makes it clear.

I once saw her at the Post bike shop. Her wheel was badly out of true, and the dredded dudes rejected her; to fix the wheel wouldn't be worth it.

This is my bohemia, where they will remember the seedlings of post postmodernism, or metamodernism, sprouted. Out of the nine laptop users in the badly named Swallow Cafe (Sam said that there's no chance they'll change the name), seven have Macs; there is some throbbing-beated lo-fi jangly female singing music playing; and the dishwasher whirs soothingly.

If the Halsey stop is the newest edge of gentrification, then Morgantown will soon be Bedford. Once they build those condos that are slated to go up, just north of McKibbin on Bogart, this place is going to be prime real estate. It would be nice to be able to afford to live there by the time they're built.

Bushwick rats. I should get back to reading some classic literature.