When you step off the Bedford stop on the L train, you’re in good company. In fact, you’re in annoyingly good company. Today, sections of Williamsburg are among the most overcrowded spots in New York. But just a few years ago, this now-jam-packed hipster haven was not the cultural playground it is today. In his memoir The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, former Williamsburg resident Robert Anasi recalls the sprawl of uninviting factories and apartments that lined the streets. He remembers following friends’ orders to never walk alone and never look at anyone. And, to our dismay, he remembers paying just $300 per month to live on the corner of Union and Grand!
The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburg, Brooklyn will be published on August 14, and Anasi will be appearing twice in Brooklyn that week. You can catch him on August 14th at WORD (located at 126 Franklin Street in Greenpoint), and on August 16 at Spoonbill & Sugartown (located at 218 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.) Both readings are at 7pm.