The New York Times weighs in on the East Village, where I live, circa 1985:

Sometimes an area’s appearance differs markedly from its reality and that is true of the East Village. ”There are bohemians who live here who are only pretending to be bohemians,” said Alfred Marston, chairman of Community Board 3 at 137 Second Avenue. ”Actually, many of them are the most straight-laced of people who work days in the financial district and want to shed that prim, professional image at night and on weekends.” UNLIKE other areas of the city, said Mr. Marston, a financial consultant with a doctorate in economics, ”a lot of people who feel they have missed the boat in their private lives head for the East Village looking for a renewed lease on their youth and, obviously, some of them find it because more well educated, professional people keep coming.”

It’s reassuring to know that even 22 years ago people here were bitching about the yuppies with day jobs moving into the E.Vil and ruining it for the true artistes. However, not all has remained the same:

Quality-of-life problems abound. Residents complain that garbage remains uncollected for weeks, graffiti are endemic and the Fire Department says the East Village is among the most arson-prone areas in the city.

Granted, there is a personal irony in coming across this article today, as I Googled looking for a good Indian restaurant in the ‘hood, because I had my first semi-serious run-in with a totally crazed drugged out guy, probably about my age, looking for “80 cents to buy some vodka.” Perhaps he was stuck in 1985, because $.80 sure don’t buy any vodka I know about.

What really sticks out, when the article talks about prices for housing (buying and renting) is how little prices have actually gone up 22 years in terms of just the numbers themselves. ($500k for a two-bed, for instance). I don’t think though, that salaries are anywhere near as valuable, relatively speaking, as they were in 1985. Translation: even if we have more dollars in 2007, we can buy less with them.

Read the article if you have a second. I assure my out of town friends no one is swarming over vacant lots and abandoned buldings anymore, because there are none.