Artist: Claudia Schoenfeld; Used With Permission
Greenwich Village was once a haven for beatniks, artists and poets.
Bohemians still stroll past cello players on the sidewalk in front of
luxury high rises, old-world townhouses and family-owned businesses.
Tenement style walk-ups and brownstones are interspersed with night clubs.
And you can still feel the rich history from the 1950s Beat generation
and the homosexual revolution that brought about social change.
Macho men of the disco era are long ago vestiges of the village.
Victoria is our host for our second day of celebration for our dVerse Poet’s Pub 5th anniversary with an interview with our beloved co-founder Claudia Schoenfeld. Click the link to see what our prompt is for today.
Bodhirose's Blog 
kanzensakura
/ July 19, 2016Love this foray into yesterday! I still remember the Village from those times and as it is now.
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brian miller
/ July 19, 2016Ha. I have visited the village, or the modern version of it…would loved to have seen it back in the day…i do love to listen to street musicians though…they add another texture to the life of the city…and there is a purity there…
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claudia
/ July 19, 2016that is very cool – i went to greenwich village when i was in nyc some years back – you brought the place alive!! have to go back one day – i loved the city…
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
/ July 19, 2016What a wonderful look into history… I do love how you hid the form with those very long lines making it almost into a prose poem… (I have only visited the Village as a tourist in the early 90:s and remember only some of the stores… still shop in a bag from Balduccis)
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lillian
/ July 19, 2016I enjoyed the village – quite an eclectic place!
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wolfsrosebud
/ July 19, 2016we have a city like that… fun read
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Sanaa Rizvi
/ July 19, 2016Such vivid descriptions in this sevenling. Powerful write Gayle 🙂
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Glenn Buttkus
/ July 19, 2016Buskers always thrill me, like street theater, soapbox preaching–reaching out to strangers, creating an audience from a throng of travelers; so cool.
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Victoria C. Slotto
/ July 19, 2016I’ve never visited the village, but I did work near Haight-Ashbury years after the beatnik generation moved on. It’s stunning how places like that evolve yet retain vestiges of the past.
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kim881
/ July 19, 2016A great image. It reminded me of Patti Smith’s Just Kids.
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Walter J. Wojtanik
/ July 19, 2016A great throwback to our origins. We are Bohemians all! Love this!
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Grace
/ July 19, 2016I think I just pass one village but have not really stayed long. I do love how you captured the scenes of the past…and those macho men are part of the culture.
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ghostmmnc
/ July 19, 2016Really cool! Never been there, and was too young to know of all this at the time, but I think it would have been fun to hang out there.
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jillys2016
/ July 19, 2016Marvelous imagery, Rose! Left me grinning 🙂
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Truedessa
/ July 19, 2016I went there a couple of years ago, and ate at this great pizza joint.
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Sumana Roy
/ July 20, 2016one could feel the breath of the past, in the lines…and the detailed work on the old world charm is a beauty Gayle…
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Inside the Mind of Isadora
/ July 20, 2016As I read this, Gayle, it painted a picture for me from those good ol’ days.
I loved the village. Hubby and I were always there. He plays his clarinet.
I sold my handmade jewelry on a tie-dye blanket. The village was energized
with art and artists. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Oddly, I saw the title
and clicked right back to your door. Great writing, as always. 😎
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Lorna's Voice
/ July 20, 2016When we wring our hands about the sorry or confused state of our culture today, all we need to do is go back to nearly any decade in history and read about it. Each era had it’s highs and lows. Putting nostalgia and selective memory loss aside, every generation has its challenges that seem daunting and unsolvable, yet we endure and look back on those same tumultous times with fondness. Strange. Distance and perspective are amazing things!
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Bodhirose
/ July 20, 2016How right you are, Lorna. The memory of our history seems to fly out the window when the next era comes along with seemingly new obstacles and challenges. Thanks for coming by!
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Lorna's Voice
/ July 21, 2016I always enjoy stopping by for my weekly dose of inspiration! 🙂
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Misky
/ July 20, 2016I love the thought that I’m Bohemian. How cool is that!
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Bodhirose
/ July 20, 2016Me too, Misky!
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