Bohemian
When I was in college I spent an immeasurable amount of time at art galleries and museums. My passion as a digital artist aside, I fell in love with many American artists. Most particularly I was intrigued with the art and life of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He passed away at 27 years old in the late 80’s and his art is raw and emotional. No matter how many times I view his paintings I feel transported by the struggles I see within them.
The exterior of 57 Jones Street, NY - It is now home to Same Old Gallery. An homage to the artist who once called this space home.
His visual poems are evocative and the stories within them are still valid today, 33 years after his death. I wonder what masterpieces he could have created had he not been chased into the afterlife by addiction. One of the places Basquiat lived was at 57 Great Jones St. in the Noho neighborhood in Manhattan. Once owned by Andy Warhol that space is now occupied by an art gallery, Same Old Gallery. Hidden like a pearl within an oyster directly behind 57 Jones Street is an almost impossibly to reserve restaurant called Bohemian.
Visit Their Website ↓
Bohemian boasts a menu that makes me salivate, but even more than that, I am infatuated by their reservations process and the concept of their lifestyle manifesto. They do not publish their phone number online. From everything I’ve read it takes effort and time to discover what the phone number is. On top of that, one cannot simply call for a reservation. You must know someone who has dined there or dined there yourself to get a reservation. The exclusivity of this process is fascinating to me. In a way — this process is in opposition to what the famous painters who once lived at this address stood for. Much of Basquiat’s work was about class struggles. Now, there is an inhabitant at his former home holding the spoon far above the average person — If you haven’t tasted from it, or know someone who has tasted off of it, — you’re simply unable to partake.
Regardless of their reservation requirements, Bohemian in Noho remains on my bucket list of quietly unknown, but absolutely required, experiences in Manhattan. If you’ve never hears of Bohemian that’s understandable. Do let me know if you’ve dined there — I’ll need your name when I call for reservations.