James (Jim) Gandolfini: a bohemian in NYC, 1988

[Luminous Animal]

Then there is Jim Gandolfini, who seems to thrive on the apartment-hopping life. Since moving to New York City four years ago, Mr. Gandolfini, 26 years old, has never had his name on a lease, never paid more than $400 a month in rent and never lived in one place more than 10 months. His wanderer's existence has given him sojourns, some as brief as two months, in Hoboken, N.J.; Astoria, Queens; Clinton and the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and Park Slope and Flatbush in Brooklyn.

''MOVING, to me, is no big deal,'' said Mr. Gandolfini, whose calling is the theater but whose living comes mostly from bartending and construction. ''I have a system down. I throw everything in plastic garbage bags and can be situated in my new place in minutes. Without my name on a lease, I'm in and out. I have no responsibilities.''

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/29/realestate/the-apartment-gypsies-of-manhattan.html

[ruffburr]

1. R.I.P. " Tony"

[BeyondGeography]

2. $400 rents, I remember those days

Not anymore. The 80s were the swansong for bohemian NY. It was fun.

Thanks for digging this one out.

[Luminous Animal]

4. I like the cavelierness of the experience. It was like that when I moved to

San Francisco in the 80s. Cheap places to live. Warehouses to make music and theater. Dive bars for cheap drinks.

[frazzled]

5. I paid $68 a month for my SoHo apartment in 1971

By the time I left it (and NYC) in 1974, it went up to $92. Thompson St., between Houston and Prince. Rent control. I wish I'd never given it up.

[alittlelark]

6. ... too bad you did... we all make mistakes.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Wow...I had a rent stabilized place starting at $475

It was in the east 90s and I'd probably still be there if the landlord didn't freeze me out one November. One of the those, "the boiler is broken and we're waiting for a special part, " ruses. That was after mystery fires and all sorts of funhouse stuff designed to get tenants out so they could re-rent at "market rates." So I bailed. Rent regulation is what made life possible for so many people and kept the city far more socially diverse than today.

[frylock]

3. cool find..

when I first learned he had died, I was kinda like oh wow, this sucks. not glib, but just kinda wow. now it's starting to sink in that he's dead, and I find myself recalling what a good show that was, and what a great character he portrayed. how unfortunate.