Best New Bohemia
Govalle Neighborhood
It’s an old story: Impoverished creative classers slip into neglected neighborhoods, blend as best they can, and for a small moment everything’s a nirvana of established families and hospitable, arty energy. While we’re skeptical about declarations of neighborhood hotness, Govalle does seem to be at a tipping point. The sweet spot is 701 Tillery, home to galleries, nonprofits, ALLGO’s theatre, even art therapy. Low-key funkiness radiates into wide, shady streets full of affordable housing, green space, art studios, and inspired renovations, all the way to Airport (add Bolm Road if you want to cheat a little) and Springdale (where we find the Blue Theater/Blue Genie complex) to Webberville Road, past ACC and up to the pastoral Boggy Creek Greenbelt. Something about the small lots, extant light industry, and airport proximity gives hope that the area can hang on to its unpretentious, eclectic ways, at least for a while.
