And the Memories Come Flooding Back

One World Kids, from Marjorie Levine's class:

Then and Now

Lighting the Corners of My Mind

American Writers' Homes

Mark Twain's house

Louisa May Alcott's house

Emily Dickinson's House

Edith Wharton's house

Frederick Douglass's house

old and older

Hudson Street

Harrison Street

East 19th Street

across West 18th Street

The Maddest Picture

Jack Kerouac writes in Lonesome Traveler:

"His maddest picture was gardens with insane trees whirling in the blue swirl sky, one tree finally exploding into just black lines, almost silly but divine--- the thick curls and butter burls of color, beautiful oil rusts, glubs, creams, greens."

the Vincent van Gogh, Thatched Cottages at Cordeville

The Green Shutters

from The New York Times:
"Top 4 Floors in Chelsea to Be Above the Adjacent Structure; Condo Shaped Like Inverted L"


I moved into this apartment in 1968. There was a small tree in the back courtyard that was visible from my windows. And on the brick wall that faced my windows I could always see in bright colorful paint: "Sol Shapiro, Plumbing Supplies."

Also, on that wall were three large windows with green shutters. The shutters were rarely opened and when they were I never really saw any activity behind those windows.

I thought of those windows today and those green shutters. Over a decade ago, the windows were replaced with brick and everything on that wall was covered in dull beige paint. Now, it just a wall and nothing remains except this one memory:

In about 2002, I looked out and saw a young man looking out of the middle window and he stayed there for quite some time. He may have been saying good-bye. 

On this street, the old New York Telephone Company is becoming the Walker Tower. And the old post office that is a landmark may close.

Nothing else much has changed I suppose, except that the tree in the courtyard is now taller than the building.

the seminude, revisited

Going Back in Time

Harry's Place, Colchester, CT

Hank's Dairy Bar, Plainfield, CT

Lucky Strike Lanes, Mansfield, CT

Mansfield Drive-in, Mansfield, CT

Mansfield General Store, Mansfield, CT

Jeremiah's Antique Shoppes

Richard Burton: "The Leaden Echo and The Golden Echo" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

on West 14th Street

304 West 14th Street

at Staley-Wise Gallery

BERT STERN: ORIGINAL MAD MAN

included: Bert Stern: Marilyn Monroe 'The Last Sitting'

Allegra Kent, circa 1960

Twiggy, Paris Collections, Vogue,1967

Sophia Loren, VOGUE, 1962

"In this exhibition of photographs by Bert Stern, the full sweep of his remarkable career is revealed; from the work that signaled his meteoric rise in the advertising world of the 1950's through the 1960's and 70's when he became the prototype of the fashion photographer as the embodiment of glamour: a legend himself. Bert Stern began his career as a mailroom boy at Look Magazine. The launch of his career and the golden age of advertising would coincide with his iconic and legendary campaign for Smirnoff Vodka in 1955. With the brilliance of that work he became a star in the world of advertising. Editorial work followed, and working for Vogue put Bert Stern at the pinnacle of his career. Sought after by Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and the international fashion scene, he was at the heart of the world of photography. Groundbreaking images of the great personalities of the world, from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe and Twiggy to Louis Armstrong and Frank Lloyd Wright, made Bert Stern a celebrity in his own right. He became the center of an exciting studio where the world of fashion, celebrity and advertising revolved around him, all attracted by his energy, charm and exceptional talent. Stern lived on the edge and when his commercial empire crumbled in the 1970's he dropped out of sight. Since the 1980's he has rebuilt his career and his work has undergone the reevaluation and appreciation that is evident in this exhibition. The release of the documentary Bert Stern: Original Mad Man will coincide with the Staley-Wise exhibition. The film is a particularly American and totally honest story of self-creation, a fall from grace, and reinvention."

And just like that....

the years come flooding back.

A Reunion

On Monday, I bumped into an old friend in front of my building. I have not seen Bobby since 1976, and he told me I look "incredible." I'll take it! He is a real gem, they don't come any nicer! We are having a reunion lunch next week.
The memories of those great times in David's apartment surfaced and came flooding back...

Pieces from BEAT ATLAS

9 Lupine Road, Lowell MA

birthplace of Jack Kerouac

34 Beaulieu Street, Lowell MA

home where the Kerouac family lived in 1925

ongoing... to be continued in a process