A long time ago, when the earth was green, I lived in Brooklyn, on Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. It’s probably a nice place to live now, out of my price range, but it was neither back then. This was the view from my bedroom window.

So was this. I’d be very surprised if Joe’s Pizzeria is still there. Nope. Just checked Google Map’s street view and it’s gone but the jewelry store next door is still there. I used to buy whippets in that jewelry store.

The living room had a wall of square mirrors but since the wall wasn’t very even, neither were the mirrors. The boxes of albums on the floor made a nice hiding place for the occasional mouse.

Now that Brooklyn is hip, I live in the Bronx but still have some nice memories from that other borough. It may not have been the finest place I’ve called home but it had its charms. And a little old black-and-white TV.