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NYSITY - Just Like I Pictured It
New York City was a refuge for my Russian grandparents. This long tradition is memorialized in Emma Lazarus' sonnet: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... I was honored to live across from her residence on 10th St.
Freedom and refuge from oppression of every kind is still the principle operating theme in NYC. My earliest vivid memories including sitting on my father's knee while he told tales of his survival in the Lower East Side at the dawn of the 20th century. My imagination fueling me with dreams. New York City is about it's people & their dreams. Please, dream with me.
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SOBE
South Beach, gentrification personified. My old Russian grandmother took care of the Rabbis in the crumbling houses of worship. Preparing food and addressing all the mutitudes of religious rituals that accompany them. With my ancient Dewey Weber board, I surfed and shot the old wooden pier and played my drums with a trio in the little cafes & nightclubs across from the pier & the old dog track. Most everyone was a local back then. All that has vanished. Now we have a pleasure playground, tuned to the gratification of European & Asian men, on the hunt for sexual adventures.