Eric Mayer

Living in New York City Judith Thurman's review of "Bricks and Brownstone" in the New Yorker reminded me of my days in New York City.

When I lived for a few years in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, I used to cross Atlantic Avenue in the evening and stroll along the streets of Brooklyn Heights peering through the lit windows of elegant brownstones, just as the Thurman describes. The glass panes might've had the thickness of an ocean so far removed were the spacious, sumptuous and warmly lit interiors from the fifth floor walkup I was renting..

I could never get used to New York City living space. Too noisy. Boom boxes in the park outside, stereos underfoot, radios rattling the walls. Sometimes I dreamt I'd come across a tiny house, with a door that opened straight onto the street, and a yard big enough for a tree. What a small town boy would consider a normal domicile, but smack in the middle of the city's excitement. It surprised me to read, in the review, that such places exist..

All I saw were those brownstones. The nearer I got to the Promenade along the river, the larger the houses seemed to grow. One of them, past the end of Montague Street, served as the home for Robert Woodward's McCall character in the 1980s American television series The Equalizer. Or so I understood..

By the time I watched the series I'd left New York. The house, always in shadows, as I recall, windows lit, fit the neighborhood, but I couldn't place it exactly. Enough of the street never seemed to be shown to pinpoint the location. Perhaps that was intentional. The introduction to the show featured a montage of driving from Manhattan into Brooklyn, across the bridge, through downtown. I believe the scenes were arranged out of order so poor McCall would have been going first one direction then another.

Although I almost never watch television crime shows I liked "The Equalizer." Woodward's character was grave and thoughtful, a bit sad. Not unlike Lance Henricksen's Frank Black in Millenium. Not unlike John the Eunuch, come to think of it.




	Eric Mayer Byzantine Blog Home Get Email Updates Cruel Music Diana Rowland Martin Edwards Electric Grandmother Jane Finnis jimsjournal Keith Snyder My Incredibly Unremarkable Life Mysterious Musings Mystery of a Shrinking Violet Mystery*File Rambler The Rap Sheet reenie's reach Thoughts from Crow Cottage rhubarb This Writing Life Woodstock's Blog Email Me Admin Password Remember Me 1481394 Curiosities served Share on Facebook				2003-12-08 10:42 AM New York City Living Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (0) Living in New York City Judith Thurman's review of "Bricks and Brownstone" in the New Yorker reminded me of my days in New York City. When I lived for a few years in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, I used to cross Atlantic Avenue in the evening and stroll along the streets of Brooklyn Heights peering through the lit windows of elegant brownstones, just as the Thurman describes. The glass panes might've had the thickness of an ocean so far removed were the spacious, sumptuous and warmly lit interiors from the fifth floor walkup I was renting.. I could never get used to New York City living space. Too noisy. Boom boxes in the park outside, stereos underfoot, radios rattling the walls. Sometimes I dreamt I'd come across a tiny house, with a door that opened straight onto the street, and a yard big enough for a tree. What a small town boy would consider a normal domicile, but smack in the middle of the city's excitement. It surprised me to read, in the review, that such places exist.. All I saw were those brownstones. The nearer I got to the Promenade along the river, the larger the houses seemed to grow. One of them, past the end of Montague Street, served as the home for Robert Woodward's McCall character in the 1980s American television series The Equalizer. Or so I understood.. By the time I watched the series I'd left New York. The house, always in shadows, as I recall, windows lit, fit the neighborhood, but I couldn't place it exactly. Enough of the street never seemed to be shown to pinpoint the location. Perhaps that was intentional. The introduction to the show featured a montage of driving from Manhattan into Brooklyn, across the bridge, through downtown. I believe the scenes were arranged out of order so poor McCall would have been going first one direction then another. Although I almost never watch television crime shows I liked "The Equalizer." Woodward's character was grave and thoughtful, a bit sad. Not unlike Lance Henricksen's Frank Black in Millenium. Not unlike John the Eunuch, come to think of it. Read/Post Comments (0) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top