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Traveling With the Masses

Nov. 26, 1997 This year in New York City a law was passed requiring taxi cabs to play a recorded message every time the meter is started and stopped. This means that just as you are telling the driver your destination you must either shout to be heard or wait

Joe Perez

Nov. 12, 1989 This from Joe Perez, a Puerto Rican and my former superintendent at 312 Water Street (he helped me move my car yesterday) It is hard, he says, to get used to living with a woman after being single. He married the first time at 17. "Too

Day in the City

May 21, 1987 Washington Square — People all over, lounging and browning, the kind of crowd Franklin County only gets for special affairs, such as the county fair. But this was just a park, and just an ordinary Saturday night. Two black guys flash dancing on a raised stage-like area.

The Tasteless Family

June 19, 1987 At Roy Rogers restaurant. They came in talking loud like they’re the only ones here—as if the clangor of the crowd is the sound of unseen animals and wind and water in some weird indoor picnic spot. They’re all fat. She’s got a

Knocking Out a Wall

Yesterday knocked out a section of wall in order to widen the inexplicably narrow doorway of my only closet — a lot of old Brooklyn closets are designed like this. As if humans used to be narrow, like ribbons, with arms that bent in all directions. It really was a process

Out With My Sister

Sept. 12, 2004 Enjoyed two evenings with my sister and her boyfriend. Sue and Jerry. I told you about Jerry. Insurance executive, Republican, very generous with his money, fun to spend time with, a little corny in his humor. They spent the weekend here, along with one of Jerry’s

Little Cathy

Dec. 4, 1997, Wednesday 5:44 AM – Not sleepy. Been awake an hour already after only three hours sleep. Alcohol from four red wines is running through my veins, screaming, and the rancid after-smell of some cigars I smoked is still hovering around me — plus I’ve got a

Writing Past Deadline

Dear Rob — When you describe the pressure of coming up with script revisions on these short deadlines it reminds me of writing a term paper in a day and a half. What acute misery. And of my first reporting days. Basically teaching myself journalism while the clock was ticking. You

The Old Barn

An email to Rob, October 30, 2001 — Rob, That stay in Woodstock sounds really lovely. You have an interesting variety of good friends. I can see you’re having fun with the show. Sounds like a powerful show in the making. I get a vicarious charge hearing about it — the