Blizzard!

Not now, cool cats. After I moved to NYC in October 1995, the city was blessed with the biggest blizzard in decades Jan. 6, 1996, reporting as much as 3 feet of snow. Schools in the boroughs closed for the first time in 18 years.

Billboard was then located in Times Square and the offices closed in the afternoon. The pic at left shows a parking meter buried halfway—and these ain't drifts, baby. It snowed that much.Taking in the glory of it all, I walked 40 blocks home to West 82nd Street—and was fortunate to have camera in hand. Passing Lincoln Center, I slipped flat on my heinie. But the overall mood in the city was so celebratory, I just, uh, laughed my butt off. Amazingly, Broadway was shut down for the first time since the 1920s. A wondrous day.

Brooklyn Heights: Montague & Henry

Brooklyn Heights Blog contributor Melanie Hope Greenberg sent in a vintage Heights photo of Montague and Henry Streets from the 80s.... and below, the same block from the summer of 2008... and 1916.

Brooklyn Heights: 100 Years Ago

A couple glorious shots of the nabe from nearly 100 years ago... 1916 versus 2009. It certainly had more moxie then.109 Montague Street, home of Heights Books for the past five years. Sadly, the building was just sold for $3.7 million, so the business is moving out in March and this will soon be another bygone memory of the Heights.And below, 101 Montague Street, now a Thai restaurant. So sad that the crown of the building was stripped away.My buds at the Brooklyn Heights Blog were kind enough to post this entry.

To All The Homes I've Loved Before

Over the last three days, I have shoveled through literally thousands of photographs—on paper. Remember those? One of my goals was to collect pics of each of the buildings I've lived in since moving to New York—when I actually resided there. Here goes:Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights. Current home, since May 2000.78 Reade St., in Manhattan's Tribeca, with Francie & Debbie. 2nd floor. January 1999-April 2000.468 West 23rd St., in Manhattan's Chelsea, with Steve. 1st floor and ground level duplex, with a yard! September 1996-December 1998.My first New York apartment! 214 West 82nd St., on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Two-room studio on 2nd floor. September 1995-September 1996.And, just for fun, here's the house I grew up in, Lynchburg, Va.

New York Subway: 40 Years Later

1969 versus 2009: What a diff, eh?

The Heights: Then & Now

52 Livingston Street, 1953. Beautifully preserved and finally landmarked.
153 Joralemon, 1953. Below, also showing bodega currently on ground level.123 Henry Street, 1954. The only thing that looks any different here is the tint of the photo and the size of the cars.












94 Joralemon, 1928. Unfortunately, because of the time of day, it was impossible for me to duplicate the angle of the vintage photo without blinding the lens with sunlight, but the similarities are apparent, including the chimneys on either side."The Little House That Could" at 135 Joralemon Street sold last year for nearly $4.2 million after a loving restoration following a fire in 2006 that left it in sad decay. It's now a charming if not curious clapboard amid the brownstones of the nabe. Below, 1926. Note the For Sale sign nailed to the porch.And finally, a fascinating view of 135 Joralemon back when it had a yard on the side and beautiful one-family homes on both sides.

Brooklyn Heights: Montague & Henry

Brooklyn Heights Blog contributor Melanie Hope Greenberg sent in a vintage Heights photo of Montague and Henry Streets from the 80s.... and below, the same block from the summer of 2008... and 1916.