Sunday, February 10, 2013

from the westside highway


taken from the car, friday february 8, 2013. from the west side highway as we passed below chittenden avenue. the apartment house where i grew up, in washington heights.

as i remember, the wall on the other side was about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide -low enough to climb onto. one day i walked back and forth on it, following my friend who was not scared of heights. i had nightmares for weeks.

it was a ten-story building; my grandmother lived there too and her studio apartment faced west- three of those windows were hers- two from the main room and one from the kitchen. she had a gorgeous view of the hudson river and the george washington bridge.

i have memories of sitting on her floor and playing with her button collection. i wish i had had the idea then to ask her about her growing up- (she was born in manhattan in 1875). but hindsight, like memory is 20/20. i didn't ask and she didn't say. but i do have some old family pictures to piece together clues.