From last night’s gorgeous view of Brooklyn’s shoreline as seen from the East River. I’m kinda liking the Financial District after all. Staying has it’s perks.

My very first visit to New York City was sometime in late summer of 1986. I was heading out to L.A. and what turned out to be a short stint in Hollywood. The South Street Seaport had recently opened and was extremely popular among the Wall Street crowd – particularly after the bell rang on Fridays. The busy and smelly Fulton Fish Market was still there (in 2005, it moved to the South Bronx) and I spent an intense weekend hanging out with a couple of friends – Andy and Todd – two New Yorkers whom I’d met during the summer of 1983 while traveling across Europe on trains.

I was twenty three years old when I stepped off the plane at JFK in Queens, and within just a few hours, I was completely absorbed by New York City. Ed Koch was still mayor, Keith Haring was on the verge of breaking out as the first superstar graffiti artist and cocaine, ganja and crack was offered to me (if I remember correctly, it was usually in that order) literally everywhere. For good or for worse, the city back then was ten times edgier than today. Having said that, I really enjoy working here now that I don’t have to worry too much about whipping out a large camera. And if I really want edgy, I just have to take a train uptown to 125th Street (Harlem) or just about anywhere but Williamsburg in Brooklyn.