Above: 118 Perry Street, my first NYC home; the building has been painted since we lived there
March 28th, 2023 – Today marks the 25th anniversary of my move to New York City; after spending 22 years in Hartford, working at a thankless job with a bunch of wonderful people, I was ready to achieve my long-held goal of being a New Yorker before my 50th birthday.
Within two weeks of arriving in The City, I met Wei (above)…and I started a job in the opera room at Tower Records. My friends Paul and Tom had rented me their studio on Perry Street, and Wei and I were very cozy there for five years – a time period that included the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I’ll never forget that morning, and rushing down to the street to see smoke pouring out of the Tower.
My friend Richard (above) came down often during those years. and continued to do so until his untimely death in 2016.
In 2003, Paul and Tom wanted their studio back, so Wei and I moved up to inwood. After a few weeks of feeling disoriented, I came to love it up here. Now, as the third act of my life/opera draws to a close, I keep wondering what the fourth act has in store for me. My friend Dmitry says, “The fourth act is the ballet!”
Oberon's Glade 