New York Memories

I am sitting in an apartment on the 68th floor of Metropolitan House on 57th street beside Carnagie Hall. The view us all the way up Central Park and North East to the Tri-Boro bridge. There may be one building in this vista higher than this apartment. It is simply stunning. I am listening to Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd on the IPod playing out through a Bose sound system and thinking back to the first time I listened to that album.

It was also in New York almost 32 years ago. I had just been into the City on my own and I had found Sam Goodies record store on about 50th street.

Inside and Out 68th Floor
Uploaded by M+MD

Sun Rise first morning
Uploaded by M+MD

I bought it and Carole Kings Tapestry. I came back to my cousin Joan and her friend Maria's apartment in Woodside in Queens and as they were out I was able to listen to the LP's on their HiFi.

I fell in love with New York in 1976 when I travelled over on a J1 student working visa. I managed through some very far fetched acquaintances to get a couple of "vacation relief" jobs normally reserved for members of the Local 34 Union who were representing doormen elevator operators and other staff working in the offices and apartment buildings of Manhatten. My first job was filling in for the 'supervisor' of a small 8 story building on 14th street. It was a pretty quiet place, for the first week all I had to do was open up the building at 6.30 each morning, sweep down the pavement in front of the building, check that the pressure in the water tank was adequate and some complicated instructions on what to do if it wasn't right! Other than that I operated the freight elevator which probably got called 5 times on a busy day as only 5 of the 8 floors were occupied.

Here's the really funny bit - the building was owned by the Teamsters Union and 3 of the floors were offices for 2 of their Locals (branches). I had a completed my application form to join Local 34 but had been advised to avoid joining if I could as there was a $50 joining subscription. - "Shine On You Crazy Diamonds"

Re Union, Uploaded by M+MD.

The building is still there - we're both a little different 30 years on - a bit more sophisticated I suppose!