Dave first visited New York City in 1967. Sponsored by the Presbyterian Church, he spent a summer helping with a summer program in East New York, Brooklyn. It was an eye-opening summer! Didn't like the city much. It was dirty and crowded and noisy and all like that. But the problem was that it was fascinating! And at the end of the summer, he found that he wasn't quite done yet. So, when he graduated from college, he had to come back--just for a short time, of course, to get it out of his system. He finally moved out nine years later, but only reluctantly.
    A scrapbook just surfaced, with the pictures from that first summer. Because it was all new and exciting, the pictures captured more than might be done by someone more jaded. What's interesting is how little has changed--really. Oh, sure, many of the storefronts are different, and there are a bunch of new buildings. But the magic is still the same.



    City Scapes

    The city from the top of the Empire State Building and from other points of view as well.

    Times Square

    The crossroads of the world has gone through many changes since 1967. But much of the feeling has never changed.

    Midtown

    Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park are the highlights of midtown Manhattan.

    Greenwich Village

    Greenwich Village was the original bohemian neighborhood. Then the rents went up. But it's still a great place to hang out. (In 1967 and 2004)

    Downtown and Wall Street

    The original New Amsterdam has changed a bit since the seventeenth century. Much has changed since 1967 as well, but not the heart of it.

    Transportation

    New York is all about transportation, especially the busses and subways.

    East New York, Brooklyn

    Dave was in New York courtesy of the Presbyterian Church. They paid for him to spend the summer working with Children in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. This was a delightful experience.