43 Comments
User's avatar
Lisa's avatar

There absolutely are dumb questions but yours never are!

Anne Kadet's avatar

My specialty is stupid answers!

Michael Mohr's avatar

I don’t know: My tuxedo cat is a total butthead. His nickname is The Anarchist.

Anne Kadet's avatar

What neighborhood do you suppose that would be?

Michael Mohr's avatar

Well, given that my fictional memoir is about living in East Harlem (130/5th Ave) during the opening months of the Covid lockdowns, I'd have to say that area :)

Lee Tilghman's avatar

Wow - imagine living in that house. Awesome profile, Anne!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Thanks Lee! I should have asked for a tour but that would have been pushing it...

Oleg's avatar

Amazing profile, and even if the neighbourhood itself is like a cat, I really appreciate the dogs in the pictures!

Anne Kadet's avatar

LOL I'll try to find the neighborhood that thinks it's a dog. Not a cat fan myself!

Meredith's avatar

Well. This was an absolute delight.

Anne Kadet's avatar

So delighted you are delighted! Thank you!

Chris Shenzo's avatar

A pretty good antidote to a daily NY Post Torment session. I'd say your exploratory surgical approach yielded positive results. but I hope the gent broadcasting his happy take home pay has 1040s with figures that match!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Zoiks! Did not think of that!

ZM Spalter's avatar

I was born and raised in Clinton Hill/Ft. Green in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Lots changed. A LOT. But it will always have my heart. I had an epic Brooklyn childhood 😁

Anne Kadet's avatar

EPIC! Right on! I am feeling JEALOUS!

Michael Estrin's avatar

This was great, Anne! I love that you rebooted the typical neighborhood piece we see so often various publications, and honestly, this approach was a lot more fun and informative than the stories that just cite demographic data and quote real estate agents. I hope these neighborhood profiles become a regular thing. And if you're looking for a suggestion, I've always wanted to know more about Roosevelt Island.

Anne Kadet's avatar

Oh wow that’s a great idea Mr. Estrin! Roosevelt Island is for sure it’s own (bizarro) world.

Michael Estrin's avatar

One of my regrets is that I never went to Roosevelt Island when I lived in NYC. Then again, to hear others tell it, I might very well have regretted going. Either way, I'm eager to read that neighborhood profile.

Samantha Childress's avatar

Loved this, Anne. I enjoyed living in the city for a couple of years and miss it terribly. Your posts always remind me that New Yorkers were the best thing about New York. I nominate my old neighborhoods, West Harlem and Bushwick, for future issues!!

Anne Kadet's avatar

OMG a BUSHWICK profile would be hilarious—people love to hate it so much these days!

Samantha Childress's avatar

There would be some amazing material there! I’m sure it’s more gentrified now, but my first night in Bushwick I went to a bar on Broadway where some dude was walking around with a stapler and offering to let people stick a staple anywhere on his body for $5. Weird times!

DEBRA's avatar

As always, great story! I'd love to get to New York one day for a visit!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Thanks Debra! I hope you can visit soon!

Jane Ratcliffe's avatar

This Clinton Hill is so different than the Clinton Hill I knew when I moved to NYC in the early eighties. You capture it beautifully. Such lovely interviews. And it is like a cat! Meow!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Thanks Jane! I wish I could go back in time to see NYC back then. I moved here in 1996. Still a lot of change but I imagine early 80s to late 90s was a lot more dramatic than what I've seen since.

Jane Ratcliffe's avatar

CH in the early eighties was dramatically different. One of my good friends lives there now. So pretty! We marvel at the changes.

Holly Rabalais's avatar

This is what I love--you show us real people. You take us into a whole new world and make us love these people. I want to walk through Clinton Hill and say “Hey, y’all!” to everyone I see. Totally a Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Thanks Holly. Next issue: "Clinton Hill After Dark!" haha!

JudgeRoyBean's avatar

OMG, I saw that photo of Lionel and I thought he was my son, Tony, sitting on that bench! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cl-kdaad2YUdGrIhoHKONpnfuvrqjMTA/view?usp=sharing

“It’d be a cat,” said Mr. Kearns. “Smooth!" What a great description! The sad part is that no neighborhood is safe from our modern day robber-barons, buying low and selling high. Clinton Hill is the perfect example. " When they move here, they making the money. Syracuse grads, Harvard." Perfect example! My other son, Frankie, was in NYC two weeks ago, for a friend's BD celebration, not far from Clinton Hill. He was "with" a graduate from Penn on Friday night and "with" a cheerleader who graduated from Syracuse, on Saturday night. I can understand the cheerleader, but you'd think the Penn grad would have more sense! I shudder to think what "with" means. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CtD96SVUFfZ0lNnUbZCIlHiVw-N_zapf/view?usp=sharing

Anne Kadet's avatar

So fun to see these photos JRB!

Bb's avatar

I like the conflation of Syracuse and Harvard grads. I feel that speaks to your upstate roots.

Anne Kadet's avatar

He left out SUNY Buffalo!

Bb's avatar

That may be a more Brooklyn Heights-level barbershop, no?

Anne Kadet's avatar

School of hard knocks here in the BH!

Stephen Schwarz's avatar

Delightful!

Anne Kadet's avatar

Thank you Stephen! It was fun to report.

Phil Kadet's avatar

They should call it Kitten Hill!

Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt's avatar

Now we need a Ha Ha icon!