I Love My Neighbors

I’m really lucky in that after years of searching, I have found home. Even though there is a lot of gentrification in my neighborhood (read: self-important yuppie scum moving in, behaving rudely, and causing the rents to go sky high) there is still plenty of old-school going on, lots of people who have lived in the neighborhood their entire lives, whose parents grew up here as well, and will stop you on the street to say hello and catch up.

Case in point: tonight there was a photo exhibit of the people that contribute to the rich history of the neighborhood. From 100-year-old Rose Fazio to the guy with the extensive tribute to the Titanic on the façade of his brownstone and my friends with whom I’ve shared many a glass of wine at the local bars, it was beautiful to see documentation of all of those I know and admire.

It still amazes me how my neighborhood can feel like a small town. Whenever something’s happening that’s of any significance, you can be sure to see most of the people you know. And tonight was no exception; lots of the locals were out.

Big John has a band called the Big Daddy Project, a rock band with whom I shared a bill when I was still playing with The Lascivious Biddies. (John called them “Beauty and the Beast” gigs even though the guys in the band are pretty good looking.) I’ll never forget the time we played in a mechanic’s garage! Because of all of the chemicals, no smoking was allowed as the place would’ve exploded. (literally!) The place was packed, and someone bought a keg and re-sold the beer, making the local mafia guy pretty upset as I guess we were infringing on his business or something.

Louie is my landlord. Along with having great neighbors, I live in a great house. We all get along wonderfully, and hang out on a regular basis.

Becky is another friend who lives a few blocks away, and who I met through Louie. She was featured in the show as a long-time resident. She also makes beachglass jewelry, and is always a lot of fun to hang out with.

Drew DiCamillo and Jackie Weisberg. Drew plays bass in the Big Daddy Project and recently returned from living in Italy for the last two years (and boy did we miss him!)

Jackie’s photos took up half of the exhibit, and she took an amazing picture of Drew. Jackie will be posting the photos on her web site once the show is over, at www.jackieweisberg.com

Me posing for a photo with my friend Ricardo, who doesn’t live in the neighborhood, but used to own a building about a block away from where I live and he’s in construction. Ricardo is married to Beth, and together they are a really fantastic couple!

That’s just a small slice of the people I know. I’ve only known them for a couple of years, but already we’ve shared a ton of memories…