Residence History
Where are some of the places in which I lived as an adult, defined here as when I was 18 years or older?All of the buildings and locations contain incredible and unforgettable times and played a major role in my life, but do any of them carry extra special significance?
the four story brick building (center right) which contained my last solo apartment
Buena Avenue
North Side
Chicago
August 1977
Chicago
I lived the first 25 years of my life in Chicago (and for a brief time, its suburbs), the city where I was born and raised. It is my foundation, the place of my core family members as well as a few (but by no means all) of my extended family. Many immediate relatives either originated in other places (for example, my father, who was born and raised in Toronto, Canada) or have spread around the country (for example, my older brother and sister who both moved to Texas). Aunts, uncles and cousins have also lived in other cities and states. However, when I was a kid and a teenager, most family members in my world were in Chicago. The memories are extremely strong and visual. Photos are helpful but didn't come close to capturing everything that I see in my mind and the experiences of my youth inside the apartments and houses where I lived.
Begin End Residence
01/1978 07/1978 Washington Park YMCA, South Side, Chicago
10/1977 12/1977 111th St. YMCA, South Side, Chicago
10/1975 09/1977 Buena Avenue, North Side, Chicago
09/1974 10/1975 Hyde Park YMCA, South Side, Chicago
09/1973 09/1974 Austin YMCA, West Side, Chicago
07/1973 08/1973 my car, a Buick Skylark
02/1973 06/1973 Maywood western suburb
04/1972 01/1973 Lawson YMCA, Near North Side, Chicago
09/1971 03/1972 UICC Medical Center Apartment, West Side, Chicago
06/1971 08/1971 UICC Dormitory (summer), West Side, Chicago
01/1971 06/1971 UICC Dormitory (roommate), West Side, Chicago
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the building which contained my first solo apartment in New York City
Carlton Avenue
Prospect Heights
Brooklyn
March 1980
New York City
I have lived in New York City (or, for a short time in a nearby area) for approximately four and a half decades, by far longer than I have lived in anywhere else. It is my chosen city and my destiny. New York surpasses Chicago in its sheer number of experiences and interactions, and challenges and triumphs that continue to this day. It's an extreme city, swinging between extraordinary difficulties and amazing rewards. It contains the single neighborhood, building and apartment in which I lived for 20 years (so far), longer than anywhere else: Harlem. It is deliberately not the city of my family and other relatives. Upon occasion, they have visited me, but I have always lived alone in New York. There are reasons for this, which I have described in other journals. Ultimately, my family has no idea what my life is like on a daily basis and they have exhibited endless delay and a certain level of apathy in learning more. It is normal for them to not know anything about my New York City life. They are unaware of the countless images, voices and scenes that are required to have even a slight idea, let alone a real understanding, of my decades in this vast yet finite, singular place. Most have never seen the buildings that each were for a time my home, nor have they met any of my friends, neighbors and coworkers who know much more about the days and nights of residences where I have worked, eaten and slept.
No one knows about most of the places listed below. That's okay. Everyone has a residence history. Mine includes almost every housing type available. The following will provide a glimpse into locations of floors, doors, stairs and walls that contain the untold moments of my life.
Begin End Residence
05/2002 Present Harlem, Manhattan
03/2001 04-2002 Newark YMCA, Newark, NJ (never formalized)
03/1998 03-2001 Starrett City, Brooklyn
03/1993 03/1998 Highland Park, Brooklyn
03/1986 03/1993 Crown Heights, Brooklyn
03/1982 03/1986 Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
02/1980 03/1982 Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
07/1979 02/1980 Crown Heights, Brooklyn (roommates)
10/1978 07/1979 Prospect Park YMCA, Park Slope, Brooklyn
08/1978 10/1978 Upper West Side, Manhattan
Note: In both cities, all YMCAs in which I lived are either no longer accepting transient residents or are no longer in existence at all.