Skip to main content

You Deserve A Break Today


30 years ago, I took a train from Lima, Ohio to New York City with my resume in the World's Heaviest Briefcase and the address of the Sloane House YMCA on West 34th Street close to 9th Avenue.

The building is now home to the Sloane Apartments and the neighborhood itself edges the glitzy new Hudson Yards complex.

Hudson Yards Photo by Rhododendrites/Commons.Wikimedia

But in 1989, I didn't dare go over to 9th Avenue. Even in the daytime, it looked desolate. I always turned right whenever I walked out of that YMCA towards brighter, louder 8th Avenue.

I was starving before I checked into my room that first August evening. So I threw my bags down on the little bed and immediately ventured out again.

As I left the building, I put my wallet in my front pocket and assumed the stance of a seasoned New Yorker - downcast eyes, sullen face and a resolute stride like I was late for something. Even though I had no idea where I was going. I wasn't afraid, just...out of my element and hyper-aware of my new surroundings. Ready in case someone jumped me. 

I passed steel gates guarding narrow stores. I heard the rumble of the subway somewhere beneath me. Dozens of people just shuffled on the sidewalks even though it was close to 10 p.m. Once at 34th and 8th, I stood still, contemplating my next move. Should I turn? Just keep going straight? Why do I keep smelling chestnuts roasting?

Then I felt conspicuous like I really was fresh off of the train. So I crossed and veered to the right, passing an adult book store with glaring "PEEP SHOW" signs. Wow, right here out in the open, I thought. I slowed down, trying to peek in. I didn't see the guy crouched on a crate by the front door.

"Hey, little man. C'mon in. Whatchu need tonight?"

I snapped my head and sped away.

"Can I have a dollar?" he called out after me.

Embarrassed, I sought refuge in the only thing I recognized: The Golden Arches. So much for my big exploration. I wasn't proud that McDonald's was my first meal as a New Yorker, but I rationalized it by thinking "Go With What You Know." I gorged on a Big Mac, a cheeseburger, and large fries. I passed on a pop. Why spend money on a drink when I can get water later from the drinking fountain. I had to stick to my budget. 




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Van Halen vs. Tone-Loc

This week in 1989, Tone-Loc was blocked from the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 by Paula Abdul and her first hit song "Straight Up."  Sharp-eyed readers will note that this is the third mention of Abdul on this blog, something I never would have guessed when I launched this.  Anyway, Tone-Loc's "Wild Thing" rocketed into the hearts of music lovers around the world thanks to a classic hip hop move: Borrowing an element from something that was tired at the moment and re-inventing it for new audiences.   In this case, the song's guitar riff and drum roll were instantly identifiable from Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'" off their first album in 1978 (!) According to Wikipedia (the primary research resource here at "Little Brett, Big City"), the Van Halen management team allowed the sample to be included in "Wild Thing" for a flat fee of $5,000.  But apparently the band members hadn't heard anything about it. Drummer...

l i t t l e b r e t t , BIG CITY

When I left college in 1989, I was a virgin with corn-fed drive and a terrifying secret. It could disappoint or disgust my family and friends. It could even kill me. But I couldn’t hide from it anymore.  With "The World's Heaviest Briefcase," I escaped on a midnight train from Lima, Ohio to the YMCA on West 34th Street in Manhattan. Being gay had to be easier in New York, even though I was arriving with no home or job.   Right away, a hooker chased me in Times Square, and perverts watched me shower at the Y. I filled payphones with quarters each day, desperately seeking work. Ultimately, I was confronted by my biggest fear when dating my first man – a member of AIDS activist group ACT UP.  Could I really survive in one of the hardest cities in the world? Or would I fail and return to Ohio, back in the closet to find a wife and a lawn to mow.   l i t t l e  b r e t t , BIG CITY celebrates finding your own place in the world. Here I...

You Went To School At A Subway Stop?!

In 1989, I graduated from Bowling Green State University. Which is a mouthful. So when people in New York asked me where I went to school. I would just say "Bowling Green."  The first time, I got a quizzical look and a "Huh?" The second person finally asked, "You went to school at a subway station?" My turn to go "Huh?" I then learned that "Bowling Green" is indeed a station on the #4 and #5 lines on the NYC Subway system, way downtown in the Financial District. I'm including a pic of the Bowling Green "head house," which is the rare, above-ground part of a station that contains escalators, elevators, and ticket agents. (Thanks again, Wikipedia.) (Wikimedia Commons/DSchwen) This little beauty is a New York City-designated landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. And I still haven't been there yet.