Because we live in a city as old as New York, our towns and villages pre-date strip malls, bedroom communities, and suburbs. We have a network of distinct and unique neighborhoods within each borough, built before the advent of easy travel. Horse-driven buggies rode over cobble-stoned streets, and the first underground railway system had velvet-roped seats. I know this, because my grandfather described the old train cabs to me in vivid detail.
He also told me childhood memories about Old Breuckelen. When he was little, there were still some farms with chicken, sheep, and horses that roamed around the more rural areas. He had the Gaelic gift of gab and a naturally charming manner, with a silver tongue made for storytelling. I thought of him yesterday. He, a Brooklyn-born boy from the turn-of-the-century, would have loved our small town parade as much as I did.
