We were right off Eastern Parkway, which was all leafy and green. Everybody knew everybody, and everybody was a doctor. It was a great place to get sick.
New York was the magic city. New York was Oz. All I wanted to do was to get out of Brooklyn and get into Oz. We’d go to the theater district—I saved my money, and I would go with a girlfriend and sit in Sardi’s, order an avocado for 60 cents, and wait to be discovered. They must have been thrilled to see us. We went to Howard Johnson’s, and Ellen smoked a cigarette. We’re sitting at the Howard Johnson’s, and we’re smoking cigarettes—say no more.