Neighborhood blight provided my first real portal to a world beyond a poor family whose books were a Bible, Haliburtons' 2 books of world marvels, and a couple of Readers Digest anthologies. The village of Sea Cliff on Long Island's north shore had been largely left to decay after hurricanes devastated its once fashionable waterfront boardwalk, and cars and trains took city people to much more inviting places. The stores were boarded up, the old Victorian houses and sum more...
