He gestured to an apartment complex across Third Avenue, the Ruppert Yorkville Towers, and added, “And that used to be the Ruppert brewery. The workers could drink from taps on the walls, and, because of all the grain, a river of rats ran down the streets at night. It was a magic town. But, you know . . . ” He held a photograph he’d snapped of an elderly neighbor staring dourly out her window, framed by dingy curtains. “As soon as I took this shot, I knew that that would be me, ninety years old and unable to go outside, if I didn’t get the hell out. I borrowed a van from a former girlfriend, packed up everything I needed—my bed, what clothes I had, an orange crate of books—and disappeared into the declining sun.” When was that? “Possibly it was the sixties. If I get some peace and quiet, I can lay that on you.” (He left in 1970.)
July 21, 2014
The Burt of Burt's Bees.
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4 comments:
My father-in-law, too, was a NYC Jew who split to the hinterlands to get away from life in the Big City, and to make himself anew.
I'm sure NYC has spawned hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of stories such as Burt's.
Those who want everyone to live densely in cities don't understand this particular part of urban history.
a river of rats ran down the streets at night. It was a magic town.
There's a coupling you don't see every day.
I have mixed feelings about the Shavitz and Quimby falling out. She bought him out for barely 6 figures and a few years later was bought out herself for almost 10. If you stop there, it sure sounds like she played him for a patsy.
On the other hand, the success of Burt's Bees was probably entirely due to her, with Burt giving little more than his bees and his beard.
TosaGuy said...Those who want everyone to live densely in cities don't understand this particular part of urban history
Those who want everyone to live densely in cities see humans as cogs in a machine that would function more smoothly if its cogs were packed densely. Urban living is not for everyone.
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