When I opened my blinds this morning, the day looked grey and I saw that the cobblestones of Bond Street were wet. At first I thought it had rained last night, then I noticed patches of white—atop a car, along the curbs—looking every bit like the half-thawed accumulations of winter. Then I remembered… IT’S THE MIDDLE OF MAY! Upon closer inspection, the snow didn’t look quite dirty enough, and it was curling up at some of the edges… Sure enough, at the end of the street is a film crew, or maybe it’s the Law & Order TV folks (God bless Dick Wolf for taping in New York City!)
Bond Street has changed over the years, gotten more gentrified. On the corner, just across Lafayette from where the film crew is shooting, there used to be a place called Bob’s Used Furniture Store. I say “place” because it was more of a outdoor stand with furniture than an actual store. There was always a motley crew of downtown kids stripping furniture outside on the street, then slapping on one of the two or three generic finishes that went on practically everything. I bought several pieces there over the years, spotting them at odd times of the night, running to the ATM (Bob accepted only cash) while praying nobody else would spy my prize and usurp it by offering him more money. Invariably, two of the refinishing kids would help me haul the piece to my apartment at hours well outside of the building’s approved delivery windows. I remember trying to go unnoticed at 11 p.m. on a Friday night with a hoosier baking cabinet whose finish was still tacky…
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