I recently read Paul Auster’s, “Moon Palace.” Moon Palace is probably the first Chinese restaurant I dined at in my life. An early fixture from my neighborhood growing up, I believe that it closed in the early 80′s. And when an old friend from the hood brought to my attention that it’s title was directly related to this place I’ve seldom thought about, I began to think and realized the importance it has served as a beacon to the NY of my childhood that has dramatically changed.

“Moon Palace,” is the first Auster book that I’ve read. And as I began to read this novel and did a little research on the author, I learned that Auster is known for using his intimate knowledge of NYC as a backdrop for many of his stories. Auster is not a NY native. He was raised in NJ but attended Columbia University and has pretty much lived here ever since. His story telling is great. It’s entertaining and smart and I will definitely pick up another one of his books. This story reads with the intricate detail mixing fact and fiction to a point that it feels real. However, as a native I found one little crack that annoyed me. A small microscopic detail that is benign to the average reader but for me became the red flag of Auster’s excess. I think only New Yorkers would pick up on it.

In his NY characters description of an intersection he describes it as, “the junction of West Broadway and Verick.” A New Yorker would never use the term junction as it pertains to the merging of two avenues that both run North/South, specially when there is a cross street. This actual cross street would be Leonard street but most would probably use Franklin street as the reference cause one short block north it is the entrance to the Franklyn street Subway stop. Not all New Yorkers would know Leonard Street but they are more likely to know Franklin Street because of the subway. It’s a small slip but also a big one for me only because Auster is known for his realistic characterization of NY. NY is a big city with a profound history and not even the natives know every intimate detail and for me it sparked my doubt that I have to beware that a highly intelligent fiction lays underneath Auster’s very real and truthful depiction of Moon Palace, a place of NY past.

I wish that I could find a picture of Moon Palace. I wish that I could find more pictures of the NY I experienced in the 70′s. 3 decades back into the film days. Here is another beacon for me of those days past.

This is the Marlin Bar. It was located on Broadway between 110th St. and 111th St. on the west side of the Avenue. It closed in 1995. The actual bar was moved to a local spot 1020, on 110th and Amsterdam. The shot above I took sometime in 1991. I miss it.

I took this shot because it’s Neon sign and exterior was always a reminder of a NY before I was born. And when I look at it I forget about the year I took it. It looks as though it was shot in the fifties probably about the time it was opened. For me it’s a reminder of a NY that that is slowly eroding away and soon to be only a memory.

What I love most about this photo is its timelessness. It’s hard to date. It makes me think and as I get older I think about my grandparents and how when they were about 10 years old the automobile started to become an invention for the adverage person. I think about my father and how he was a kid when color television was intoduced.