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ELizabeth · 02-07-2005, 11:48 AM

Hi Miketouhy
- Being a New Yorker who has spent more than her share of time in several large cities over the years, I have to say that certain parts of NYC,and Chicago and LA, were notoriously bad (the worst in the country)in the 60's and early 70's Example - the Bed.-Stuyvesant area of NYC would have been such an area when Gordon L. wrote that song. Many of the areas like the one above have been rehabbed but then (60's and 70'S) they were quite terrible. It is also possible that GL was still quite young and not too long out of Orillia when he went to NYC. It may have been quite a shock to young man relatively recently out of rural Canada to have seen some of the slums of NYC. Just my thoughts. YMMMV. By the way, having been born and raised in Albany, NY, for obvious reasons I have a soft spot in my heart for this song.

[This message has been edited by ELizabeth (edited February 07, 2005).]

02-07-2005, 11:48 AM	#2
ELizabeth Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dumfries, VA Posts: 392	Hi Miketouhy - Being a New Yorker who has spent more than her share of time in several large cities over the years, I have to say that certain parts of NYC,and Chicago and LA, were notoriously bad (the worst in the country)in the 60's and early 70's Example - the Bed.-Stuyvesant area of NYC would have been such an area when Gordon L. wrote that song. Many of the areas like the one above have been rehabbed but then (60's and 70'S) they were quite terrible. It is also possible that GL was still quite young and not too long out of Orillia when he went to NYC. It may have been quite a shock to young man relatively recently out of rural Canada to have seen some of the slums of NYC. Just my thoughts. YMMMV. By the way, having been born and raised in Albany, NY, for obvious reasons I have a soft spot in my heart for this song. [This message has been edited by ELizabeth (edited February 07, 2005).]