Months Years ago, I was talking to someone who told me that her basement had all this great historical signage on the walls. I didn’t pursue it—not sure why—but it stuck with me. Then, a few weeks months ago, I met with someone in his apartment building, and when he said I might like his basement, I went along with it even though we had just met and that’s how bad things happen. (Photos below; I only had my phone with me.) You can see why I need to visit your building’s basement, too. There’s so much history down there—I’m sure of it. I’ll just take some photos and be on my way. I won’t say the address if you don’t want me to. And I’ll even bring coffee or hot chocolate or whatever you like. Come on! It’ll be fun-ish! I’m at tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

That one was for Neeta, who wanted to see vault lights from below. It’d be more dramatic in daytime, no doubt, but you get a sense of it. What I can tell you is that sound travels right through them; I thought passersby were lurking in the basement.

The wood slats are the “walls” of a crazy old elevator that runs between the basement and the sub-basement.

Old phone numbers are impossibly glamorous.