Richard’s first ten years on First Avenue lay the foundation for life ahead. Within a three block radius of his tenement is a whole world. Eightieth Street and the sidewalk are his playground—where he makes “hot mickeys” with a lump of coal and a purloined potato. The shops on the block provide everything his family needs: a bakery, a grocer, a fruit and vegetable market, an ice cream parlor, and his own optometrist. On 82^nd Street there is an elementary school, on 80^th Street and Second Avenue a Sunday School for religious education, on 79^th Street a public library for exploring the world. For Richard, these were the essential building blocks for integrating life and preparing for the future.

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