While walking home from lunch at One World Cafe this afternoon, we passed Frazier’s On The Avenue. The sign struck me as a perfect representation of Hampden: rough around the edges, charming, and unapologetic. I love my neighborhood and its residents for these reasons. Steve and I often walk down The Avenue (36th Street) and shake out heads, laughing and saying, “Never a dull moment.”
The pool of residents include a mixture of hipster/scenesters, yuppies, and white trash (and did I mention prostitutes?). It’s a great source of inspiration for details in my characters’ personalities. A sea of quirks in your backyard. There’s more drama happening on the streets than on daytime television. What more could a writer ask for? My favorite addition to the mix is a guy who walks around with an enourmous snake (4-inches in diameter, no joke) wrapped around his neck. You can’t make that up. Thanks, Hampden. Now time to write…
