THE COAT
In the late 60's, the era of Woodstock and flower children, I was one of them. We were called hippies, druggies, and worse. But we were family.
A few friends and I had a ritual meeting every Sunday afternoon. Dressed in our finest fringed vests, our best bell-bottoms and sporting our love beads, we would meet in someone's apartment, smoke a bit of grass, on occasion take a "downer" and then head to Central Park where we would proceed to approach black people and tell them they we're beautiful. That may sound condescending by today moreys but the "Black is beautiful" movement had just begun and Afro-American was yet to be.
In those days, Central Park on a Sunday was teeming with flower children, some literally passing out flowers with an "I love you." It was heady stuff. Love was in the air.
But, there were also the protests. "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, LBJ has got to go." as we marched down Broadway against the Viet Nam war. We were the new generation that was going to save the planet. We were the hope for the future. We were naïve.
For the future is always in flux and shortly I joined the "Establishment." Well, MY establishment. That Autumn, I was living in Brooklyn Heights and I bought the coat.
Before PETA, I hadn't thought about fur coats, so when I saw this hooded, red fox jacket, in the downtown Brooklyn Macy's, I was a goner. I think it cost $200 but it was well worth if being the warmest coat I ever owned. However, it was definitely not something you would wear to Central Park on a Sunday afternoon much less to a protest. But it stopped traffic at the theater. I guess I was now a "material guy" and the drug experimentation came to an end.
(As a side note, you will notice in the picture that the original World Trade Center was still under construction and this was pre-mustache. Also, that is not my impression of "Alfalfa" but a spire on a building behind me.)
A few friends and I had a ritual meeting every Sunday afternoon. Dressed in our finest fringed vests, our best bell-bottoms and sporting our love beads, we would meet in someone's apartment, smoke a bit of grass, on occasion take a "downer" and then head to Central Park where we would proceed to approach black people and tell them they we're beautiful. That may sound condescending by today moreys but the "Black is beautiful" movement had just begun and Afro-American was yet to be.
In those days, Central Park on a Sunday was teeming with flower children, some literally passing out flowers with an "I love you." It was heady stuff. Love was in the air.
But, there were also the protests. "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, LBJ has got to go." as we marched down Broadway against the Viet Nam war. We were the new generation that was going to save the planet. We were the hope for the future. We were naïve.
For the future is always in flux and shortly I joined the "Establishment." Well, MY establishment. That Autumn, I was living in Brooklyn Heights and I bought the coat.
Before PETA, I hadn't thought about fur coats, so when I saw this hooded, red fox jacket, in the downtown Brooklyn Macy's, I was a goner. I think it cost $200 but it was well worth if being the warmest coat I ever owned. However, it was definitely not something you would wear to Central Park on a Sunday afternoon much less to a protest. But it stopped traffic at the theater. I guess I was now a "material guy" and the drug experimentation came to an end.
(As a side note, you will notice in the picture that the original World Trade Center was still under construction and this was pre-mustache. Also, that is not my impression of "Alfalfa" but a spire on a building behind me.)
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