In 1991, I was sixteen years old and a junior in high school. I was very caught up in the New York City club scene back then. My Friday and Saturday nights were often spent at the Limelight or Tunnel, maybe even the Sound Factory, but by then it was already past its prime. Sometimes I went to CBGB, if I was feeling a punk/rock mood. If it was a particularly long or good night, I'd end up at Save the Robots – usually around 5 a.m. or so.

New York was different back in those days. Dangerous. Wild. While I understand that safety is nice and everything, I have to say, I miss it. I miss the grit, the urban decay, the nihilism, the outright hedonism. I miss being able to buy a fake ID in Times Square, I miss the hookers on the West Side Highway, the weed dealers on St. Mark's Place....

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