Gareth   (interview 1999 photo 1999)

   Gareth and his partner, Daniel, have lived in Hudson View Gardens since 1995. Daniel is a playwright and novelist, with seventeen plays produced in the Paris area and in Paris. He also manages four theaters in Anger, on the Loire River. Gareth runs the Agency Department at Actor's Equity, the union for professional actors and stage managers.

   JM - How did you first hear of the neighborhood?

   G - We went to brunch at a friend's, and we liked it so much that the next day, my partner and I started investigating moving here. Six months later, we had our own place. So it is one of those stories.

   JM - Where were you living prior to coming up here?

   G - We were in a section at the very end of Chelsea, almost Hell's Kitchen. It was very congested. My partner couldn't write. There was no peace of mind. It was very noisy, and this was very heavenly for us. The room, the park was very instrumental in our move. We love the park. Daniel runs every day. I like taking walks at night. I love the Cloisters. I like the peace and quiet. Basically, we didn't have that in Chelsea, at all.

   JM - When you were up looking for apartments in this neck of the woods, were you only interested in Hudson View Gardens?

   G - We checked out a few other apartments, but basically it was Hudson View Gardens. Mainly because it reminds me of Ireland, where my roots are -- and Daniel, it reminds him of Normandy, where his roots are.

   JM - What changes have you seen in the neighborhood since you've been here?

   G - Well, the neighborhood's changed considerably. When I first moved here, at Actor's Equity, I was the only person living here on staff, and now there are four or five people. I know other unions and other people who are moving up here, and there is plenty of actors. I run into actors all the time. In fact, one actor spreads the word to another actor. We have plenty of musicians. A lot of stage-related people with jobs in the theater industry live here.

   JM - Since Daniel isn't here to chat, are there any comments he might have?

   G - Well, he has his office, and he enjoys writing here. He has a nice view of the gardens here, and he loves the idea to take a little break and go walk in the Rose Garden, look at the river. That sort of thing. So he enjoys not only the peace and quiet here, but also the idea that he is right in the middle of a city, like an oasis. It's a great enclave for writers because it's quiet and it's severed from New York, but yet it's part of New York.