It's the only place to be	Next

"When this cold world starts getting me down," writes New York songwriter Carole King, "and people are much too much for me to face, I climb right up to the top of the stair, and all my troubles rise right into space—up on the roof." The roof, for New Yorkers, has always been both a refuge and a gathering place. Nicknamed "tar beach" by sun bathers, it also fostered such games as kite flying, the dangerous game of rooftop tag, and the sport of pigeon flying.

1978: Tar beach, midtown Manhattan
(Photo copyright ©1978 Martha Cooper/City Lore)