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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.

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

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Taken from City Play, copyright ©1990. Used with permission by Streetplay.com.

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