Getting Old and Getting Out
In New York City
byHerb Bardavid
This is Peter
Peter's other son majored in computer sciences at Columbia University. He is self-employed. He developed a computer program. At that point, Peter pointed to his hat with the logo for his son's company, Hot Jobs. His son sold it for millions of dollars and then retired at age 45.
Peter attended Columbia University and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. The first company he worked for after college had its operations in Wayne, New Jersey, so he moved there. He left that company after five years to start his own business developing electrical circuits and stayed in Wayne. He did well enough being self-employed that he built an 8,000-square-foot home on three acres on a hillside.
New Your City has always been in Peter's heart. He loves spending time in Central Park with his dogs. However, he was not always happy about the quality of life in the city. New York was very dangerous in the 1980s, and he did not feel safe in Central Park at night. He had a bad experience in Times Square, witnessing a stabbing and a robbery.
Peter was sitting on a chair with his little Yorkie in the square at 65th street and Broadway. He had a dog tucked in his jacket. Apparently, the dog was cold and was shivering. Peter said he did not dress the dog warmly enough. It was still a puppy and only three months old.
Peter was born in mainland China and came to the United States with his family when he was 16 years old. His grandfather moved to the United States in 1929 because he was anti-government. His parents did not come with his grandfather until years later. They, too, left because of the politics in China. They initially went to Hong Kong for 4 or 5 years and then to New York City.
Peter is 75 and has been married for 51 years. When his oldest son attended New York University, he did not want to live in the dorm, so Peter bought him a small apartment near Lincoln Center, very close to where we were sitting. When his son got a job in New Jersey, Peter and his wife took back the apartment for themselves and now live four days in New Jersey and three days in New York City.
Peter credits Mayor Michael Blumberg for cleaning up and making it enjoyable and safe. He did not like David Dinkins as mayor. He thought DeBlasio brought the city back to a place he likes and feels safe. And feels good about the current mayor, Eric Adams.
I asked Peter what he dislikes about the city, and he was hard-pressed to come up with an answer. Exercising is important to him. When he first retired, he didn't do much of anything. But then he got two dogs, and he found that walking them two or three times a day made him feel so much better. He said that walking is what is keeping him alive. Several of his friends who retired and did very little died within three years of retiring. He said retirement is deadly if you don't have an interest and become sedentary.
Peter may be getting old, but he gets out in New York City every day, whatever the weather. Even when it is cold, wet, and unpleasant, the dogs still need to be walked, and that alone gets him out and keeps him healthy.