October 7th was a Wednesday
It’s a curious thing, but there was one friend of my mother’s, who I adored … She took me for a walk—I don’t know how old I was, but very young—and I looked to the left and saw a long thin necklace of lights, and I pulled at her and wanted to know what it was. I was so frightened. They were so close to us. Were we in danger? And she said, “That is a boulevard, and those are automobiles.” And she added, “You mustn’t worry.” But that put into my head the word “boulevard,” and it has always been a major word in my life. I’ve never used it in a book. But it convinced me of how children will hold on to words and images for their whole life long. I just have to hear the word “boulevard” to get gooseflesh. So, in a sense, New York was a place where there were boulevards, fires and incredible danger.
— Maurice Sendak, as interviewed by Steven Heller
