High class joint

Some years ago friends of ours from a part of the country which doesn't have much in the way of cities toured the area shown in this picture. He said he had been glad to see the area, because his children had never had a chance to see slums before. What was odd about that, among many other things, was that this area is one of the most expensive areas to live in the city. It has great restaurants and historic buildings. But it was the fire escapes, like these, that made him think people here lived in a slum.