Linda, Steve and Brittani Le   (interview 1999 photo 1999)

   Steve - "We moved into the neighborhood in 1990. I used to live on 175th Street and Audubon. One summer evening, I was jogging up here, and I found the place so interesting. It was so beautiful, nice, and clean. I went to meet Simone Song, who is in charge of the real estate in the area, and I asked her to look for an apartment for me. She walked me around, and I looked at some of the apartments. The more I'm walking in the area, the more I fell in love with the place, and I really wanted to get a place to live here.

   "We got the place at 900 West 190th Street (Cabrini Terrace), and we have been living here since then. Our daughter, Brittani, was born in this area. We have P.S. 187, which is a wonderful school in the neighborhood. My daughter also loves the school very much."

   When Brittani was asked what she liked to do in the neighborhood, she said, "I like to go to school and play . . . in Bennett Park. The monkey bars and dogs are there, and then we get to pet them, and we get to play fetch with them."

   "When we first moved here, we were living in a one-bedroom apartment. Our daughter was born. We liked the building and area so much, we didn't want to move, so we purchased another apartment with two bedrooms. The building has many . . . family people, and they moved here to have a healthy environment and raise their children. Most of them are well-established in their professions. We have twenty-four hour doormen, and they know everyone in the building very well, becoming like a family affair.

   "The neighborhood has been changing rapidly these last two or three years. Young professional people are moving into the area . . . lawyers, doctors. We have such a nice area . . . the Cloisters, a historical area . . . a great park and gardens. You can sit around reading books, or watching people pass by. We have the river, which is fresh air. You get the feeling of living in the country, but it's still in the City.

   "I import merchandise such as home furnishings and decorations from southeast Asia. We have been selling many of these butterflies and insects in picture form and many marble and bronze statues. Our business has been growing tremendously now, and I have peace of mind to do my business . . . I feel so confident to have my wife and children in an area that . . . they'll be safe all the time."