Leslie Adatto: her first book and her perspective on New Yorkers
An interview with the author
Four years ago Leslie Adatto moved to NYC from San Diego where she was raised and where she raised a son. She had longed to live here since first visiting in 1997. So she visited friends here as often as possible, making special trips to participate in bicycle events. When her son left for college, she told herself, “now or never,” packed up and moved. She runs a medical transcription business from home, a rent stabilized apartment she was lucky to find in Greenwich Village.
WestView News: How did you get the idea to write a guide to NYC rooftops?
Leslie Adatto: For starters, I tried to analyze what it is that attracted me to the city so strongly. I decided that the main thing is the people.
WVN: I agree with that, as a transplant myself, from the Midwest.
LA: Yes, but there are people in California and people in the Midwest. What is it about the people? We give up a lot to live here. Why? I decided that the special thing is that people here have a passion—for their job, for their activities, for something. So I examined myself and realized that I’m always looking up and wondering about planted roofs. That’s my passion.
WVN: That’s an original approach. How did you get started on the book?
LA: All of the rooftops in the guide are accessible to the public, although reservations are needed at some hotel bars or at restaurants. I mostly bicycled around the city with photographer friends and had no problem getting permission to photograph sites for a guidebook. Other friends donated their services for editing and art design. The book is self-published. I found a printer and printed 3,500 copies. When I started the project there were no books about NYC roofs, but 7 books on the subject have come out in the meantime.
WVN: Oh no!
LA: Yes, roofs are back in favor. Realize that before air-conditioning, New Yorkers used roofs all summer. Not just “tar beaches” on tenement buildings, but there were elegant spaces for guests on roofs of hotels such as the old Waldorf and the Astoria (formerly neighboring hotels on 34th Street) and on adjacent roofs of the Hammerstein Theaters on Broadway.
One of the terraces listed in the book is on the 20th floor of the current Waldorf Astoria, which has a chef’s garden and 6 beehives. If you make a reservation for lunch on certain days you can take a tour of the terrace; you also get a jar of Top of the Waldorf honey. A local chef’s garden is on the roof of the popular Rosemary’s restaurant on Greenwich Avenue and 10th Street. My theory is that we are rediscovering roofs because space is so tight and expensive these days. Also, people have a desire to get their hands into dirt; plus the great views.
I’m an organizer of a Meetup.com group which arranges visits to private roofs. It has 500 members. And we have a group of volunteers that maintain roof gardens when the owners are away. We also have roof parties.
WVN: Passion indeed!
The guide is arranged in 6 sections by type: hotels, restaurants, parks, museums, farms, classes & sports. It covers all 5 boroughs and includes suggested itineraries.
“Roof Explorer’s Guide: 101 New York City Rooftops”
