Started tracking Hassan's footsteps in earnest yesterday by walking from Brooklyn to Manhattan, I wanted to get a feel first hand for the places that inspired his drawings. One of my favourite images from 'Hassan Everywhere' is the magic train out of which Hassan flies on his way to a glittering city. For me, this is clearly inspired by the neo-gothic architecture of the Brooklyn Bridge. I made my way to the Lower East Side, looking for the Cairo Cafe on East Houston, but sadly Mohammed Ouda's establishment seems to have fallen prey to Bloomberg's anti-smoking laws (they made 75% of their income from Hookah sales), and a kebab shop stands in the place where one of the most poignant scenes in the film takes place. I ended the night walking to E.8th Street in the East Village, where Dorit and Hassan met, and walked along the tree lined sidewalks where the first scene of the film takes place.
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