I had a daydream That I was transported back To Old New York. But the time was confused, The eras overlapping. Was I a New York Knickerbocker Or a Gilded Age socialite? Were my friends the Theodore Roosevelts Or Mrs. Astor, the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Howells or Upton Sinclair? With Gilded Age manners And pride in couture. Was I living on Washington Square Or in a Fifth Avenue mansion? The confusion was scary And my timeline divided. And yet there was something That comforted me, held me Like a blanket. Society changes But dreams are everlasting. And Old New York remains a memβry; Painting a picture, Holding a candle, a gaslamp, a light To brighten the moments With happier eras, And flights of imagination Of times out of sight. As Old New York remembers The passage of time That rekindles our passion For elegance and splendor; That brings on the daydreams That remain Old New York.