Brooklyn Technical High School is one of the specialized high schools in New York City. It is in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Last weekend I went on a casual walk in Fort Greene and walked past my high school.

When I went to Brooklyn Tech, you simply didn’t take a causal walk in the neighborhood. Most, if not all, of the students “commuted” to school -- coming from all over the City. As I recall, any walk in the neighborhood was limited to the two or three blocks between the nearest subway and the school’s doors.

In those days, Fort Greene was a tough neighborhood and the local kids didn’t particularly care for the commuter students who invaded daily. I don't remember how the message got across -- maybe the police presence around the school -- but we knew that you entered the nearest unlocked door and didn't stroll around the block. Perhaps to emphasize the point, the playground was on the roof, eight floors above the street.

It was sunny last weekend when I was in Fort Greene. What a difference a few -- Okay it was more than “a few” -- years make. The building, which I remember as mostly grey, basked in sunlight. The brownstones across the street basked in the reflection of the huge building. It seemed like a visual allegory for the changes that had occurred over the years. The neighborhood had indeed changed but the gothic letters engraved over the main entrance - “Brooklyn Technical High School” - were just as I remember them.