Oasis is a perfect symbol of Hell’s Kitchen. A pile of rubble where two tenements once stood and given to a bunch of scrappy neighbors to turn into a community garden. A few of those scrappy neighbors are still gardeners there. I have my own plot there. A little piece of real estate where I’ve grown pumpkins, rhubarb, lavender and basil. My next-door plot neighbor is the artist Jim Seffens. Always happy when I run into him. He’s a real Hell’s Kitchen historian — and so witty. We still find bricks when we’re digging. Most of them are made in the ‘hood.
