In his office downstairs, lined with books -- Kahlil Gibran's "Prophet" next to "At Home With Carolyne Roehm" -- he said he had been working on a new screenplay about a black federal agent.
I had never met a family like this before; the nearest I had come was Aunt Rosie, who played solitaire all night in a downstairs bedroom lined with signed photographs of opera stars and pianists, and her husband, Uncle Mose, who subscribed to the New York Times.
The pristine period chic of its reception rooms is flawlessly French, and unless you study its library shelves, which groan with British political tomes, or use the downstairs loo lined with framed and signed photographs of Downing Street cabinets, you would never guess who lived here.
One downstairs room was lined with somewhere in the region of 10,000 records, arranged alphabetically, by artist.
Downstairs, a room lined with built-in bookshelves would be her new office, and a large room with a stone fireplace the "movie room".
"We have some pretty neat pictures downstairs of lines going out police headquarters and down the street," said Police Lt. Jon Shelton, who oversees gun registration.
Downstairs, the walls are lined with photographs, paintings and drawings by Russian artists who have given them to Mr. Kaplan.
The food would come from downstairs, where everyone else lined up to eat at Nathan's Famous — Nathan being his grandfather.
Downstairs, past a staircase lined with billiard balls sawed in half, Mr. Loria gave a tour of a basement that looked a great deal like the basement of the Steinway Company showroom.
It is spacious enough but modest, except perhaps in the downstairs loo which is lined with gold and platinum discs and awards celebrating the huge sales of the Beatles albums.
