During the last few decades of his life, the visionary inventor, who at one point had a laboratory located down the block at 8 West 40th Street, came here to Bryant Park on a regular basis to feed his beloved pigeons.
In his words:
Sometimes I feel that by not marrying I made too great a sacrifice to my work . . . so I have decided to lavish all the affection of a man no longer young on the feathery tribe. I am satisfied if anything I do will live for posterity. But to care for those homeless, hungry or sick birds is the delight of my life. It is my only means of playing.and:
I have been feeding pigeons, thousands of them for years. But there was one, a beautiful bird, pure white with light grey tips on its wings; that one was different. It was a female. I had only to wish and call her and she would come flying to me.
I loved that pigeon as a man loves a [woman], and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.
Tesla was right, Edison was wrong!
Tesla’s words are so moving.