Living on a hill near the Hudson River in a neighborhood dotted with artists, Mr. Holden might be expected to know something about light.

It was in that neighborhood, dotted with trash-strewn vacant lots and buildings long missing their window panes, that he had most of his numerous run-ins with the law in the 1970's.

The house sits in a gracious old neighborhood, steps from downtown, dotted by Victorian-era houses with broad and deep porches.

Today, the city is a patchwork of blue-collar neighborhoods, dotted by wood-frame homes, corner taverns and churches.

It shows the neighborhood dotted with businesses run by his relatives: Uncle James's barbershop, Aunt Helen's beauty parlor and the Astoria Civic Association, founded by his father.

For millions of people the Internet has become a computer-generated neighborhood dotted with avenues, residences and commercial centers.

Though he has lived in Laurelton, Queens, a working-class neighborhood dotted with single-family homes, for more than a year, David said that he did not have any friends.

The church complex, situated in a working-class area northeast of downtown Houston, stands out in a neighborhood dotted with truck stops and industrial parks.

Yesterday, more than 12,000 others remembered Captain LaPiedra, too, descending upon St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in a pleasant, residential neighborhood dotted by shingle-style houses and magnolia trees.

A 10-minute walk from the MuseumsQuartier, it is part of a nearby neighborhood dotted with new architecture and design studios.