I watched Taxi Driver last night: “Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.” Sorry, my mistake, it was CNN.

It’s funny. Most people in the office didn’t recognise the name Travis Bickle. It’s an indictment of their generation, and I think it’s a shame because it’s a timeless classic – not something to be avoided because it’s too old. But increasingly, Generation Y are shunning films from the 1970s – maybe it’s a question of how easy they are to download.

Besides, back in the office, they were too busy making remarks about The Day After Tomorrow – was that actually called ‘Overmorgen’ in Denmark? No, just checked on IMDB. For once in the history of their language, they had a chance to show off – nee, nee, nee, in Denmark we actually have a word for that (originally from the German for übermorgen) – but they blew it by going for the American version.

It’s funny how natural disasters bring back memories. For some, it will be about idyllic weeks spent in what is very possibly the world’s most alluring city, walking the Brooklyn Bridge and climbing the Empire State, jogging (since the 1990s) or running for your life (the 1970s and 1980s) through Central Park.

For others, it will be about the last time they were caught in a hurricane (in 1987, I got caught in one that resulted in the nearby town of Sevenoaks being rechristened ‘Oak’) – Caribbean island holidays booked by your other half(wit) are the most popular location. And for a few, it will be about a childhood hamster called Sandy, who the next door neighbour’s dog ate.

We regret, relate to and remember, rather like the subjects of the ongoing Old Times, which next week will be preceded by an evening in the company of Harry Burton, a director and actor who made a documentary about his friend, the play’s writer Harold Pinter.

And also like the visitors to French Affair at Docken − a chance to recall treasured trips to the cuisine and romance capital of the world, and hotels with really weird pillows – memories infinitely more preferably than Travis Bickle.