This afternoon we were playing in the snow at Central Park when we ran into a family that lives in our building who has a little boy about Katie's age. The two mom's set up a play date for the children later this week. That got me thinking about life in New York City. We live in one of the most densely populated areas in the world, but yet for us it often feels like a small town.
When I leave for work every morning, our doorman always inquires about Katie and Mommy. When I get home, our evening doorman and I briefly make small talk about the weather or the Knicks. Our doormen really are great guys.
If coupons for baby stuff are mailed to someone who has moved, our postman puts them all in our mailbox because he thinks we might want them (needless to say, we get a LOT of Toys R Us coupons).
Katie goes to the local park to play, and we see the same parents and children there - not only to we see them, but we also talk to them and become friends with them. If Katie and Mommy don't go to the park at their regular time, other parents inquire whether everything is ok. If some strange guy comes into the park, all the parents keep an eye on him - they know he's not from around here.
We go to the local market where our grocer knows us.
We have our vegetable market where the women who work there always fuss over Katie. They make suggestions about new shipments that look particularly good.
Our fruit guy hooks us up by throwing in a few extra pieces of fruit that he thinks Wife and Katie would enjoy.
We go to convenience store around the corner to get a Diet Coke, and the cashier asks how Katie is and throws in a few brownies for us to enjoy. If we don't go in for a few weeks, the cashier asks us if everything is ok the next time we make it in.
On the weekends, when we go to our local diner, the staff recognizes us and comes by to say "hi" to Katie. We order our "usual" and our waiter knows what we want.
We go to a large church, but after church we have mini muffins and coffee with people we know.
When we walk down the street, we frequently stop and chat with people we know.
If somebody ever tried to mess with Katie, I know that our doormen, super and building crew would break that person's neck. I'm not kidding. They wouldn't do that because it's their job - they'd do it because they love Katie.
After being here a few years, I feel like I live in a small town. Don't get me wrong - this ain't Mayberry. This is Midtown Manhattan. We look one direction and see the New Year's Ball. We turn the other way and see the world headquarters of the best financial institutions and law firms in the world. We turn on the local television station, and our local news is global headlines.
But even with the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, this is our town. We are part of this neighborhood. We take pride in our street. It shocks me that I feel more of a sense of community here than I have felt anywhere else I have ever lived.
No comments:
Post a Comment