"Stand clear of the closing doors..."

When one moves to New York City, one loses all personal space. I am not just talking about the tiny apartment you live your life in. You no longer have the silent, temperature controlled, closed-in barrier that most refer to as a car. Everyone and everything become part of your bubble, you are alone no more. This is one of the many things people love to hate and hate to love about this strange and fascinating city.

Many days, I get a "free" concert while waiting for the subway to arrive. Sometimes welcomed, sometimes...just keep walking. There really are some very talented people sharing their skills while you wait though. We have even seen a one man band. Other times, you might get a Jamaican concert INSIDE of the subway. That's right. The other day, there was a full-on party inside of the subway...dancing, singing, and then asking for donations...that's where I pretended to be asleep. Yep, I totally shut my eyes and made my head tilt without giggling...however, I opened by eyes too early. I really need to wear headphones.

If you ride the subway enough, the words "stand clear of the closing doors" become ingrained in your mind. Or, if you are Richard, you say them on a daily basis. Just because.

Then there are the people on the street... we have some of the friendliest people that live in our neighborhood! I can tell you who has what dog, if they have kids, are from New York and most importantly, if they are a talker. Some days, it takes me 20 minutes per dog just for a quick outside potty break because of all the talkers! This one guy told me he knew someone with ELEVEN dachshunds...and then preceded to tell me all their names... very, very slowly. He also told me he owns a white dog who doesn't like to be dirty. After her walks, she pouts and jumps in the bathtub so she can have a bath. Then there is Tony and his lady-friend on the first floor. Tony and his girlfriend are probably in their 80's. For those of you that know our past Indian neighbor (Sonny), well this is the "new" Sonny of our building. They both have very thick accients and are super friendly...and pretty quirky. Tony's girlfriend often takes walks in her scantily clad clothing and Tony ALWAYS wears a suit...day, night, sun, rain, cold, hot. Always.

Speaking of Sonny...we are still in touch. She still gives us reports on neighbors in The Village, complains about her daughters, asks about Pickle and Sundae (who she always wants to know about but is terrified of), and has recently requested our new address. We shall see what that means. Just wait, it won't surprise me one bit if she attempted to mail me some of her Indian food.

We also met Lou, a sweet old man that lives above us. Lou runs with the "neighborhood crowd"...a group of retirees that can often be found on the steps of the apartments on our street, or gathering at Starbucks. I was working from Starbucks the other day and there was quite the uproar from the "neighborhood crowd" over chairs not being available outside. There was lawyer talk and whisper. Quite the drama. Lou always asks about Pickle and Sundae. Over the weekend, he left several articles on dogs under our door - including a Snoopy strip!