Neighbors.

On move in day, the woman right across the hall from me was on her way out to a tea as me and my moving crew (aka friends I bribed with Dinosaur BBQ) were schlepping my things in and out of the apartment. She wanted to know who was moving in, introduced herself to me, and her husband, and proclaimed herself to be my new neighbor to everyone as she walked down the hall.

Since then, Elizabeth has likely been the most welcoming person I've met in NYC. (I'll admit some runners-up include Daniel Rojas for taking me out for a drink on my first night in the city, and Jayna for the electric guitar spatula when I moved into my studio). When I see Elizabeth out front, she says hi and asks how I'm doing and chitchats with me. When I was taking out the trash on Sunday after the party, she asks me if Alex and I had a good time, invites me in and introduces me to her goddaughter.

Alex bought a desk online and it was supposed to arrive last week. FedEx finally announces that it will arrive Monday, which is unfortunate because Alex had a studio shoot that day, so he wouldn't be home to receive it. When i got home, FedEx left a note saying that "Neighbor across the hall accepted". How nice was that?? Elizabeth accepted the package for us and brought it over in the evening for Alex.

I met Elizabeth within my first few hours in the new place and she has been kind and welcoming. I spent a year in my last studio and never exchanged a word to anyone once, whenever I happened to pass them on the stairs. I love the community I've entered into here in Harlem.