Square Times

Hi Mom,

They've put chairs in Times Square, and tables and a set of red-lit rafter-steps for people to sit on and look out at the crowds.

There's a new paved area with planters near Union Square too, where you can hang out right in the middle of the street without getting hit. It's hotly contested by people who have to get places on time. Reminds me of being in Barcelona and the main stretch there, Las Ramblas. Except on Las Ramblas they sell birds.

The cab drivers complain about the new seating arrangements because they interfere with the driving arrangement. Understandable. Nobody really wants to pay more money to get where they're going, much less sit in traffic watching people sip lattes where the extra lane used to be. It's one of the great jokes of New York City. Like garden dining, which usually means you're sitting in a small, cinderblock back-yard between two apartment buildings, or outdoor cafe dining, where the only thing between the quaint little restaurant and traffic is you.

In Europe it feels more natural, because the city seems to have been built around these cafe-laden plazas with lots of room to sprawl out, as opposed to having them forced upon an otherwise functional city system.

New York's its own kind of town, which is one of my favorite things about it. As the tourists descend upon it this summer (and hopefully Lindsay too, who comes with her students twice a year), hopefully we'll all make some kind of peace with the new umbrella culture. I'm going to rent a bike and try out the bike lane.

Love,
Karen