Things that have changed since I'd been gone

The Management at the building I live in has replaced our three garbage bins with bigger garbage bins. Hooray. But the red recycling bins are the same, with one still missing its lid so that when it rains its contents get bogged down in water. And then, someone has finally fixed the lock on the front door. But now I have to twist the key clockwise to open it -- which, in my traveler's stupour, took a while to figure out.

At Pier C, aka Sinatra Pier, the City is building a new boardwalk, which I discovered when Hooman and I went for a walk this morning at 6.00 a.m. Plus there's a new guy working at the bagel shop (though we decided at the last minute not to buy bagels but to walk uptown to the Starbucks on 14th Street instead, where nothing has changed -- vive Starbucks!).

I saw two new clothing boutiques on Washington Street, our main drag, where in all probability nothing would fit me anyway. Just like at the other clothiers; nothing new there. Also, someone has opened a Papayas but Hooman noted that this one was called "Junior Papayas", which is not the same as "Gray's Papayas", the famous New York hotdog franchise. But nonetheless a significant development in the life of our small town.

When I went to the office later in the morning (not to work but to run an errand at the Tax Unit) I discovered that my Metrocard had expired. So I had to get a new one. At Grand Central Station, a newbie asked for directions to the 7 train and I found that I had completely forgotten: I actually had to think hard. And above ground, I nearly made a wrong turn at Bryant Park, forgetting which way was east, and which west.

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Why I'm glad I'm back: strangers who take the time to make conversation with me on the street. That's one thing that hasn't changed, which I'm glad about.