IN NEW YORK// {carroll gardens, brooklyn}

there's a culture here that i'm quickly learning about: stoop sales and sidewalk shops and the practice of just-leaving-stuff-on-the-sidewalk-for-anyone-to-take.

the friday i moved to caroll gardens i, and two of my dearest girlfriends (who i now owe quite a bit to), drove in a uhaul truck the length of manhattan. once we arrived on the narrow street i now call home (roughly...oh... four hours later than expected) i ran upstairs to use my bathroom for the first time while these two ladies  (deeply, deeply indebted i am to them--i many have grossly underestimated the situation) took everything out of the truck and placed it on the sidewalk (down the street from my building). i was unusually embarrassed by having all of my stuff right out there on display, but seeing as how i had gotten us into this very trying and difficult situation with no literal manpower in sight, i didn't have much of a leg to stand on. so we ferried the stuff from that corner of the sidewalk to the front of the building, and then up the three flights of steps to the fourth floor.

only later in the evening, after some wine and food, did ashlea allow kim to reveal that she, upon returning to the corner after a drop-off-trip, had found an older woman ferreting through my things. (keep in mind, there's a huge precedent here for people just leaving stuff on the sidewalk for other to take. a precedent--a culture--that at the time we were not aware of). no, no, this is my stuff, i'm moving in kim declared, running towards her. oh, i thought it seemed like a lot of nice stuff to just give away. these manila envelopes, in particular, they're very nice, very expensive. 


of all the things, the woman was after my envelopes. (lady, i got 'em at office depot).

with the move done and the manila-envelope-crisis averted this culture of sidewalk sales and barters and giveaways is one of the things i can now say with great confidence that i love most about living here.

well, that and the lattes i now make in my kitchen.
and then there's the front yards.
and the back yards.
and the trees on every corner.
more than just every corner, actually. there are trees everywhere.
and i am a happy girl.
(you all tired of me talking about it, yet?)