The friendly city

Story about a couple who moved out of their suburban house and into a condo in the city and how their lives have changed.

This has had a profound effect on how we interact with people. We realize now that the cocoons of our cars kept us well insulated from the people around us. Our genuine interactions were with family and coworkers, the only people who saw us stripped of the metal that clothed and protected us. Our neighbors, we discovered, were virtually strangers. Now, we stand face-to-face with people in our building’s elevators, at our corner hangouts, and on the sidewalks. We chitchat and pet our neighbors’ dogs. We exchange ‘good mornings’ with the people we pass everyday on our way to work. We’ve developed friendships with several proprietors and servers at our favorite restaurants.

(via a.whole)

• cities
• real estate