Thank you for being my neighbor.

April 24, 2017 2:30 PM

After years of sharing a wall, saying goodbye to my Upper West Side neighbor:"Here’s what I do know: She worked in radio for years and was a pioneer of sorts, being one of only a handful of female executives at her office in the 1980s. She loved WWD magazine and other fashion publications; her subscriptions showed up regularly at her doorstep, hand-delivered. (Weeks after S.'s death, I opened my door to see one in the middle of our landing right by the elevator—her subscription hadn't been cancelled yet—and my heart ached a little, seeing it just lie there; I grabbed it and propped it by her front door, even though I knew she wasn't there to read it.)"
posted by roomthreeseventeen (2 comments total)

My upstairs neighbor died last summer. It was so sad to look out and see his fishing gear on the sidewalk in front of our building.
posted by maggiemaggie at 3:19 PM on April 24, 2017 [5 favorites]

This is a haunting memorial piece which, to me, speaks to one reality of living in multifamily housing. We very often "know" our neighbors, but we don't really know them at all. It's very sad, but I don't how to overcome the problem of getting to know close neighbors who seemingly prefer more privacy without being perceived as invasive.

The author wrote a superb piece and gives readers something to think about, regardless of their living situations.
posted by Silverstone at 3:27 PM on April 24, 2017 [3 favorites]