strangers?

I miss meeting strangers.

That probably sounds like a weird thing to write, right? How can you possibly miss someone you’ve never met or don’t even know? Well, hear me out---

In many ways, that's the magic of New York: who you’re going to meet, who you’ll run into in line at your favorite coffee shop, who you sit next to on the subway. You really don't know where the day may take you.

Over this last year and a half, naturally due to the pandemic, my social circle has become tighter. So, I haven't been meeting as many friends of friends, friends’ co-workers, significant others and the plethora of interconnected friends adjacent that usually comes along with weekend plans.

But it's not just meeting new people that I miss, but more so hearing their stories- where they're from, what brought them to New York [bonus points if they’re also a native new yorker], how they spend their days [for work or otherwise], where they live which naturally devolves into their favorite nyc restaurants and spots, and on and on it goes. It’s just such a good time. I also secretly just love a peek into someone else’s New York- how they’re navigating this crazy city and what they’ve learned along the way.

As it turns out, this weekend I met 4 strangers. Different from meeting a friend of a friend at a party, let’s say, in that we don’t share a mutual acquaintance. In classic me style, I could have spent hours more listening, talking, and catching up.

Alex, Moshe and Marguerite, how novel for 4 new yorkers to sign up and show up for a historical walking tour of the Village at 10AM on a Sunday. Let’s do more fun NYC things together.

Craig, my fellow native New Yorker (!!) who has been living in the West Village for 20 years, so happy I ordered the Shrimp Burger at Mary's Fish Camp. Thanks for the recco! See you at The Other Room next week for a happy hour drink ;)

Now that I think about it, Alex, Moshe, Marguerite, Craig and I do share a mutual acquaintance. What's more, we share a mutual love: New York. And what could be more beautiful than that. I guess we’re not really strangers after all...

Dress: Tanya Taylor (via Rent the Runway)// Bag: Kate Spade//Shoes: Enzo Angolini

Photos by: Sehee Kim