Sometimes the greatest things about living in this city are just little moments that happen out of nowhere. On Monday night, I was traveling home to my apartment after a nice dinner and many drinks with a friend when I heard a familiar song coming from inside a bar near my apartment.

It was a slowed-down version of “Brilliant Disguise” by Bruce Springsteen and I stopped in my tracks, hesitated for a second, then walked right into the bar and sat down. “I love Bruce,” I explained to the bartender. He replied, “Well no one should sit at the bar without a drink” and poured me a glass of wine, then poured himself one and said “and no one should have to drink alone.”

The guitarist heard that I loved Bruce and played a few more of his songs for me, each of which I sang along to happily. He eventually moved on to some Beatles and Gordon Lightfoot and I was eventually brought a plate of Russian food – lots of pickles and something that looked like chicken, carrots, and chicken broth in a Jello mold. I opened my bag of McDonald’s fries that I had bought myself as a nightcap (classy, I’m aware) and shared them with the guys at the bar. We talked and sang and they gave me some really good (solicited) life advice and I went on my way.

It’s little New York moments like this that make me feel like I belong here.

xx