New Year’s Day I decided to get some exercise – my first in weeks – and went for a bike ride. Four minutes into it I came upon a block party; a band was playing in a cul-de-sac and tables were set with food and drink. A large man walking across the nearest lawn gave me a wave that turned into a gesture of invitation. I yelled that I’d stop on my way back.
I rode about a dozen blocks before turning around. The party was now in full swing. The man who had waved me over introduced me to a woman selling cups of sangria, then the man dispensing coffee, who was the owner, I learned, of the new café on 6th Street. Next to him a wine seller named Richard was doing tastings. Tina, who lives on 8th Street, introduced me to her sister who was visiting from Stockholm. A huge pan of paella appeared suddenly in someone’s driveway while I was talking to a woman from Belorussia. It was not great exercise but it was a wonderful way to begin the year.
