Buffalo Rising Online

Jul 29th 2005, 4:10pm By buffalorising

by: Jennifer Parker

About the author: Jennifer Parker is a proud, non-native resident of and taxpaying homeowner in the city of Buffalo

After a grueling stint at the gym not too long ago, I decided to stretch my legs and stroll across the street for a quick look at a moving sale that one of my neighbors was having. Always intrigued by what people decide to feng shui out of their lives at these things, I couldnit resist, especially as it was in plain sight from my front porch (and it would keep me from my at-home ab exercises for a few more minutes). What Iid intended to be a speedy peek turned into a 45-minute conversation with the neighbor who was moving n we chatted it up on everything from the iolden days of Sesame Streeti to how cheesy Kenny Loggins used to look with sideburns. Most of our conversation, believe it or not, was prompted by her fantastic record collection from the 70is and 80is, which I still canit believe she decided to part with (though Iim so grateful to now own The Police Syncronicity and iFame, the TV Seriesi on vinyl). In coming to the realization that our conversation n which unearthed numerous similarities in pop culture preferences, beliefs about the education of todayis children, and a love for a city neither of us grew up in n was so easy and enjoyable, I decided it was such a shame that Iid never, in the almost three years of living on my street, had the chance to get to know my right-across-the-street neighbor. This has also recently been affirmed by a brand new neighbor, who in the short month of living next door to me has gotten to know just about everybody on the street, and who has really shined a light on how great and friendly these people are.

Having grown up in very desperate housewives-esque neighborhoods in the burbs, my opinion of neighbors had been formed from numerous experiences with people delivering baked goods to steal a glance at my motheris new couch or what we were having for dinner and what kind of plates it was being served onOein my world, neighbors were mostly interested in getting in your business to see how they were going to one-up you the next week. And believe me, my family was not guilt-free in this ordeal n you wouldnit believe the elaborate sculpture my parents would create out of a watermelon for a ibackyard barbeque.i Beyond that, my house has been under construction since Iive moved into the place, and though the inside is really starting to look fantastic you wouldnit know it at first, second or third glance at the exterior. Still grappling with that whole neighborly competitive thing, I havenit been jazzed by the idea of anyone associating me with ithat house down the street with the piles of lumber in the backyard and the rusty gutters.i

But between this experience with the moving sale and my new next door neighboris infectious enthusiasm for our street and city, I have taken a different tack on what it means to be Jenny on my block. Iive opened my eyes and ears to the fact that my neighborly community includes: i a sweet, spunky group of elderly women who have lived on the street long enough to watch three generations of families created and the big maple trees get cut down and grow back again; i a majority of young professionals ready to help this city take the next step; i popular musicians and radio personalities; i restaurant and boutique shop owners; i dogs that run the gamut of breeds from Toy Poodle to Weimaraner to Rottweiler; i and a lot of adorable children who make fantastic sidewalk chalk drawings.

Iive now shared fresh herbs with the ladies, emptied a few bottles of wine with the young professionals, talked with the istreet celebrity,i gotten a compliment on my hostas from the boutique shop owner, hugged and rubbed the ears of about every dog, and made a car- keys-for-sidewalk-chalk trade with the youngest of all the block artists (though she was only interested in the keys for chewing and jingling purposes). Iive even started letting some of the neighbors into my house.

And to think this is just the beginning of my new lease on neighborliness, as weire already planning a block party to rival the lore of those that were held back when the 25-foot maples lining our street were little saplings.

So folks, if this Stepford-baby-turned-urban-dweller can shed at least some of her paranoia on iwhat the neighbors would think,i you too can renew your relationships with the people that share the same water line and garbage day, and n as Iive come to find out n probably have a lot of other things in common with you as well.

In the words of my next door neighbor, just walk out the front door and get to know these people! Itis done wonders for me.

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