6/29/2025 - Balconies
Our first place in New York City was on the 26th floor. There was a balcony facing East with a clear view of the East River, a sliver of Roosevelt Island, and a good stretch of Queens.
At night, I could see the landing lights of planes coming in to LaGuardia or JFK. The planes' flight paths were aimed toward us, and their lights were so bright they were visible from miles away. The combination made it seem as if they weren't even moving. One of our first nights in the apartment I sat staring at a trio of them in a pyramid formation hovering near the horizon. I muttered curse words to myself before piecing together what I was seeing.
If I looked down from the balcony instead of out I could see the lights on the delivery riders' e-bikes blasting up First Avenue like rainbow-colored comets. There was no mistaking their motion.
Storms from the Atlantic would blow through Manhattan headed west. If one finished passing over the neighborhood in the late afternoon when the sun was behind our building we could reliably catch a rainbow over Queens. We knew a good one was happening when the neighbors' balconies started filling up. Parents pointing "Look! Look!" to their small children just like we did with ours. I caught a double rainbow on that balcony more than once.
We're in a new place now. Before, we were floating above the neighborhood in a corner building. Now we're mid-block on the fifth floor, nestled in among the surrounding buildings. The new place is smaller but its balcony is bigger, on the back of the building facing north into the center of the block. There are trees in the neighboring backyards. They're scrappy city trees, but tall enough to be eye-level with our balcony. Some mornings I can hear the cooing of a mourning dove, a sound which always reminds me of slow days on summer vacation as a kid. The other day I watched a hawk chasing a pigeon into the leaves. There's a bluejay sometimes. The views on this balcony aren't as dramatic as the old place, but it's nice getting a taste of nature in the middle of the city.
If you've taken the time to read this then I'm going to reward you with bonus knowledge: This October, Aimee and I will be welcoming a new baby girl into the world! We're very very very excited. It's Dad Time.
Please send all inquiries, gripes, and correspondences to [email protected]