But Sometimes People Are OK

I spend so much time on this blog complaining about bad customer service and moody New Yorkers and illiterate CVS employees. This post will be devoted to the nice people of New York!

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Yesterday afternoon, after dropping off my most likely ill-fated roll of film to be processed on a contact sheet, I went for lunch at a small coffee shop in midtown. They'd advertised a Mozzarella Baguette Special outside their shop on the sidewalk, so I asked about it. The chef, who was behind the counter, came out from behind the counter, walked over to a big pile of menus and gave one to me. He said "Are you a vegetarian?" "Yes," I said, which prompted him to go over the entire menu with me to indicate what was safe. He then said things like "And if you don't like that, I could make it with this..." and offered up suggestions. He said "I'll make anything you want!" So I suggested a sandwich. He said "Of course!" and then "And what if I put balsamic vinegar on it?" "YES!"

Halfway through eating my sandwich, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and it was the chef, standing there with a soup sample. "It's lentil soup. It's vegetarian. I thought you might like it. You can eat this when you finish your sandwich."

Adorable.

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This morning, at every stop, the conductor on the C train said "For all of you getting off at the stop, please have a wonderful day! And I hope you enjoyed your time on the C train!"

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On Wednesday night, I walked around my neighborhood in search of photo opportunities and didn't come up short because everyone was so nice. They smiled and welcomed me into their workplaces. They called me "Sweetie" and wished me luck. Normally I'd be annoyed being called "sweetie," but if it means having an awesome final photo project involving a taxi cab repair shop and its wacky employees, so be it!

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There are nice people in New York City. Tons of them. I, like many people, just focus on the bad ones. But no more! Maybe that's what my photo project will be. Friendliness In The City. And I'll do a companion piece entitled Miserableness In The City, which will feature CVS and Cingular employees, as well as receptionists in dentists' offices. Yay!

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Have good weekends.