A new story from a neighbor—Evelyn Gomer

I have been a resident of Murray Hill for the past 20 years. We live in the Murray Hill Mews apartment building on Third Avenue. I like the friendliness and kindness of the people we meet.

When the pandemic started we felt isolated and missed friends and family. Every afternoon we went down to sit on the benches outside our building. After a while we befriended other people who would be there daily. We exchanged phone numbers and would call if someone did not show up for a day.

Sometimes strangers, eating at the Rio Grande restaurant, would send drinks to us. Once, a woman celebrating her daughter’s engagement, paid for our lunch.

We talked about friends and family and how we missed them especially at holiday time. For Passover we all missed attending a Seder. So Josh, the youngest of our group, suggested we make our own Seder. He brought several pages of the Haggadah, I brought the wine, and Naomi brought matzoh. And we celebrated the holiday with a mini Seder outdoors. People passed by and wished us a Happy Holiday. It was a warm feeling to share a tradition. Then we returned to our apartments for our private dinners.