What city walking experiences do you have in common with the writer? What in your experience is different from what he wrote about? What do you think of the power of serendipity to “expose our commonalities,” as he puts it?

Recently, I visited the Murray Hill area  and walked around Tudor City and Kips Bay. Arriving at 42nd Street – Grand Central Terminal was exciting and electric, even though it was a Sunday morning. Walking through Tudor City was peaceful and calm. There wasn’t the energetic and vibrant energy that Cadogan found in the Bronx, but there wasn’t a sense of exclusion from the residents as he described when he visited the Upper East Side. Like Cadogan, I met a local resident walking his dog on the East River Esplanade. He started talking to me about the history of the area and his experiences in Murray Hill area. He also suggested places I should visit in the area, and even walked me to the sculptor of SPOT (a 30-foot dalmatian dog balancing a taxi on his snout) on 34th Street.

I agree with Cadogan that the power of serendipity “exposes our commonalities”. By exploring the city and meeting individuals that we would have never met before, allows us realize that even though we all might live in a different zip code, we are all alike.