Watermelon. The smell of Coppertone suntan oil. Lemonade. Hot dogs. The shrieks of children's laughter. Swimming pools. Charcoal BBQ pits. These are the sights, sounds and smells happening all over the country this weekend as we celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend. And my neighborhood was no exception. We had ourselves a raucous, hootin' hollerin', neighborhood block party Friday night to celebrate the last day of school in Highland Park and kick off the Summer season. Readers of this blog know, I attend a lot of functions all over this city. But there's nothing that can compare to a good old-fashioned neighborhood get-together.
One of the reasons I love Park Cities so much, is that there is such a sense of community here. One of the downsides to Park Cities is that builders have a tendency to take the entire lot to build the houses, so spacious backyard spaces area a luxury that only a house in the $2 million+ arena can give you. I used to see this as a major downside to living here. But after a few years in residence, I have come to see this as one of the area's biggest pro's, even if it happened by default.
Because by having no backyard, per sey, it has forced everyone to their front yards. And thus, on any given night on my block and many others all around Park Cities, you can sit in your front yard and chat with people walking by with their dogs, watch kids riding their bikes up and down the street, etc. And if you see a neighbor a few houses down, also sitting out in their yard, you will more than likely meander down to say "Hi" and visit a spell about how the family is and ask how their kids are doing in school.
If Cheers was a bar "where everybody knew your name", then Park Cities is full of streets where every neighbor knows every neighbor. And I like that.
