A stroll around my neighborhood tonight after a day on an airplane showed once again that it's nice to live in a real city.

I saw at least a hundred people I don't know and one or two I did; many glowing restaurant interiors, plus the sounds of someone playing the flute and some other people yelling at each other; plus many admirable small dogs (legion in my neighborhood) and brownstones with windows opened wide to the early evening. 

Often when I try to explain net neutrality or the importance of an open internet to people I use the idea of a sidewalk that is able to charge extra for the more interesting conversations that happen on it.   As if the sidewalk could rise up, in a sense, and listen in, and assess accordingly.  Tonight the sidewalk just brought me around the corner, home again.