For the Peoples, by the Peoples

Now that all of the francophones got either driven or kicked out of my building (another story for another day), I only know a handful of my neighbors. In a neighborhood with such a high resident turnover, it's hard to forge lasting relationships. As friend after friend has left the neighborhood, I've started to get cynical and have mostly given up trying -- it takes a new kitten or puppy to really keep me interested.

Still, I'm reminded why the effort is worth it. Almost a year ago, I met a neighbor at yoga. It's taken us almost a year to move to the next step in our friendship (Facebook and last names). It turns out that he's the creative mind behind People's District, tableaux of DC residents in their own words. It's as though Studs Terkel never died, but instead started a blog.

Go spend a few hours reading it and feel a little closer to your neighbors.