Union Square, Somerville

Often I need to feel the pulsating sense of neighborhoods—not the suburban laid out, planned, foundation plants, and cookie cutter streets. I yearn for the clutter of a city neighborhood. I like small areas.

I like building murals that aren’t perfect, the flow of languages, restaurants that feature ethnic food, sidewalks that meander, and people sitting —whether at a restaurant, in front of a shop, or on benches.

I like wandering and seeing people wearing clothes that designate their ethnic backgrounds.

I love to read the stickers that surround the metal poles—from unity for workers to advertisements for yoga workouts.

I am not romanticizing the difficulties —but inhaling, as I did today, the creativity of a neighborhood where homogenization isn’t the norm.