Where I Live

The transit strike's on today, which means I'm working from home. About twenty minutes ago, I decided it was time for a quick break, and went up the block to the Tea Lounge for a mocha to go.

The Tea Lounge is an enormous coffee shop with overstuffed sofas, colored-chalk menus, free wireless access, micro-brew beer... you get the picture. Walking in the door, the first thing that hit me was the parking lot of strollers. The second thing that hit me was the army of kids ages sub-one to three and their parents/nannies, all sitting around a hippie-ish girl with a guitar and her two companions with hand drums. Seems that Tuesdays and Thursdays are sing-a-long days at the Tea Lounge.

When I got in line, they were halfway through one of the many animal noise songs that infests the canon of children's music. By the time I got my mocha and was walking out the door, they'd launched into a hearty rendition of "Hineh Ma Tov". Asian toddlers, blond toddlers, African-American toddlers... everyone (who could sing) was singing this Israeli folk song that I learned at age three in synagogue.

I live in a neighborhood where everyone has a baby or toddler, and where even if you're not Jewish, you are.

Wacky.