This post from Park Slope Parents was written by a woman who likes to sit on people’s stoops. Although she has never been stopped, she wonders whether there is some kind of unwritten rule about whether it is appropriate to do so. You know me, I just love this kind of thing.
A couple of weekends ago my 4 year old daughter and I were walking
around the neighborhood running errands. We were a good 10 blocks
from home and she was tired, so we found a nice sunny stoop somewhere
in South Slope between 6th and 7th Aves and sat ourselves down to
rest for a few minutes and contemplate life. Since then, whenever we
go out for a stroll or to run errands, she asks me if we can stop and
sit at a stoop for a few minutes. We live in a stoopless apartment,
but it occurred to me that we may be committing a social faux pas to
park ourselves on somebody else’s property.Of course, I understand that there is no black and white here and
while some folks might be fine with some polite neighborhood people
borrowing their stoop for a few minutes, others might feel
differently about it. That said, I’m thinking there is probably a
general unwritten rule about this — absolutely not, it’s totally
uncool to use a stranger’s stoop, or why not? it’s nice to share the
wealth and allow someone to tie their shoes or otherwise take a very
brief load off. So which is it? If we’re violating some common
neighborhood rule, I’ve got some explaining to do to my daughter on
our next jaunt.
What do you think?
Excuse me, Jen. I’m sure you weren’t crying about the “lost” Brooklyn when you took your million dollars to the bank, now were you? Stop your complaining – things change. That’s life.
First off…Please dont use the work neigborhood to describe park slope. When we left with the million dollars we sold our homes to you for (the ones we paid 35,000 for) we took it with us.
Brooklyn is stick ball, man hunt, fire hydrents and yes, hanging out on the stoop…anyone’s stoop. Brooklyn is a memory.
It is people like you guys that have taken the Brooklyn out of Brooklyn.
Also, BTW people from my brooklyn don’t say social faux pas.
Sorry folks, private property. My insurance won’t stand for something to happen on that stoop to someone who isn’t an owner. It’s bad enough we have to scare off the, ahem, budding journalism and law students from the nearby high school. [Yep, when they break the law their names will be in the paper, and if lucky, their images on tv]. And put little Chamber of Commerce signs up to keep all sorts of semi-First Amendment trash off the stoop, too.
Where I am in the People’s Republic, there’s a park within two blocks on either side [one of them a nationally known gem], and a close-by hospital if you really can’t stand it. Also, my church with its air conditioning and pews is open to all during the day. You just can’t throw your lunch wrappers on the floor there.
it’s safe to assume if the brownstoner comes out with her garden hose and begins spraying you as if you were flotsam and jetsam (as happened once to me when I innocently partook of a soda on someone’s stoop), that you are NOT welcome. most stoop owners don’t seem to mind your presence if you are respectful of their boundaries as well as neat, clean and orderly. No crack smoking, please