Overheard in New York: The Voice of the City

S. Morgan Friedman is a compulsive people-watcher. Some might think he's plain nosey. He's been an active participant in the league of people-watchers for sometime now creating sites devoted to the activity in one of the best cities in the world to eavesdrop - NY. You could say he's mastered the art of learning how to wander through neighborhoods, picking the best cafes to sit, have some coffee and watch people of all demographics drift in and out through the doors. Could he be the kind of person the neighborhood watch signs are posted for?

His latest project involves using the sense of sound to pick-up on random bits of conversation heard in the diverse, crammed streets, trains, offices, and parks of New York. In his blog, Overheard in New York: The Voice of the City he and his fellow spies report their findings on a daily basis. At this point you may be thinking these people all really need lives, but isn't listening in on the lives of others so much more exciting? If only for a moment?

Here's an example of something you might find at S. Morgan Friedman's site. This actually wasn't overheard in NY, but in Tampa, FL in a conversation exchanged by my mother and her friend. I'm sharing because I found it too damn funny and also because it makes me wonder about my mother's friend.

• My mother: Daylight savings time is in a couple of weeks. So it will be lighter in the morning when I go for my walk and darker in the evening.

• Her friend: Yeah, I know. They say that, but I just don't believe that. I'd have to see it. 

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories