Serendipity in the City

Though I’ve lived in New York City for the past 27 years, there are still many city blocks, even in my own familiar neighborhood of the upper west side, that I’ve never traversed. Recently I was strolling on West 94th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, and was surprised to find a named apartment building, The Vancouver. (it is one of the charming things about NY real estate that many buildings were named back in the day, and they used to even be listed in the phone book under their name. They may still be, but I haven’t looked at an actual White Pages directory for so many years, I’m not sure. My own building where I’ve lived for 22 years is called “West End Manor.” I know this only from my lease, since the name doesn’t appear on an awning or plaque of any kind. Seeing The Vancouver made me wonder if, just as there are “sister cities,” if there might be “sister buildings,” at least in a parallel urban universe–is there a named building in Vancouver called “The New York”? Hmm, perhaps one of my friends in British Columbia will keep an eye out for me. . .