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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/20\/nyregion\/metropolitan-diary.html?ae=oa&emc=edit_nn_20260921&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226815",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTMETROPOLITAN DIARY\u2018I Had Asked Him to Tell His Wife How Stunning Her Necklace Was\u2019A tight squeeze on the Upper West Side, a surprise reunion on the 5 and more reader tales of New York City in this week\u2019s Metropolitan Diary.Share full articlePublished Sept. 20, 2026Updated Sept. 21, 2026, 12:15 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google ImageSqueezed InDear Diary:I had managed to squeeze my car into a tight parking spot near my Upper West Side apartment. I was preparing for an upcoming road trip and I returned a half-hour later to determine whether I could fit my bike in the back.A young man approached me.Is this your car, he asked.Yes, I said.Well, he said, you scratched my bumper. He pointed out the damage.I apologized profusely.It\u2019s OK, he said. I see you are an older woman. I get it. If you were some jerk banging my bumper, I would get mad.I feel terrible, I said. I pulled two $20 bills from my wallet.Go buy yourself a nice lunch, I said.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTNah, he said, not necessary.I insisted, and he relented. He gave me some parking instructions, helped me readjust the car in the space, then carried my bike back into lobby of my building.I introduced him to the doormen.See you around, he said as he left. Nice to meet you.\u2014 Julie BlackburnImageRush-Hour ReunionDear Diary:I was on an absolutely jammed, rush-hour 5 train. As it pulled into the City Hall station, two men, standing next to each other, backpack to backpack, turned to let people off.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAs they did, they looked at each other. Their mouths simultaneously dropped wide open and then turned into smiles. They let go of the overhead railings and hugged.\u201cDude,\u201d one said. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you in ages. When did you get on?\u201d\u201cGrand Central,\u201d the other replied.\u2014 David HandschuhImageBird BoxDear Diary:I was walking down Bedford Avenue on a Monday afternoon, hurrying back to my home office in Williamsburg, when I looked down and saw an injured mourning dove on the sidewalk.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA woman was sitting beside the dazed bird, shielding it from passers-by while calling 311.I stopped to offer my help, which she welcomed. I told her that the Wild Bird Fund, which I follow on Instagram, had recently posted instructions about what to do if you find an injured bird.We found the emergency bird hotline. In the meantime, we decided the dove might benefit from water and the safety of a shoe box.I rushed to a nearby doughnut place. I explained the situation and asked for water. The young woman behind the counter eagerly offered some in an espresso cup and waved as I hurried out.After placing the cup next to bird, I darted across the street to a shoe store. I explained the situation again and said a shoe box would be helpful.The shopkeeper happily went to the back to fetch one, as customers inquired about the bird situation.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTWhen I returned with the shoe box, the woman was on the phone coordinating the bird\u2019s care.Before leaving, I felt I should introduce myself to this kind stranger and then asked her name in return.\u201cMy name is Hope,\u201d she said.\u2014 Christina DaigneaultImageAt the River Caf\u00e9Dear Diary:I\u2019m 90. He is 92. Our 56th wedding anniversary was coming up. It had been a tough year. Surgery. Hospitalizations. But we were both healthy by this point and ready to celebrate.For us, there is no better place to do that than the River Caf\u00e9, with its glorious views of the New York skyline. Our table was right at the window. Sitting nearby was a woman wearing a gorgeous necklace.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTShe and a man I took to be her husband got up to leave before we did. He had been sitting right next to me, and I had asked him to tell his wife how stunning her necklace was and that I had been admiring it all evening.He gestured for her to come back to our table.I repeated my comments.She reached back and opened the necklace. I was delighted to be able to get a closer look.Instead, she placed it around my neck.\u201cYou are such a lovely couple,\u201d she said. \u201cEnjoy it.\u201dWith that, they left the restaurant. My husband and I were in shock.Later, as we were leaving, a woman approached me.\u201cYour necklace is stunning,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been admiring it.\u201d\u2014 Barbara McNamara LernerAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTImagePainful MoveDear Diary:It was April 1982. We were packing to move out of our floor-through apartment in a Park Slope brownstone. I decided that it was time to clean the oven but soon got a painful drop of oven cleaner in my eye.Holding a towel against my eye, I trudged off to the emergency room.On my way, I passed a woman sweeping her stoop.\u201cYou have to pray to St. Lucy!\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s for the eyes!\u201dOn the next block, an older man looked at me.\u201cWhat?\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cDid you forget to duck?\u201dWhen I got to the E.R., the admitting nurse listened to my woes and then reprimanded me.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cYou don\u2019t clean the oven because you\u2019re moving,\u201d she said. \u201cYou move because your oven\u2019s dirty!\u201d\u2014 Lea Carmichael RichardsonRead all recent entries and our submissions guidelines. Reach us via email diary@nytimes.com or follow @NYTMetro on Twitter.Illustrations by Agnes LeeSubmit Your Metropolitan DiaryYour story must be connected to New York City and no longer than 300 words. An editor will contact you if your submission is being considered for publication.\n \n \n \nTell us your story.*0 wordsWhat is your name?*What is your email?*Where do you live?*Error loading script.By clicking the submit button, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us (\u201cYour Content\u201d). If you do not accept these terms, do not submit any content. Of note:Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.We may use the contact details that you provide to verify your identity and answers to the questionnaire, as well as to contact you for further information on this story and future stories.Submit\n \n \n \n \n \n \n AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-20T07:00:14+00:00",
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