The Verb

Williamsburg, 2012

So The Verb is closing.

I've been going there nearly every day for a decade, so to say this is sad news is an understatement. 'Lifeblood of the neighborhood' would also not be an understatement.

Back in 2004, I met Will there to discuss a potential roommate situation. The rest...falling in love, getting married, having two babies...is history. We have had umpteen cups of coffee there, and umpteen conversations.

That place is full of history for me. From whiling away the hours there as a somewhat wide-eyed, brand new New Yorker, dreaming of making it as a writer, to becoming that writer, a wife, a mother, taking my boys there.

It made me feel like I really had deep roots in this city, and it felt like home. Whenever I'd come back from a long trip, or an adventure, I'd go there and feel grounded and at ease. It's truly everything I love about Williamsburg.

Gentrification? I get it. We're a part of it. We weren't here first. But I'll still mourn it's loss.