NICE Testimonial: A Shared Lunch

One of my favorite people in the world, my virtual big brother, Steve, of the fabulous RDQLUS DESIGN QUANTUM was so kind as to share a story of an experience he had recently in New York City.

A few weeks back I was in New York City for work and a little bit of fun. The hurricane season in full effect and reaching as far north as New England, I encountered a rainy day but why should that stop me, right? So as usual, I hop the Green Line and head for lower Manhattan, the East Village, L.E.S. & Lafayette specifically to hunt a few spots for custom sneakers. But to quote a song “you can’t stop the rain”, and my brave little umbrella had been bested long ago. I look up to find that I had wandered near a favorite little coffee spot of mine in NoHo – Café Angelíque, just east of Broadway on Bleeker.

Ducking in, I nab a table and drop my dripping messenger bag, order a coffee and some water and have a sit down and let out a restful sigh. This is when I noticed a beautiful 50-something lady with a soft smile and wise eyes sitting next to me. She looked to be ducking to downpour also. In front of her sat a tasty plate of a turkey panini and chips. I jokingly mentioned that I didn’t see that at the counter. This is when things got interesting. She politely responded by telling me what it was, and as she did I noticed her soft voice and accent. Without another word she word she cut her sandwich in half and put it in front of me. In shock I told her she didn’t have to do that, a bit uncomfortable at the genuine and rare gesture. She then bounded to the counter and returned with an equally delicious-looking pastry… which she promptly sliced in half and shoved in front of me, again. “What the hell is going on here?!”, is all I could think. Interrupting my objections, she explained to me how her eyes were too big for her stomach and she just wanted to taste a lot of the things under the glass. Allowing me no rebuttal she began to explain how she was in the city from Brazil to visit family and this was her sight-seeing day. Bummer. But that explained the accent. Being a track & field athlete and an international sports fan, I mentioned that some of my favorite athletes were from Brazil. She about leapt out of her seat and began to chime in about everything from fútbol (soccer) to track, and eventually even international relations and yes, coffee & food.

Eventually she had to leave and she asked some directions to Battery Park & some other Lower Manhattan spots. Being a quasi-native, I gladly showed her how to get a few places. And with that, my impromptu lunch date disappeared out into the rain. We never even exchanged names but we shook hands and I experienced one of the more fulfilling and pleasant experiences of meeting a person, albeit a total stranger. One of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I think that is the most perfect example of Operation Nice.

Steve was so moved by the gesture that he felt compelled to snap an iPhone picture of the aforementioned lunch. (See right.) Ha! It's incredible what kind of people you can encounter if you leave yourself open to the experience. I know that I'm guilty of closing myself off at times, sitting with my headphones on and my eyes pointed at my feet. But because Steve engaged a stranger, he walked away with a memory that I'm sure he won't soon forget!

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