People think of New York and think of anonymity, and in some ways it’s true. In small towns you can’t go to the grocer without bumping into everyone, but in New York you might not know your next door neighbor. Maybe this is why so many New Yorkers make a point to get to know the people who are constants in their lives. There are the bell boys, there’s the guy I buy a hot dog from every Friday afternoon, and the truth is a New Yorker’s as likely or more to know his deli’s owner as the country types.
And then there are the legends.
This legend’s name was Johnnie Footman, and he was 94 years and one month old when he died last week. The oldest licensed yellow-cab driver in New York was called Spider. For decades he drove a yellow cab in New York, wearing a large spider pendant around his neck and a baseball hat with a label that said “Old Dude made of Achey Breaky Parts!” Read more about Mr. Footman here. Who, in your daily routine, have you made a point to know? Or, who have you met once that left a lasting impression?
