Porches

people don't sit on porches where you're from? why not? seems nicer than sitting inside on a warm day.

stoop-sitting is the local term, by the way.

definitely it is a thing in new york, but everywhere i've lived people do this. they only call it stoop-sitting here, though, as far as i know.

Subject: Re: Porches

Nor'easter wrote: so it's a new york city thing in general, as the lovely tune attests. guess this'll be our summer then.

Actually, it's also a very "American" thing, dating from the days when there was no air conditioning. It was also considered a way of being "neighborly" -- you could serve as neighborhood-watch (if you were on your porch, you'd notice if someone was trying to break into the neighbor's house across the street), you could say hello to your neighbors as they passed and get into a conversation with them when they weren't in a hurry, and...

...well, hell, why not sit outside enjoying the fine weather? I think we all could use more of that, personally.

I think that it's an American urban thing.

It's an example of what Jane Jacobs would call "Eyes on the Street". Nobody will do anything if they know that they're being watched. Plus, it's a great way to get to know your neighbors.

Subject: Re: Porches

Nor'easter wrote: Could someone please tell me where is the fascination in sitting on your front porch for hours and hours with all of your friends and family doing absolutely nothing? Is this an everyday thing? every warm day? as someone who is new to this country I would love to hear what's going on.

That's New York culture, particularly Brooklyn but I remember watching people do it in little Italy when I was a kid.

Sometimes people don't have air conditioning or can't afford it, so they stay outside as much as possible during the warmer weather, it's also a way to socialize with your neighbors and watch the world go by.

People spend lots of time outside here, unlike other places where people tend to stay in their own back yards. The parks are full when the weather is nice. I think that most of the friends that I've made in my lifetime here have been made outside.

Incidentally, the term "stoop" dates back to the days of old Dutch New Amsterdam. It's derived from the Dutch word "stoep" which means platform or pavement.

dailyheights wrote: I'm frankly very disappointed that more people do not stoop sit. Everyone should be required to do it.

God help us, that we stoop to confer.

dailyheights wrote: Especially if your wifi reaches that far.

Or wifey.

*ducks and runs*

Carnivore wrote: Incidentally, the term "stoop" dates back to the days of old Dutch New Amsterdam. It's derived from the Dutch word "stoep" which means platform or pavement.

I read something that said that the Dutch used stoops to keep their houses from flooding. While this wasn't so much of a problem over here, they continued the tradition. Partly from inertia, and partly because space was already at a premium and the tradition allowed a more usable basement.

Or that is a bunch of hooey.

Your choice.

Anyone want to tackle the issue of those sitting on stoops other than their own, or are we not looking to go there?

alafairnadia wrote: I'm eternally sad that my building does not have a stoop.

Now that the weather is tipping to niceness, you'll find me and/or the wife sitting on ours between Washington and Underhill with some frequency after the Sterling-spawn are abed.

Folks should feel free to say "hi" -- but don't only stop to bum cigarettes!

Subject: Re: Porches

Nor'easter wrote: If you're stoop-sitting, can you legally have a beer in your hand? Probably not, right?

We sit on our stoop each weekend in the spring and summer usually with an open bottle of wine on the stoop and have never had anyone say anything to us

my building has no stoop well it kinda does, but it's not on the street, its on the courtyard. which one of you stoopsters wants to be my friend? i'll bring you some ones that are cold.

i'm from jersey and everyone in my neighborhood used to stoop/front porch sit while the kids played kickball or whatever in the street. i'd def say it's a quiet suburban street thing as well as a city thing.

when i moved to brooklyn my only requirement was that i'd have a stoop. i didn't care about anything else, just wanted that stoop. you can totally have a beer on it, it's private property. the issue with drinks in public is only when you're on public property - i.e. a park or on the sidewalk.

nothing better than a good book, a bottle of wine, and a sunny afternoon sitting on your stoop......

when I lived in what is now called Sunset Park we use to play the older guys for money,as well as stickball and touch football.

Subject: gates and spikes and such

to my eyes, there's less stoop sitting and less (or it fewer) stoopable stoops in the neighborhood than in other places i've lived (DC, chicago) -- brownstones with narrow staircases straight to the second floor don't lend themselves to it, gates and spiked fences and such get in the way, too.

my guess -- pile on me any time now -- is that the neighborhood's rough recent past (let's not forget) made sitting on the stoop not such a commonplace thing (at a certain point neighborhoods get too intense for that). there's got to be a certain minimal level of street safety for folks to want to be on display like that, you know?

anyway, i miss my neighborly stoops from the past, and am surprised at how little of it i see here. i love it when i come across it -- the nod, the hello, and the occasional conversation.

sterling2000 wrote: Who needs a party when there's a stoop?

Yes! Love that. I occasionally have a glass of wine on our stoop with my landlords who live upstairs. People stop and chat on their way here and there. Neighbors say hello. It's great. A community presence and an opportunity to drink your own cheap wine with some friends in a great location is always welcome.