Have you seen those websites where you can contact all your old school friends and work colleagues? I signed up on a website like that and 18 months later had managed to get in contact with six of my old school friends. One lived abroad, another was a writer (surprising considering she hated English at school!), the third worked in a furniture store and was married to the fourth, the fifth was a Bank manager (he was the class fool!) and the sixth was a housewife. I worked for a big company, selling office supplies, office furniture and educational furniture online. After a few emails swapping news we gradually went back in time and started our trip down memory lane…

It’s strange how your school days stay locked in your memory. I never really thought about my school years but after contacting my old friends a host of memories came flooding back. “Do you remember when…” was the standard beginning of our emails as we all began to revisit those seemingly carefree days. I started planning a reunion from my office desk.

Sitting on my comfortable office chair in my home office I arranged the visit and gradually the big day was organised. We were all a little apprehensive the night before; we talked about possible changes to our school and the effect of time on memory.

We had exchanged photographs but it was still a jolt seeing everyone in the flesh the next day. We trooped into the reception and sat nervously on the plush office chairs awaiting our escort. First shock, the reception furniture; modern office furniture with HP workstations apparent, different from the old battered office furniture  we remembered. The youthful age of the receptionist jolted us too. We remembered the old receptionist, a very severe lady with glasses who peered at you suspiciously every time you asked for an authorisation slip.

We were duly collected and ushered to our old room. Such a mixture of old memories, old smells, some fondly remembered items but so many changes. How on earth did we ever manage to sit in chairs that small? We remembered the wooden benches with graffiti etched underneath. Here were modern, bright desk chairs with kid size office desks. There was even a computer desk with assorted computer furniture and a desk computer in the corner. Educational furniture sure had changed over the years, I was aware of that but it’s different seeing it at “my” school. There was still the same alphabet poster and counting blocks but the blackboard had changed to a whiteboard and the books on the shelves had changed.

Afterwards we went to see the new Headmaster in his office. The decor and furniture here too had changed; instead of the stark, severe appearance we remembered there were leather office chairs and an executive furniture suite with many lush green plants. Our Bank manager friend said later it reminded him of his office furniture. Our writer friend decided she had to upgrade her home office furniture! Our housewife wanted the plants! Later during our meal we were all a little subdued, so many memories and so many changes.

We’re still in touch, somehow that visit cemented our relationship and satisfied some inner need to reconcile the past to the present. It was somewhat of a shock to see the changes but it helped me to close the door on the past and concentrate on the future.

The world’s ultimate concrete jungle is not at all satisfied with its image of concrete forest and trash. Last year the city managers got together and planned a huge pilot program to reduce litter. In view of the fact that there was too much litter around town, they are placing recycling container in all the city parks in all five boroughs and in the Staten Island Ferry terminals. The receptacles are of the sorting kind, with separate drops for bottles, cans, etc. Recycling bins are also being placed in parks and on public streets where, hopefully, New Yorkers will dispose of their recyclables and not put them into the regular trash, where they go to waste – literally!

Although we don’t think of New York in terms of trees, the city as a whole boasts an amazing five million trees. As a beautification project, the city is encouraging residents to plant more trees, around their townhouses if possible, as well as any place a concrete plant container would fit without obstructing auto and foot traffic. Concrete works better, the city believes, because they can’t be carried off very easily. Neighborhood areas take on a new, friendly face when there are trees and bushes gracing the sidewalks, and even better, with outdoor seating such as concrete benches - also hard to carry away without being noticed by the neighbors or the cops. It is well known that there has been a problem in some neighborhoods with vandals, defacing or just straight carrying off any benches or furniture. So concrete furniture makes great sense. Places to sit outside can help calm the soul of folks who are housebound so much of the time, and benches where people can sit and rest their feet and maybe even chat with their neighbors, could start a new wave of friendliness, something that has been all too rare in this bustling metropolis.

The city is proud of its parks, and with good reason. Central Park is one of its most famous attractions, world famous, in fact, filled with beautifully maintained green meadows, lakes big enough to go rowboating on, trees and shrubs of great beauty and idyllic walks. There are concrete fountains and statues that soothe the mind with their beauty and tranquility.

Athens Park is a more recent acquisition. Actually it was a simply playground space, but in 1990 the city decided to do honor to the Greek heritage of many New Yorkers. Greek statuary and other reminders of the glory of ancient as well as modern Athens have been donated by Greece for this space.

One of the most famous ways New York is going green is in its neighborhood parks. Here recycling bins provide a relief from drinking cans and beer bottles, and the concrete benches and tables are safe and friendly. The city is realizing more and more that humans need some open space, some things that grow, and a place to dig in the dirt and maybe grow something to feed the body as well as the soul. Small parks are springing up in vacant lots in neighborhoods all over the city. Residents have formed coalitions to manage these parks and gardens. They find ways to keep them safe from vandalism, like
concrete benches, and they are encouraging gardeners with talent who can grow real food. Some of the neighborhood park groups have instituted community picnics where they can share the bounty. The parks have picnic tables and other concrete site furnishings that make the backyard picnic of the suburbs a possibility for the urbanites as well.

So, no more snide remarks about the concrete jungle! Even here the green revolution is forging ahead.