I’d been away from New York for over three months. I returned to the city in the fall of 2018 only to discover that my local barbershop had turned into a Baskin-Robbins. Why do changes in the landscape accelerate as one ages? You take a quick shower and another Duane Reade opens. You wake from an afternoon nap and there’s a new president. The second you hit sixty, life becomes the unstoppable bus in the film Speed.
— Keith McNally, I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir (Gallery Books, May 6, 2025)
Notes:
- NY Times Book Review: The Brash, Working-Class Londoner Who Redefined New York’s Restaurants
- Wall Street Journal book excerpt: Keith McNally: “I Had No Chef, No Toilets and No Budget. But I Was Determined to Open Balthazar.”
- Photo Credit: Pixabay
Funny how time speeds up as we age. Or maybe I should say – it’s not funny at all! Sobering.
So TRUE on all points!
Ain’t that the truth!
YES!
How about: “it’s True and It Sucks!” 🙂
I was born in South Burlington, Vermont, and it has changed so much that I have no interest visiting there anymore. Though my little neighborhood of 80 houses remains fairly the same, which is nice… but once you leave the neighborhood and get on “Main Street” it’s like landing on Mars. The 2 Lane Rd. is now four lanes. As the post mentions, all the businesses have changed. All the farmland is now covered with condominiums. I prefer to enjoy my memories and never visit there again.
PS: my mother remembered “Main Street “when it was a dirt road! Probably back in the 1950s.
Comment of the Day! Thanks for sharing Paul.
My grammar could have been better.
Nevertheless, thank you for the compliment, Dave.
Interesting. My eldest son and I are taking a trip in a few weeks and Burlington, VT was a possible spot. Not anymore lol!
Burlington is a very nice and highly thought of place to visit. Not huge… 45,000 people… but it has a lot of things to do for a city that small. It’s built on a hill, and at the bottom of the hill is lake Champlain. Near the lake, there are parks to hang out in, bike paths, a marina full of boats, a ferry that runs across from Vermont to New York, etc. And a surprising number of good restaurants for a small city. And it’s a college town. The University of Vermont is there. It’s not an Ivy League school, but it is very good, and quite highly thought of.
South Burlington is not nearly as exciting. (Because it is not on the lake!). Basically it’s just the suburbs. It adds another 20,000 people to the Burlington area.
You have to keep in mind how small Vermont is. There are only 660,000 people in the entire state!
When I was growing up, there literally were more cows than people in Vermont. Lots of small dairy farms 50+ years ago… Many have gone out of business since they can’t compete with the big farms, and the land has high value. So lots of farms were chopped up into big parcels of land for fancy houses… Minimum 5 acres.
Burlington is worth a look sometime… Depends on what you’re looking for of course. Google will tell you everything you need to know.
Vermont is Paradise when the weather is good. Unfortunately, the winters are very long.
Thank goodness “no one” here is 60!
But this made me think to the morning’s walk at Cove. It wasn’t 4 months ago that we were taking pictures of the dredging boat. The construction crews. The dock removal. All that was left was an open, vast marina. I think we both kind of loved it.
This morning I found myself questioning, had they added more slips? Why does it look so small now? What did it look like without them?
Turn the corner….
Are the swimming buoys new? Were they there yesterday? How did I miss them?
Walk on…. Wow, the kayaks doubled in number overnight.
Are the brants still here? Why didn’t they say goodbye?
Time. A thief.
Luckily for me…. I plan to return the favor.
Deep!
So deep.
Beautifully written Cara. 👍🙂
Thanks Paul
“Time, a thief”. So true Cara. 💕
time is impossible to hang on to, and we just have to surrender to it and not be bothered by it, how the world spins, everything is temporary
If only I can execute on what you say, if only….
I’m with you Dave. I’m far more aware of time at this age. Hard not to be. “Every day is a gift… Live in the present moment and cherish it…blah blah blah”. Unless you become a meditation master early in life, it’s almost impossible to understand that wisdom when you are in your 20s and 30s.
That’s not to say that this wisdom is bad. I try to keep it in mind as much as possible. It’s quite a challenge!
Yes! I feel exactly what you describe and did exactly as you suggest in my 20’s.
Yes!
Truth!!
I was watching my 10 year old grandson play soccer yesterday, and I said to my husband that it’s already May — where in the #I%& has my life gone? There was no answer….it seems none of us have an adequate explanation. So be it. Thank you for the connection.
Oh you beautifully captured how I feel. Including so be it!