I have officially been on paternity leave with our second daughter, McKinley Wynn White, since the start of the year. It has been a very special time getting to know her deeply and a nice change of pace from the usual working world.
A huge round of applause to SiriusXM/Pandora and other companies with humane and generous parental leave policies. I consider myself very fortunate and am immensely appreciative of this benefit.
As with Maeve, I spend about a third of my time trying to get a tiny, sleepy human to go to sleep. About a third of my time changing, feeding, bathing, and playing with her. And about a third of the day, mostly while she is asleep, I get to read, watch TV, and listen to music, comedy, and podcasts.
My intellectual focus this leave has been cities. I’m obsessed with complex, adaptive systems and collective intelligence and it doesn’t get more dynamic than the city. Living right near the World Trade Center and working across from Grand Central I get to experience all of the pros and cons of daily life alongside millions of other people. The early morning delivery of produce to the grocery stores, the shift workers preparing for the lunch rush, the construction crews taking a quick smoke break, and thousands of people on a mission to wherever they are going.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_New_York_City_aerial.jpg
I’ve been reading a book a week about cities, a list I’ve been keeping over the years and never had the time to get to. This has been an excellent foundation for me in the origins, purpose, growth, contentious issues/benefits, and prospects of cities.
The Power Broker - Caro (which I’ll probably be reading for the next year)
Later reading will focus deeper on individual cities and the myriad issues that need to be discussed when talking about the urban environment: politics, economics, transportation, diversity, housing, inequality, etc.
To supplement this reading I’ve been watching relevant documentaries and listening to podcasts (h/t to Stefan Martinovic for the recommendations!)
New York by Ric Burns is a 17 hour, 8 episode documentary covering NYC from the 1600s to present day. It originally aired on PBS and was a masterpiece. It is available on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend it. I also watched Urbanized and the Pruitt-Igoe Myth, a rich history of the life and legacy of the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in St. Louis, an urban renewal project that suffered from neglect, vandalism and crime and was eventually torn down.
I’ve listened to several podcasts but had a harder time finding ones that really captured my attention. Podcasts include:
10 Blocks
The City
Crimetown
Curbed Appeal
City of the Future
There Goes the Neighborhood
The Stakes
The Urbanist
Behind the Bricks
Technopolis
I found There Goes the Neighborhood, about gentrification in East New York, LA, and Miami, to be the most compelling.
Other interesting things --
With Officer Reyes in the 40th Precinct, Bronx, NY
Ride-Along with the NYPD
On Tuesday February 11th, I spent the morning with the NYPD as part of their community “ride-along” program. I reported to the 40th precinct headquarters in the Bronx at 8am after dropping McKinley off for a half-day at daycare. Officer Reyes and Officer Singh were called in to pick me up and I was given a bullet proof vest to be worn at all times. I offered to buy them coffee at the Dunkin’ perfectly placed across the street but they’d been out since 7 and were well caffeinated. They had a “caged” vehicle so I rode in the back, uncuffed but with the child locks on the doors.
I learned SO much about the life of a police officer and how the city structures the police force!
Each precinct is divided into 4 or more sectors that are patrolled by at least 4 officers at all times. They work in teams of 2 and generally cover the hotspots that history and software have identified as likely problem areas. They wait for jobs to come in from dispatch. Since it was early on a Tuesday morning there wasn’t much happening the first hour which gave them plenty of time to answer all my questions. This changed in an instant. A “heavy” job came in from our bravo sector: a mentally unstable man with a large knife.
As the sirens come on and we burn through a red light at full speed swerving into the opposing lanes of traffic officer Reyes yells back - “we are flipping our vest cams on and aren’t going to be talking much.”
Me: *double checks that bullet proof vest is secure for no reason and grips arm rests*
Within minutes 6 cop cars and the sergeant's black sedan were on site and the officers were lined up behind the officer carrying a giant clear shield. The man was just getting off the elevator and thankfully was compliant. He was cuffed and searched. The knife he had was a serrated blade about 9 inches long. He had a history of mental illness and had been drinking all night. We escorted him in an ambulance to the hospital and stayed with him until he was taken to the psychiatric ward for evaluation.
Our next job was to check out a fire that had broken out at a restaurant (the FDNY had it under control) and then to two traffic accidents to take statements and information. They dropped me back at the precinct headquarters at noon and I went home to pick up McKinley and tell her all about it.
The closest experience to my day with the NYPD was the safari we went on during our honeymoon. Lots of quiet observation and downtime punctuated my moments of sheer adrenaline. If you are interested in doing this yourself, here is the application!
Bachelor Party in Vermont for my friend Jared! Lots of skiing, a snowshoe hike to the top of a huge mountain, and plenty of delicious craft beer.
The gym in my building has 2 Peloton bikes and I did my first rides. I’m not a big stationary bike-guy but I loved the music and workouts! I can see what all the fuss is about. I’m alexanderswhite on there if you use Peloton and want to be friends.
Did a lot more parent meetups this time! There is a fun group of new parents in Tribeca and amongst a good group of friends there are 5 newborns so many of the moms are on maternity leave right now. Super fun.
People Doing Cool Things
My cousin Brooke has launched an excellent podcast called The Grief Coach. The podcast helps demystify the etiquette, issues, and questions related to the loss of a loved one. It is professionally done and she is able to pack each episode with wonderful stories, memories, and practical advice. Check it out!
Liv Buli has launched Blue House Goods, a hand-curated shop combining her Nordic upbringing with her excellent design taste. Great for gifts or to enhance any area of your home!