A text from Danny: a humpday drink? A night out in a bar just chatting for a couple hours. So prosaic on paper, but the revelation of the activity after almost two years of abstinence? Euphoria. I realized 30 minutes in that I hadn’t once even thought of or worried about a contagion. Unreal.

This is a new neighborhood spot, easy drinks: classic drinks with an herbal twist; easy bites: focaccia, stuffed olives. Moody without being a scene, feeling special without being precious. A minor event in the best possible way.

Halfway through the night an enormous cat named Lenny walked confidently into the bar, onto a banquette and sat down immediately next to a patron and the whole bar was all amazement. Instant celebrity. An omen?

Apparently, also a regular, and swiftly escorted out.