Yesterday in a department store at the dying Independence Mall, two younger women walked in front of me. One had short, sharp black hair and was talking in a staccato "Yankee" accent, the other was African American and fully engaged with her friend or partner. I wanted to run up to them and say "Are you from NYC? Can we just talk for a minute?"

My first mistake in moving here from the 17th floor apartment on Third Avenue was to buy a town home in the suburbs. I...