“I’d been to New York City once and started talking to two women at a bar. They got kinda nasty with me. Frankly all I was doing was starting a conversation.” Tom said.

I hadn’t been sitting long when a man who introduced himself as Tom began speaking with me. It was the kind of place that everyone was speaking to somebody. Many of the patrons greeted each other by name, but even an outsider, like me, was quickly swept up in the congeniality.

I was taking a road trip throughout Maine many years back and had spent the day traveling beautiful waterways by boat, enjoying the scenery and numerous seabirds. I had found an idyllic cabin to stay a few nights on a lake’s edge and, walking down the road, this local eating place. I sat at the bar to have some dinner.

“I’m sorry to hear the women were not friendly, most New Yorkers are. Maybe they thought you were trying to pick them up?” I said. “No, just looking to talk is all. It was my first time in New York City and I was excited to be there.” He continued, “I talk to everybody here and no one gets upset.” I replied, “Yeah, it’s a bit tougher talking to people in New York. That’s probably why so many people use personal ads to meet each other.” “What are personal ads?” he asked.