walking and talking/cities at night

I was doing the laundry last night on a busy little-restaurants, side street close to home, walking the block back from my car and looking in on nail salons and quick and spicy Chinese, long and slow Italian cafes, the cigar shop, the antique store (bright by day and dark by night), frozen yogurt, the barber shop and the liquor store who lost its license, with my shoulder leaning against the wall and headphones on. I don't usually listen to music at night when I'm doing the laundry, but it was a gentle night and it was nice to have a sound track and the street reminded me of favorite cities.

There is no greater tourist attraction (if you ask me) than a long walk with a good friend through a night-time city. Even if the city is not much more than a long block, on a short night, at the end of a busy week, there is just enough neon to spark the open doorways in my mind and remind me how much I love the city and maybe it's time to go home. Not that I'm from the city, but I'm no longer from the country.