The Stoops of New York

People are very adaptable, and can make a culture out of a simple architectural feature. "Stoop" is a Dutch word for stairs, and they built grand homes and apartment buildings in New Amsterdam with them for flood control reasons. But those stairs also became a front yard, a status symbol for those who kept servants in the basement, a place to socialize, and even a private store for the people who lived there. The stoop was the reason you knew all your neighbors. In the 20th century, the social aspect of the stoop started to fade away as more apartments had air conditioning, television, and later internet. But then the pandemic came along in 2020, and New Yorkers again returned to the stoop to get some human contact. (via Nag on the Lake)