What’s Your Favorite Corner?

Ann Simkins bikes all over the area for Small World Pet Sitters, the business she runs with her husband, Boni Montellano. Whether she’s taking care of cats and dogs while their owners are away, or just taking a dog for a daily walk, Ann has probably seen about every corner of the neighborhood. But the one she likes the most is the one closest to home.

Ann says the triangle at Amersfort Place and East 26th Street helps give her a strong sense of community.

“The Baptist Church there is so beautiful, it looks like it should be somewhere else,” she said. “Across the street is a family with a couple of dogs, and they’re always outside, always grilling. When I walk by we say hi to each other, and it’s some of what makes me feel like a part of the neighborhood.”

She’s creating community with neighbors around her, but also within her own apartment building, where she and Boni have lived for ten years (where they currently share their space with Stanley, pictured above, and two other cats). The couple recently spearheaded the changes to some outdoor space at the building, creating plots where neighbors can get together to garden.

“We’ll come together outside, people get to know each other,” she said. “It really feels like home now.”