Reminds me of my friend Jason who would have turned 56 last Monday had he not passed away in 2013. In 2014 I had the honor of writing and giving a speech at a charity gala for Baily House that posthumously awarded him its award for real estate journalism. I said "Above all Jason was interested in meeting and knowing about people inside and out. So Jason embarked on a journey of walking the streets of our great city, absorbing all he could with his eyes, ears, nose and taste buds — our friend Jason loved to eat — not just to write about buildings and the people responsible for them — but to write about neighborhoods, because neighborhoods, more than the buildings that comprise them, are a community of people with stories to tell, and Jason loved to talk, and to listen, and then write so we could all experience the wonders of our world through his artful prose."

The rest of my speech and an in memorium haiku sonnet I wrote last week on his birthday is here if anyone feels drawn to read them: https://medium.com/@marcus17043/haiku-sonnet-for-my-friend-jason-c64fafec763e