One of the oddities of living in a place for a long time is you get to see places change or not so much. Downtown Rochester, New York is one of those places. 

This corner and many near it were filled with creaking, decaying unkempt buildings.

But on this Friday afternoon amidst the gloom  and the umbrellas .I can’t help but notice some sprouting seedlings.

A spotted a rarity: traffic. Not much, but more. 

It's rare downtown where you can hear birds sing. I saw several young women enjoying the sounds, walking their dogs on the muddy green across the way. The dogs had a conference as did their owners.

Other people hustled up and down the streets while buses whiz by. While people parallel park, poorly, beside brick buildings.

In this space, where I write this, I see people having lunch, watching tv, drinking midday, during impromptu business meetings and blind dates.

Quite the change, at least for now. 

This area is far from fixed but Cornel West once said, 'I'm never optimistic. The evidence always looks under-determined, but I am full of hope. '

After all, traffic isn't always a bad thing.