9/8/06. 5:00 PM. 6 and B Community Garden. Lower East Side, NY
Some of my favorite encounters:

A man with a large portable radio playing something he obviously enjoyed because he kept it playing while reading the postcards. He then accompanied the radio with some choice bell ringing.

A young girl who said she didn’t want to ring the bell because she had a headache only to show up 20 minutes later completely cured. It was a miracle.

Emilio, the skeptic. He kept trying to figure out what the catch was until he finally decided it was as it appeared and then was so happy. He said he was going to write to his friend in Puerto Rico and say that he met the Bell Lady.

Why? The most common response people seem to have is to ask why. Why are you doing this? Why should I ring it? My response varies. A few times, I have asked the asker -don’t you have a reason to ring the bell? And the answer comes after a short pause…A little smile, a lurch toward the bell and a hard yank on the wheel.