I was excited when I got my first mail forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service. Seemed like it took forever, but it was only a little under seven months. For the rest of it, infinity might be more accurate.
By David Stone

We moved in March, 2021. In fairness to the Postal Service, it was a whole mile away but on the same street. We set the forwarding up, weeks in advance, as instructed, and we even got confirmations soon thereafter. They had us in their system.
But in the end, it was more like the Barney Miller episode where the detectives find six years of unforwarded mail in postal workers apartment. Like where did it go?
Admittedly, I don’t get a lot of mail, and most of it is junk. But there’s always something. Spectrum’s endless cable TV offers, for one example. But there were important things, like checks, that never arrived. Of course, it was heartening that none of the checks got cashed elsewhere, but it’s no fun asking a business to send another either.
I can only guess what the Postal Service did with the rest of my six months of mail, even the junk mail, because once they coughed a single one up, it was junk. And past the six month period where they said they wouldn’t forward anymore.
Nostalgia threatened sending me back to an America where the mail arrived, always on time, we were the envy of the world and proud of it. But it ages me. Not many Americans remember that peak anymore.
More from Assorted Ideas, Large & Small
- Queens Subway and Far Rockaway Stabbings Spur Police InvestigationsQueens subway and Far Rockaway stabbings on September 30 prompted separate police investigations and community response after two fatal incidents disrupted daily routines.
- Fatal Stabbing on J Train at Woodhaven Boulevard Spurs Subway Safety Concerns in QueensA fatal stabbing on J train at Woodhaven Boulevard raises fresh subway safety concerns in Queens, as NYPD investigates and riders reflect on recent incidents.
- J and M Train Weekend Service Changes: What Riders Need to KnowJ and M train weekend service changes will impact riders for five weekends as crews replace elevated track switches. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare for modified schedules across Brooklyn and Queens.
- Coastal Flooding Disrupts Southeast Queens Streets and TransitCoastal flooding disrupted streets and transit across Southeast Queens as a fall nor’easter brought heavy rain and renewed calls for resilience and improved drainage.
- Nor’easter Brings Slow Streets and Transit Delays Across Queens and NYCAfter the nor’easter, slow streets and transit delays across Queens and NYC greeted commuters. Utility crews continued repairs as normal routines resumed Monday.
Who Does This?
At the June 18 meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee, President and Chief Executive Officer B.J. Jones acknowledged that there had been no progress finding a tenant for the long-discussed medical space on Main Street. Hudson/Related Realty LLC had told him that filling the space, along with other vacant storefronts, was proving more difficult than expected.






