The NY Times finally published on Sunday, July 12, 2020, the submission I made to their Metropolitan Diary column on May 15, 2019. They edited it so I will provide here both my original submission and their edited version so you can decide if they removed anything of interest or if, as Tony often told me, I was too wordy.
My initial submission:
DEAR DIARY:
It was the spring of 1974, before CitiBike and the multitude of cyclists and protected bike lanes which now exist in the city. I was riding home from Central Park early one morning when I stopped at a red light at 57th St and 6th Ave (yes some cyclists do stop at red lights). A delivery truck from H&H Bagels pulled up next to me at the light. As is common with those delivery trucks, the passenger side door was open so I looked up at the driver and said hello. He said hello and then reached into a bag by his side and handed me a fresh bialy out of the truck. Only in New York.
The version as they published it:
Fresh
Dear Diary:
It was spring 1974, and I was riding my bike home from Central Park early one morning. I stopped for a red light at 57th Street and Sixth Avenue.
As I waited for the light to change, a delivery truck from H&H Bagels pulled up alongside me.
I looked up at the driver and said hello. He said hello. Then he reached into a bag by his side and handed me a fresh bialy.
Of course they did include a nice illustration with it:
The original was definitely better. But congratulations regardless.