A Sad Goodbye to Dan Barry's "About New York" column in the New York Times

From time to time I have blogged Dan Barry's columns as they related to St. Brigid's Church, the vanishing tokens of New York history or topics related to Roman Catholicism. In his "About New York" column of November 15, Mr. Barry announced that that he would be moving on to another assignment.

I always read Mr. Barry's column with great enjoyment. His pieces featured people and places that were off the beaten path but portrayed what was great about New York city and great about humanity. I will miss his New York pieces, but await his observations on the national scene with great interest. The following is an excerpt from his last column,ABOUT NEW YORK; On a Corner Midstream In the Rush

"ON this just-another-Monday-in-Manhattan, I think of how extraordinary the city is even at its most mundane, and how proud I am to be a child of it, and how silly it is to harbor any proprietary sense about a place so old and so immense, simply because my Irish mother and New York father met at a church dance in Brooklyn long ago.

In truth, I pause beside the flow of the city to say goodbye to this column about the city, for this is my last ''About New York.'' They tell me I will be launching a national column in a couple of months. Still, the loss I feel is keen.

But before I rejoin that ever-flowing river, before I catch a train with return ticket clutched in hand, let me say this: It's been a privilege. Thank you. Now get outta here."