20 Years of Friendship With the Woman Across the Hall

Each installment of The Friendship Files features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.

This week she talks with two women who have been neighbors in the same New York City apartment building for 20 years. They live alone and have always looked out for each other—but their connection has been extra important to them during the pandemic. In this interview, they reminisce about their years living across the hall from each other, share their pandemic habits, and reflect on what it means to know your neighbors.

The Friends:

Barbara Gold, 84, a retired hospital administrator who lives in New York City
Nandita Shenoy, 48, an actor and a playwright who lives in New York City

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Julie Beck: You’ve been neighbors for 20 years—do you remember how you met and what your first impressions of each other were?

I had