9 Relatable Stories About Living With Neighbors

In 2010, the friendly folks over at GOOD decided that they were going to turn the last weekend of April into a massive global block party. Hence, Neighbor Day was born, and this weekend it is once again upon us. As a city dweller and apartment enthusiast, I had to jump on board.

Your neighbors always somehow end up being a part of your day.

...whether they’re your close friends or just those dudes you’ve lived next door to for five years but never once said hello to. For me, it’s mostly that one guy who was always “so drunk last night, man,” and the sweet blonde girl downstairs who invited me over when she once “accidentally baked too much pumpkin coffee cake.”

In celebration of Neighbor Day -- and also partially in the interest of self-entertainment -- I asked my team to tell me stories about their neighbors, why they love ‘em, and if they ever make them feel like moving to a remote house in the middle of a field and never living near anyone else again.

Enjoy and share yours in the comments!

The classic mixup

Tumblr / Via tumblr.com

"I once knew a guy who got drunk, mistakenly went into his neighbor's apartment, and fell asleep in the bedroom. He woke up to his neighbor whose bed he was in preparing to attack. Not sure who the worse neighbor in this situation is."

World's Best Neighbor

petsworld.in / Via petsworld.in

"Someone in my building watches The Office really loud almost every night. If I hear that theme song one more time ....."

Do dooooo, do do do do do

That entrepreneur life

tenor / Via media.tenor.co

"When I was little, my neighbors would always be the first ones to buy lemonade from my lemonade stand."

Wholesome!

A new best friend

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"I moved into my first apartment and didn't realize how loud my heels were when I walked on the hardwood floor. My neighbor below me left me a nice note asking me to remove my hoes when I came home. I left a note in return apologizing and offered my phone number in case there was ever another issue. My neighbor proceeded to call me in the middle of the night every time there was a noise in the building. Not once was the noise coming from my unit, but I still always got the phone call without fail.

NYC vs. San Francisco

The Cooper Review / Via thecooperreview.com

"I just moved from NYC to SF. During my 5 years in New York, I had one neighbor and we never once said hello to each other. Not coming in, not walking out, not at the bodega in our building, not even in the line to vote! In San Francisco, on move-in day alone, five different tenants came by to say hi and give me their phone numbers in case I needed anything. My upstairs neighbor even put me on into a group text with him and his wife and one weekend texted to make sure he wasn't watching TV too loudly!"

A pool for the pup

Via petsworld.in

"Our neighbor Sue set up a kiddie pool for our dog to play in when she snuck under the fence into Sue's yard. When we got home, our puppy Dakota was making herself at home on our neighbor's couch!"

The introvert's delight

Asterisk / Via theasterisktoday.com

"I typically avoid my neighbors and they avoid me. It's great. One time my neighbor made small talk with me. It was awful for both of us."

Hey, when it works it works.

Bridging the (age) gap

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"I never knew I'd find myself living next to a fellow Florida Gator in California! There are 30 years between our graduation dates, but a lifetime of stories to share. Go Gators!"

Dinner around the world

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"My neighbors and I once hosted a progressive dinner between the three units in our building. Each apartment made delicious cocktails and a different course of food. It was really fun to spend some time connecting with one another, especially since we see each other moving throughout the building but don't always have time to chat."