Living closely with neighbors

From the August issue: In 2006, Alex Marshall and his wife, Kristi Barlow, had been living in their Prospect Heights apartment building for over a year — and, like many New Yorkers, still knew almost none of their neighbors. Being socially inclined people, they thought this was strange, but remediable. They decided to host a holiday party for their fellow tenants and slid invitations under the doors of the building’s 25 other apartments. Marshall whipped up a batch of eggnog using his great-grandfather’s recipe, strung up colored lights, and, on the day of the party, waited for guests to arrive. But except for the one couple they already knew, no one came.