Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life - except when there is a crisis at work, a leak in the roof or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? Nora has never New York, and they street has become a safe harbour, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. The residents watch one another's children grow up. They trade gossip and gripes, and they manoeuvre for the ultimate status symbol: a spot in the block's small parking lot.