SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Il Soo Choi retired this week after 22 years carrying letters, magazines, catalogs and packages to 643 addresses on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He's an immigrant from South Korea. His wife has worked in nail salons. Their daughter is a minister. The postman left a note in the mailboxes of the people along his route this week as reported by The Wall Street Journal. It is a kind of hymn to New York.

Interacting with people of various ethnicities, cultures and religious backgrounds, I've gained a love, respect and appreciation for humanity, Il Soo Choi wrote. I've encountered a billionaire, a TV anchor, a foreign diplomat, countless doctors and professors. I've interacted with both the wealthy and the poor working in Manhattan. The homeless lady, who used to sit by the Vietnamese restaurant, was both a friend and mentor. I believe that we can learn a great deal about ourselves in life when we open up to the world around us in this land, in this city. I've learned and gained so much by encountering each of you. It has been a privilege to serve as your mailman. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.