Urban tales of love and women, friendship and quiet courage; patriotism without slogans; national traditions—and the subjects we actually want to talk about.  This volume brings together novelist and playwright Ruslan Saghabalyan’s finest literary essays, his autobiographical poem *“Once Upon a Time,”* and intimate memoirs of well-known, dearly loved figures—people who leave a lasting imprint on our memories and on our city.  Published within the **Newmag & Friends** project, this collection captures Saghabalyan’s distinctive Yerevan voice: humorous, vivid stories and observations that are precise, warm, sometimes bittersweet, but always deeply human. It’s prose where a smile lives beside reflection—and where the everyday suddenly becomes meaningful.