I have been sheltering in place in my NYC apartment for a little over 2 months now. It’s crazy to think that I haven’t left Manhattan since the beginning of March. I also haven’t been on a subway or in a car since.
My Decision To Stay:
A lot of people have told me that I’m crazy to have stayed in NYC during all of this. I should’ve gone to my parents in Westchester when things starting closing down. I don’t think there is a perfect place to be during a pandemic, but ultimately I will say I’m happy I’ve stayed in NYC.
At the end of the day, this is my home, I’ve lived in NYC for 12 years and my current apartment for 10 of those years. My apartment, as small as it may feel right now, is very much so home.
There are moments during my day that feel “normal” even though life is far from normal right now. I’ll be cooking my usual kale, chickpeas and brown rice for lunch and it’s like any old day where I’m home for lunch in between teaching classes. Sitting on my couch watching endless hours of Rupaul’s Drag Race is what I’d be doing anyway most nights. I’m grateful for those moments that give me little sparks of normalcy during this crazy time.
What It’s Like in NYC Right Now:
It is definitely a weird time to live in NYC. A lot of people have left the city to shelter elsewhere. If I had to guess I’d say way more than half of the people that live in my building have gone somewhere else.
I feel like a lot of the good parts of living in NYC have been taken away:
There is so much I love about living in New York during normal times: My friends are here. Broadway shows. The fitness scene. There is no shortage of things to do. I can quickly run out to the grocery store to pick up more salt if I run out while cooking. Being in a city has always felt convenient, everything I need is a 5 minute walk away.
Right now it feels like all my favorite parts of NYC have been taken away and I’m just left with the shitty parts — my small apartment and the fact that I live in such close quarters with my neighbors. I miss those other things. A lot.
It’s super quiet:
The streets are no doubt quieter. Some pockets are REALLY REALLY quiet nearby me. As a female walking alone I do feel like I have to be extra aware of my surroundings in areas that I wouldn’t typically think of as “dangerous”.
I feel like I’m Goldilocks trying to find the perfect place to walk. Obviously I don’t want to be walking in an area that’s super crowded because of social distancing rules, but I also don’t want to be walking alone in midtown because it’s just plain creepy right now.
Overall I would say people are pretty respectful about maintaining social distance, but it’s also tricky. I’ve preferred walking in areas like the East Village where there isn’t a ton of car traffic and I can walk in the middle of the street to avoid people.
This week I’ve really noticed people starting to get lax about wearing masks in a surprising way. I find that really frustrating — I’m not wearing this mask for ME, I’m wearing it to protect YOU, please do the same.
Lack of outdoor space is tough:
Everyone keeps seeing news reports about how much New Yorkers suck at social distancing when they see photos of our crowded parks. I can speak to my own experience and say it’s rough not having a backyard or even patio to go outside and get fresh air. Anytime I’m outside of my apartment — even in the hallway of my building throwing out the trash — I’m wearing a mask.
My parents have an apartment in the city closeby to me with a small balcony. They don’t live there full-time and have only come into the city a few times during all of this. On warm days I’ve been heading there to eat, read and hang outside. I feel extremely grateful to have this space as a place to escape to and know most New Yorkers don’t have anywhere to go for outdoor space. I don’t even have a car here to drive elsewhere to find outdoor space.
A lot of things are still open:
NYC might be quieter than it’s ever been, but there are still plenty of essential businesses that are open in my neighborhood.
The Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and smaller grocery stores by me have been SO well stocked. Every so often you have to wait in line outside to get in, but I’ve found the shopping experience to be almost better than in normal times since there are fewer people in the stores.
I NEVER go to Trader Joe’s but went last week because there was no line outside and no line for checkout. In my 12 years of living near the Union Square TJ’s it’s the first time I’ve seen no checkout line. It’s usually wrapped all the way around the store. A pandemic miracle.
There are also still SO many great restaurants open for takeout and delivery. I think that’s a major advantage of staying in NYC, I wouldn’t have a ton of restaurant options in the suburbs. And we all know how much I suck at cooking. Takeout and delivery are now available at many restaurants that don’t typically offer them. And lots are offering to-go cocktails. I’m a fan of delivery margaritas. Hopefully, they have understood the importance of takeout as an option to stay afloat in the market during the pandemic. It’s possible that these restaurants are breaking free from their rigid food delivery ideologies–the ones to thank here might be a
restaurant consulting group that encouraged them to think outside the box.
It’s tricky living in close quarters to my neighbors. And laundry sucks more than ever:
In NYC there are a lot of people living in a small amount of space. I’m pretty sure the building that’s across from my bedroom window is less than 6 feet away. So much for social distancing…
Right now my building has a lot of rules to keep everyone safe. You must wear masks anytime you’re walking around the building, even if it’s just to throw out the trash. Only 1 person or family is allowed in the elevator.
I don’t have an in-unit washer/dryer. I’ve always done laundry in my basement. I’m not gonna lie, the first few times I had to do laundry since this all started I was extremely anxious about it. I know that people can get basement waterproofing in Columbia, and across the country, to help in the case of any extreme weather or flooding from appliances, which is reassuring for my clothes, but that’s certainly not going to keep what’s outside away from me. But now that I’m feeling way less anxious about things overall, I’m less terrified of the laundry situation. Doing laundry in a communal space always sucks, but now it feels extra sucky.
My personal method is glove on one hand to touch the machine and buttons, and then I use my other hand to touch my clothes. I try not to think too much about who used the machine before me (I mean even in normal things that gross me out!) and I wash my hands a million times. I’m lucky that the people in my building have been pretty respectful of all the rules right now and everyone seems to be wearing masks and gloves while keeping their distance. I think I should look into getting a washing machine and dryer before things escalate and one of the people in my building gets COVID-19. I can look for a second hand Clothes Dryer and washing machine to reduce the expenses, but it’s a long shot since I will have to find space to put the appliance in my NYC apartment.
A lot of New Yorkers don’t have laundry in their building at all and have to go elsewhere or send their clothes out. It’s an added layer of stress during an already stressful time.
I’m going a little stir crazy
I’ve been going on long walks almost every day. I am starting to get a bit sick of going to the same handful of neighborhoods day after day. I can only walk so far away from my apartment before I have to turn around and walk the whole way back. Also TMI but I’m not sure what I’d do about the bathroom situation if I stayed out and about for a few hours. Also, thanks to the internet providers in my area, I’ve got a stable internet connection because of which I’m able to virtually travel around watching an infinite number of videos to cope with my boredom.
I’ve had some of the NICEST interactions with strangers
I gotta give it to New Yorkers, even during this stressful time I’ve had some of the most delightful interactions with total strangers. On my birthday all of the baristas at the St. Mark’s Starbucks sang to me with SO much gusto. Honestly, I’ve had such sweet chats with most of the Starbucks baristas I’ve seen over the past few weeks. I’ve had lovely chats with other people while we’re both waiting for takeout at a restaurant. On the streets I’ve chatted with people from a distance. My doormen are always the best but have been extra great during this time.
I know we’re all slowly going crazy right now, but it reminds me that I still love New York even during this strange time.
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