The Bright Side of a Darkened city: One New Yorker’s View
New Yorkers hate it when someone tells them what to do. The word “no” simply doesn’t register. We’re headstrong risk-takers, movers and shakers, unstoppable trendsetters.
And above all, we’re fearless.
Until we aren’t.
Today, New York is the epicenter of the corona virus in the U.S., with over 40% of all cases in the country. New York has been told “NO” in no uncertain terms. No, you can’t go out. No, you can’t see your friends and family. No, you can’t meet your lover for dinner. No, you can’t hug your mom.
The city as we know it has been brought to its knees. A 1,000-bed military ship with hundreds of service member medical staff sits on the Hudson River, and emergency medical tents with 68 beds has been erected in Central Park to take on the overflow from hospitals.
Only a month ago New York City’s palpable and world-famous energy was alive and well. If you’ve ever been here you know what I’m talking about. Artists write, paint, and sing about the life force that surround New Yorkers like an electrifying embrace, comforting us and challenging us to be better. It comes from the streets and from 8 million people living together and feeding off each other in one gigantic community. No one person here loves it the most, but nearly all of us love it passionately.
Over the past few weeks, streets, schools, restaurants, theaters, and stadiums have emptied as we’ve been driven inside. The only energy on the streets now emanates from frightened delivery people, very confused dogs, and the men and women venturing out in masks and gloves to pick up necessities—if they are allowed in stores.
Walking to the pharmacy has become like a slow game of Frogger, as we dodge and weave to maintain a 6ft distance from other humans. We shoot furtive, suspicious glances around as we walk past our favorite coffee shops, boutiques, and theaters all closed, many boarded up. The streets look like a movie set after the actors and crew have all gone home. It doesn’t help that it’s been raining a lot. The bleakness adds to our new reality, turning our formerly bright metropolis into something that resembles Gotham City from the Batman movies. My heart breaks every time I venture out. I am overwhelmed by a deep sadness for our city and its people who live here because they never wanted to be isolated. Social distancing has never been in our vocabulary, and now we’re starving for connection.
The human need for community is going to get us through this, and it’s starting to show. New Yorkers may be stressed and sad, but we are also tough and resourceful. We refuse to wallow, and as the days pass, I’ve seen virtual communities popping up in every corner of the Internet that distract, teach, inspire hope, and create meaning. People are taking the joyous parts of their lives and sharing like crazy, setting off a domino effect of great content, ideas, and hope. The Internet is buzzing, even if the streets are not.
I’m dipping my toes into this brave new virtual world, and the water feels great. During the past few weeks, I’ve become a Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime expert. I’ve played comedic critic at my book club; I attended a distant relative’s Sunday dinner: I’ve watched musician Jesse Malin do a live stream concert from his apartment in the East Village because his tour was cancelled; I’m taking an online class at NYU; I’ve cooked a salmon dinner with my friend Dave via Skype, and I’ve taken virtual studio tours of artists I ordinarily wouldn’t make time for.
I’ve also found a way to do service by donating to the essential workers and medical professionals on the front lines; I’ve attended board meetings that have spilled into a virtual happy hours; I’ve joined Creageless, an online community of creatives over 40 (ad and otherwise) from around the country; I’ve sent virtual hugs and support to my friends who have the virus; and I’ve learned that my friend Sharon used to race dirt bikes and likes black raspberry ice cream. We’re letting our famous NYC guard down a little bit in order to grasp what we’ve lost in isolation. And sometimes it feels very, very rich.
Like me, and so many others, you too can find a community of like-minded people online and expand your network virtually. You can think outside the U.S. box and connect with that beer-tasting club in Scotland. Or take a virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art or tune in to the Pace Gallery’s series of online shows.
So despite the empty streets and the fear and the sickness, the spirit of New York is, in the ways that matter, much the same, if not better. It just looks and feels vastly different. The energy still moves and changes—it’s just happening behind the windows and in the rooms of buildings, skyscrapers, and warehouses.
If we can take several moments each day to take what is positive in our life and share it in whatever way we can, we’ll help someone else and we just might make it to the other side as—dare I say it?—a better New York. One that’s more aware of the lives of others, less focused on self, and with a renewed appreciation and acceptance of the powers and necessity of human connection. This is how we reclaim our fearlessness and, when the time is right, take our renewed energy back to the streets!
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Sara Wofford is a contributing writer for Creageless, focusing on all things fashion, arts, and culture. She works freelance from her hometown of NYC, where she can be found tapping into the trends smart, savvy, stylish readers want.