What’s it been like spending quarantine in NYC? Well, it’s crazy to think that I haven’t left the Upper East Side since March. In fact, I haven’t been more than ten blocks from home in four months. I haven’t taken any mode of transportation (subway, bus or car) in almost 15 weeks, and I’ve only seen five people more than once. I’ve been working from my dining room table for so many days that it almost feels normal.
While many people fled the city for weeks or months at a time (and some left forever), we stayed put. We decided early on that we were going to tough it out. While we’re fortunate to have all of our parents in the area, no one has enough space where would have both been able to work from home effectively. So, we set up our work spaces in our one bedroom apartment, ordered masks, and brought hand sanitizer every time we went outside. We were as careful as we could be, and we started cleaning the apartment more thoroughly and more often. It’s been strange to walk around the neighborhood and see so many places closed. But, we’ve tried to support as many of our favorite local businesses as we could through takeout and delivery…without ordering in too much.
At the beginning, when NYC was a hot spot, it was pretty scary. I had to limit the amount of news I was reading. When the 7 o’clock cheer would come around, I would sometimes get tears in my eyes thinking about how overwhelmed and frightened the brave healthcare workers must be. We made donations to organizations that were supporting frontline workers and small businesses, but I still felt helpless.
More recently, we watched as protestors filled the streets to speak out against injustice. We didn’t join them, but we supported the cause in other ways, with donations, social media sharing, and tough conversations. Now, the protests are less frequent, and the cheers have gotten quieter, even though both of these fights continue. But, as more time passed, and the weather warmed up, the neighborhood got busier. Many people do their best to observe social distancing, but every day I see more people walking around without masks, and it makes me so mad. On nice days, the bars have lines outside for to-go drinks, and the lawns of the parks are full of people desperate for socialization (mostly from a safe distance). The sidewalks are more crowded, and people are less conscious of leaving space.
Places are slowly starting to re-open, and we are about to enter Phase Two. As much as there are definitely things, places, people and experiences that I miss, it’s scary to think that going back to “normal” could land us right back where we were in March…and then we’ll have to do this all over again. Truthfully, my anxiety has been high during this time, and as much as I think staying in NYC was the right decision, lately I’ve been feeling especially overwhelmed. Thankfully, we decided to spend a few days a little way upstate for July 4th weekend and I truly can’t wait.
When I posted a poll on Instagram Stories about states starting to re-open, it became clear that I’m not the only one who’s worried about what’s going to happen. Here were the responses people shared:
So let me just say: Masks make a difference. It’s much easier to get them now, so you really have no excuse. If you need more convincing, check out this Instagram post I wrote on a day I was really frustrated with how few people were wearing them. (And if you need recommendations, check out this one and this Etsy shop).
This ended up being much longer than I thought…there’s still a lot more I could say about quarantine in NYC, and it’s definitely not over yet. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, to say the least, but there have been silver linings. Rob and I eat lunch and dinner together almost every day, and we have a lot more time to talk. Bones is very happy having us around all of the time and we get many extra snuggles. We Zoom with friends who live across the country on a regular basis, and had family join us for holidays who wouldn’t normally get to attend. We’re healthy and safe, as is everyone we love, and I am SO grateful for that. It’s also been a strange time to have a blog and a social media presence, so thanks for sticking with me! How has quarantine been where you are? What’s been a bright spot? Please feel free to share in the comments or drop me an email.
