I Miss NYC

Simply stated, I miss New York. New York City captivated me when I was a child, and I was fascinated by the diversity of New Yorker’s. The fashion, music, races, religions, and foods, were anything but ordinary. I felt my toes tingle in NYC. The bikes weaving dangerously in and out of traffic, men in expensive suits walking elbow to elbow with construction workers, or foreigners speaking their native tongue. I appreciated it all.

My family frequented “The city”, as we referred to it, visiting museums, attending Broadway shows or sharing a meal. My father’s office was in “The city”, and my mother had her hair cut in a Soho salon, but it was a vastly different Soho then we know today. Visiting the city from our New Jersey suburb was an outing, an excuse to dress up, and spend time together as a family. As a child, I recall feeling a bit uneasy watching homeless men approach our car as we exited the tunnel, or walking across less desirable streets and inhaling the putrid smell of urine in the summer heat. Back then, the city was far from perfect, and Manhattan has had many iterations, mostly improvements, but we seem to be headed back to the days of a struggling city.

It was always assumed that New York would be my future. The natural progression was to graduate college and move to Manhattan. Who would want to live anywhere else when the great city of New York is in your backyard? The sporting events, live music venues, small undiscovered bars, the city offered endless possibilities.

Throughout my summers in college, I lived in NYC as I began my career in fashion. I relished connecting with new people in my daily routine. The familiar bus driver, passengers on the same morning timeline, the doorman at my office building, co-workers, neighbors in the building I lived in all formed a life full of new faces and experiences around every corner. I love how you just never know what you are going to stumble upon manhattan. A street fair, an outdoor concert, a demonstration, nothing is predictable in manhattan. My favorite pastime in NYC is walking. Walking for miles. Exploring the countless shops and their unique window displays ranging from luxury to bohemian. Neighborhoods are equally diverse, each possessing a feel, and a vibe. There’s always someplace new that can uniquely fill your senses. New tastes, sounds,smells, and sights.

Post graduation I contemplated living in another city, but New York seemed to be the logical choice. I think I knew my life would ultimately end up in NYC, so I figured one shot at exploring another city could be interesting, but Manhattan pulled me back. My first apartment was on East 75th street, only a few blocks from my best friend. We enjoyed late Saturday nights and Sunday morning brunches, recapping events of the prior evening, as well as a weeknight meet up at the gym. As my life progressed, I was married in New York, purchased my first piece of real estate in New York, and my daughters were all born there. My career and business were built in NYC. I made new friends through work, and my life as a new mom. I cheered on the Knicks in their heyday, saw U2, Dave Matthews Band and numerous other acts in concert. I visited museum retrospectives and gallery openings, explored restaurants offering exotic cuisines with swanky decor and meandered the city while pushing a wriggling baby in a stroller.

When I moved to the suburbs to raise my daughters, it was not without protest, and I continued to envision NYC as my endgame, until an unexpected pandemic dramatically altered the city I love. The city I once knew has been kidnapped by a silent virus. Since the pandemic, I’ve returned to NYC three times. My heart sank as I drove down the empty avenues that should be teeming with people and yellow cabs. The pulse of the city is now on life support. My dynamic city is deflated. Many stores have been forced to close, some temporarily, some permanently. The vibrant restaurants that were once boisterous and colorful are silent. New Yorker’s created the pulse and now, a city that thrived on human interaction, can’t allow humans within six feet of one another. New York prides itself on human connections. Chatting with patrons while dining at the bar is now impossible. Museums are by appointment only, live performances are almost nonexistent. I miss the old NY. I miss the people more than anything. The connection, the random conversation with cab drivers, or diners at the neighboring table. I would fight to get back to the version of the city we all know and love, but that’s not an option. There is simply nothing we can do except wait and hope our city returns.

I look forward to the day when the screeching taxis and mind numbing traffic returns. When bars are packed three deep, dinner reservations are difficult to secure, and I can’t get tickets to a show or sporting event because they’re in high demand. I’m sure you’re all thinking, ‘Frank Sinatra, she has to quote Frankie when it comes to New York.’ Well, I’m not. As I write this tribute to my city, the song that replays in my head is appropriately from one of the most famous Broadway shows of all time. The show is quintessential New York and highlights the hearts of New Yorker’s. Daddy Warbucks said it right. Amen for NYC.

NYC

What is it about you

You’re big

You’re loud

You’re tough

NYC

I go years without you

Then I

Can’t get

Enough

Enough of cab drivers answering back

In language far from pure

Enough of frankfurters answering back

Brother, you know you’re in NYC

Too busy, too crazy

Too hot

Too cold

Too late

I’m sold

Again

On NYC

NYC

The shadows at sundown

The roofs

That scrape

The sky

NYC

The rich and the rundown

The big

Parade

Goes by

What other town has the Empire State and a mayor five foot two

No other town in the whole forty eight

Can half compare to you

Oh, NYC

You make ’em all postcards

You crowd, you cramp

You’re still, the champ

Amen for NYC