Pandemic Watch: Rediscovering NYC

During today’s unheralded times’ many people are packing up and leaving metropolitan areas, including NYC. Why? The reasons cited are endless. Some make sense. But to quote R.E.M., “Leaving New York never easy.” I’d never.

Let’s jump back a few years. I was having a business meeting in the upper west side apartment of the “Internet Mom,” a well-known tech reporter. With a colleague, we showed off Vonage’s latest devices. Meeting ended. My co-worker and I jumped on the train in about 8 minutes we were at John’s of Times Square for pizza. She left. I went to buy tickets for “Wicked.” Hopped back on the train and in about 5 minutes I was at Astor Place for a haircut. It is so sad that today’s times are causing this NYC legend to shutter its doors in about two weeks. They hope to come back. I will be praying it happens. I was able to go to very different neighborhoods in less than 30 minutes. Where else can you do that?

One of my closest friends, a former New Yorker said, “You should leave. NY’s a piss pot.” She’s right. But it is my piss pot. And it is overflowing. In all fairness, she hasn’t lived in NYC in several decades. She’s in a beautiful city. But it is not NYC. Back to R.E.M., don’t go to her city on a bus.

Let’s jump to yesterday. The weather was perfect. No need to sit in my residence and stare at the screen. The day was made for heading up to Museum Mile to snap photos with my Nikon camera (had to quote Paul Simon) along the path of the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. No need for a jacket. I just needed a pair of jeans, Skechers, a long-sleeved black t-shirt and my brand new authentic Mitchell & Ness Iron Horse jersey. That’s another story.

I reserved an 11:00 a.m. ticket for the Museum of the City of New York. Naturally, I arrived about an hour or so early. Perfect. I walked the reservoir and snapped away. We no longer get impressive fall foliage. But we got a little. I explored parts of the park that I rarely walked through or never did. It was wonderful. The park was quiet. We had some joggers and cyclists. A few little kids with mom and dad were walking around. And of course, a few folks were walking their dogs.

At 11, I went up to the museum. The security guards said we are closed. I said I have a ticket. He directed me to the ticket desk. She said we are closed today. If you had a ticket, we can reschedule or refund. She said it was closed due to a mechanical incident. I was thinking Covid-19. Who knows?

I was disappointed. Let the record be set, this not the first time I’ve been up there and it was closed. Before Covid-19, I went there. It was closed. They were setting up for a fundraiser. Its website said it was open regular hours. The museum is great. It has interesting timely exhibits. It has some great historical ones. Some of those are still very timely. What did I do? That day, I decided to walk over to the Guggenheim. Had a great time.

Yesterday, I did the same thing. I pulled out my iPhone and reserved an 11:30 a.m. ticket. As I was walking to it, I saw a sign on the Jewish Museum stating it had free admission until the end of 2020. I whipped out my phone and ordered an 11:15 a.m. ticket. I spent about 45 minutes there. Normally you need more time. But it was empty. For the most part, I had all the galleries to myself.

Exited around noon. I walked over to the Guggenheim to see it would honor my 11:30 ticket. I got in. A few people were milling around. It was not a typical Sunday crowd. But it had life. Good to see.

Last Sunday, I started the day off at L&B Spumoni Gardens and then headed over to Coney Island. Snapped shots of the Coney Island Polar Bears in the medicinal waters, the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel and of course, Nathan’s. Sipped a Coney Island Mermaid in the Coney Island Brewery’s outdoor seating section and headed home.

So New Yorkers, we are down. Are we out? No. It will take a while. It will be tough. But that’s what New York is made of. Let’s support our city.

Remember all the greatness of our City. We have so many firsts, i.e. Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. Remember Reggie’s three homers on three pitches v. Los Angeles in the World Series and Don Larsen’s perfect World Series Game? And more. Much more. While people are leaving New York, remember the Babe left Boston to come here. We are the birthplace of punk, have the best bagels, pizza and pastrami.

Other cities have their sites. But what other city has Yankee Stadium? There is no need to say anymore. But some people aren’t sports fans. Strange as it is, some don’t like the Bronx Bombers. That being said, besides, we have the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, the Coney Island Cyclone, Lincoln Center, the South Street Seaport, the Staten Island Ferry and the best theater on Broadway that’s aching to come back. And that’s just a small snapshot of our city.