PANDEMIC
Friends from Outside New York City, We Miss You
Come visit. Come back to work. Let’s get a drink.
We know, it was scary to stay in the city. Manhattan got quiet. It was weird. The roar of the subway beneath your feet was gone. You could only hear the blare of ambulances and the clang of pots-and-pans at 7pm. Life without restaurants and bars and Broadway felt empty and still. “Epicenter” is a frightening word. It reminded you of “Ground Zero.” It was easier to go. Zoom helped. So did Teams. And your boss. She finally said it was okay to WFH. And it was more fun. You have a pool on Long Island. The kids can run free in the yard in New Jersey. There are frogs and fish and trees. Pennsylvania is cheaper. We get it.
But you said it was temporary. You’ve been gone for 14 months. It’s time to come back, friends. The sun is shining, and the streets are more alive every day. Fifty-five percent of adults in New York City have been vaccinated. (I know, it’s not as high as it should be, but more and more are getting the shot every day.) Restaurants are open, and now they even serve food at cute little huts on the street. Some of the cute little huts are very fancy. Some have doors and chandeliers. And the menu is on your phone! Bars are even open. You can sit at the bar between plexiglass walls. It’s not that bad. The…
