To the best city in the world:
As my time in New York City draws close, I find myself reflecting on my time in the concrete jungle. It certainly was not easy, but it was one hell of a ride.
"New York comprises millions of people who come here looking for something."
I arrived at the Big Apple in late October 2019 to move in with my then-girlfriend, now wife. I still remember those first few months like it was yesterday. The gritty streets glittered and the skyscrapers were intimidating. I was taken aback by the intensity of the city. People darted to and from a mile a minute. I was lost, but it was magnificent. I felt at home but not at ease. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I landed a Product Manager gig with Cognizant Softvision in December 2019 and remembered all the kind greetings I got at the Hudson Yards office. It did feel like a new chapter had begun.
Then, of course, my luck ran out.
To start off 2020, I fell off a ski lift and shattered my knee while visiting family in Colorado.
So I headed back to the city, limping on crutches, in one of the fastest-paced places on earth. Great.
Then it started out as a quiet panic amongst my wife and her family. Being immigrants from China, her parents had family on the mainland and were monitoring the situation in Wuhan. I scoffed off at their concerns at first. After all, it was way over there. It could never happen here...right?
But it did, and fast.
Slowly, the city started shutting down, and then suddenly, the world collapsed. "Two weeks. Shelter in place for two weeks!" was blaring from every TV and news station. I had to say goodbye to my team that I had just met three months prior. Everyone went from smiling faces across a coffee table to tired expressions behind a screen.
"The city that never sleeps, did"
People like to imagine that the city was dead silent during the height of COVID-19. Those people are wrong. What they leave out were the ambulance sirens blaring all night long. Hour by hour. I looked out my high rise to see empty highways with only handful of lights racing towards the hospital.
At 7 p.m. each day, the city erupted into cheers for our front-line workers. Then the Blue Angels flew over the East River in a display of solidarity for the city. Then, the U.S.N.S Comfort super carrier docked on the Hudson.
For two weeks, it really did feel like the world was united. Two scary but truly peaceful, quiet weeks. I'll always cherish that time.
Even though we all were all apart, the city kept us all together. I was blessed to live on the 30th floor overlooking all of Brooklyn. I decided to set up LEDs in the shape of a heart to spark at least a few smiles from people brave enough to poke their heads outside.
When I heard that the hospitals were running low on face shields and masks, I organized with a local org to secure thousands of PPE to send them for free. Some places were kind enough to send back a photo of their thanks.
It's was a hard two years, but slowly the city came back to life. The cars started honking again. Buskers doing street art but on the Subway. And eventually the incredible $1 pizza shops opened back up. But something felt different this time.... Something felt...wrong.
"The world had changed, and so did I."
I just no longer see this city in the same light. All I knew of the Big Apple were the harsh lockdowns and the darting eyes people would make when I coughed. The city is back, but it left me behind. Maybe I'll never be able to catch up again.
This is why I am bidding you farewell, hopefully just for now. It's time for me to move on and spend some time with family. I need time to capture some of that spark I lost these past two years. But I know you'll be here, shining brightly as you always do.
I'll certainly miss your bagels. Till we cross paths again New York City.
With Love, Justin
