To the best city in the world:
As my time in New York City draws close, I reflect 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 streets glittered, and the skyscrapers were imposing. I felt myself taken aback by the intensity of the city. People darted to and from. I was lost, but it was magnificent. I felt at home but not at peace.
I landed a sweet 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 in my life had begun.
Then, of course, my luck ran out.
To start the new decade, 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. It was just great.
It started out as a quiet panic among my wife and her family. As immigrants from China, her parents had family on the mainland and were monitoring the situation in Wuhan closely. I scoffed off concerns at first. After all, it was way over there. It could never happen here, right?
But it did, and it swept in fast.
Slowly, the city started shutting down, and then, suddenly, the world began collapsing. "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. Suddenly, everyone went from smiling faces in person to tired expressions behind a screen.
"The city that never sleeps, did"
People will say that the city was dead quiet during the height of COVID-19. Those people are wrong. What they leave out are the ambulance sirens blaring all night long. Each siren was just a reminder that another person had been lost.
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.
But even though we all were apart, the city kept us all together.
It's been a hard two years, but slowly, the city came back to life. The cars started honking again, people yelled at each other on the subway, and $1 Pizza Shops opened back up. But something felt different.
"The world had changed, and so did I."
I just no longer see the city in the same light. All I knew of the city were the harsh lockdowns and the darting eyes people would make when I coughed. The city is back, but I wasn't ready. And maybe I'll never be.
This is why I am bidding you farewell, at least for now. It's time for me to move on and spend some time with my family in Colorado. I need time to capture some of the spark lost these past two years. But I know you'll be here, shining brightly as always.
I'll certainly miss the bagels.
