A trip to New York City — The Antidote to my Pandemic Life
This year has been challenging, to say the least. I have been reminded over and over again about survival and how ephemeral life, happiness and peace can be.
This year has also been cognitively damp. I’m someone that finds inspiration and stimulation from people, places, events — happenings of life in general. But the pandemic has cut me off from many of my sources of stimulation. We don’t meet new people as often, we don’t travel to new places, there aren’t many new experiences. It’s so easy to stay within your comfort zone. And that’s not a good thing for your mind, is it? I was re-reading my blog post about cab conversations (linked here) and was reminded of how a simple conversation with a stranger had done wonders to my mood. I don’t get those as often these days. Which is exactly why, New York was a much needed breath of fresh air(well, figuratively).
I visited New York over my birthday weekend and the city of dreams was everything I was missing in life. Energy, stimulation and an unapologetic sense of self. What a terrific place, this one!
I was living in a tiny box of a hotel room (as is every other living situation here). I peek outside my window and there is a whole another world happening here, any time of the day. There are people yelling at each other, laying on the sidewalk without a care in the world, cursing emphatically, but also, there are people dressed impeccably, walking the runway of New York sidewalks showcasing Fall Collection 2021, with coffee and bagel in their hands (aka arm extensions you develop as a New Yorker, apparently)
This contrast is fascinating. You see it all over New York. The subways especially, which was also my favourite part of the visit. There are people travelling with friends who’re engrossed in riveting conversations, couples who can’t keep their hands off of each other and some just comfortably alone.
Travelling in the subway was nothing short of fascinating. I saw tired parents dozing off, teenagers blushingly engrossed in their phones and of course, tons and tons of style inspiration. A man donning a pair of sick Jordans that perfectly complemented the rest of his street-style outfit, a lady in this huge dress(more like a gown, and mind you, in a subway!) that was a concoction of beautiful colours playfully sprayed over white paired with a pair of Louboutins, and then, the classic New Yorker style — a black leather jacket over a pair of jeans paired with black boots — chic and casual.
PS: Ladies, flare jeans are HOT this season and it was reiterated to me by New Yorkers in at least a hundred outfits each day.
That was a major fashion digression but there’s something special about traveling in a subway and going through life collectively. For that short 30-minute subway ride we were all silently, unnoticeably sharing a collective snippet of life and this was something I terribly missed since the pandemic.
The most therapeutic aspect for me personally, was how people were unabashedly themselves. I saw people of all races, colour, culture, sexual orientations, just proudly being themselves. It seemed like it wasn’t just encouraged but rather celebrated here. And it’s not something that New York reminds you with giant welcome banners. It’s just in the air. You just know you can be yourself. Maybe, it’s partly because everyone else channels this trait but also maybe, because no one really cares. This air of blatant self-expression seeps deep into your skin and inevitably you notice a strut in your walk as you take a stroll in Manhattan. Maybe it wasn’t just Sarah Jessica parker, maybe it was New York all along.
I wish I could bottle it up and bring it with me — this air of comfort, confidence, excitement and life. Wish I could breathe it in when I needed it the most. But maybe, it’s already in me. The fact that I penned down the first draft of this article in 15 minutes, 3 months since I was physically in New York, is quite telling. Those memories and experiences, my curious eye and brain have somehow seeped it all in. All I need to do now is close my eyes and travel in time, and there I am back in New York, a skip in my step and dreaming about the immense possibilities of life! :)
