It's true, New York City has changed quite a bit. We've lost a lot. People, businesses, jobs, mom and pop shops, culture, art, and the list goes on. It's unclear if it's permanent but I am looking forward to the positive changes that could be born out of this disaster, like lowered rents. If the city could stay around 5 million people I think it would be much more manageable then the 8.4 that existed beforehand. We were packed to the gills as they say.
New York is still much different than other places. You can't take history away and the dimensions to this city rival layers of linoleum on our rental floors. But lately, I haven't felt much of that pizazz. And then today I read an article in the paper that my laundromat has been the target of attacks, racial in nature for 7 months by local teenagers. We love these guys and their business and it pains me to see this happen. This week the harassment went violent when a good samaritan tried to step in and was injured. Some kids in packs are little terrorist groups and we need to find a way to reform and transform all that energy.
Then, I found out my neighbor was traveling to the border to write a story on the migrant children crisis. All of the sudden I feel connected to the city again. Both instances are sad and tough realities and getting excited might be a strange reaction but just like the virus, it's all so random and far away until something happens close to or to you. It's a sad state of affairs when you need societal linkage this badly. But there is something torturous about being so removed from everything as well. Half the people I speak to seem to have reached their limits during all this isolation while the others have resumed regular life as if the world is not connected to them. I need some attachment right now to feel alive but it also feels like an important responsibility to realize that union does exist, for the greater good dontchaknow.
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Leftover Cumin Turkey Jalapeno Chili |
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Blistered Shoshito Peppers |
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Asparagus with cheesy tomato |
I was crushed when I watched that video of the old man being body slammed in Oakland Chinatown. 😔
ReplyDelete😔😕 horrid! Unforgivable.
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