As of today, New York’s total death toll rose to nearly 3,000, double what it was only three days earlier. The total confirmed cases in the world is 1,141,190 and more than 57,000 of those are in New York City alone. The news is full of sad stories. My family and friends are asking me about the situation in the city on a daily basis. It must be shocking for them to watch the news aboutNew York. But, in fact, how is my life in the Upper West Side?My last day of work before this lockdown period was March 16th. That day, I gave some data to my colleague, packed my desktop computer in my hiking backpack and walked the 20 blocks home. A lucky move, because a few days later, our institute officially closed their doors. Since then, Mia and I have lived and worked together in my/our apartment, which is around 20 square meters large (200 square feet), in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Since Mia and I started dating, we had a rule to live together only after our engagement. We both wanted to work and live together during the COVID-10 pandemic, so therefore, on our 1.5 year anniversary, I proposed to her in the kitchen of my apartment. And she said yes (!). It happened right after we moved some of her things to my apartment and I carried her over the threshold. A dear friend dedicated this song to us after we shared the news of our engagement with our world. And it couldn’t be more fitting.
Weeks before the New York state official locked down, I bought a new table and an external display for Mia. This was an early present for her, before officially moving in, which we had originally planned for the end of May. Asit turned out, this was a very lucky and timely present because we essentially made home offices for us both in our little apartment.
 |
| Mia in our home office space. |
Living together is great for me. I don’t know anybody who is able to have this experience of being engaged and living with her/his fiance/fiancee in a closed space 24/7. As one of my friends put it, this is a great test before marriage. We shop, work, work out, relax, work some more, watch youtube, play scrabble online, brush our teeth, and much more ... together.
 |
| We found a ball in Riverside Park during one of our afternoon runs. |
We had some creative moments like, camping in the living room:
 |
| Our original idea for living room camping was from Lukas, who ment it as a joke. Well, I took it more seriously. |
We are both very lucky to have work and we can work from home. Mia’s work requires her to have virtual meetings and calls with many people throughout the day, while I need a quiet environment to work and stay focused. For our small apartment we found two solutions:
- Noise cancelling headphones. I bought Sony WH-1000XM3, because they seemed to be one of the best out there.
- Mia, as a true New Yorker, made her detached office space in the closet:
 |
| Clothes removed = a lot of space to work! |
Going out is a necessity for us. We go running at least every other day. Rain or shine. Mia prefers to run in the rain. Occasionally we bike as well, if time and weather permits.
This is a video from our biking in the city on March 21 (beginning of spring):
Note the many people in parks and we even spotted a farmers market (!) in Union Square. But the city tried to implement social distancing:
 |
| The city tries to inform people via LinkNYC panels: #AloneTogether |
 |
| Arthur the Happy Hermit says, “Make loneliness your friend and you will never be alone.” |
We had a very good experience at Trader Joe’s grocery store close to 92nd Street. Customers were mindful of keeping their distance and were well organized by employees. The shopping cart handles were disinfected by employers wandering throughout the store. In general, there was enough food in the grocery store and we were able to get everything we needed. Employees also wore face masks. The grocery store Garden of Eden, installed a protective glass for the cashier workers as well.
 |
| Organized queue in front of Trader Joe’s. The mess on the street does not have to do anything with COVID-19. This is typical NYC. |
I do not have any problem getting my medicine. All drug stores are open. Every week we order a delivery from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh which comes on time. All of our other Amazon deliveries come on time or even earlier.
A few days ago the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended wearing a face mask. Until now, we have received mixed messages about wearing them. In contrast, everybody in my home country Slovakia has been wearing face masks for at least 2 weeks now. I was able to find 10 overpriced face masks this morning for $20 from a small shop on Broadway. We use buffs as well.
The vibe in the Upper West Side is very calm. Slower traffic than usual, and therefore less pollution and more quiet. Everything slowed down, including us, and it seems that people enjoy their lives here. Mother nature continues to celebrate spring and shows her beauty amidst all that is going on.
 |
| Evening in Central Park. |
 |
| Afternoon in Fort Washington Park with a view of the Hudson River, the Upper West Side and Midtown. |
 |
| My new favorite spot in Riverside Park close to 66th Street. |
Life in our little apartment in the Upper West Side will continue at least for another month. We are not complaining.
Mia edited and improved the text.
Comments
Post a Comment