Walking through midtown Manhattan these days is spooky. Large parts of the island belonged to the tourists, that has always been the case. And when they can’t fly in, Midtown will be empty. New Yorkers work from home, which gives the impression that the city is dead. But they are there, they are sitting in their apartments, high above the empty streets. Down here, vendors whiz on their electric bicycles and deliver pizza or sushi to the 20th floor. Far from every traffic light, an old lady crosses 57th Street – on foot, at a leisurely pace.
Most of the shops are barricaded with wooden crates, whether as protection against angry Trump supporters, equally angry counter-demonstrators or the approaching tornado. There was just a tornado warning for New York City. That is extremely rare. But it fits into this time, somehow. A pandemic, an election debacle with an uncertain outcome, and now a hurricane as well. Reason enough to fold up the sidewalks. In an open store, there is a chaos of hangers in the shop window. 80 percent discount on a well-known designer brand! And yet nobody feels like shopping.
Pretty much alone in Manhattan …
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New Yorkers wear their masks very consistently
The few people on the street consistently wear masks. Although the sharp wind, with which the tornado announces itself, certainly blows away any aerosol immediately. The rain lashes at night. 100,000 people are without electricity on Sunday night, locked in their apartments in the worst-hit Bronx.
After the tornado, New Yorkers are rewarded with bright sunshine. Every ray of sunshine is used these days, as we all face a dark and lonely winter. As I leave my apartment and step onto the sidewalk, I’m once again happy not to live in Manhattan. Life is raging here in Bushwick – still. As long as the cafes and restaurants are open, New Yorkers defy the cold wind and sit outside in front of Variety Coffee Roasters, thickly wrapped up, drinking good, far too expensive coffee from paper cups.
Coffee in the sunshine at Variety Coffee Roasters
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A new lockdown is imminent
New York City is on the verge of a new lockdown. The number of infections is rising again, albeit less dramatically than in the rest of the country. Mayor Bill de Blasio reported the latest figures on Twitter over the weekend. About 900 new cases within a week, so the 7-day average of positive tests is 2.47%. De Blasio urges New Yorkers to do everything possible to prevent further surge. “We MUST prevent a second wave to keep our schools open.” He immediately received criticism on Twitter that the numbers were embellished in order not to have to close schools. Having children in the classroom means working parents and more economic activity and more tax money in the household budget. De Blasio knows that. But when the rate rises above three percent increases, he will not be able to prevent another lockdown.
Until then, the sun will be filled
The young people and families who live in Bushwick know this and flock to the cafes and parks in great droves. Maria Hernandez Park is full at any time of day, people are sunbathing on the benches, and on Halloween a real party took place here. Mostly Hispanic women are still pushing little carts and tirelessly shouting “Nutcracker” – even mixed drinks of vodka, tequila or rum with juice or Kool-Aid for a few dollars. “Nutcracker” is a code. Because drinking in public is and The New York Police Department is always ready to turn a blind eye during the pandemic, and New Yorkers keep an institution.
To get a test you stand in line – once around the block
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A week ago, the Nutcracker saleswomen probably made the business of their lives. The New Yorkers came out of their apartments, pale and tired because they’d all had election night – and it was particularly long. They met in parks, fireworks were blown up in broad daylight in Mc Carren Park in Brooklyn, street artists played live music, New Yorkers danced and cheered – the looming election victory of Democrat Joe Biden created a summer mood in November. New Yorkers who have lived in this city all their lives write on social networks that they have never experienced such a mood. It was so loud in Mc Carren Park that you could barely hear the cars honking by. In Manhattan, residents grabbed pots and pans and made noise. It was the loudest day since March. It felt like a veil had been pulled from New York. The New Yorkers showed the world they are sensible if they have to. But their city is not sleeping. Not even after a six-month pandemic.
You wait two and a half hours for a test
Within a week, the city went from a party to a pandemic operation again. Manhattan is swept empty. In Brooklyn that means business as usual, only with a mask. The rate of those who can work from home is significantly lower here than in Manhattan. That’s why the number of infections is still higher here. A woman cleans the shop window of her boutique, parcel delivery men and suppliers roll packages onto hand trucks. The sidewalks are not crowded, but they are full. The two emergency practices City MD and Modern MD are opposite each other on Knickerbocker Avenue. Long lines in front of it, both of which extend around the block.
Christmas decorations have to be for New Yorkers again this year …
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Some have brought small camping chairs with them. All are warmly dressed. I speak to the young man who is first in one of the two lines, how long has he waited? “Two and a half hours,” he says. Many want to be tested here for the corona virus. But the emergency practices are also the first point of contact for uninsured people with colds and broken bones alike. The prices here are cheap and you don’t need an appointment.
Pandemic panic and Christmas cheer are close together
Christmas decorations flash in the one-euro shops. Thanksgiving next week, the Christmas spirit begins for the Americans. New Yorkers can’t start decorating early enough this year – very few will celebrate Christmas as usual, one or two door wreaths brighten the mood and ensure normality. Thanksgiving is a great time to practice saying no and spending the holidays with no family or friends. But there is no trace of Corona fatigue among New Yorkers – there is something like tacit agreement that we have to go through it again now. I’m a little proud of the New Yorkers. I buy a silver Christmas door wreath and stroll home.
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:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/740d044a-29a1-11eb-9731-02c309bc01c1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Number of corona reports increases, even with a fault | Inland")