After quarantining at home with my family for six months, it was time to head back to New York City and resume some semblance of normalcy in mid September. I packed my bags full of mismatched tie dye sets and other miscellaneous things acquired from well-spent time at home, and set out to resume my love affair with my favorite city.

So many things changed since I left the city in March—my job, my relationship, my daily routine—but NYC has always been a constant when I’ve had to pick up the pieces. Heading back to a clean slate was the most exciting part of returning.

Upon arrival, everything was the same, plus a layer of dust easily removed by the cleaning products I hoarded pre-pandemic. I fell back into my routine seamlessly. Wake up, roll out my mat for The ness digital sculpt, Citi bike downtown for an oat matcha from Ground Support, walk all the way back uptown, order my favorite kale salad from Westville on UberEats, repeat. It became muscle memory again almost instantly.

The city was bursting with energy just as I had remembered. This came as a surprise after months of headlines reading, “New York is dead” or “Will NYC ever bounce back?” But New York isn’t dead and it’s surely on the mend. Sure, it will get too cold for outdoor dining, wearing a mask 24/7 is an adjustment and large gatherings are still a ways away, but here in New York if there’s anything we’re good at it’s pivoting.

There’s no denying that ‘the new normal’ is a lot different than the old normal, but it’s still New York. Go for a walk with friends, take a socially distanced workout class, support small businesses, wear a damn mask, experience last call every weekend now that it’s at 10:30 pm (or is that just me?)—the list goes on! The most important thing I’ve learned since getting back is that it’s our responsibility to bring New York back to its fullest just as it’s been there for us, so who’s up for the challenge?

❤️ 🍎 ❤️

- Zoe