2020 - A Never Ending Year

 

Ahh, 2020, what do I even say? Such a tsunami of interruption and worldwide discomfort. A pandemic. An American President who got more exasperating with every passing day and still does. 

My year started as I watched the ball drop in Times Square while dancing with pure passion to “New York, New York.” Perhaps preparing me up for the year ahead?

I managed to get a few adventures in before Covid-19 arrived. The highlight was participating in Carnival in Trinidad, an incredible celebration and a full on cross cultural deep dive! Plus I  went to Iowa for the Caucuses. 2020 has been such a crazy election year. I wanted Warren with her fresh clear ideas, but alas, America is way too sexist to let a woman be President. I’m happy to watch Kamala as VP and hope it helps ease the way to the top eventually. And I hope Biden can help calm the country and begin some much needed healing. I also got to spend a week in Maine and Massachusetts and got to see family and friends and experience the Pandemic through a different lens.

Mostly though, this year, faced with a pandemic that made my home neighborhood the “Epicenter of the Epicenter” in March and an economic crush that made my work supporting businesses at the NoHo Business Improvement District much more purposeful than before, I focused on NYC. With so much devastation everywhere from economic and human pain, I’ve just been trying to take every day at a time and process along the way. For months I have been taking long walks and trying to notice all the changes and sharing photos for all to see on Facebook. NY life is more complicated than can be covered with a photo or two in the news. I hope I’ve been able to show our resilient and community caring. To be honest, although I have no idea how bad the economic pain will turn out, I feel incredibly bullish on NYC’s future. We keep showing our strength and our creative spirit is seeping out everywhere. 

I’m an extrovert and sitting at home alone doesn’t suit me! Luckily I’ve been going to the office on most days since May and have a wonderful co-worker to power through this with. My job is to keep an eye on NoHo and that means being out on the streets seeing what’s happening.  I have really appreciated seeing how my networks have come together. Jackson Heights has an active, caring community that continues to work together to meet the challenges as they hit. The BID Community has been incredible. We are in constant contact working together to support NYC. We have weekly happy hours where we hammer through tough problems and also laugh uncontrollably. Zoom has become a wonderful life line. While I would much rather hang in person, I appreciate all the connections that continue. I also love all the new outdoor dining options and have enjoyed drinks al fresco, even as the temps drop. 

I have taken my energy and focused on helping people. It seems like the only way to push out the dystopian feelings floating everywhere. I volunteer at a food pantry every week, where we serve about 1000 families. I've helped them with raising money, getting diapers donated and social media. I do little things like stocking food in a local community fridge, picking up garbage on our new Open Street, giving blood, because it takes a village! I also listen to the pain and stress of NoHo business owners and try to help in any way I can. There are no concrete ideas about what the future will bring, but I’m just trying to stay engaged and moving with the changes. 

We still have a lot more trouble to come before this is over. I shudder about the uneven economic pain and how we are going to build up those who have suffered the most in our society. We are all going to have to work together to right our American ship on so many levels!  

I personally am hoping to get my vaccine in time to be able to get my travel plans back on track and get to the Tokyo Olympics. A year later, my friend is still waiting to show me around. Fingers crossed. But until then, NYC I’m here to serve you and help guide you towards a bright future!

May 2021 bring a fresh new energy to propel us forward!

❤️

Cordelia

Also, for more pictures of New York facing the Pandemic this year, scroll through the blog or check out my Facebook albums.

Facebook Covid Album 1 - March to September

Facebook Covid Album 2 - October to December

Covid Christmas in NYC

COVID can’t kill the Christmas spirit in NYC. The beauty of Christmas windows and other festive decorations are they are outside and look great with all my new holiday masks! Click HERE to see more pictures in my Facebook Holiday Album.

Pandemic on Facebook - December

December 29

With all the holiday activities, I forgot to update my pandemic album. Here are a few highlights from December. The numbers say we should be worried. They keep ticking up... But December was pretty bustling. My office building and subway rides got busier. NoHo stores definitely felt like they had shoppers. NYC did a good just dressing up for the holidays and powering through in the new normal. This rollercoaster never ends.

Reaffirming America's Founding Values

Watching Trump’s support around the country and his policies for the last 4 years have really made me question what America stands for, so this Thanksgiving weekend I set out for a tutorial with a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. My America welcomes immigrants and is stronger as we blend our differences into a better joint society. Listening to all the immigrants tell stories about arriving into NY Harbor warmed my heart. It was fun to think about how each of the 12 million people who arrived through Ellis Island landed on our shores and made a home here.

 

Pandemic Facebook Update - End of October - November 27

November 27

Happy to report the most important part of my Thanksgiving tradition went great! Leftovers. Had a delicious turkey sandwich will all the fixings for breakfast and there is plenty left for the whole weekend. The pandemic can’t stop me! #lifeinthetimeofcorona

November 26

2020 Pandemic Thanksgiving. Dinner for one and yet not alone at all. Two family zooms as well as champagne outdoors with friends/neighbors and a meal of my traditional favorites. I’ll call it making lemonade with the lemons I was given. I’m thankful I’m resilient and able to take all this change in stride. I hope others found nice ways to celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving. #lifeonthetimeofcovid

Somehow I’m watching the National Dog Show and loving the audience and clapping soundtrack. Pandemic life is strange, but I have really enjoyed watching how everyone adapts to it.

November 24

New season, new opportunity to accessorize and face masks only add to the fun! What’s everyone whining about? #wearamask

Open House New York 5 Borough Scavenger Hunt

 Yesterday my friend Leigh Montville and I participated in an Open House New York Scavenger Hunt. We were given a set of clues, did our research, learning some interesting NY facts, and then set off to visit sites all over the city. I loved going from neighborhood to neighborhood and seeing just how different each part of New York is. Highlights included a hot dog and a walk on the Coney Island Boardwalk (and bumping into friends there, because NY is that small. 😍), seeing the Verrazano Bridge from the Staten Island waterfront, watching the sheer joy of folks in BedStuy as they roller discoed around the new Black Lives Matter Open Street, and participating in an art/democracy project in front of Brooklyn Public Library. I really ❤️ you, New York. #ALLInNYC

Pandemic Facebook Update - June - Mid October

October 14

Just a few pictures from the last two weeks. Winter is approaching and restaurants are trying to winterize their outside spaces a little. Indoor eating is now allowed at 25%, but customers are slow to do it. Luckily it’s still warm enough outside to enjoy all the dining options. I keep being reminded that this is a little smoke in mirrors. The restaurants look vibrant, but no one is paying rent. There just isn’t enough revenue. The food pantry I volunteer at has had record numbers of people for the last two weeks. We are headed into a rough winter. But look at all the pics. I added two at the end that are sure to make you smile. 😘

October 13

Masks are warm and cozy on cold drab days.

October 12

The seemingly spontaneous creativity on the streets these days is pretty exciting. I had the pleasure of bumping into street performances of Voyeur: The Windows of Toulouse Lautrec, for the third time and this time I was able to follow along for a bit. The actors and musicians take viewers on a tour along the streets of Greenwich Village simulating the streets of bohemian Paris.

October 10

So happy Covid didn’t stop the music. Porch   Stomp, an Americana and folk festival, usually held in June finally was able to happen due to a lot of persistence and hard work by its founders, Theo Boguszewski and Nicholas Horner and others. Redesigning the event in a socially distant fashion, where not too many people gathered in any one place, was an impressive feat. Musicians played all over the grounds of Governor’s Island in what many said were their first performances to live audiences since March. Their joy was palpable. Thank goodness Covid isn’t killing the creativity within. Bravo! Can’t wait till next year!

October 4

Saturday in NoHo, the East Village and Washington Square felt so creative and dynamic that my heart swelled even more for NY. 💓 So far re-opening still doesn’t include theaters or performance spaces and currently the City isn’t giving permits for outdoor events, but that isn’t stopping creativity from exploding all over our streets.

October 2

6 1/2 months of COVID-19. Trump having Covid kind of fits a rather depressing week in the Pandemic. More chaos in a stew of dark data points. A new spike in case numbers in certain communities is threatening NYC’s good behavior. I already was beginning to dread cold weather and the end of outdoor fun. The hard part was last week felt almost normal. I went to a museum. Went out with friends 5 nights in a row. I’ve been spending as much in person quality time as I can before cold or a lockdown end it. Indoor dining starts again at 25%, but as far as I can see, no one is doing it. Zooms with business owners seem so glum. We are running out of time to help them and still no help from Washington. ☹️#lifeonarollercoaster

Pandemic Summer Vacation: Maine and Massachusetts

Beautiful Maine. Walks in the woods. Lobster rolls everyday. Cute roadside statues. Beaches. Time with family and friends. And a little politics added in. 🤩 You all know me. I can’t help myself.

Massachusetts; Boston, Lexington and Marblehead: thanks for stirring my patriotic heart. So many things made me think about our nations founding in comparison to where we stand today. Monuments, the nautical coastland and beautiful old buildings made for beautiful eye candy on this trip.

And now why I really went. Sure cool temps and walks in the woods are alluring, but the real reason I went was because LaGuardia opened a new terminal during the pandemic and I wanted to see it and experience flying in these crazy times. I also was curious to see how different states are handling Covid. In general most people were wearing masks everywhere I went. It was fun to see more outdoor eating setups, especially the ones on big front lawns and parking lots. Both MA and ME have limited capacity indoor eating and on my last day I ate inside, albeit alone.  I continue to hope the legacy of the pandemic is much more outdoor dining. It really livens up all streets. All in all, I had successful hopefully virus free trip, pumped a little money into the tourist economy, got to experience travel during Covid times and got to eat a lot of lobster rolls. Good times.

If you want to see more pictures from my trip, click HERE.

Life in the Time of Coronavirus

During the Covid-19 pandemic, much of my existence has been within a 3-4 mile perimeter of my home. I've been walking around Queens at 7am every morning getting exercise before anyone comes out, the covid-safe way. I've been able to get to know the area on a very micro level and have been documenting it all in my walks. Now, these photos remind me how much has changed in such time. I'm happy to have a photo diary to look back at. And it's been fun to be able to share the local NY experience of living in the epicenter zip code of the pandemic. The photos can't capture the swirling sound of ambulances that felt nearly constant for a few weeks, but they do show signs of survival and perseverance. 

I loved Jackson Heights before, but now I feel like the Grinch as my heart has expanded multiple times. I feel so lucky to live in a place where the community was out there ready to respond to neighbors needs. You will see many photos of people standing in lines waiting for food, but you will also see us volunteering putting together those bags of food. I also love all the signs and rainbows people put in their windows. We are #JacksonHeightsStrong and #NYStrong.

As time has gone by I got on my bike and then on the subway and got back into Manhattan, so my weekly covid story because a tale of two very divergent neighborhoods. Bustling diverse Jackson Heights with many essential businesses and lots of people getting through their days in attempted socially distanced ways and NoHo, where the residents and workers have decamped and thus most everything is closed and quiet. And then when the looting happened NoHo showed even more despair. Tomorrow June 22nd, re-opening begins, and I hope NoHo will be able to wake up the way Jackson Heights has and that we all will be able to find a new covid normal going forward.

But whatever happens, I'll be here, being present and doing what I can to help the city I love.

Click HERE to see my Facebook Album of Photos from the Covid-19 Pandemic

NYC Covid Chronicles - March to May

 

May 31

In case anyone is wondering, my work hood, NoHo, is even worse tonight. 😢😳 Come on NY. Be better. 🙏🏻

May 31.

Another peaceful protest in Jackson Heights. Say Their Names: Gathering for Black Lives. Simple and powerful. #blacklivesmatter

May 30

Yesterday was quite a day. Peaceful protesting  in Queens during the day and then my work neighborhood got hit BAD by looting, which meant late night work in NoHo protecting BID assets that were spread all over the streets. Heading back to the neighborhood now to assess and clean in the light of day. #allinadayswork #staystrongnewyork

May 30

This week was a major pivot for NYC. Our need to speak out for justice overrides our fear of Covid-19. Hundreds gathered in Diversity Plaza (and throughout the City) to declare Black Lives Matter and the multiple deaths of black men and women over the quarentine time need to be honored and justice needs to prevail. #nojusticenopeace #knowjusticeknowpeace

Experiencing Carnival in Trinidad

I wanted to go to Trinidad because my close friend is from there and it's a big part of her identity. I felt going there was part of being a real friend. She sees my white Connecticut world all the time and has vacationed with my family, so now it was my chance to meet more of hers and understand them better. It didn't hurt that the tradition of Carnival, that we see celebrated in Brazil, New Orleans and many other tropical islands, was originated in Trinidad and they celebrate in a BIG way! Festivities go on for a month, with the final long weekend before Lent having the biggest celebrations including all different fetes with music and costumes. 

To really participate in Carnival one joins a band and plays mas.  This means picking one of many bands/ groups way ahead of time and picking one of their costumes with photos online and getting one custom made for you. For two full days you hang with this crew and your food, beverages, music and bathrooms are taken care of. My Trini hostess wanted to play mas with Paparazzi Carnival. This band had 13 sections of elaborate feather and beaded styles. Each section has a theme. We decided to be part of Majestic, which they said stood for Empire Butterfly’s. Costumes come in two levels. Front line which are bigger and tend to have beautiful wings and larger feathers and cost a lot more. And back line with slightly less flash but the same colors and decorations so we all match. I originally dreamed of wearing big wings since I’d always admired them in the pictures, but Rhea warned me that wings are very hard to navigate in the dancing crowd, I went for a feather neck piece that made me feel a bit Disney Princess.

I've had a hard time matching words to the experience. It's just so different and immersing into a different cultural norm.  The biggest take away for me was the idea of body positive. I haven't worn a bikini since I was about 9. I've always considered myself chubby and now I guess I think I'm fat. So wrapping my head around the idea of wearing practically nothing out in public was pretty daunting. Maybe the scariest thing I've ever done. But once I picked my outfit, I just tried to dive in and get excited. The first day of Carnival, the dress is more casual and my band actually wore t-shirts and tiny shorts. Still pretty minimal, but a good way to get used to it. That day I saw women of all sizes letting everything hang out. They just radiated confidence and I could feel my perception of beauty literally changing. Heck, curves are beautiful. If they they can show off theirs then I can certainly show off mine. And so I did, and I had a wonderful life changing time.

Photos from Trinidad

Click HERE to see more photos from my trip to Trinidad

How does a prudish girl from America feel dressing up for Trinidad Carnival?

Looking at the costume choices was rather terrifying. They cover almost nothing and this chubby girl from the prudish USA who hasn’t even worn a bikini since I was about 9 was venturing WAY outside my comfort zone. I ordered my costume 8 months ahead and I am not lying to say I looked at the picture multiple times and looked at myself in the mirror and kept realizing while it was beautiful my body didn’t look like hers. I REALLY was scared at the prospect of trying to squeeze into it and be out in public. Then add that I didn’t actually get mine till I got to Trinidad, so it’s not like I could get used to it. Instead I bought a bikini top that I would wear around the house to at least get used to seeing all my skin and ripples. 

Political Tourism in Iowa - 2020 Iowa Caucuses

My friend and travel companion on my trip to the 2020 Iowa Caucus wrote a great post about our exciting trip.  

Enjoy our story!