This week's video is sponsored by Fidelity Investments.
In March, when it was clear the coronavirus had moved
from an international news story on our periphery
to something that was going to upend all of our lives,
the air in New York City changed overnight.
All of a sudden, half the people I knew
packed their bags to return to their childhood bedrooms
to escape what was about to be the epicenter
of the virus in the US.
A few even escaped to a family member's
or friend's second home, a privilege
I didn't even know some of them had access to.
Some have already made moves elsewhere with no plans
to return to New York in the next year or maybe ever.
I stayed both out of a lack of desire
to stay with family for an undetermined amount of time
and a general underestimate of what we were really up against.
I didn't think that when my office went fully remote
in March we would still be in the same situation
in September.
I thought this would be a weird minor story
I'd tell my grandnieces and nephews about one day.
Though maybe in a few decades, it will feel that way.
And as tough as the first few months were,
I'm so glad I stuck it out.
These past few months have solidified my love for New York
more than ever.
And I have no plans to leave.
Here are just a few reasons why.
Because what I love about New York City hasn't changed.
The reasons I moved to New York in the first place, things
like culture, vibrant and diverse communities, cuisine,
and art, are all still very much in New York.
The city that I loved when I first moved here
where you can take an afternoon trip to a different borough
or even different neighborhood and be completely taken out
of your day-to-day life is all around me.
The mostly rich and detached residents
who fled to their weekend homes the second the pandemic hit
and therefore spread the virus around the country
were never the reason I came to the city in the first place.
I came here for the New York that
thrives when things are more affordable and accessible.
And that is the New York that never left.
Because the pandemic taught me that community
is more important than ever.
There is a reason why as of my writing
this New York is doing almost the best in the country
in terms of containing the virus.
We understood early on that it's not about ego.
It's not about politics.
And it's not about the individual.
If we are going to make it, we're going to do it together.
And whether it's by wearing a mask,
converting parking spaces to outdoor dining patios,
participating in mutual aid groups,
or even just taking lockdowns seriously when we needed to,
the kind of community that the city showed
is the exact kind of thing this country
needs more of going forward.
I'm proud to be part of a city that came together and treated
one another with care.
And I have no desire to retreat into some isolated bubble going
forward.
Because New Yorkers have accepted the reality that
is now keeping so much of the country
well behind the rest of the world,
we're now on the other side of the worst of it.
But aside from a few exceptions, I
see everyone in my neighborhood continue wearing masks,
continue distancing themselves from other pedestrians,
continue being polite in the six-feet-apart grocery store
line.
I even took the subway for the first time
in months a few weeks ago.
And every person, every single one, was wearing their mask
and sitting six feet apart from their nearest neighbor.
We haven't tried to get back to normal
too soon after restrictions were loosened
because we've seen the worst of this pandemic so far.
And we have no desire to go back to that.
Because a permanent solution to a temporary problem
isn't a good idea.
For a few weeks after lockdown began,
I became obsessed with a real estate
listing in a nearby-ish suburb.
It was a picture-perfect 19th century home
with beautiful windows, multiple bathrooms,
and best of all, a backyard.
But before quarantine started, my husband and I
decided over many conversations over several years
we just weren't suburb people.
Sure, I've been jealous of people
with outdoor space privilege.
But when things are back to normal-ish,
and I was stuck in a town I didn't love with a mortgage I
could barely afford, I would have heavily regretted
that decision.
I'd rather stick it out in the adoptive home I do love
and maybe eventually try and move somewhere with a balcony.
Because the city will need people
like me to love it as it comes back.
We tend to forget it sometimes, but the city will be back.
Museums will be back.
Libraries will be back.
Broadway will be back.
The street vendors and corner bistros and hole-in-the-wall
jazz clubs will all be back.
And we need people here to love it,
to take advantage of all the city has to offer,
commit to the city being a more accessible and vibrant place
than it was before the pandemic came.
We need people to ride bicycles through increasingly car-free
streets, to have picnics in flourishing community gardens,
to take care of our elder neighbors
and buy tickets to our lesser-known shows.
And I cannot wait to be one of those people,
to embrace my city with open arms and more fierce pride than
I've ever felt. Because New York City simply deserves it.
As I mentioned, this video is sponsored
by Fidelity Investments.
They are here to help you reach your savings goals.
And if you're looking for an easy way
to finally start investing what you save, check out Fidelity.