AND SO IT STARTS......... March 6-8, 2020
Updated: Mar 29, 2020
I'm in New York City. With my kids. On a vacation of sorts. This whole corona virus thing seems to be escalating although I am not sure what it all means, I just know that it seems like more people are getting sick and more people are dying overseas and it seems to be the whole story on the news here in New York, save for the downpours that were the story last night. (note to self: do not bring the shoes with holes in them and nothing else.) But it just seems like there is an undercurrent, a sense that something is up even if we do not know what it is or what it will be. Some people are wearing masks, the hotels are seriously cleaning everything, down to the credit card machines that probably have not been cleaned since the dawn of time. My mother tells us to be careful, but for the virus, not because we are in NYC.
We go to a play, have dinner, MOMA, and another great dinner near NYU. But we just feel like something is up. There are a hundred people in line at Tomkpins Square Bagels, not sure how smart it is but we wait in line anyway, and get our bagels and go sit in the park, I mean they are really good bagels. Vintage clothes shopping, record stores, people with masks. People talking about China, Italy, colleges that are debating closing for the year, just that undercurrent, something is wrong.
The kids are taking the bus back to Boston in the morning, I'm making sure they are sitting next to each other but no warnings about other customers or passengers, just normal. But it's not. Letters and social media are coming out from the schools that things aren't right, that they are evaluating what is happening. What the hell does that mean? Would they really cancel school just because some people are getting sick? Is it really that dangerous? I mean yeah people are sick and dying in other places, but life just seems pretty normal now. I ate too many croissants and cake(second note to self: maybe a hotel NOT hear a french bakery is a good idea) this weekend, I spent too much money, my kids thought I was annoying but I think they enjoyed being with me for one of our weekends. We saw a play we all thought was kinda of too much but what beats seeing an even mediocre play on Broadway? I flew home, I'm fine. Jokes on the plane and a sense of unease but not so much that anyone seemed really concerned.
Wait and see I guess?
