Tag Archives: new york

C: Coney Island & Cuomo

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONEY ISLAND: All quiet on the Coney Island front. I took this photo about a year ago and so I imagine this is about how it looks right now, too. (It may also be how it’ll look this summer.) Any other summer, however, the insanity level here is off the charts. Prime people-watching. Our 14-year-old niece from California visited last summer and no first-time NYC trip for a teenager is complete without getting overstimulated by Coney Island. We even rode the Cyclone; a second and final time for me.

Both times, I had my eyes mostly closed. Coney Island is on the shores of the Atlantic and because I don’t like water, seeing that much ocean from atop the rollercoaster (85 feet) would induce an impressive panic attack. Even with a metal bar “holding you in,” your butt still levitates off the seat. It’s terrifying. Your body gets yanked from side-to-side, up and down, at 60 mph in places, so I’m fine never doing that again.

A notable fact: From August 18-22, 1977, nineteen-year-old Richard Rodriguez rode the coaster for 104 consecutive hours–nearly 2,400 rides. He took short bathroom breaks between rides, eating hot dogs and M&Ms and drinking shakes during the ride itself. 

I do enjoy walking the boardwalk between the amusement park and beach that leads to Brighton Beach, the Russian and Eastern European neighborhood, which I’ll tell you more about when I get to the letter “P.”

CUOMO: It’s during a crisis, you find who your leaders truly are. If you need some reassurance, or just need to hear an intelligible, articulate, compassionate voice (even if you’re not in NY) listen to New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo’s daily press conferences. No matter which side of the line your political views fall, I urge you to listen to his daily briefings. Plus, his exchanges with his journalist brother, Chris, are quite entertaining.

A text from my mom in Colorado:

As I said, it’s in times like these that leaders emerge. Search “leaders during a crisis” and you will see a variety of articles written just over the last several weeks about past instances of forged leadership, namely, Franklin D. Roosevelt (“New Deal”), Winston Churchill (WWII), and John F. Kennedy (Cuban missile crisis).

If you have two minutes (you do–I mean, come on) check out this less-than-two-minute clip of Governor Cuomo speaking about the resiliency of New York.

And at the end of the day, my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, love wins. Always. And it will win again through this virus.

NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

A: Arts Calendar & Apartment Life 24/7

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARTS CALENDAR: It only took me a year to figure out I needed one. New York City is a busy place, comprised with only what I can describe as an incessant plethora of activities. I shouldn’t have been surprised, given it was one of the reasons we moved here; I just didn’t realize it’d require a pocket guide to keep track.

March was shaping up to be a busy month of culture for me with a variety of new museum exhibits, poetry workshops and readings, and concerts. I can’t bring myself to the turn the page and see Elton John, Barclays Center, written under April 11. Who knew March would be the longest month of nothing.

Fortunately, most museums have opened up their virtual doors so we can at least check out exhibits from afar, but otherwise, it’s all on hold as the world grapples with a pandemic.

But hey, that’s just the way it goes. Most things will get rescheduled. It’s not the end of the world . . . wait . . . *thinks about it* . . . so anyway . . .

APARTMENT LIFE 24/7: The Husband and I have both worked from home for at least ten years, so this new normal shouldn’t be so new, yet somehow, our 800+ square foot space suddenly feels a bit smaller.

Like, why do his toenail clipping sound so much louder? Has that faucet always dripped? What’s that smell? When did that annoying tick of yours start? It’s almost time for my 10:00 a.m. nap.

We have our respective wings in our 2b/2b, rectangle-shaped apartment. At the end of the day, we’ll meet in the middle for dinner and TV time. We’re fortunate to have lots of natural light, so when we eventually emerge from hiding, our eyes should be able to withstand the daylight.

After I completed my novel, I had planned to reward myself by taking a little time to wander museums in the mornings, but that got nixed before I could say MoMa. Now, waiting for agents to respond to my queries is like watching those toenails grow.

It’s Day 1 of this A to Z Challenge and as you can tell, the snark has set in.

2020 A to Z Blogging Challenge

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , ,

Oops, I did it again. Another year went by without blogging, even though I said I would. Turns out, NYC has a lot of shiny objects. Plus, I’ve focused my writing energy on my YA manuscript, ROAD NOISE. For the last ten months or so, I wrote Monday-Friday, from about 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and completed the book two weeks ago. It’s now in the cyber hands of a couple of agents (a hopeful assumption).

So timing is perfect to jump into the 2020 A to Z Blogging Challenge that starts April 1. The last time I participated in this challenge was back in 2015 and I really enjoyed it. You can check out those posts here.

This time around, I’ll be blogging about my experiences as a new New Yorker over the past year, as well as our new New Yorker life of being homebound in a small apartment during this pandemic. The city that never sleeps is definitely in for a long nap. So basically, each post will have two of each letter; a before and during, if you will.

Hopefully, this blogging challenge will give me something to focus on instead of my worrying about our friends and family back in Colorado, especially our son who attends college in Boulder.

Until then, stay safe and wash you hands.