Things I Can’t Wait For
In a world where bars and restaurants are closed, NYC parks are packed on beautiful days (when they really shouldn’t be….#SocialDistancing), and the subway is the last place we want to be while our city is the epicenter of this pandemic in the US, there are few things to do beyond making multiple varieties of bread (banana, beer, sourdough, etc.) in our apartments, experimenting with our kitchens that may or may not have ever been touched before this madness, going on walks/runs after work, and watching far too much Netflix.Jen and I have always cooked more than the average NYC couple, but we’re definitely getting a lot more well acquainted with our (very temperamental 1980’s era) oven. I’ve also spent way more time than I’m comfortable with sitting on the couch – so much so that I got tired of it a few weekends ago and decided to put on my Garmin watch and pace around my apartment until I logged 1 mile worth of steps by pacing back-and-forth around 11pm on a Saturday (this took approx 19mins in my 700 square foot apartment).One of the things that we’ve been able to find solace in over the last several weeks during quarantine has been the ability to get out and go on hikes on weekends when the weather allows for it. We’ve gotten the opportunity to drive up for hikes at Breakneck Ridge, Storm King Mountain, and Bear Mountain and each time it’s been a literal breath of fresh air to escape from the city and take in nature in a responsible socially-distant setting. What a lot of people don’t realize is that you only need to drive an hour or so north of the City (along the Hudson River) to access dozens of trailheads that lead to miles of beautiful hikes, which has been a true godsend during this crazy time we’re living in. We’ve also made it somewhat of a tradition to swing by some of our favorite NYC breweries (Fifth Hammer,Grimm, Other Half, and Big aLICe, among others) on the drive home to pick up to-go cans of the latest brew to enjoy on our porch after a fun day of hiking.While it’s been great to try some new things that didn’t use to be as typical for me pre-Covid, I’m really excited to get back to doing a couple of things that I haven’t been able to do since the shutdown began.
My Family
All of my immediate family is still down in Frederick, MD and I haven’t gotten the chance to see them in person since Christmas. Once travel guidelines in the Northeast are expanded to allow safe travel out of state, one of my first trips will be to go reconnect with my Mom, sisters, and step-family. We’ll also take the shorter trip out to Long Island to see the future in-laws, but until then Jen and I are going to stay put in New York until it’s deemed safe to travel again and see our loved ones.
Rock Climbing
I’ve written about this a couple of times in the past on this blog, but I sorely miss going to my rock climbing gym – The Cliffs @ LIC – a couple of times a week to blow off steam and practice my rock climbing skills. Climbing was an activity that I discovered a few years ago and have become absolutely obsessed with ever since. It has made going to the gym fun and I really miss the Cliffs community. They’re obviously closed while we’re on mandated quarantine, but it will surely be one of the first places I go once quarantine is lifted.
My Friends & Co-Workers
I really miss the day-to-day interactions I had with my coworkers in our office and being able to hang out with friends on the weekends. Jen and I still haven’t gotten the chance to have a housewarming party for our apartment, so that’ll be one of the first things we do once the quarantine is lifted.
Restaurants & Bars
One of my favorite things to do around the city is to explore a new neighborhood, try out a new restaurant, or have a beer at a new (or familiar) bar. As nice as it is from time-to-time to cook in the apartment, I definitely don’t claim to be the best chef and miss eating a great meal outside the confines of my apartment. FWIW, a new restaurant in our neighborhood (Chez Nick) has been offering a to-go “Date Night Special” since quarantine began, which has been a delicious way to enjoy a chef-cooked meal even though it still needs to be consumed in the confines of our apartment.
Sports
Ah, sports. Those were fun. The NHL season is all but canceled and the MLB has suspended games indefinitely (they might play games in empty stadiums at some point, but who knows), but professional golf seems that it might start back up soon and courses around the tri-state area are beginning to re-open with restrictions in place! I can’t wait until I can watch my 2019 World Series Champ Nationals come back on TV and I can cheer them on.
There are definitely a lot of other things that I miss and will be excited to have back once all of this gets back to normal, but these are a few of the things that I miss the most. Hopefully we get these things back soon, but until then I’ll be sitting on my balcony drinking a beer and reminiscing about simpler times.
Cheers,
Nick
