New York City ... we miss you.

But until then we'll enjoy Virtual NYC.

About two months ago New York City was bustling with life - and then in a matter of days, just like many in countries across the world, our lives were turned upside down.

After taking time off for holiday celebrations, we spent many joyous weekends exploring the city mid-January to the end of February, visiting institutions like the New-York Historical Society, the Morgan Library, the main branch of the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, the Museum of the City of New York and its neighbor, the Museo del Barrio. On a different note, we went to the Barclay Center to see Celine Dion’s Courage Tour, without realizing the spectacular show was going to be our last time out for a long while. For the remainder of the spring we had had lofty plans of visiting many more cultural attractions. Well … you know how that story ended, social distancing, which began for us around the second week of March.

The last months have been surreal, difficult to say the least and filled with many heartaches. We had a few weeks of chaos before settling into somewhat of a new routine. Truth be told it’s been cooking and over indulging (but I hear that’s the new norm), constantly staying up to date with the news (sad and depressing), concentrating really hard on being productive (but it’s much ado about nothing some days, this blog posts took months to create), consuming way too much digital (but who’s counting screen time right?) and on the weekend (yes we've been trying really hard to separate the weekdays from the weekends) occasional distancing game nights (with wine involved and more food, because why not?) and virtual milestone celebrations.

Annie wants you to know she’s Netflix and chillin’, absolutely binging on Disney Plus, enjoying sunshine and nature at home with their plant collection, consuming way too much content on her phone, and supervising mom who’s recreating recipes almost daily. Annie is also the contributing stylist and model for all the face masks mom is making for the family, and she also started Zoom art, cooking and fitness classes through her day program, ADAPT, which she's enjoying.

While I mostly thought of staying off the blog due to the overwhelming fear of this pandemic and uncertain times, the desire to connect and share some of the amazing digital content from our favorite sightseeing and cultural icons out-weighed the fear. We hope it will brighten your day as it has added to ours. Going forward we’ll be curating some of our favorites on social media, however, NYC Tourism + Conventions (formerly NYCGo.com), has put this comprehensive list together sortable by Museums, Galleries, Films, Broadway, Family Friendly and more which you can access by clicking here.

We miss the excitement with a tinge of nervousness of going someplace new, the friendly smiles of those who've welcomed us, the gentle nod of acknowledgment turning into unexpected conversations with staffs and tourists, serendipitous adventures around the corner, the grandness of majestic spaces, facade and skyline vistas, world-class exhibits spurring heated debates, the rumbling of the subway as we walk the streets, and the lingering taste of a fine meal at the celebratory close of our day out. Just as we have begun to really enjoy our social access to New York City, we’re back in social isolation – nothing new to a person with a disability.

We miss each other and our city, our hearts break for all it is enduring. But it's been known for its resilience and we firmly believe we will get through this and, when the time is right, it will welcome all of us back with open arms. Until then, we will relive our fond memories, do our part to keep everyone safe and fan the sparks of desire to return with Virtual NYC linked here.

Important is listed here as a memories from the pandemic. Oct 2024.