W42ST Daily 3/26/2020 - It's oh so quiet

Let’s rejoice in what COVID-19 has brought us. They are all things we’ve wished for.

Starting with quiet. Let’s savor that evenings aren’t spent getting cross with the horns honking around the Lincoln Tunnel. That pesky workshop has stopped changing tires at all hours of the night. Oh, and those annoying drunks from the bar down the street have stopped congregating beneath our window while we try to sleep.

My favorite New York video (which I always send to friends who are coming to visit) is by Johnny T. He tells tourists not to go out in rush hour, because they are “IN THE WAY!”.

Our new “IN THE WAY!” has become 6 feet on an empty avenue sidewalk.

We’ve all constantly asked for more New York minutes. COVID-19 has brought us the New York hour (and even day). Time to read that shelf of books, reduce the pile of New Yorker magazines, bake those cookies, learn something new. This is an opportunity.

A friend posted a video of the Hudson River down by Intrepid yesterday, wondering if it might clear up like the Venice Canal. Let’s keep an eye out for whales

Check out W42ST’s Instagram feed today. We woke up to Linda flying a kite from her 32nd floor apartment at dawn. That air’s so fresh – it’s so NOT New York (but the New York we often wish for on those smelly summer days).

Thankfully, our confinement is happening as Hell’s Kitchen bursts into spring. For an area with so little parkland, we have amazing blossom to cherish and wonder at.

Let’s make the most of it. In a few months we’ll be back to cursing at slow moving tourists, street smells, horns blowing, and the pace of New York life.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING

Fountain House Gallery has launched a portrait challenge! More here…

How ‘rolling news’ took on a whole new meaning for @CBSThisMorning. More here…

Enhance your isolation experience with a binge-watch of some Charlie Chaplin classics, maybe? More here…

Why that neighboring building site is still working at full throttle… More here…

Here’s an awesome first date story. Can you better it? More here…

We’re experimenting with W42ST Live, mixing all our activities in a rolling web feed to keep you updated and upbeat. Think Facebook without the politics, news, noise – and just focused on Hell’s Kitchen. We’re looking for a few testers. Please mail me back if you’d be happy to give it a try.

My new shopping tip (remember last week’s was to take a shopping cart to help keep your 6 feet distance). Use latex gloves if you can find them. Not just for the hygiene (which is obviously ultra important) – but because it is so much easier to open those pesky bags you put the veg and fruit in. You’re welcome!

SHARE WITH A FRIEND
If this newsletter has brought you some light relief, helped you feel more connected to your community, or informed you in some way in these dark days, please tell your friends, and ask them to subscribe. Isolation doesn’t have to feel lonely. We see you, New York.

Ruth will be with you tomorrow. She’ll be giving an update on the W42ST Best of Awards – tune in, tell your friends!

JOY IN YOUR HEART – and a little tear in your eye
Finally, let me leave you with this uplifting musical collaboration. The joy of hearing live music from young people. What the World Needs Now – for Virtual Orchestra. HT Edith Gonzalez.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE