Springing Back to Life as Normal

On April 1st, New York ended its travel quarantine requirement, which means I no longer have to quarantine to see my family AND the tourists have returned.

It was a special time without tourists here. I will never forget it.

But it’s very, very nice to have them back. Or, more specifically, it’s very nice that my friends and family can be tourists and visit me. It’s nice that most of the museums and events are opening up again. (Except Broadway. Broadway isn’t open yet.) And it’s very nice that indoor dining is back and outdoor dining is here to stay.

All the niece and nephews came to visit. The selfie game is strong.

Spring this year has felt like hope. It’s been as deliciously warm here and it seems like a thousand trees are in bloom all at once. My social life is starting to balance out and my students have been funnier to me in the last week than they usually are. It feels like there’s hope, and I’m grateful for that.

Cherry blossoms in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens.

One of my highlights this month was a staycation in Manhattan over Easter weekend with local friends. I wanted an adventure and I didn’t want to quarantine. Manhattan was just the ticket. We stayed in Chelsea at the Moxy and it was perfect. The rooms were efficient (no closets) but beautiful. And the view was 100% worth it. It’s also conveniently located to great food and short train rides to anywhere you’d like to go.

All in all, my highlight of our staycation was the food. Maman (French cafe), Grace Street Coffee (Korean coffee shop), Koko Wings (Korean fried chicken), and Milk Bar (specializing in cereal milk desserts) are all lasting delicious memories.

Since this is a travel blog I should also mention the museum my sister discovered when she came to visit. The Morgan Library and Museum was the personal library of JP Morgan. It’s a bit over priced, in my opinion, but very, very interesting! And pretty. And not too crowded. So we still liked it.