From Long-Distance to Quarantined Together

By: Melissa Lee

Many weeks ago, back when coronavirus was still a punchline, my boyfriend Marcial asked half-jokingly how we would see each other if there was a quarantine. He lives in Boston, and I live in New York City. I scoffed at the idea of such a thing happening. But I am a planner, so I started thinking about the “what if,” anyway.

My job only required a standard computer and internet access, whereas his required additional computer hardware and specialized software. I live with a roommate, and he lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment. Also, if I went to Boston, I could see my family.

On Friday, March 13, my company announced that they were moving to a work-from-home policy. Being a temp, I was furloughed. That same day, Marcial took home all of his computer equipment and began working remotely. That week was also when Broadway theatre, museums, and other entertainment venues in New York began shutting down.

Choosing to leave New York City was an easy decision at that point. Deciding what to pack into limited luggage for an indeterminately long stay was not. After one day spent stressing over whether or not I qualified for unemployment benefits, whether or not I would still have health insurance, and how many pairs of contact lenses to bring, I caught a bus to Boston.

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Happy Star Wars Day! Live-stream a show! Read an article! MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU.

Happy Star Wars Day! I wrote an article all about May the Fourth last year (5/4/19) for an article writing class I was taking. It was quite a different experience from my usual blogging: I interviewed people, researched, and wrote not one single thing about me me me! I felt pretty proud of it, but when we discussed it in class, my teacher went off on me. I wasn’t surprised that she criticized me for trying too hard to be funny, that felt constructive, but I was surprised when she accused me of being a poseur Star Wars expert… uh I would never claim such a thing! I’m so the opposite of an expert I need an official Star Wars consultant (my boyfriend) to make up for my ignorance! Yes, I truly need a Star Wars consultant because I’m not great at remembering movies… but I love participating in theatrical events like this:

Tonight we’re live-streaming Our Shakespearean Star Wars: A Hope Renew’d. Complete with drinking games, ridiculous home-made costumes, and epic Zoom lightsaber battles. ‘Twill be a blast, and it’s free! You’ll find the link for the stream on the Drunk Texts Facebook page HERE, hope to see you at 9:30pm tonight! May the Fourth be with you!

Now here’s my Star Wars Day article, read for yourself if I’m a poseur (my sensitivity to this word correctly indicates teenaged-me fancied herself a punk rocker).

May the Fourth Be With You: You’ll Need It to Understand Everything About “Star Wars Day”

The clientele at Slattery’s Midtown Pub at 5pm on May 4th, 2019 was starkly divided. In the windowless back of the bar, regulars sipped beers, eyes affixed to the Yankee game on sizable flat screens. In contrast, the front of the venue was flooded with light and chatter. People of all ages perched on stools in excited anticipation after a day spent running around New York City collecting photos, videos, and trivia facts in celebration of their favorite movie franchise. Now the seven teams of the 3rd annual Amazing Star Wars Scavenger Hunt, created by Pogo Events, gathered to hear the results.

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Unemployed, A Brooklyn Bartender’s Lament

By: Hope Morawa

Where do I be gin?

Call me Old-Fashioned, 
But being a bartender is pretty neat.
Now, from Manhattan to Long Island, 
Thousands of us out of work. 
Cut-off, in the mist of a global pandemic, 
Where social distillation is key. 
We’re 86ed from our home away from home,
With no proof of returning in the near future.

Soda story goes: 
Sure, working doubles made me groggy.
Slinging shots with customers, tequila time. 
Mimosa favorite part?
Having the Last Word behind the bar.
I was calling the shots
And Campari to other jobs, 
Olived it.

Let’s face it: being open right now is a little whiskey.
With the future of the bar industry on the rocks, 
It’s almost too much to beer.
There’s no point in being cordial about it. 
I can sit here and continue to wine, 
Let the bitterness consume me until I’m red in the face.
Mulling it over, as the financial strain hits like a Hurricane.
Wet’s left to booze?
Rye bother?

To shake, to stir, 
To pour no more.

Well-drink up, baby, and schnapp out of it. 
Saloon, we’ll be able to dive back into work, 
And Aperol this time, 
Dram, it’ll feel good to be barback. 

In the meantime, 
Remember the happy hours,
And Fernet the bad. 
One must roll with the punches, 
Shrub her shoulders, 
And hang up her bar rag to dry. 

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8 NYC Books for When You Miss New York (Even Though You’re Quarantined Here…)

By: Isabel Crabtree

While doom-scrolling through Twitter on day 24 of quarantine, I came across a conversation that struck a chord with me. It described how two friends were homesick for a city they live in. Being stuck in isolation is a challenge for everyone, but one unexpected twist is how nostalgic it’s making New Yorkers feel for even the most quotidian aspects of the city. 

I miss wandering the streets of the Lower East Side and getting a peek of the bridges, walking beneath stretching tree branches in Brooklyn, waiting for the train in Queens. I’m lucky to have everything I need in my apartment, but I still feel…homesick? However, I find solace in books about our beloved city. Here are eight books set in New York that relish their location unlike any other. Sink into your comfiest chair and follow the footsteps of New Yorkers (real and fictional) from the safety of your living room. I recommend dog-earing the pages to find your favorite spots once we can go outside again…

A New York City book list to get you through Quarantine

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An Earth Day celebration from Sunnyside, Queens: Featuring every magnolia tree in the neighborhood

Every April, I spend as much of the month as possible wandering around New York City taking photos. Spring flowers are planted all over the city and flowering trees bloom in parks and on street corners. I adore the contrast of the hard concrete jungle with the delicate beauty of blossoms. Daffodils, tulips, magnolias, cherry blossoms – spring in the city is simply one of my favorite things!

Spring 2020 we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. There’s no wandering city streets to stop and snap the roses.

The best I can hope for is a bike ride or walk around my neighborhood in Sunnyside, Queens. As luck would have it, Sunnyside does not disappoint when it comes to flowers. A micro-neighborhood five blocks from my apartment is literally called Sunnyside Gardens.

One evening after work earlier this month, I went for a neighborhood bike ride and photographed every single magnolia tree I came across. In this strange new world of social isolation and over-loaded screen time, I gotta tell you, this was a pretty great past time. I recommend it.

Happy Earth Day from me and my gorgeous pink and white neighbors.

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COVID-19 In NYC: An Actress Pressing Pause

By: Rori Nogee

During this unprecedented time facing a pandemic crisis, we are inundated with statistics on a daily basis: The number of cases, the number of deaths, the number of people filing for unemployment. We see so many numbers that it is easy to become desensitized and forget that behind every one of those numbers is a human story.  This story happens to be mine.

I am that quintessential “gig worker” that you have probably read about in the news. 

I am an actress, singer, songwriter, playwright, tour guide and liquor brand ambassador. Friends have nicknamed me, “The Work Horse of New York.” I hold down 6 jobs to make ends meet while auditioning, taking classes to hone my skills and writing and producing my own plays and musicals. I have always been an over-achiever who thrives on the hustle and gets anxious when faced with unproductive down time. 

Working one of my side jobs at Madame Morbid’s Trolley Tour
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The NYC Easter Bonnet Parade 2020 was canceled, so here’s a virtual celebration

It’s Easter Sunday. Which means a lot of different things for people. As a kid, it was all about eating candy before breakfast. In my early years of adulthood, I struggled with what do with Easter Sunday. Then I discovered the annual Easter Bonnet Parade on 5th Avenue. Now I look forward to this event all year. It’s a joyous community celebration of spring, fashion, and creativity. Simply a few of my favorite things.

I planned on going all out this year, assembled my whole outfit ahead of time and purchased decorative supplies. Then COVID-19 shut down the city.

New York Easter Bonnet Parade 2020 is canceled. So let’s celebrate with a walk down memory lane of past parades!

And celebrate some friends I’ve made at Easter Bonnet Parades who aren’t letting quarantine stop them from bringing the fabulous!

This gentleman goes by “Ed Hatter”. I’ve followed him on social media for years, after meeting him at this parade one Easter Sunday. His hats are always amazing, such detailed works of art!

Ed Hatter shared his 2020 hat on social media this morning! Not just a celebration of Easter, the hat honors NYC’s front line heroes.

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