Eight things New Yorkers hated until 2020
'28.12.2020'
Vita Popova
The coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted the way New Yorkers live. In 2020, we miss and even dream of what we used to hate in New York. He writes about eight such things The New York Times.
- Street performers
Before the pandemic, the ever-rushing New Yorkers were nervous when obstacles stood in their way. Let's say a person has planned to walk several blocks in 10 minutes, but he does not succeed because of the next parade or the performance of artists.
The coronavirus has changed the attitude of many of us towards these kinds of barriers. Now impromptu orchestral and choral performances bring joy and the feeling that everything is fine, as well as the thought that soon everything will return to normal.
- Comfortable but fun clothes
The days when skirts and jackets, ties and high-heeled shoes were in vogue seem to be over. Now many of us have no reason to be businesslike, because the offices are closed, and you can go to a cafe for food or takeaway coffee in a tracksuit.
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Those who work from home can carry out their duties even in pajamas. The only exception applies to meetings with management at Zoom.
- Equipment left on the sidewalk
It is not easy to get rid of old technology and electronics in New York. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see air conditioners, printers or old TVs left on the sidewalk with “Free” signs.
Usually New Yorkers are not happy when their neighbors do this, considering it a visual pollution of the space.
However, at the beginning of the pandemic, working refrigerators began to appear in the vicinity of the city, offering something free, at the same time valuable and necessary: bread, milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and so on. Since many people did not have enough money for food, such refrigerators became what many New Yorkers hoped to see.
- Plexiglass partitions in shops
In the 1980s and 1990s, when New York was going through hard times, plexiglass partitions in stores often caused anxiety and discomfort among shoppers. Such shields often appeared in distillery stores and signaled that you are in an unsafe trading floor. They were designed to protect cashiers from possible bullets.
But times have changed, and in the era of the coronavirus, such partitions began to protect both store workers and customers, but not from bandits, but from an aggressive infection.
- White hair
Modern society dictates certain conditions that we must obey. For example, women should paint over their gray hair, as if embarrassed by the natural aging process.
The pandemic has made its own adjustments even in such areas of life as beauty. Since beauty salons closed with the beginning of the quarantine, many women realized that they no longer needed to spend so much time and money on improving their appearance.
Moreover, gray hair has become a powerful symbol that, in the midst of so many deaths, aging is not a curse, but a privilege.
- Dinners on terraces during the cold season
A year ago, hardly any of us would have wanted to sit on a terrace when the air temperature hovers around 0 degrees Celsius. Of course, in the cold season, we would most likely be accommodated in a cozy restaurant hall, warm and comfortable. But during the pandemic, this became impossible.
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Now, a patio or terrace heated by heat lamps is the best we can count on when it comes to enjoyable get-togethers with friends or family.
- Office furniture in our homes
Before the pandemic, when it came to buying furniture for the home, many of us chose something beautiful. Now that many have set up offices right at home, they are forced to give preference to comfortable furniture. For example, office chairs with an orthopedic back - for long-term work at the computer.
- Drink at 17:00
The eternally busy New Yorkers seldom drank until 17:00 pm because they believed it was work time. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our sense of time, especially with the onset of autumn - when it gets dark earlier.
By the way, with the beginning of quarantine, many establishments in the Big Apple adapted to the new reality and began to prepare cocktails with home delivery. You can read about 19 restaurants and bars offering this service. here.
