August in NYC

Been here, done that.  It's now 4th time in NYC since 2017. That probably explains why I'm not as excited as I did before. 

I slept over in a motel in Monroe Township before leaving my car at my COVID-phobic sister's house in NJ. I just dropped off my car, stuffed everything I need in my 65L backpack and then I was on the bus to NYC. I had to carry the tent -- the floor leaked in the rain at Cirque of Towers, and I had to return it to Big Agnes -- and it added weight and took up a lot of space in my backpack. I bought my 1-month pass at Port Authorities terminal and then took subway to 83rd Street apartment that I rented for a month for $2900. I knew NYC like a local by now; nobody would've suspected that I was a visitor if it weren't for my backpack. My ex flew in and joined me a few days later.

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

A few trips -- the long walk to Washington Heights, grocery run to Flushing, and Green Point -- between attending open houses stand out in my memory.  The main purpose of the visit was to check out the real estate market, after all, so I scheduled viewing properties at least once a week. I don't remember much other than that. And the time just flew by unlike 2017 and 2019 when NYC was still new. The brain speeds up things when things are not new.

The three-weeks probationary period was still in effect though. I was walking about without keeling over the next day, till I went down on the 21st, exactly3 weeks after I arrived. We went on the trip to Green Point on the 20th and walked a lot. We walked all over Long Island City and then took the bus to Green Point. Then we walked down Franklin Street and then walked back up Manhattan Street to meet my nephew Eric who was in town to visit his friends. We walked down Manhattan Street again then back up to Green Point station where we split up with Eric going to NJ to see his friend. I struggled to stay up the afternoon next day. Then I keeled over again a few days later after I walked Chinatown and Tribeca starting from 28th Street. After that, I was back on my feet. I walked long walk every other day: Kew Garden; from Brooklyn Downtown to Grand Army Plaza; from Sunnyside to Elmhurst and then Forest Hills. The pattern followed familiar J curve: up and running for 3 weeks, struggle for a week or so, and then bounce back up. Then it was time to leave NYC.

NYC still is a fun place, to be sure. There are tons of things to do, places to visit and eateries to, well, eat. But it's no longer the magical place that it once was. I don't know if the novelty will continue to fade out. Maybe it won't; the novelty may simmer on rather than scintillate as it did the first two times.  Like I'm a local rather than the first-time visitor. Still, I may need to rethink about buying a property in NYC. Once the magic wears off, it's people, not place, that keeps you alive and awake. And it's not as easy to make people connections in the city than in the countryside, especially if you are not working.