Well, it’s happened…

Two and a half years in, I finally succumbed to Covid. Some friends wondered why I hadn’t gotten it earlier, especially since I’ve traveled out-of-state multiple times and had several close contacts. Well, as it turns out, I’m not immune to covid, but I’m thankful my symptoms have been relatively mild: sore throat, congestion, fatigue, body aches.

In the end it was New York that probably did me in; I was there for 10 days on vacation with my cousin Ifly from Taiwan. She was invited to attend Fashion Week as a jewelry designer, and had asked if I wanted to join her on the trip. I hadn’t seen her since 2018 (the last time I was back in Taiwan), so I was happy to travel with her.

Overall it was a great trip, but I do think ten days in New York is too long. Five days would have been sufficient, although I’m glad I also got to catch up with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Once again, it’s interesting how my Bay Area expectations affected my experience of New York —

Weather: (Did not meet expectations) Yes, I had picked the best possible week to visit New York, as the Bay Area had a heat wave that saw a high of 109 degrees. Yes, New York had “really nice weather” when I was there, which meant the temperature ranged from the upper 60s to lower 80s, but there was still humidity and we saw a few days of rain. Basically, it wasn’t the perfect Bay Area weather I was used to, which means I don’t think I could ever get used to New York weather and having actual seasons.

Accommodations: (Did not meet expectations) I stayed in Soho, which was a great location, but I didn’t realize that $300/night gets you a room the size of a closet. I seriously considered looking for another hotel right after checking in, but then I realized nicer places would cost twice as much and not be much bigger.

Food: (Exceeded expectations) I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was, even though I already had high expectations. More surprising is how good the Asian food was, which compared favorably versus the Bay Area. I didn’t intend to eat so much Asian food, but that’s just how it turned out. Maybe my one regret was not eating more pizza (we had it twice).

Cleanliness: (Did not meet expectations) I didn’t think I needed to include this category, but apparently I do. New York is a filthy city; there’s garbage just out on the sidewalk, and we saw rats on the street more than a few times. For some reason I didn’t remember this about New York previously — maybe because I wasn’t there for so long before. Either way, it’s kind of disgusting.

Would I go back? Sure, but it probably wouldn’t be for a while. One of my friends commented that if he were going to fly that far, he’d just go to Europe. Which makes sense…and just reminds that I’m ready to make a trip out to Europe again.

Takers, anyone?