Two Years in NYC; Will I Make it to Three?

New York City has now been my place of residence for exactly two years.

I have some doubts if I will make it to three years.

After all when I reflected my anniversary in NYC a year ago, I wrote of bowling and finding my lane. A global pandemic and the loss of my job was the furthest thing from my mind. I know I am far from alone in this thinking. But now NYC and the entire country are struggling to get out of this gutter.

As such my time in NYC must be delineated into pre-COVID and the COVID period. The precise delineation point is hard to pin down. I could mark it on March 18th when I was sent home from work never to return. Or I could mark it when I officially lost my job on April 3rd. Or perhaps I could mark it on April 6th when I moved upstairs to social distance from my Dad. 

Well, since the first week of April I have been trying to find employment and have been living by myself. I am now entering the 25th week of this state of affairs with no sign of any change forthcoming although this change could come at any moment up to and including as I am writing this down. 

The main reason I am unsure that I will be in NYC at this time a year from now is that I am trying to keep my options open. To date, I have applied for 230 jobs. Sixty percent of those jobs are outside of New York City and surrounding area. Most of these positions are elsewhere in the Northeast (Boston/New England, Philly/D/C. and Pittsburgh) with some directed towards the Midwest and the South (particularly with regard to Contact Tracing positions). 

There is some gray area. Earlier this month, I had a phone interview with a biotech firm in Princeton, New Jersey which is halfway between NYC and Philly. Had I landed the position I probably would have commuted at least in the short term. But it does not appear this has come to pass.

Should President Trump get re-elected in six weeks time then I will begin to look for work in Canada. Of course, there are no guarantees that avenue will be any more successful. However, I did manage to find work in the U.S. while living in Canada. Granted that was more than 20 years ago. Well, this bridge doesn't need to be crossed just yet but it is an option available to me if necessary.

I haven't given up on NYC just yet. In a short time from now, I will be headed to Times Square to go bowling and will do so for the next four Mondays thereafter. But the City isn't the same. While the COVID-19 community transmission and fatality rates have flattened in the City and in New York State it might be too little, too late. Many people have left for the suburbs (the woman from whom I am subletting this apartment has been with her family in Long Island). Others have left for destinations beyond. With all the COVID deaths plus the surge in violent crime and memories of this summer's curfew and boarded up businesses it will be a long time before New York City becomes New York City again.

But even if COVID-19 had never come to pass and New York City was shining bright I must confess that I do not love New York in the way my Dad does. Come to think of it I don't think the New York City Chamber of Commerce loves New York the way my Dad does. But while NYC has its virtues I am far more fond of Boston. Of course, returning to Boston might not be feasible. If it isn't then I do suspect that I will be more comfortable and content in a smaller sized city. Then again I could be wrong. I wish I knew.

At this point, all I can do is keeping applying for jobs be it in New York City or outside of New York City and let the chips fall where they may. I'll just have to roll with it be it today or wherever I might be on this day a year from now.