And here we are., my friends. 14 months after New York City experienced its first lockdown due to the COVID virus. Like everything else, we stopped these 90 second recordings on New York City…because, if you remember, I used to end them with “…until next time, go out there and see the world”. Well, we have not been able to see much of the world recently, have we. So it felt strange.

But we are getting back on tracks. One way or another we are getting out of this weird period of our lives. And, boy, what a shock to New York City this pandemic has been! The city that never stops and never sleeps…did stop for the first time ever in its history. And it went into a long forced sleep not knowing even the basics of what lying on a bed actually meant. You will recall me saying you don’t really visit New York City but that it is New York City that takes you for a ride without asking permission. Well, this time you could not even hear New York City.

I took the most harrowing pictures I never thought I could have taken. Not even in a movie set I could have imagined a deserted Broadway, empty subway trains, a ghost Wall Street and a silent Times Square. Silence?! That was not even in the vocabulary of newyorkers. These places never stopped. Not during wars. Not even on 9-11. It has been shocking really. It felt as if New York City could not cope with it. Lots of newyorkers left the city. Some of them for good and suddenly. They left with the same hurry like the pioneers during the far west conquest would leave a camp site when they smelled danger.

But things are getting better. Restrictions are easing and New York City is reopening. I’d love to think that this was not an induced motionless sleep but rather an hibernation. When animals hibernate they grow stronger and prepare themselves for the next chapter. New York City is an animal and is back with a vengeance. So, when you can, safely, come back to visit New York City. You will see the statue of Liberty standing there and you will hear her say “Come on you, welcome back. Let me take you for a ride!”

Stay tuned for a renewed New York City and until next time…well…stay safe and start planning your wanderings around the world.