Moving to NYC during COVID (ADVICE NEEDED)
Hi all! Need advice from people who are aware of the situation in New York.
My situation is: I am an international student, go to school in NYC. My school went fully online for the Fall (feels like Spring is going to be virtual as well). I've been home this whole time (literally left my house only 10-15 times since March) and while I saved a bunch of money (WFH + did an internship from here), I feel like the isolation is taxing my mental health (+ time difference). I am sure some people have it worse, and I am lucky to be healthy / alive / have income. However, I am thinking about moving to Manhattan for the semester or more just for the sake of being closer to my friends, who decided to stay in the city and just to change the scenery.
So, the pros of moving are:
1. I get to see some friends once in a while
2. Might go on a date if we both were isolating
3. Change the scenery to improve mental health and potentially academic performance
4. Might enjoy the city a little (not too much, because corona is still out there and a lot of places are closed)
5. Not exposing my parents (high-risk group ppl)
6. Living SOME life after 6 months of isolation, since I am going to IB next year and will be isolating in a cubicle for years after that anyway
The cons of moving are:
1. Paying rent
2. Potentially exposing myself to risks (where I live there are almost no cases + I barely leave my room anyway)
3. People say NYC is dead at this point (not even 50% of my friends are coming back)
4. Having to take care of myself
5. America is not doing well with COVID, maybe it's better to stay away at all and go somewhere nice and safe
6. Classes are online, I don't need to be anywhere near NYC anyway
7. No gym (I've been working out and dieting like crazy and think this is the FITTEST I've ever been, NYC gyms are not reopening anytime soon and it will affect my mental health too)
So, I really don't know what to do and want to hear ANY opinions as everyone I spoke to 10+ people and no one (including my own fam) knows how to proceed. Any help is appreciated, thank you!
How down would your friends be to hang out with you regularly? As you've noted, there's not much to do. Also make note of the coming winter. Outdoor dining in NYC will be limited then and there will be even less to do....assuming the second wave isn't a complete catastrophe.
What you don't want to do is to place your happiness on other people (your friends). If they don't end up spending the time with you that you want / effectively meeting your need for human interaction, it will feel like a waste. You might have all these high hopes that NYC will cure your isolation but end up feeling isolated again, and now with no hopeful alternative. Unmet expectations can be rough!
If I were you, I would stay home, collect even more WFH money, and then rage when you've graduated and are working full-time.
great advice, thank you!
Man, I totally forgot about the inability to go out to restaurants once winter comes.
Feelsbad. This winter is shaping up to be NASTY, as Trump would say.
Purchase a firearm or if you have the means a security guard. Learn to interact with beggars and how to diffuse situations in that realm.
New York is doing fine with COVID, far better than the rest of the country, so I would be a little at ease over that. People actually care about other people's safety over their own comfort here, I think it has something to do with the fact that everyone in NYC is a transplant so it's important to be considerate of found community.
And the city is by no means dead. You don't see clubs open til 4am, true, but there is a ton of activity and nightlife on the streets until ~11pm. No indoor dining sucks, but I suspect it will return by winter time in some form (perhaps limited seating).
And the gym issue does indeed suck. Seems likely gyms will be open by mid-September, frankly, barring some massive resurgence of COVID cases. Which is possible, with schools re-opening. Gyms would be open now if not for the lack of health inspectors (who are dealing with schools); once they're available gyms will open. See Cuomo and De Blasio's comments earlier this week. Can always work out outside, or do cardio, but understood that isn't always ideal.
But to echo others - if you're pinning your happiness on other people's willingness to engage with you, then moving anywhere is a bad decision right now (and maybe always). That being said, I wouldn't assume that conditions are bad in NYC because of how the rest of the country is doing - since late April the city has been fine, and while you'll have to wear a mask outside and can't eat indoors or party at a bar til sunrise on a Saturday night, it's nothing like it was in April/March when nothing was happening. In a lot of ways it is better than more "open" cities/states
We have an insanely low amount of cases and our positivity rate is less than 1% daily. This might be the safest place to be if you don't go around sticking your face in people's mouths. Gyms also open September 2.
Yeah, gyms will be open to some extent which is great. Regarding safety, I am not too scared, I’ve lived here before and been through some stuff, not going to try to get robbed on purpose of course. Cases are indeed low and given how careful I am, it shouldn’t be too risky
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