So I George Vance McGee resided, worked and lived in New York City, Manhattan roughly in 2006-2011 +/-, during the "Mayor Mike Bloomberg" years in office. I resided full-time in a rent controlled room in Midtown West Hell's Kitchen. It was an era of learning, single-dom and adult-hood maturation during my mid to late twenties decade. After the 2008-2009 Economic collapse I lingered for a couple years, but then eventually left NYC back home for Austin, Texas. As time accumulated, my thirties' decade of life came and went. They're gone. So here is my "return to NYC" post, blog, photos, vacation and adventures as a 41.5 year old married pre-dad.
New York City, August 2nd -6th, 2023. While having lunch with a long-time NYC friend and current family man on Bowery Avenue, he stated, "can you believe it's the year 2023, and we are living in it?" This friend is a 17 year NYC citizen and Brooklyn Brownstone townhome owner, near the Barclay's Center. This friend also said, "these stories we're re-telling are from such a long time ago, but I can recall them quite profoundly"
I also spoke to a Bartender in Nolita, who said, "our current Mayor Eric Adams, sucks. He's a conservative democrat and his solution to everything is more cops, since he himself was a former cop."
I also learned the full 2 year Covid- Pandemic Lockdown years were BRUTALLY awful and bad for New York City. Their former Governor Cuomo was an isolationist, and from what I gathered the entire city was shut-down. The city became ghostly, and less inhabited. I heard people state multiple times, "People just Left and moved away from NYC."
So now in current 2023, post pandemic and post George Floyd racial protests, New York City and Brooklyn are BACK! Both are vibrant and bustling with lifestyles, people, foreign tourists, culture, bars, museums, along with the commercial business store front veracity and pace of the past years I lived through and enjoyed.
My 5 night stay was @ the Nolitan Hotel. A Boutique, intimate semi-Modern Hotel that was safe, nice, and superbly located. Nolita is the most charming and best neighborhood in Manhattan in my opinion. Elizabeth, Mott, Mulberry, Kenmare, Delancey, Prince, Spring Street are all walk worthy and unique.
What activities did I get to? The MoMa Museum in Midtown, check. I rented and performed an exercise Bicycle Ride along the Westside Highway and through the entire Central Park Loop. I saw the band, the Drums, Live @ Webster Hall. I stopped and saw the 9/11 Memorial exhibits. I saw the Statue Of Liberty from afar in Battery Park.
I took the L subway train to Bedford Ave and spent an entire day in Williamsburg Brooklyn, where it exudes yuppie and cool vibes, yet simultaneously is heavily real estate developed and expensive. The poor gentrifying tattooed hipsters and model residents of the early aughts have been priced out. While I was at the Brooklyn Brewery, I spoke with a happy couple who was contemplating moving to Savanah Georgia. They said, "our rent in Williamsburg is $3450 a month, and we feel like we got a deal. An Entry Level Studio in Williamsburg to buy is $700,000."
I swung by my old hotel job @ the Gansveoort and got to visit with some of my former bellman and door-staff. Raul showed me the current bell closet, told me there is no overnight bellman anymore and we reminisced about celebrity guests we served, (Kevin Costner, Diane Von Furstenberg, Christina Aguilera, Richard Branson, etc) co-workers and fun stories. It was awesome! Raul who actually trained me, said, "the Meatpacking District Club Scene of previous decades and your era is over. Today's Meatpacking District is bar/restaurants and hi-end clothing and furniture stores. Lastly I canvassed the Lower East Side and even walked down to the SouthStreet Seaport area and FiDi's Wall Street.
Oh gosh, I'm tired and ready to go back home to the more livable and peaceful lifestyle and pace of Austin and Texas. I underestimated and forgot the incredible amount of WALKING that is necessary in Manhattan and NYC. If you ever visit I recommend extremely comfortable proven sneakers and clean socks.
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What a great review. Sounds like you had lots of fun memories from your five years in the big Apple.
ReplyDeleteIt had been perhaps over 13-14 years since I had last seen the landscape of NYC. On this trip I did enjoy visiting all of the spots from my "memory lane." The Hudson Yards area around West 32nd street is brand NEW. When I left circa 2009, the Nolitan Hotel, was brand NEW. The most unique aspect of this NYC trip I learned was how challenging, depressing and empty NYC was during the Covid Years. The Covid Years, deaths & mega dense lifestyle of NYC caused the city to spiral down. The good news, is that in our Post COVID world, NYC is rebounding excellently, except for the empty commercial office towers. One friend also told men ,"despite marijuana being legal in NY, weed and the pace, layout, intensity of NYC do not mix very well."
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