We started the last week of April with a corona classic. First baking banana bread and then ordering some soulfood. Sushi for Franzi and a Katz’s pastrami sandwich for Alex.
During the week Governor Cuomo announced NYC subway closures from 1-5 AM as the city neared 19.000 deaths. The week ended with the announcement that all schools remain closed until the end of the academic year, which was stressful news for all of our colleagues with children in school.
We spent the first Saturday in May walking around the West Village and enjoying spring sun. Later in the day, we visited our friend Jay and enjoyed a beautiful sunset with a glass of wine on his rooftop in Williamsburg. On Sunday, Alex did a motorcycle tour with some friends and we ended the weekend with a drink on our fire ladder and a prime taco night.
During the next week, we stayed active with some running and inline skating to the Williamsburg bridge. Friday night was Pizza night (you remember, our new tradition). However, this time it was self-made! The rest of the weekend was spent experimenting with watercolors and making greeting cards with embroidery thread. On Sunday, we repeated our Sushi & Pastrami ritual. New York’s delicious food options luckily remained open.
“Groundhog” Weekend
The next week started with a lovely surprise. We received a care package from Franzi’s parents with German goodies! Mustard (Alex’s addiction), German sweets, comfy PJ’s, something to cuddle, a beautiful notebook, and a thermal mug! We were spoiled this week as it continued with a present from Franzi’s brother and fiancé: A puzzle with a dachshund motif (our dream pet)! Saturday was a feel-good day with a warm early evening spent on Jay’s rooftop with cheese and wine. That was crowned by a fresh chicken Milanese and good conversation. We met up with Jay again on Sunday for a motorcycle ride and found a lovely lake with some curious geese. In the afternoon, Franzi started working on the puzzle and later it was taco Sunday again!
In mid-May, the state of emergency for the whole state was extended to mid-June. The next work week was relatively uneventful with a lot of work and some cooking. We water colored and visited Mark and Elena in Williamsburg on Sunday and were able to put our minds at ease a bit with a spectacular sunset. During the week, daily new hospitalization dropped below 5.000 for the first time.
Black lives matter!
On May 25th, a flashpoint moment shook the country. George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis. Three days later, protests rolled across the city, revitalizing the country-wide black lives matter movement exposing institutional systems of violence targeted against Black and Brown populations. Saturday was the first day we witnessed protests live. Within three days, by May 31st, nearly 800 people have been arrested during protests.
The week consisted of a lot of reading the news and trying to stay positive – mostly fueled by food. Franzi made some cinnamon rolls, we made a delicious chicken Milanese sandwich and ended the week with Pizza. On Saturday we made fresh Chevapchichi. On Sunday, we visited Tompkins Square park where a red-tailed hawk pair had three chicks. It was fascinating to see such large birds in the middle of the city. Later, we met our friend and colleague Kushal and showed him our motorcycle garage.
May ended with 370.000 COVID cases and over 23.000 deaths. Overall, the US surpassed 100.000 deaths at this point. This month was definitely a weird one trying to balance the horror of COVID, processing the death of George Floyd, and trying to stay mentally afloat to be productive at work.
