A Tale of Two New Yorks

Manhattan’s laptop class diverges from those in the boroughs bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s effects.

New York is alive. After months of death and despair, sealed into our homes with the silence of the city broken only by the sirens, we emerged to sunny weather, somewhat opened restaurants, and a city blossoming. If you squint a little. Subscribers, click here to read the full magazine. Not a subscriber? Click here to become a Patriot member today and receive access to The American Spectator in print and online! It’s true that there’s so much that’s beautiful in New York City this fall. There’s music in the streets. Turn a corner and hit a string quartet on a stoop. A jazz trio in the park. A trumpet player on the corner. The outdoor dining is gorgeous. Let’s keep it forever, New Yorkers say! But all of this is an illusion, a distraction from the deep problems the city is facing.

Every week, an iconic restaurant closes its doors. Central Park’s Boathouse restaurant, Grand Central Station’s Oyster Bar. Colandrea New Corner in Dyker Heights, a restaurant that made it eighty-four years in this crazy city but couldn’t survive this one. The outdoor dining is already getting questionable. Heat lamps and coats will be needed before too long. The music is in the streets because it’s largely not allowed to be anywhere else. How these musicians will make their living is a big question mark. Schools are on extremely shaky ground. New York City was the first major city to open schools for any in-person education. Of course, New York City only did this after two delays, which drove parents entirely insane. In-person education is happening on a part-time basis and closes at the first sign of any uptick in cases. In October, the mayor and governor closed schools in parts of Brooklyn and Queens despite the fact that the schools hadn’t had any cases. It’s crazy-making. It leaves parents unable to focus on their own work. It’s hard to quantify what that means for our productivity, and it’s certainly bad for our children. And then there’s the crime. For every politician who has ever ...