NYC: The Cautious Comeback
Approaching Washington Square Park around 3:45pm on a Thursday afternoon, there is a palpable liveliness in the air. Picnickers sprawl on the greens as they casually read, sunbathe, smoke, converse, and just take in the beautiful day. Splashes of royal purple stand out in a sea of color, as newly minted NYU alumni gather to take graduation photos around the fountain and under the iconic arch. Although some people are still wearing masks, the majority of park visitors are barefaced, with masks hugging their necks, worn like necklaces or bracelets, or nowhere to be found. As eloquently stated by a passerby, “it looks like New York is coming back.” Finally.
Needless to say, this scene is a far cry from what one might have witnessed a year ago in the same spot. Seventeen months of life in a pandemic has taken an unquestionable toll on New Yorkers, with the transition to working from home, not being able to see loved ones, and living in constant fear of getting sick leaving no one unaffected. However, one could argue that the group most cheated by COVID-19 is the college students and recent graduates who were robbed of the rowdy social interactions so emblematic of their age. With this in mind, the BAMM New York team set out to document young adults as they step out of the pandemic, specifically probing for their thoughts, feelings, actions, inhibitions, life outlook, and plans heading into another unprecedented summer in New York.
According to the CDC, 75% of Americans aged 18 to 24 experienced a decrease in mental health related to the pandemic accompanied by a downward spiral of inescapable negative mindsets, difficulty sleeping, a greater need for therapy, and time off from school. The college-aged sample we interviewed in Washington Square Park quickly became the faces behind this unfortunate experience. Take Ruby (23), for example, who was forced to move back in with her parents when COVID-19 hit New York last year. Instead of spending the summer of 2020 with her friends or beginning her career, she laid around the house all day feeling hopeless and unmotivated. Abel (20) recounts celebrating his birthday a year earlier on a Zoom call, and his friend James (18) has Snapchat memories of a train ride on an abandoned subway car taken precisely one year ago to the day. Alessia (19) recalls the frustrating “culture shock” of seeing some of her peers’ Instagram photos of unsafe behavior during the pandemic. It made her extremely nervous that their prioritization of social life over social distancing would inhibit her ability to stay at school, only adding to the exhaustion of her isolation from others. James profoundly summarized his generation’s experience in conceptualizing the pandemic as “a gap year in our life.”
With much emotion evidently bottled up over the past year, these young adults are now swiftly approaching the official reopening of New York City on the first of July. Mayor de Blasio says “This is going to be the summer of New York City. You're going to see amazing activities and cultural activities coming back.” After all, this city has historically united both residents and visitors through its hustle and bustle, spontaneous excursions, and endless possibilities; people are yearning to feel connected to New York and to one another once again. Speculation around America’s second round of the “Roaring 20s” or a “Shot Girl Summer” suggests that young people will spend this summer drinking, partying, traveling, hooking up, and packing in as many rambunctious adventures as possible to make up for lost time. However, the great majority of people we spoke to in the park aren’t quite there yet. While they are able to enthusiastically report their excitement to attend sporting events, go on vacations, hit the clubs, dine at restaurants, and spend time with friends, very few had tangible plans to actually partake in these activities. Furthermore, despite consistent use of the word “freedom” amongst our interviewees, the burden of processing their pandemic experiences lingers like a bitter aftertaste.
For some, getting vaccinated was the key that unlocked the jail cells constructed by COVID-19. However, they still battle a collective Stockholm syndrome of sorts, paralyzed by a longer-lasting social anxiety to stay in their own lane and modify their behavior based on the “mob mentality” of people around them. Claire (18) doesn’t expect the stress of the pandemic to simply dissipate into thin air, and her friend Wickham (19) agrees, adding that “We are cautiously excited.” While feeding off of one another’s uncertainty, they choose to continue discussing the pandemic to make sense of the past year and what it has taught them.
Devonte (23) speaks from the heart, sharing that “personally, I had to go through a dark place to find my purpose. I had to go through a lot of existential confusion, sexual confusion [to understand] my ‘why.’” He engaged in therapy over the past year to work on himself, learning the importance of connecting with the people he cares about, worrying less about what other people think, and seeking out the things in life that will make him happy. Alissa (18) grew over the pandemic as well, mentioning how important it is to have patience in the face of a challenge. Columbia students Riley (20), Lauren (20), Sophia (21), Jacqui (20), and Amanda (21) discuss their appreciation for the little things-- going to the park, engaging in face-to-face conversations, people-watching-- that were so easily taken for granted before the word “coronavirus” permeated the national lexicon. These small, safer activities feel quite significant, as the generation seeks a carefree, fun “summer of love” to gradually ease back into life before a full-blown Roaring 20s 2.0 can truly begin.
_________________
As it grows darker outside, the energy lifts. Drinks appear in people’s hands, music begins to pulse out of an LED-adorned speaker, couples make out on the lawn, a fire-breather shows off to the crowd, and a pillow fight breaks out around the fountain. The park’s nighttime guests engage in the festivities in an effort to blow off steam and simply enjoy themselves for the first time in so long.
Alissa dances on a bench with her mom and sister with a huge smile on her face. She says that “this summer is supposed to be like what it was gonna be last summer, so a lot of people are just gonna go crazy.” For just a moment, it seems like things are back to normal, but how can one be expected to process what “normal” means anymore? These emerging adults outwardly crave the hype of a roaring summer, yet are held back by psychological scars caused by months of social deprivation. Instead of seamlessly and immediately resuming pre-COVID life as portrayed in recent advertisements from brands like Extra Gum and Pepsi, the New York college-aged crowd is now caught in a peculiar in-between stage, and they are still unsure of their own comfort level with a return to “normal.”
Ultimately, our exploration of Washington Square Park and its visitors provides a snapshot of a one-of-a-kind moment for the 18- to 23-year-olds being thrown into a reawakening New York City when they haven’t completely recovered from the stress of pandemic life. A sense of loss emanates from their stories, but signs of resilience are equally present in their collective desire to get back out into the world. Although they may not be ready to re-emerge in full spirit today, their comeback is in the near future. Mark our words: with a renewed sense of inner strength and unity, they will roar again.
Words by Malorie Lipstein
Photography by Tom Ford