I interviewed a couple of friends in New York for this piece, knowing that our experiences of COVID were vastly different but I didn’t know how. I told them I wanted to talk to them because this is not my story to make up or tell. While I do live in an urban city (Chicago), I knew there were so many things that made New York what it is, and no Google search could do that justice.

They spoke of the fear they had and deep sadness they felt; the non-stop sirens and refrigerated trucks carrying dead bodies down their street. Waking up knowing in their gut that someone else died on their block last night. Writing poetry with lines such as “In the morning we count the dead.” My friends were in a war zone and there was no escaping it. They didn’t have cars and getting anywhere seemed like a battle not worth fighting. What used to be so accessible now felt a million miles away.

Everything they loved about the city (the art, Broadway, even sharing a glass of wine with a friend at the corner bar) disappeared in an instant. They asked, “how do we come back from this?” All they yearn for is normalcy to return. They even long for riding the subway again; for being around the people because the people are the backbone of this city. “There is every kind of person, not just every kind of nationality but every kind of person here.”

It gave me this idea of love letters. In times of war, loved ones write to soldiers to let them know, “I’ll be here when you return. I’ll wait for you.” They write to soldiers to remind them that brighter days are ahead; they write to give hope and in turn spill their heart out all over the page through the ink of a pen.

For Love Letters to New York, we would encourage the audience to write love letters to the city. What they miss, what they look forward to. It can be from residents but I believe this would touch people all over the world. These letters can be shared online and through larger-than-life activations through out the city of New York. To bring it full circle, NYC writes back, returning the love for all around the world to feel.

Example letter below (plain text below image):

“I gaze longingly at the Empire State Building from my bedroom window; watching it pulse in the night like my heart pulses for you. It is my North Star; my beacon of light in this moment of darkness. I have never been apart from you this long and it is wearing on me but I dream about the days we will be together again and that gives me hope. 

I dream of the days we can be in the middle of the everyday hustle and bustle; shoulder to shoulder, moving quickly through the crowd like it’s no big deal. I dream of the days when we can walk hand in hand, down a crowded street, talking about nothing at all; surrounded by loud chatter and the familiar fragrant smells of our favorite Indian market down the street. I miss the noise. I find the quiet almost too quiet, it is unsettling. 

I dream of the days when we can hop on the subway and be transported to another world in the matter of 20 minutes. I dream of the nights where we can snag that last reservation for the new restaurant on the block, even if it’s at 11:30pm on a Monday night. I dream of the nights we can dance together under the stars on a rooftop without a care for what the morning will bring. 

I have so many dreams for us, so many plans. I will continue to dream for us until we can be together again. I will wait for you, for without you these dreams would not be possible. I will wait for you, for you have my heart. Always and forever.”