Where are the suits of New York? I have lived in New York City for about 6 years now and used to travel to New York for business for years before then. I have never ever seen the City like this. Yesterday morning, Justin and I saw a man in a suit getting coffee and a bagel at a street cart, and I was like “Wow, I have not seen that in a long time.” Every time I pass by a dry cleaner, I feel their pain. No more suits. Who needs suits dry cleaned when you are working in sweats all day?

I have been asking my husband Justin, who is New York-born and raised if he has ever seen the City like this. After 9/11 or any other time? And his answer is always “no”. I keep asking the same question as if I want his answer to change. It has truly been depressing to walk around and see all of the businesses that are suffering and that have closed. We have tried to support our local businesses as much as possible, but there is only so much we can do.

One of the main reasons why I fell in love with New York was the hustle and bustle. The energy. The fast pace. The suits. The deals. The art. The theater. The ballet. The opera. And now it seems as if time has stopped. Everything is in slow motion. So much of what we love about this beautiful city is shut down. We see a moving truck by our apartment almost every day. Thousands have apparently fled the City. How will we recover from this? How will the resilient New Yorkers recover from this? It will be a long road, but I am confident that we will. As much as people are moving out of the City, there are also a number of people who are moving in, and taking advantage of the lower real estate prices and rental rates. All of this is definitely creating an opportunity for “new blood” to come in the city and recreate what makes this city so beautiful.

We all need to do our part to bring our New York City back! This City has always been there for us and we need to be there for her. As the holidays are upon us, I encourage each of you to purchase at least one gift from your local stores and support them. I encourage each of you to donate where and when you can and support your local businesses one way or another. I encourage each of you who can afford it to leave a “big” tip for our waiters and waitresses. We have already lost a few of our favorite restaurants and retail stores in Tribeca, and it hurts to see them go. Stores and restaurants with so much history are gone. Part of this has probably given us the break we always needed as New Yorkers who are always on the go-go-go, but a huge part of this is so sad and was “forced”. I pray for all of the businesses and people who are suffering. New York is strong and will come back in spades! It is just a matter of time!