{"id":7864,"date":"2020-07-16T22:30:19","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T02:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7864"},"modified":"2020-07-16T22:30:19","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T02:30:19","slug":"five-benefits-of-wearing-a-mask-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7864","title":{"rendered":"Five Benefits of Wearing a Mask In NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello all, and welcome to the second half of 2020, the year of yellow skittles and socks which slide down and curdled cream in your coffee. Everyone likes to talk about “the new normal”, a term which I deeply dislike, but which does seem to pretty much sum up the human race trying to figure out their lives this year. One of “the new normal” things we’ve all had to learn to deal with, with varying levels of graciousness and goodwill, is wearing a mask in certain situations. In New York City they’re required in the subways and stores, and apparently in my little building too, according to the hand-written signs put up by my landlady, asking us to “Please wear your mask in our shared spaces, AKA, the stairs.” Okay then.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since I prefer to make the best of a situation rather than murmuring about it for forty years in the wilderness, I thought I’d share with you some of the unforeseen benefits of wearing a mask in New York City. You ready?<\/em><\/p>\n

I generally listen to music on the trains, and although I can (usually) keep myself from belting along to the songs, I can’t stop myself from mouthing the lyrics to whatever rousing number I’m enjoying at the moment… “It’s the feeling of freedom, of seeing the light. It’s Ben Franklin with the key and the kite, you see it, right?” I have often thought that I probably look just a little deranged to all the strangers on the train, but a mask solves this problem very nicely, by hiding my mouth so everyone thinks I’m just your average New Yorker with her stoic commute face.<\/p>\n

#fashion. Last weekend on my eleven-mile walk across the city, I got to see several examples of how creative people have become with their masks. There were all kinds of styles and designs and placements, such as the one lady who was wearing her mask directly above her elbow like a misplaced puff sleeve. Very…useful. My favorite though was the couple grabbing coffee who looked like they were maybe on a second date, as things still appeared slightly awkward. While they waited for their lattes, he complimented her on her mask, asked where she got it, and told her how nicely it matches her dress. That, in a nutshell, sums up our new normal, don’t you think?<\/p>\n

I’ve already mentioned the lovely way a mask hides your un-made-up face. Pop on a pair of shades too, and nobody can see how three months of sitting at home and neglecting your grooming has affected your skin. It’s extremely convenient. Also, when you happen to fall into a sound sleep in Central Park, which is definitely not weird, and you wake up with all sorts of sleep crinkles on your face because you had your arm resting on it, just hide behind your mask and nobody will ever know.<\/p>\n

You already know I love New York City with an unreasonable love. However, love is not love which can see no faults in its lover. Therefore I don’t hesitate to tell you that summer time is not New York City’s best time of year. On garbage day everyone places their mountains of refuse on the sidewalks for the trucks to pick up, and the whole neighborhood smells a bit like you’re a rat living in a giant trash can. Enter masks. You know how in old novels the girls would always daintily touch their noses with their perfumed handkerchiefs and smelling salts whenever there was a distasteful odor in the air? Masks are pretty much our modern version, as they block out many of the green clouds wafting through the air.<\/p>\n

Speaking of smells- when you eat three dozen pickled onions for lunch and forget to brush your teeth before heading out the door, your mask will tell you so, which is very courteous of it. You get to bask in your own bad breath and regret all your bad decisions. On that note, it may even keep some friendships intact, as you probably all know how difficult it is to be close- or at least close physically- friends with the kind of person who eats three dozen pickled onions for lunch.<\/p>\n

Did I miss any? What do you think has become the best part of our “new normal”?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Year Ago:<\/h3>\n

Little Letters, Fashion Edition<\/a><\/p>\n

Two Years Ago:<\/h3>\n

Virginia Creeper Bike Trail, As Done By a Non-Biker<\/a><\/p>\n

Roaming About the Earth<\/a><\/p>\n

Three Years Ago:<\/h3>\n

Five Inevitabilities Of Life<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Review: Daddy-Long-Legs<\/a><\/p>\n

Four Years Ago:<\/h3>\n

Misery In Mexico<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello all, and welcome to the second half of 2020, the year of yellow skittles and socks which slide down and curdled cream in your coffee. Everyone likes to talk about “the new normal”, a term which I deeply dislike, but which does seem to pretty much sum up the human race trying to figure out their lives this year. One of “the new normal” things we’ve all had to learn to deal with, with varying levels of graciousness and…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[87,462],"tags":[578,577],"class_list":["post-7864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-five-things","category-life-in-nyc","tag-masks","tag-nyc-during-covid"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/people-wearing-diy-masks-3951628-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-22Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7483,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7483","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":0},"title":"New York City Fashion","author":"Rachel","date":"October 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world, I hear, alongside Paris and other such progressive places. It certainly is a place where you can expect to see just about anything and everything walking down a sidewalk, and even though there's enough weirdness here that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8982.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7345,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7345","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":1},"title":"You May Be In New York City If…","author":"Rachel","date":"June 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"...your bag never weighs less than about fifty-three pounds. It is liable to contain any or all of the following items at any time: a pair of shoes, two full meals, an umbrella, a banana, a five pound bag of flour, a book or maybe two, enough chargers and headphone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_9019.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_9019.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_9019.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_9019.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/img_9019.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8260,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8260","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":2},"title":"A Slip of a Slip","author":"Rachel","date":"November 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear friend, I was just utterly charmed by a tiny glimpse of a white slip on the train and I thought you might understand. I was traveling home late at night from a work event, a bit damp from the gusty rain outside, when an old lady entered the train\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-karl-solano-2780880-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-karl-solano-2780880-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-karl-solano-2780880-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-karl-solano-2780880-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8109,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8109","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":3},"title":"Two Years Down, Twenty to Go","author":"Rachel","date":"March 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I feel uncertain which day I should celebrate my anniversary since it took me two days to move, but around two years ago, on the 8th and the 9th of March, I swam my way out of my old life and into this crazy adventure. And I really mean swam-\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8209-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8209-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8209-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8209-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8209-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7289,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7289","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":4},"title":"Pictures For Rosie (and you too)","author":"Rachel","date":"May 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Rosie said I don't post enough pictures. Rosie is usually right. Therefore, here you go. Let us commence with a Sunday afternoon spent roaming downtown Brooklyn. I do a lot of roaming, you see, since I have a lot of time to spend alone and there are only so many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Downtown adventures"","block_context":{"text":"Downtown adventures","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=86"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8613.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8613.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8613.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8613.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8613.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7845,"url":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7845","url_meta":{"origin":7864,"position":5},"title":"A Letter to My 2019 Self","author":"Rachel","date":"June 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Rachel, Oh, you dear, sweet, naive, innocent, little thing. It's June, which means you're just getting settled into life in the city, and still trying to figure out your roommate situation, and you're slowly making a few friends here and there. The homesickness is setting in with a force,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_8982-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_8982-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_8982-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_8982-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_8982-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7864"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7875,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7864\/revisions\/7875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}