“New York, New York” — A Song for All Seasons

Photo by the Author

“Blue Skies,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and “Hound Dog” were all part of the singer’s repertoire hired to entertain residents of The Maplewood at Strawberry Hill, where my 90-year-old mother lives. (She’s the one on the left.) The garden was a sea of wheelchairs and walkers as he sang to an audience of octo- and nonagenarians.

When he got to “New York, New York,” I lost it. This year, this song has been especially evocative.

“These vagabond shoes
They are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city
That never sleeps
And find I’m king of the hill
Top of the heap …”

It started with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve 2019 from New York City’s Times Square. When the theme “New York, New York” came on, I felt proud to be a New Yorker. I sang along with Frank Sinatra. We were saying goodbye to 2019 and ushering in 2020.

We were all so hopeful that it would be a good year. We were excited about the future. It was January, and the pandemic hadn’t yet taken over the world.