After lockdown in Brooklyn, a trip to the seaside was just what I needed

Being locked within these four walls in Brooklyn made me pine for the sea of my childhood, but with no chance of getting to the beach I began to give up hope. Then, one day, the sea came to me, writes Holly Baxter

The beach on the Long Island Sound on Tod’s Point in Old Greenwich, Connecticut (AFP via Getty)

You learn a lot about yourself during a pandemic. Some people learn that they’re not compatible with their partner any more; others learn that they want to spend the rest of their lives with them, as all those pandemic engagements you see on Instagram can attest. Some people learn that they cope well under pressure and are highly resilient; others learn that the stress of their job isn’t worth it and decide to go back to college or switch gears. Some people learn that they cope badly when they’re not surrounded by people; others learn that they don’t function well in a small apartment in a big city, and could actually quite happily live in a leafy town.

Me? I learnt that I love water.

It sounds like a ridiculously small thing, but it’s something that feels more urgent with each day of isolation. Technically, New York has just entered phase four of its reopening plan – which means that up to 50 people can gather outdoors, and zoos and botanical gardens are now open for reduced numbers of visitors (don’t all rush to the spider house at once!). Phase four was once supposed to include indoor dining and activities, but the governor has suspended that for now. Although coronavirus cases remain low in this state, they’re skyrocketing elsewhere in the US.