BY JOANNE COLELLA Day Trips to Nowhere
I admit this has been a disturbingly challenging
time to be writing about places to go and things
to do. Each month for many years, I’ve shared
suggestions and tips in my Day Trip column about
fun and interesting outings within a few hours’
drive of Monmouth County. And I’ve provided
information about all sorts of local entertainment
news and ideas in my monthly From the Front
Row page. I certainly thought this month would
have been the same. Then the coronavirus pandemic
arrived and changed everything.
that I’d simply be able to write about events and
locations that had been disrupted or postponed
and could be enjoyed in the near future, with a
disclaimer to check their websites for the latest
information about dates, hours and other details.
Then updates about the virus and its impact began
pouring in at breakneck speed, and it quickly
became clear that none of us would be going
places anytime soon – perhaps for many weeks,
if not months. The economic fallout will undoubtedly
be staggering for many businesses, organizations
and workers, not to mention changes in
day-to-day life as we know it. Having written in the
past about disasters such as Sept. 11 and Superstorm
Sandy, I know that this is completely different
in many ways, and it’s utterly heartbreaking.
But in a testament to the tenacity of the
human spirit and the power of the internet, as
soon as the initial shock began to wear off, inspiring
updates on ways to help and opportunities
to adapt to the situation began appearing at an
equally rapid pace. First-run movies that would ordinarily
be in theaters have been made available
online instead. Broadway shows and the Metropolitan
Opera have been streaming live performances.
Musicians everywhere – including many
popular local favorites who usually play to packed
bars and restaurants throughout New Jersey –
have begun using Facebook Live to lift the spirits
of their fans from their living rooms. Museums,
zoos, aquariums, historical sites and other tourist
attractions, all shuttered for now, have been providing
virtual tours. Business networking events
have been replaced by virtual meetings. Libraries
and schools are screening online courses and activities.
Fitness and dance studios have taken their
classes online, too.
8 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
From the Front Row
at Home and
Charities whose fundraisers have been canceled
are ramping up online donation drives.
Restaurants that would ordinarily be busy with
crowds of diners quickly became adept at providing
only take-out and delivery orders – all from a
safe distance – and offering discounts, incentives,
and even wine and beer for those who would like
to enjoy something other than a home-cooked
meal while they’re housebound.
People everywhere are reminded to go online
to buy gift cards for their favorite places – not
you something to look forward to when you can
go out again. If an event you were planning to
attend has been postponed, be sure to look for
updates and mark the calendar with the new date
so you’ll remember.
Oh, and all those dedicated servers and bartenders
that you’d usually be tipping at the end
of a fun night or a delicious meal? There’s a virtual
way to help them now, too, with “online tip jars”
being created to help support your favorite staffer
and establishment of choice.
I would love to write comprehensively about
each and every one of them, but time and space
simply wouldn’t allow it and the information is
changing so fast, whatever I write – particularly in
a monthly publication – would likely be different
by the time you read it. So I will try to keep this
simple and, since we are now all living in a virtual
world, enthusiastically recommend that you scan
the internet as often as possible, try to overlook
the depressing news, and visit the websites, Facebook
groups and other social media pages that
are now bursting with heartfelt, helpful information
that is being shared. If there’s a place you
would usually want to visit or an activity you’d ordinarily
enjoy doing, chances are, they’ve devised
an online option you can access.
Of course, this unexpectedly enforced time
at home has also reset the clock of history, readjusted
our priorities, and brought us back to days
of board games, puzzles, music, cooking and
reading good books. It has given us time for home
projects, gardening, spring cleaning, leisurely
naps, long phone calls and other things that our
nonstop lives never allowed time for. Hopefully, it
is also bringing us good health and appreciation
for the company of family, friends, neighbors and
coworkers.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone. This, too,
shall pass. Right now, we are all alone, but all together.
And I can’t wait until the day when we are
all able to emerge again and take joy in entertainment
and travel and show our support for those
venues. Until then, make the good news go viral.
/TheJournalNJ.com