2020 was supposed to have been the year of change.

The plan going into the year was to hit the street and look for that perfect - and ultimate - step up in my career. This was the big chance to put all of my 20-plus years of daily journalism to real work and be back in a major-market setting. There was even a networking trip to New York City set up for mid-April, where I even had a couple informal interviews set up.

Then, we know what happened.

The trip was booked in early-February, but by mid-March, it was clear the world - including the United States - was going to have to hunker down.

No close contact. No handshakes. No hugs … and, certainly no travel! In fact, the week that I had planned for NYC fell when the major metropolis experienced its worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, a year later, we can start thinking about a future beyond COVID. Now, I say “start”, because we’re not there yet. There’s still the work of getting the shots in the arms. The month of March saw me get my two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. By the time my late-father’s birthday rolls around on April 20th, I’ll be safely considered fully vaccinated.

My home state has been pretty good on the vaccination front. A recent report found Wisconsin used 90.3 percent of its allocated supply of vaccines from the federal government. That’s No. 1 amongst the 50 states in putting that coveted solution into its people.

So, now that I’ll soon join the ranks of the fully-vaccinated, what’s next? Well, just like any break-up (which, I’ve had the displeasure of experiencing a few times in my life), you’re catching me on the rebound. Those plans for 2020 got tabled and it’s only now in 2021 that I can feel confident for my future and bring them back.

Part of that rebound will likely involve travel. I’ve missed that so much in the lost year. When I had to scrub that trip to NYC, let’s just say I was not amused. Now, I did get a full refund on the cute AirB&B I booked in Brooklyn and I’ve got a nice credit for Delta Airlines on a future flight.

You have to think that New York is on my radar. It’s a city I’ve fallen in love with and never felt more at-home within. My last trip there was over the first four days of 2016. I stayed with a high school friend who lived in East Harlem and I told her going in “I want to see your New York.”

Turns out, I discovered MY New York … and, I don’t want to give it up.

My first night there started with a walk all the way through Central Park, from the statue of Duke Ellington at Tito Puente Way (E.110th) and 5th, down to The Plaza on W. 59th. Needless to say, my legs got in a good workout … but, we weren’t finished.

Then, it was down to Rockefeller Center, between 49th and 50th, and 5th and 6th. I had to go see a tree. Sounds odd, but this was the final weekend of the famed Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. It was there in all its glory and didn’t disappoint. Didn’t hurt that it was in front of one of the most cherished addresses in my book - 30 Rock.

After a brief stop at Grand Central Terminal, I needed a bite to eat. So, we went to The Old Town Bar on E. 18th, between 4th and 5th. If you remember the intro to the old “Late Night with David Letterman”, you see shots of this bar - one of the oldest bars in NYC still operating. After a good burger and a bottle of Ballantine beer, I was tired. This is when I got the stereotypical New Yorker question thrown my way.

“Wanna cwup of cwafee?” the bartender asked. Say this as it’s written and you’ll understand.

Trust me, that huge mug of java hit the spot!

After that, the weekend had its own carefree feeling about it. From hitting up a street sign on W. 121st renamed “George Carlin Way”, to a simple walk up 1st, to standing in Times Square, these were the quirks of this city which I’ve long adored.

Even cutting through the center of Columbia University’s campus, I went “I know what this is!” … and that was a scene early on in “Ghostbusters”, where Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd split a bottle of booze to hatch the ghost-busting scheme.

This is how my mind works, folks.

The whole time there also saw me take the subway system “like a ninja”, one of my NYC friends said to me. Here, the subway cars aren’t just a mode of transportation. They function as a stage, which can rival some of the top shops on Broadway. There was the guy who played his bongo drums right next to me. There was the kid who was reciting some form of “beatnik-style” prose that’d make Jack Kerouac twitch.

Thing is, as soon as it’d start … POOF! They’re off at the next stop. All the while, the rest of the riders didn’t flinch. Neither did I, but I was finding myself in awe for how this burst of artistic ambiance takes over this form of mass transit.

Then, there’s the food. As my waistline will confirm, this is where I really fell in love with the city. It didn’t matter if I was snagging a piece of baklava and beer at The Greek in TriBeCa or diving into my eggs, potato latkes, salmon slice, and seltzer water at Russ & Daughters cafe on the Lower East Side. Each time I dashed in to grab grub, the New York Experience was enhanced. That burger I told you about at Old Town Bar just kick-started a love for the food in this wonderful place.

Now, many of these places have had to shut down for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them have been fighting to stay afloat. One of my favorite stops was at Greenwich Street Tavern in TriBeCa - just down from The Greek. They’ve remained open with takeout and some outdoor dining before winter kicked in, but there was even a GoFundMe campaign to keep the watering hole and its wonderful staff in business. Now, as more capacity limits and curfews are either eased or lifted, there’s hope - and confidence from me - that GST will soon be back to prime form.

I haven’t even talked about Treadwell Park, or Pig ‘N’ Whistle on 3rd, or The Waylon … and the other places which remain to be seen.

Some places, however, have had to make that somber last call. 

Foley’s on W. 33rd was a sports bar, but without all the suburban trappings many associate with what they think constitutes a “sports bar”. Yes, there were a few TVs, but not 729 television sets plastered all over the damn place. What was plastered all over was the largest collection of sports memorabilia I’d ever laid eyes on!

Then, there were the autographed baseballs - more than 3,000 of them! Players, celebrities, and other notable people put a Sharpie on finely-stitched together pieces of cowhide and left their mark. I told a Hall of Fame baseball writer I was going there and asked “You got a ball there?” He did and I found it - a point I still take pride in.

You could do almost anything at this establishment right across the street from the Empire State Building … but, if you uttered one note of “Danny Boy”, you’d be likely 86ed from the premises - and rightfully so!

Now, I was saying “was”.

Two months into the pandemic, Foley’s announced it was shutting down for good. Even just writing the above lines was tough, as I had to go back and put things with Foley’s in the past tense. Their website is still active, complete with this pledge: “The hope is that once we're on the other side of COVID, Foley's 2.0 will find a home.”

The hope is powerful for Foley’s and the rest of New York to rise again. If history is any indicator, the people of the Tri-State Area will work like hell to get back on their feet and come out of this even stronger and resilient as ever.

Now, I didn’t go into this latest TBD post thinking it would become the anthem to New York City that it is. I went in looking to share how I’m hoping my 2021 will be the year of the rebound. Three months in, and I’m already more ahead of the game than I had hoped. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Friday to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

\Even here, however, part of the personal rebound is involving New York. Hearing from people I know in the Five Boroughs, the rebound is within sight and they’re planning for life to come back into this wonderful haven for the human spirit.

The search for my ultimate prize is back on and New York is playing a major role.