Hoping to escape pandemic’s shadow, NYC youths look forward to a ‘lighthearted’ summer

Timothy Davis recalls spending last summer mostly in his apartment, taking COVID-19 tests weekly to protect immunocompromised relatives — and hunkering over a laptop doing volunteer work remotely.

Those days are long gone, though.

This summer, Davis, 21, said he plans to make up for lost time with bowling, beach excursions, and spending time with friends — all while working part-time as an outreach assistant with the Henry Street Settlement social services organization.

“I love just moving, just being able to get around and conversate with people in a somewhat close distance, you know? Yeah. That's what I'd be doing,” said Davis, who is from the Lower East Side.

Summer of 2022 is shaping up to be different from the past two years, according to interviews with a handful of teenagers and young adults around the city.

Some young New Yorkers are spending their summers working or looking for in-person jobs instead of last year’s remote experiences. Other Gen Z-ers are getting ready for college or traveling again. But having some fun, at last, was on everyone’s agenda.

Even mundane activities seem more appealing now, said Mia Fields Pena, 16, of Riverdale.

“Like going on public transportation, just traveling more, being able to comfortably sit inside of a restaurant – you know, able to visit friends in their homes and not be scared that you're like transmitting virus to them,” said Pena, who’s working as a teen staffer at the High Line Park.

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