Coronavirus Tales: I left my family and home so I could walk to work in NYC

George Paljuesvic, 23, works as a doorman in Tribeca. He felt unsafe using public transportation to commute from Suffern, New York, so he moved to Manhattan in order to walk to work.

My commute from Rockland County used to be an hour and a half. I would take the bus to Port Authority and from there I would take the subway to work in Tribeca. But I decided to start walking because I didn’t want to risk catching the virus and bringing it home to my family.

Now I’m staying at my brother’s apartment in the Financial District so I can walk to work in about 15 minutes. It’s definitely less busy, but there’s still a lot of people outside. It’s more peaceful without the traffic. I see people cheering from their balconies every night. It feels like a more united city, even when we’re all separated.

Most people are wearing masks, but I’m not always wearing one because it can cost like $10 a day, so sometimes I just wear a T-shirt over my face.

I haven’t been home to see my dad, step-mom and step-sisters in like a month. I miss them and having my own space. But it’s nice to be able to sleep in, and I’m saving a ton of money right now on transportation.

— As told to Marisa Dellatto

Read more stories about commuting during the coronavirus pandemic.