#Meet the brave souls psyched to move to NYC right now

Even in a pandemic, some folks want to make a brand-new start of it in New York, New York.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus-related shutdowns that led to a sharp decline in new apartment leases — 2,190 last month, down from 5,796 in May 2019, in Manhattan alone, according to Douglas Elliman — the city continues to lure those who want to call it home. Whether it’s a new job or an irresistible deal on an apartment, there are still reasons to give the embattled city a fighting chance.

But new New Yorkers have arrived in a changed city. A number of locals left town temporarily for less-dense destinations at the outset of the outbreak, while others have considered making their departures permanent. Some of the newcomers purchased apartments during the pandemic’s peak, while others continue to arrive during the protests.

“This Boston boy is betting on the Big Apple,” says 50-year-old Quincy, Massachusetts, native Kerry J. Byrne. The former journalist, who now heads up the p.r. firm KJB Trending Hospitality, moved into his Hell’s Kitchen two-bedroom on June 1. That was the first night of curfew following protest-related violence and looting (some of which happened close to his rented apartment), but he wants to “be a part of” Manhattan’s hopefully roaring return to normalcy, and has had no concerns over the coronavirus or the social unrest.

“I want my energy to help the energy of the city,” he says.

What helps is that New York has always been on Byrne’s mind. Growing up, he kept a National Geographic map of Manhattan next to his bed. And he fondly remembers that at 19, right after having his appendix removed, he and some friends drove to New York on a whim for a whirlwind 16 hours on the town — walking from Wall Street to the Upper West Side.

“It’s a very special place,” he says, adding that he’s visited Coney Island since arriving, and found an Irish pub near his apartment, where he has been getting takeout drinks and food and making new friends.

“I’m not here to stay in,” he says. “I’m here to see the city.”

Meanwhile, a rental-market downturn means some people are only just now getting the opportunity to call the city home.

“It’s people who are opportunistic,” says Triplemint broker Heather Cella, who’s relocated several clients to New York from out of town in recent months. “They’ve wanted to move here for a while,” she adds, but market conditions were too competitive. “They don’t want to be renting or buying in a bidding-war environment, but now is the time to optimize getting a good deal — that’s driving folks to pull the trigger right now.”

That was the case for Byrne, who was initially looking for a studio but scored a much-bigger space in his price range. “I would not have gotten the deal in February,” he says.

Another new-to-New York couple always wanted to live in the city. Ishani Bhoola and Cyrus Dadachanji, both 53, arrived in New York this month from London after Dadachanji, who works in commodity trading, got a job transfer.

Even with the state of the city right now, the couple says, this move seemed like a manageable challenge compared to others they’ve made. Previously, they uprooted themselves from England and replanted in Chicago while Bhoola, a professional violinist and music manager, was pregnant with one of their two daughters. Then they headed to Los Angeles with the kids in tow. After 13 years in the US, they returned to England in 2010 where the kids, now grown, still live.

Now that it’s just the two of them as empty nesters, a two-bedroom apartment in the city suits their needs. “Here, it’s me and my husband — there’s only one other person who can annoy you,” Bhoola jokes.

The two targeted their house hunt on the Upper West Side and found a two-bedroom, two-bathroom rental. However, they can’t move in until July and are staying in temporary housing in the interim.

“I wish there were concerts and theater to go to — that’s what’s so good about New York,” says Bhoola. Outside of performances, she also hopes to head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will reportedly reopen in August.

This week, she’ll begin volunteering —  prepping and packing food for New Yorkers in need — with New York Cares, which she found via a Facebook group for British expats in New York.

“Wherever you go, you’ve got to make the best of it,” she says, “Life’s too short.”

For other arrivals, it’s a desire for exposure to new cultures that’s drawing them to NYC.

Grenada native Kathleen Bubb, 40, moves to the Upper East Side this weekend after five years in Houston, Texas. Working with Corcoran agent Hiro Matsui, she, her husband and their 4-year-old daughter Kayleigh found an apartment in the neighborhood, which they had never before visited.

While a new teaching job is what ultimately drew Bubb to Manhattan, the prospect of raising Kayleigh in a diverse environment added to the allure.

“I want her to be exposed to that city life where she has to toughen up and get used to different people,” she says. “You need to get out of your circle and get into different cultures.”

Even though the city’s buzz is slightly muffled right now, Bubb relishes the idea of taking walks through Central Park, heading to Broadway shows once theaters reopen and trekking to the Rockaways for beach days.

“Why not be in a place where everything you can dream of experiencing is at your fingertips?”