City of Joy

Zorhan Mamdani has done something incredible this weekend.

He sent people on a scavenger hunt. Mocking, with the potato chip bag, the aide of Eric Adams who tried to bribe someone with…a paltry amount of money in a red envelope inside a Herr’s Sour Cream potato chip bag, he set up this amazing scavenger hunt focusing on corrupt NYC mayors.

And it was joyful.

Clues! Herds of people making friends and taking public transportation – going to parts of the city (like Roosevelt Island and Astoria) that they might otherwise never go to – I couldn’t be there in person, but I followed it all on Bluesky.

They ran out of cards to list your scavenger finds. Far many more people showed up than they had planned on. And yet, there was an understanding about this. There was an appreciation that…someone cared enough about the city and its people to set up something FUN. It was a beautiful day in NYC today. Absolutely gorgeous. When folks got to the end, there was no resentment that there wasn’t room for everybody – there was understanding that WHOA! Everyone wants to have fun and we’ll figure out some other place nearby to go! (Astoria has a lot of places to go.)

Someone called it the Pokémon Go election. Honestly? Whatever brings people joy.

Meanwhile, Cuomo released some comment about how he’s afraid for his daughter to take the subway.

Mamdani had thousands of people taking the subway, buses, Roosevelt Island tram – just to figure out what the next clue would be.

I’ve never seen anything like this in a mayoral election in NYC, and I’ve lived here since 1987. I’ve never seen a campaign approach actually embrace issues, rather than approach them grimly. Our city is a fun place! There are so many good things about it! I’m getting Sri Lankan food soon, from a Michelin star restaurant on Staten Island!

A mayor should bring joy to the city they preside over. I know mayoring is not all fun and games – there are genuine problems that need solving. I have been stuck in an apartment for 10 years that I’d hoped to move out of five years ago. And that’s just one problem. There are so many more.

In New York, we’re all ride-or-die for our candidates. There was a wellspring of support ushering in Dinkins, de Blasio, and now Mamdani. Once candidates take their place, New Yorkers begin to hate them. You fuck up once or twice, the hatred piles on forever and ever. It’s tradition to hate NYC mayors.

I hope Mamdani can move past this. All it takes is one blizzard when you don’t send out the snowplows in time. Something tells me that his campaign is smarter and can get ahead of any difficulty. We’ll see.

But more joy in NYC, instead of fearmongering when the city’s as safe as it’s ever been, would be incredibly welcome.