After nearly 5 months of working remotely from my home office in the lovely borough of Queens, I was summoned back into Manhattan on August 10th. This was the first time I had been there since March 18th, when everything was shutting down and downtown NYC was eerily quiet. I posted the photos I took in March here.
Upon my return, I quickly figured out that everyone else didn’t get the memo that we were supposed to come back – both in and out of the office. The quiet took me by surprise, but was not unwelcome. My fear of being trapped in some close quarters subway rush hour (so far) has not been the reality.
There will never be another time quite like this, so I am taking pictures once again. These were all taken at what would normally be high traffic times of day: weekday rush hour or lunch hour. And while I do notice an uptick in the amount of people over the last 3 weeks, I still find myself, at 8:50am, walking in a long stretch of the Fulton Street subway station… and I am the only person there. At rush hour. On a weekday. So, no. New York is not a total ghost town, but it’s still pretty close. Here are some photos from the past couple of weeks.
LIRR Arriving at Penn Station – August 17th, Mon. 8amBefore and after the protests: City Hall Park – March 18th and August 12th.Brooklyn Bridge on-ramp looking North – Aug. 12th, Wed. Noon Park Row – August 20th, Thurs. 1:30pmSpruce St. fine dining on a slope, under scaffolding, next to the parking garage. – Aug. 11th, Tues. 3:00pmBenton Cafe @ 134 William St. – Aug. 20th, Thurs. 2:00pmI have not yet had to face the corner in a shared elevator.Centre St. – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2pmNYC Supreme Court, 60 Centre St. – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2pm100 Centre St. – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2pmChinatown: Canal St. @ Mercer St. – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2:15pmBroadway @ Bowling Green – Aug. 31st, Mon. 11:20amThe Canyon of Heroes: Broadway looking north from Wall St. – Aug. 31st, Mon. 11:30amFederal Hall, Wall St. – Aug. 31st, Mon. 11:30amMaiden Lane @ Nassau St – Aug. 31st, Mon. 11:35am Classes are in session. Can you tell? Aug. 31st, Mon. 11:45am
Uptown A Train / Canal St. Station – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2:20pm34th St. A Train Platform – Candy seller with no customers – Aug. 13th Thurs. 2:30pm Construction worker removes his mask for a moment on a hot day, uptown A Train – Aug. 13th, Thurs. 2:30pmUptown A Train @ Chambers St. – Aug. 24th, Mon. 5:30pmPenn Station – Aug 20th, Thurs. 5pmPenn Station – Aug. 17th, Mon. 5pm34th St. A Train Platform – Aug. 10th, Mon. 8am
Hey Brian. I just discovered this great documentary blog post. I have been documenting my COVID-19 experience through self-portraits the past year. But I am also now featuring international artists, musicians, and authors on my blog — this to provide insight within the greater arts community about how various artists are coping with and working during the pandemic. Would you be interested in contributing an essay, or being interviewed by me?
Brian Ferrari's Blog 
Philadelphia is going to try to open up some more on September 8th. I got a jury duty summons for the 11th. Not sure it will happen.
I’ve enjoyed the silence. The college kids are back in the neighborhood but so far subdued.
Using public transit a few time over the last couple of months there are usually three people on a bus including me in the three.
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Hey Brian. I just discovered this great documentary blog post. I have been documenting my COVID-19 experience through self-portraits the past year. But I am also now featuring international artists, musicians, and authors on my blog — this to provide insight within the greater arts community about how various artists are coping with and working during the pandemic. Would you be interested in contributing an essay, or being interviewed by me?
— Adam
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