NYC Empty after Coronavirus Epidemic

NYC is Empty after the Coronavirus Epidemic. The city that never sleeps has succumbed to a slumber, COVID19 outbreaks quickly turned busy streets into empty plains. As a New Yorker, this doesn’t feel like New York. 

 I had to head to the office on Friday and Sunday, so i decided to drive in to see how void it really was (Fri was Sunny, Sunday was Rain) I made sure to follow CDC Guidelines (Found Here)

 

To get to work I typically drive from the Van Wyck Expressway, to the LIE, to Long Island City. This usually takes 55-120 minutes. Today’s time :   21 minutes. 


Driving over the Queensboro Bridge and into Manhattan was eerie, i could have stopped on the bridge and walked around.   

Driving around Manhattan was equally surreal. I’ve never seen the city so quiet. Times Square is a ghost town, roads are clear, and sidewalks are empty. 

Here are some photographs of a city on hold.

NYC Empty after Coronavirus COVID19 Epidemic
5th Ave & 57th (Sunday)
59th Street (Sunday)
Father Duffy Square (Sunday)
Columbus Circle (Sunday)
NYC Empty after Coronavirus COVID19 Epidemic
Bloomingdale's (Friday)
43rd Street Times Square (Sunday)
Hope Sign. Needed in a time like this. (Friday)
Broadway (Sunday)
Churches are closed but people can still pray internally. (Friday)
Devoid of Tourists and Selfie takers. (Sunday)
Bustling sidewalks lie Barren.
Times Square (Sunday)
I agree 100% with that billboard. (Friday)

From here, I went a bit more south to 34th Street and finally back home to Queens, with a bittersweet mindset and a hope that this will all be over soon and life can get back to normal.

Macy's Herald Square (Friday)
33 Street off Broadway (Friday)
Entering QMT (Friday)
Just three cars in the entire QMT (Friday)

I’d like to acknowledge and thank the thousands of workers in hospitals, delivery trucks, supply chains, and civil services who are keeping the city on life support while most of its residents shelter.