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The empty city
By adamg on Sun, 03/19/2023 - 12:41pm
An empty Centre Street in Jamaica Plain on March 24, 2020, by Liz Lemongrab.
Three years ago, the streets, trains and parks of the Boston area were largely empty, as people stayed home as the pandemic exploded. Photographers across the region, though, did venture out to chronicle the newly formed voids.
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Comments
Lost community
These amazing photos speak to the numerous losses we sustained on so many levels in part due to government ineptitude.
government ineptitude
or a global pandemic?
Porque no los dos?
.
Easy
See adamg’s comment below.
Damn the government
for not immediately knowing how to handle a global pandemic the likes of which no one had seen in living memory.
Sound of Silence
https://vimeo.com/406903571
Dead plants and calendars frozen in March 2020 all the way down.
How ridiculous that outdoor playgrounds were closed.
Just a brutal months long indoor stretch for kids and adults.
Hindsight is 20/20
Back in the early days, nobody knew just how easily it spread.
And in any case, people didn't just stay inside, even if they couldn't go to playgrounds.
At least around here, there were a fair number of sort of kiddie bingo trails organized, where kids and their parents could walk around their neighborhood looking for pictures of things posted in people's windows.
It can be
But some of the components of the government response made no sense, even at the time.
Can't speak to the others, but
This is because alcohol withdrawal is actually really serious and can kill people. Meanwhile, nobody is physically dependent on going to church.
Pretty much
I'm a church going teatotaler, but even I know that alcohol can be physically addictive to some. Not all, but for those that deep, it's a bad scene.
But the vast majority of liquor store patrons
Weren't going due to risk of alcohol withdrawal. Rather, it was more about preventing an insurrection long before January 6, 2021.
?
Following your logic and considering that fact that 1/6 did happen, wouldn't the folly be found in relaxing the restrictions too soon?
Have you ever watched kids play?
They tend to get right on top of each other.
looks better than nuclear fallout at least:
similar photographs could be taken today
of downtown crossing. I got off the Red Line and walked through the deserted concourse (that reeks of urine) that runs along underground where Filene's Basement used to be. I then walked down Washington Street to State Street and saw maybe 10 people at most, many of whom appear to be living on the street. Downtown Crossing at rush hour on a weekday looks sadly similar to the photos you posted from the Covid lockdowns. This state of affairs isn't good for the city or society and I hope we can figure out the path forward sooner rather than later.
Eerie but also nice
About once a month I had to venture to my company's office to handle the mail/payments and I remember biking in during the early months of the pandemic and feeling like I was in "I Am Legend" or "38 Days Later" or something.
Everything more quiet than usual and definitely far fewer cars.