Essential Travel Only
Riding The Pandemic
Many people affected by the pandemic may try to forget most of the past four years. I believe that’s a difficult undertaking since the whole world was impacted. In that vein, I thought about stories that I wished to share that examined the effects of the statewide shutdown. I call to mind a phrase that gained traction during the period. “Essential Travel Only.” Here’s my perspective on how it looked, and felt.
↑ My last morning commute to the job site. Afterward, I’d be working from home until furloughed, then ultimately laid-off. As you may well have felt, the stress from the time period was—at times overwhelming. Photography has always been my stress reliever. It kept me from wallowing in frustration and depression.
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All photographs made between 8:00am & 6:00pm local time. To be the only person—if not one of a few on these subway platforms during the day was quite an anomaly. Also eerily strange.
↑ Sometime in late May 2020, NYC Transit began placing six feet apart distance stickers on the floors of platforms.
↑ This station was rated as NYC Transit’s busiest in 2019. As you can see, that’s a drastic shift in straphanger traffic when compared to days during the shutdown. Here in March 2020 at 12:00pm, and another in May 2020 at 2:50pm local time.
↑ From day to day, subway line to subway line, the view on board train cars were the same.
The MTA’s $1.4B USD Fulton Transit Center in Lower Manhattan, completed in 2015. This perspective of the city from inside to outside, all shut down. From underground to above ground the city was feeling deserted, because it actually was.
My wish for you in reading, is that your memory from the last four years will be of learning and growing in a worldly way. If you prefer to forget, then the lessons learned will be lost to time soon after. Ultimately, that’s a waste in failing to learn upon being challenged and/or tested.
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I appreciate that you took the time to read it through.
Til next time…
Kenneth
Great post and images. I took several road trips in the early days of the pandemic. It was quite interesting to be in cities where everything was shut down and then in others where everything was totally normal.
Startling images Kenneth - love them all - the absence of the human form is eerie and yet very beautiful ...