May 2020
The end of quarantine and a return to NYC
In this “Social Distancing Diary” installment, a look at the end of quarantine in Alexandria and a return trip to New York City to take our daughter back to her apartment.
The entries serve as supplemental materials to my photo book — Keep Your Distance. Unless otherwise noted, the photos in this series are not part of the book.
May 13
Almost two months after quarantine began, our community is starting to cast a wary eye at re-entry while trying to embrace the joys of a spring that has finally decided to re-enter the picture.
Warm temperatures last week brought people out of their homes in force as they flocked to Alexandria's waterfront. If you didn’t know better, you would think social distancing did not exist.
May 17
Today, I drove our youngest daughter Emma back to New York. She’s spent the last two months living in our basement. Ben arrived in Manhattan earlier in the week after spending two weeks with Gaby at her parents’ house in Florida.
As parents, it’s not exaggerating to say we’re concerned they are returning to the city that has been the epicenter of the pandemic, but we also respect their need for independence and understand their desire to return home. The rebuilding/reentry process of this post-pandemic life has to start sometime, even as we feel stuck in what a New York Times article described as a “continuous present.”
My freelance business has been paused in neutral — one could say reverse — for the past two months. More than 20 events I had scheduled between March and July have been cancelled, and with the exception of a couple of writing assignments, the rest has dried up as well.
Still I’m reminded daily how fortunate we all are, and anxious to see what the future holds.
When the pandemic hit and I started walking, I could not resist taking pictures of what I saw.
Carrying my regular camera on my daily walks, however, was out of the question, so I started shooting with my iPhone. While it’s a great tool, the phone is similar in quality to the camera I started out with in 2009. Its limitations force you to look at composition differently and present an artistic challenge that has proven appealing during this challenging time.
Returning to the city with Emma, I decided to take my Canon along for the ride. Gov. Cuomo has loosened restrictions on the entire state to allow groups of up to 10 people to gather for any reason. I decided to go out and capture what I saw.
First, I drove down into Midtown. It no longer has quite the post-apocalyptic feel that it did in March but, with all Broadway theaters formally closed at least until Labor Day, still is gravely wounded.
After returning to my son’s apartment, I set out on foot, walking more than 70 blocks from the Upper West Side into and through Harlem, then down the Riverside Drive trail and into Washington Heights. I went to our daughter’s apartment, spoke briefly to our “adopted” son Ginno outside his place, and then started walking back.
By day’s end, I had walked 12 miles.
Driving home, I took another run through Midtown. Marquees for shows that have closed or will never open are still up, as are those whose fates remain uncertain. The large digital billboards in Times Square still light even the darkest skies, but with words of thanks to health care workers and first responders.
We’re not back yet.
Book Party May 29
If you are close to the Greater Washington, D.C. area on May 29, I hope you’ll consider joining me at a party for the formal launch of my photo book, Keep Your Distance: Walking Through the First Year of COVID.
The free event, which will feature a social hour, interview/Q&A session, and book signing, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Elaine’s in Old Town Alexandria. Tickets are limited to 50 guests who sign up here.
The book is available for $40 plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. You can order it by visiting this link.
To mark the pandemic’s fifth anniversary, these “Social Distancing Diary” installments will appear two to three times a month on Thursdays until March 2026. To see previous entries, visit this link.
Great photos, Glenn!