Photography: Springtime in Quarantined New York Part 13

Photography: Springtime in Quarantined New York Part 13

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic back in mid-March, I’ve only been on public transportation once — and that was when I started this photography series.

This past Wednesday was my mom’s first chemotherapy appointment at Mount Sinai. Because of COVID-19, I couldn’t there with her, and throughout the day, I felt an unbearable amount of anguish, knowing that I couldn’t be there with her. On one level, I could intellectualize it — I knew it was for the best, and that my presence in the building could potentially compromise the health of my mother, her fellow patients, the doctors, nurses and administrators. But I also felt terrible about it. I worried that she might be afraid and alone. But as my mom has told me repeatedly, the staff at Mount Sinai has been incredibly thorough, patient and kind, ensuring that she was being well taken care of.

This edition of Springtime in Quarantined New York focused on the following Manhattan neighborhoods: The Financial District, The West Village, Tribeca and Chelsea — and featured stops at the Fearless Girl and Charging Bull Statues, Washington Square Park, The Oculus, Hudson River Park, and more. Check out photos below.

The marquee at The Joyce Theater captures what I believe is a commonly held hope and desire: that one day, we will dance again. May it happen sooner rather than later.

If Fiorello LaGuardia can put on a mask to protect you and others, you could too!

One of the most surreal and haunting experiences of this photography project has been walking through the hushed and eerie silence of a completely empty Oculus. Considering the fact that the Oculus was built on the site of profound local and national loss, the sense of absence was overwhelming.