Scenes from Philly During COVID-19

Up to this point I haven’t been able to find the words to write since the COVID-19 pandemic started here in Philly. Like much of the rest of the world, I’ve gone through the whole range of emotions watching this thing unfold, from denial of how serious it was at the onset, to disbelief and anxiety as it progressed, to cabin fever, and heartbreak over the people lost to this virus each day, fear of being furloughed or losing my job altogether, fear of catching the virus and transferring it to a loved one, and finally the feeling of total despair and helplessness in all that our world is going through. This pandemic has shaken up our world as we know it. Our entire way of life, which we too often took for granted, has been suddenly taken away from us, and no one can fully predict how long this thing is going to last. It’s uncertain, it’s scary, and it’s out of our control. The only thing we can do to make a difference is be smart, wash our hands, and stay home.

Since getting out and walking (at a safe social distance) is one of the only ways to get out of the house, I’ve been walking all over Philly and taking in the scenes.

It’s been sad to see the toll this has taken on hospitality and small businesses. On some of the most lively streets in the city, entire rows of bars and restaurants are boarded up. On a brighter side, many restaurants throughout the city have adapted their offerings to stay open and are offering delivery through services like Caviar, UberEats, and DoorDash.

The business district is a ghost town as many transition to the work-from-home life. Market Street west of City Hall, a street of towering office buildings that has some of the highest foot traffic in the city during the 9 to 5 workday, was completely deserted when I walked it just after 5pm on a Wednesday.

17th Street, a street that gets backed up with weekday rush hour traffic, was so empty that I could stand in the middle of the street to photograph the pretty trees.

For the first time maybe ever, I snapped a photo at Elfreth’s Alley, Philly’s oldest inhabited street, with no tourists in it.

As depressing as it is to see an apocalyptic Philly, there is so much beauty to take in right now. Spring trees and flowers are in bloom all over the city.

And there are feelings of hope and solidarity to be found across the city, like when local florists DFW Event Design and Fabufloras “flowerbombed” Rittenhouse Square at the beginning of the lockdown, using flowers that would have gone to waste from cancelled events.

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I stopped to take this photo of City Hall on my walk because the way that the tower was glowing from the setting sun reminded me that in all this darkness, there is light. Philly’s got a great community and a fighting spirit and we will get through this.

PLEASE STAY HOME!