Post-apocalyptic Visions:
a Photo Report from the Desolate Streets of New York
A photographer living and working in Kyiv, she also plans trips for girls at Girlsintravel.
— My trip around Central America came to a halt because of the virus. On my way back, ironically, I found myself in New York — the city with the highest infection count. It was a unique opportunity to capture one of the world’s busiest cities while it was “on pause”.
Usually bustling with life, Times Square, Wall Street, and the entire Manhattan were silent. Office skyscrapers stood empty. Shopping centres, restaurants, bars — everything was closed except for grocery stores and pharmacies. A few cafes were fulfilling delivery-only orders. Although the COVID-related news from New York had been the most troubling, there was no panic in the city. People were calm.
There was something surreal about the apocalyptically desolate megapolis gripped by the disease as the spring was the full swing. Cherry blossoms and magnolias were in bloom, and many locals took the opportunity to jog in the park and soak in the spring atmosphere, even if with mandatory social distancing. Despite the pandemic, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo didn’t dare impinge on the New Yorkers’ right to jogging, dog walking, and open-air meditations.
