St. Patrick’s day 2020 in NYC was not like any other, the clash of obnoxiously green outfits and green beer were left behind and no where to be seen, the day-long drinking affair was celebrated indoors and quarantined because March 17th was the day the country officially shut down due to the novel Coronavirus.  For the first time in its’ history, Manhattan was closed to the public with all bars, restaurants and other non-essential businesses closed, everyone was confined to their homes.  It was an eerie feeling to walk through a deserted Manhattan with no one on the streets except for cabbies, food delivery and the occasional construction workers; but then you get to the peripherals of the city and find those using their unexpected free time to get in outdoor exercises.  The weight of the virus took its toll on the city with hospitals overflowing and lack of PPE, but the only way to beat the virus was, as we would hear daily from Gov. Andrew Cuomo press conferences, to “practice social distancing.”

After the initial shock and toilet paper was nowhere to be found for almost two weeks, the city looked like a scene out of a dystopian film, minus the destruction, the unknown was weighing on everyone.  As a bartender, I saw myself indefinitely out of work and surviving on unemployment benefits, but it was a blessing in disguise as a photographer.  I finally had the free time I used to daydream about to work on my craft and focus on telling the story of an almost deserted New York, something I will most likely (hopefully) never witness again in my lifetime.  This collection of photos are those I collected during my time quarantined in the city, with a mask and hand sanitizer on hand, I hit the streets to document the effects of shutdown and how other New Yorkers were spending their new found free time.