Yesterday was spectacularly beautiful. Warm, and sunny. A welcome change after days of cold, and damp. Friends and I took advantage of the weather, and went for a little bicycle ride across the Brooklyn Bridge, and down to the waterfront park for a late lunch picnic. We spread out our blankets, maintained our distance, and enjoyed a meal of wine, various cheeses, salamis, olives, and a nice curried egg salad.
We were not alone in the park. Other city dwellers were also out, though not nearly as many as one would normally see on such a beautiful day. For the most part everyone was sporting a face covering, or mask. So much of it seemed very normal, and yet it also felt very strange. Any other day like this, and I would have marveled at how easy it was to ride across the Brooklyn bridge. It would normally be so crowded that rather than face the frustration of trying to navigate crowds of people strolling in the bicycle path I would ride the extra distance to the Manhattan bridge, and cross the river there. The odd thing was though, as easy as it was on the bridge, it still felt crowded. The weeks of social distancing has changed the amount of personal space that feels comfortable.
I wonder if this will have a lasting affect, or will the city get back to normal once this has past. What of the rest of the country? How will this change the way people respond to me as I tour on my bicycle. Would saying that I lived in NYC make a difference? would being from ground zero of the covid-19 outbreak make people hesitant about letting me into their homes? Will enough time have past before my trip to matter? What of another outbreak in 2021? Will I stay, or go?
I will go of course. One can not ask for a better environment to maintain distance than being on a bicycle trip. As for my photographic work in regards to portraits I do not see that as a problem. I shoot outdoors, and do not need to get too close to the subjects.
How will others feel though?
Webster’s Wet Plate 