Portrait of New York City on Lockdown

Portrait of New York City on Lockdown

Phil Penman

 

Seagulls fly behind the Staten Island Ferry, March 25, 2020

An eerie silence has descended New York City. Taxis drive by one after the other, lights on, searching for a rare customer. It’s so foreign to walk out onto the street and see no people. The masses of people trying to get to work, heads buried in their cellphones, are gone. Grand Central Station is a ghost town. It’s like being in a movie that’s not entertaining. We are fueled by human interaction. In a city filled with unpredictability, we rely on daily routines to ground us. These certainties have been up-ended. I think of the man I would get my morning coffee from. I wonder if he and his cart will ever return. 

—Phil Penman

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A passenger wearing a mask on the Staten Island Ferry, March 25, 2020

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A person sleeping on Seventh Avenue in Midtown, March 25, 2020

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Empty benches on the Hudson River, March 18, 2020

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A man walking across Madison Avenue, March 13, 2020

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A movie theater on Third Avenue, March 22, 2020

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Passengers on the 6 Train heading uptown, March 25, 2020

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A street north of Hells Kitchen, March 23, 2020

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The FDR Drive, looking down from Brooklyn Bridge, March 25, 2020

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A man returning from fishing in Central Park, March 24, 2020

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A person passing the Ambassador Theater in Midtown, March 24, 2020

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A rat on 42nd Street near Grand Central Station, March 19, 2020

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A person walking their dog, crossing Tenth Avenue, March 23, 2020

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Park Avenue approaching Grand Central Station, March 22, 2020

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The Statue of Liberty seen from the Staten Island Ferry, March 25, 2020