What Times Square NYC Looks like During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Back when I was young, I went to an Art High School on the Upper West Side when I was young (YEAH LAGUARDIA). There were many different departments. There was music, vocal, dance, drama and visual arts. I was in the Art program and every semester we had about 4 extra art classes on top of our regular academic courses. During our last 2 years, we were able to choose our “major” electives— and I chose photography, where we learned about film photography, shooting, rolling and developing black and white 35mm film. I recalled one of my first projects I did in that class was going to Times Square on my own (which as a 15 year old sheltered Asian-American kid— it was VEERY rare to ever go anywhere besides school and home) and photographed the hustle and bustle of NYC. I painstakingly processed and developed multiple prints.

One day, I brought the prints home with me and met my mom (in Flushing!) because she was grocery shopping and then we would take the bus home together. I recalled being inside some Chinese Herbal store waiting for her and some old gentleman asked to see my prints. I was like… “uh okay”, so I showed them to him. He absolutely loved them and told me I had such a great gift. It was really sweet and super encouraging….and I think that’s when I kind of knew I was going to pursue photography for my future.

….I think I’ve babbled about my past just enough… on to the photos and the point of this post. In the past few years, I’ve been to Times Square many times. I’ve shot multiple couples in the heart of Times Square and it’s always a huge struggle to find even an OPENING to take ONE shot. Take these shots for example:

So you see how crowded and insane it is here, right? I mean, this is basically the heart of NYC. Where everyone from all over the world comes to see and experience the “city that never sleeps”. There are broadway shows, shopping centers, the great American dining experience of OLIVE GARDEN.

But the city went to sleep these past few weeks…

And here is my last personal project I embarked on. Times Square in the Midst of Covid-19 Pandemic. After my documentation of my hometown (Flushing In the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic) and Chinatown, I decided to continue on and document other once-vibrant parts of NYC. So I picked Times Square next.

So… here is what Times Square New York City looked like during the quarantine of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic on April 28, 2020:

I love that they have all the ads saying THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTH CARE WORKERS, FIRST RESPONDERS AND ESSENTIAL WORKERS OUT THERE!!!

In the midst of it all…. Naked Cowboy is STILL out….

Best signs all over Times Square… “Embrace the Absurd” - truly is an absurdity to see Times Square completely EMPTY.

Most people that were out were delivery people and/or healthcare workers heading to work or home… or homesless.