We continue the series on walking Buffalo, from the intrepid couple who walked every day—no matter the weather—in the first 30 months of Covid. They think (without being systematic) they walked every street in Buffalo, and many in other cities and towns, taking some 20,000 photos, some of which are shared in this series. While not itineraries, we hope to encourage others to “walk the walk,” to see, observe and appreciate Buffalo—and beyond. William Graebner and Dianne Bennett are also 5 Cent Cine’s film critics, here.
Today’s Photo-Essay: Coping with Covid
The English expression, “may you live in interesting times,” might well apply to the tragic Covid-19 era, now more than 30 months long with only a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. The phrase is sometimes labeled a “Chinese curse,” and it’s meant to be deeply ironic, as in “it would obviously be better if we didn’t have to go through this”—better, that is, if we lived in “uninteresting times.”
What follows is a visual record of some of the ways, seen on our daily walks, that Western New Yorkers have coped with the deadly Covid virus.
In the beginning, there was panic and, as people prepared for the unknown, shortages. At Steve’s Pig and Ox Roast in Lackawanna, a $40 purchase included a free roll of toilet paper:
There was fear, too—fear of being too close to, or touching, others.
In the spring of 2020, even outdoor facilities, including city parks and community gardens, were closed.
People stayed home. On a day in April 2020, Niagara Falls resembled a ghost town:
Some of us, sometimes, wore masks and gloves.
And many got tested (and then vaccinated).
On Buffalo’s Main Street, the Salvation Army offered inspiration:
And a gas station at Amherst Street and Elmwood Avenue reached out to help those who were having trouble making ends meet:
We all made adjustments. Restaurants introduced new outdoor seating:
Amid the towering trees of the City of Tonawanda, residents experimented with a distanced social hour:
Once it became clear that being outdoors was safer than being indoors, informal seating arrangements were created outside homes, factories and office buildings:
By the fall of 2021, some East Side skeletons were holding a Halloween get-together on Zoom.
When City Hall, fearing that contact on basketball courts would spread the disease, decided to take down the hoops on Buffalo’s public playgrounds, the kids on Arnold Street put up their own version of James Naismith’s peach basket.
And when school graduation ceremonies were canceled, student accomplishments were celebrated with yard signs and banners.
In a back yard off Gill Alley in the Delaware District, we found an informal, socially-distanced performance:
Not everyone agreed on what should be done to prevent the spread of Covid.
But we came upon many expressions of gratitude.
And, across the area, we found signs of the will to transcend trouble: a sense of humor, fashioned for “interesting times.”
Also see:
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Look Up! Roofs and Roofers
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Buffalo’s Mini-Marts
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Remembering 9/11
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Street Humor
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – The Yard as Spectacle
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Beware of (the) Dog
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo — Halloween
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Little-Known Trails and Paths
How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Church Board Advice
© William Graebner