Nick (62) grew up in the Soviet Union – and came to New York 25 years ago. Photo: Benno Schwinghammer / dpa (Benno Schwinghammer / dpa)
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New York is not always New York – especially not during the corona pandemic. Images from empty Manhattan went around the world.
But the metropolis has more than just a face. A small big city mosaic about the musician by the sea, the haunted house on the East River, the empty posh district and the favorite restaurant in the Bronx.
The critically acclaimed restaurant “La Morada” is located in the New York borough of Bronx. Photo: Christina Horsten / dpa (Christina Horsten / dpa)
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THE ACCORDION PLAYER OF CONEY ISLAND
The wooden planks of Coney Island’s boulevard clatter beneath the feet of hundreds enjoying the ocean sun. Actually, only the closed rides of the famous hype and the closed shutters of the food stalls remind that here – where a very popular hot dog eating contest is held every year – is actually a state of emergency.
The Elmhurst Hospital Center became the symbol of the New York corona pandemic in March 2020. Photo: Benno Schwinghammer / dpa (Benno Schwinghammer / dpa)
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Staying at a distance is hardly possible, it drives the pulse and you pull the self-sewn face mask tighter. And then the soothing sounds of an accordion penetrate the hustle and bustle: a man with a gray beard sits on a bench and looks over the sea – the mask hangs around his neck. His name is Nick, he’s 62 and grew up in the Soviet Union before moving to New York 25 years ago.
He lives here in south Brooklyn, where so many Russian immigrants have found homes. The hydraulics factory where he works has ceased operations. “I don’t know how long this will last, but they keep paying until now,” says Nick. But he is not afraid, because he will reach retirement age in two weeks anyway. He wanted to bring joy to the people here with his accordion. He plays the duck dance for the reporter from Germany.
Few passers-by on the beach boulevard of Coney Island. Photo: Benno Schwinghammer / dpa (Benno Schwinghammer / dpa)
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THE CHIC UPPER EAST SIDE IS BLACK AS THE NIGHT
If you normally stroll down posh Park Avenue in the evening, the windows of the luxury apartments light up on both sides of the street. People take a quick evening tour with their dogs. Doormen who guard the entrances to the fancy houses wave with white gloved hands. In the Corona crisis, however, the noble part of the Upper East Side is empty, the windows of the houses on Park Avenue are almost all black.
The UN main building looks like a haunted house during the corona pandemic. Photo: Benno Schwinghammer / dpa (Benno Schwinghammer / dpa)
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Almost everyone who lives here has at least a second property, perhaps on the beach or with a large garden, and is spending the crisis there. On the Long Island peninsula off New York, for example, it is currently much busier than usual at this time of the year. This is noticeable in the city in various ways: The city cleaning service reported that ten percent less rubbish had been picked up from the Upper East Side in March.
THE BRONX’S FAVORITE RESTAURANT NOW FEEDS THE NEEDED
The almost deserted beach boulevard of Coney Island. Photo: Benno Schwinghammer / dpa (Benno Schwinghammer / dpa)
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There are around a dozen brown paper bags full of apples on a table by the entrance. “That’s for tomorrow,” says Marco Saavedra. “We’re giving out free food for all those in need here in our community.” The Saavedra family comes from Oaxaca, Mexico and has been running the popular and critically acclaimed restaurant La Morada in the south of the Bronx for many years. In the Corona crisis, the restaurant only offers food as delivery and pick-up – and only for a few hours, three days a week.
The Saavedra family spends the rest of the time looking after the needy people in the neighborhood. “We have received a few grants so that we can become a kind of soup kitchen.” The Bronx is one of the hardest-hit areas of New York during the Corona crisis. Many poorer people and those who, for example, live in hospitals, supermarkets, or the city administration work. Being able to stay at home is a luxury in the Bronx, where there are significantly more people on the streets than in more affluent areas. “It’s hard times. Society is still okay here, but there are simply not enough resources. Hopefully it won’t take long, ”said Saavedra. On the corner of the street, a man prays in front of an outdoor altar.
THE UNITED NATIONS – IN THE SPIRIT HOUSE
The general secretaries stare seriously from their paintings, but no one looks back in the empty corridor of the UN main building. While the streets are at least a bit busy, the 39-story building on the East River in Manhattan is nothing more than a haunted house right now. Only at the top is General Secretary António Guterres holding out with a narrow circle of employees.
You could hear a SIM card falling on the stone floors, the escalators stand still, in the distance the roar of a walkie talkie sometimes reveals that a security guard is bored during the day. Memories of full corridors, in which journalists can ask diplomats for information on the latest developments behind closed doors, are only a distant echo.
The bodies of the United Nations only meet digitally, including the Security Council. The door to the most powerful UN body is locked. The sunlight shimmers through the gap under the heavy curtains. Critics would say that in the often divided council these days there is just as little movement as usual.
THE “FEARLESS GIRL” WEARS A MASK
Maybe she is – rightly – a little afraid. The “fearless girl” stands proud on Wall Street with her fists on her hips and has been looking up at the famous stock exchange, in front of which a huge US flag hangs, since 2018. It is about 1.20 meters tall, made of bronze and is intended to draw attention to the positive influence of women in management positions. These days she is also wearing a breathing mask.
It’s not entirely clear whether she needs them: Keeping the required minimum distance here in deserted downtown Manhattan is currently child’s play. And even in the building, because the famous trading floor on Wall Street is empty these days – the stock exchange has switched to electronic trading.
TRUST IN GOD IN FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL
It was in late March when Elmhurst Hospital Center became the symbol of the New York pandemic. While people were queuing in front of the clinic in the particularly diverse district of Queens to be tested, rows of people died inside who had previously been brought to the emergency room with the wail of sirens.
Today the scenery in front of the hospital no longer sends a shiver down your spine, rather a cozy warmth. Doctors and nurses look out the window at large letters across the street. It says “THANK YOU” – and people have written messages on the letters: “We will win” or “Thank you for everything you do”.
The loudspeakers of a car fill the street with Spanish ballads. The man in the driver’s seat introduces himself as Jean-Luc. He doesn’t speak English, but he types “I pray to God” on his cell phone in Spanish. For the patients inside. On the windows of his car it is written in white: “Everything will be fine”. (dpa)
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