Here´s part 1 of my Personal Corona Log

After an intensive trip to Germany, during which my brother and I took care of some urgent matters concerning our sick parents, I returned to the US at the end of March and found a city that was pretty much in shutdown. In the beginning I could only follow-up visually through our 34th floor panorama windows because of my two week quarantine, but afterwards, some time in April, I slowly started exploring the streets again. It was an eerie experience because every street and almost all buildings seemed abandoned. Most commuters from the suburbs and other parts of town stayed home, just as most residents in the neighborhood stayed indoors as well. Occasional cars hissed by and some people moved about, either taking walks like me, or on their way to the only businesses open at the time: supermarkets, drugstores and pharmacies.

Even though the reason for the shutdown was sad and dramatic, every day too many people were, and still are dying from the virus, the atmosphere in the streets turned from eerie to relaxed - it was the time before the death of George Floyd. Our visiting sons return flight to Germany was canceled due to Corona circumstances, so he and I had all the time in the world to explore the streets while jogging for miles. We also took long walks on which I took the following pictures. They were all taken with a smartphone as part of my series on the possibilities and creative range of smartphone-photography.

A deserted Federal Plaza with Mies van der Rohes Kluczynski Federal Building

and Post Office. 'Deserted' is the keyword, as all pictures show places and

streets with a ghost-like appearance - as in ghost town.

LaSalle Street facing south towards the Chicago Board of Trade Building

- under normal circumstances a busy part of the loop

So true. A signboard along Michigan Avenue.

Covid-19facts.com, a site that shows what is and what is not.

Adams Street facing away from the Art Institute and towards Sears (Willis) Tower.

It is also the starting point of historic Route 66.

On Balbo Drive, iconic Hilton Chicago on the left.

Buckingham Fountain in front of the northern skyline. The tallest building

in the picture is AON Tower, the slim black tower to its right is

the Vista Tower, Chicagos tallest residence building.

On Monroe Street facing the bridge-section of the Art Institute. Even though

this picture doesn´t show a large section of public space or streets,

it still symbolizes the emptiness of a metropolis to me.

Stetson Avenue facing the glass façade of 'our' apartment building.

Our apartment was two floors above the black band that

can be seen in the upper third of the building.

Legendary State Street with the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge raised.

The lower parts of two iconic buildings can be seen: Mies van der Rohes

IBM Plaza (left) and Bertrand Goldbergs Marina City (right).

The intersection of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive.

Wacker Drive facing west.

Franklin Street in the loop.

Michigan Avenue with the Wrigley Building in the background.

to be continued...

Chicago Galleries