Nyack...Effects of Corona Virus Distancing For One Small Town

I take pictures every day for the most part, rain or shine, Corona Virus or not, it is what I do, defines who I am.  Most people in town fondly refer to me, or call out to me, "Hey Camera Man, any good pictures today".  Over the past week I've been walking around our small town taking pictures of empty storefronts, our streets, our city park as this horrible Pandemic shuts down our businesses, puts people we all know out of work, changing lives and perhaps our town forever.  Today, thought I would share some of these pictures as they tell the story far better than I could with my halting words and even perhaps my own biased eyes.  

Businesses closed, perhaps just moth balled, or maybe closed forever, the shock to their bottom lines creating a sad reality they must accept...the Corona Pandemic's crashing of the American Economy painting a very sad reality that for some, their doors will never again reopen...I know first hand that some of our Nyack business owners have already reached this crossroads, have locked their doors for one last time to the public.

Walk up to the corner of Broadway and Hudson Street and you'll find one such business, even her Going Out of Business sale greatly curtailed as her doors had to be closed till further notice by yesterday.   I was able to purchase a small bench that now sits at the foot of my bed, a reminder going forward of the beautiful things in that shop, the pleasant memories I have of shopping there at Christmas Time looking for gifts to give my friends.


Think about all the things that are a part of your daily lives, the other lives and incomes we affect in a positive way as we go stroll about town.  Hair salons  there ready to make you look beautiful for that special occassion or perhaps just because.   Nail salons, Yoga studios, our bars, restaurants have benefitted from our patronage and we benefitting from the services, goods and nights out...that for now is gone, us locked safely inside our homes and apartments (not all of us), and them struggling as they try to come to grips with the reality their livelihoods for now are gone.  How many waiters, bartenders Yoga instructors and others are out of work and wondering how they will pay their bills come the first of April.

Despite these problems, despite their personal worries and pain as we TOGETHER do our best to get through this, those who are allowed under the state mandated Social Distancing are still trying to be there for us, almost every restaurant in town in a limiting way keeping their doors open, offering us food, even if they need to deliver to our front doors.

A shout out to to Koblin's Pharmacy...despite the risks to them and their employees, they are still open, and if you are sick, not feeling well they will deliver free of charge what you need...just give them a call and let them keep you both well and safe.  There are so many other unsung heroes in our town who are pitching in, playing their small parts in what can only be called a Modern Day Greek Tragedy.  If you know one or some of these citizens please give them a thank you, starting with all of our town workers taking care of essential services, our doctors, our nurses, firemen and other first responders.

When a new different normal returns to Nyack, when the doors of our shuttered businesses open back up, when the outdoor tables return to MAin Street go out, celebrate our Victory over this dreaded disease and give hugs generously to all those you've been isolated from for what may weeks or even months.  Be generous of heart, and support those who in some ways took the brunt of this Pandemic, give them a hand up as we do our best to see most of our small business men and women come back and be more successful than they were before our town was shuttered and put into lock down.  We will survive all this, and when we do, when it is all over let us go about the task of making Nyack better than it has ever been.

Easter is coming...a very important religious holiday for so many, a day of prayer, reflection, church services and a Holiday meal either at the family table or in a restaurant.  Right now, even our churches have locked their doors, so for those who do, pray for them as well as they are the guardians of our souls.   I'll do my part, pray that somehow we see a miracle that sees all of them open on this special day, sees their pews as it were, open for business.

For those of you of faith...this may be the most important time since our nation went through the horror of 9/11 that America needs your prayers.

As you go for your solitary walks...yes, even though we are sheltering in place, that is still allowed...look for the beauty and spirit that is all about us if we take the time to open our eyes.

This is Joe, a fixture in our town to many of us.  Snapped this picture of him down at Memorial Park as he meditated and called up positive energy from the Universe, doing his small part in trying to keep us all safe, and emotionally grounded in these trying times.  If you see him in town give him an elbow bump, or maybe book a Riki massage with him once this Pandemic is over.   Better yet, maybe book the appointment and pre-pay it so that he, and so many others like him can pay their April bills and keep the roof over their heads as we all struggle to get through this.  Such random acts of kindness will come back to you ten fold, and many times in ways you would never expect.  Be a part of Nyack Strong, do what you can, and ask the Universe for what it is you need to get through this.

As you walk down our empty streets, take the time to read the various notes our shopkeepers have left in their door windows for us to see.  Some will make you think, others might bring a tear to your eyes, but they are worth taking the ten or so seconds it take to read them, and in doing so you are in some small honoring them by noticing.

Others will give you food for thought, or perhaps solace in knowing you are not alone in going through this.  If you read a note and suddenly realize there is maybe a small something you can do to help them, or someone else, as Nike would say, "Just Do It" smiling at the self knowledge that you are doing your small part, helping in your own way to get our town of Nyack through this time of troubled waters.  Nyack is our town, and in some ways a part of who each of us is as a person, and we need our town just as much as our town and our citizens need each and everyone of us for the beautiful creatures that we are, warts and all.

I know so many of the folks who work in our restaurants and bars...almost all of them overnight put out of work, their sometimes precarious hold on financial security overnight placed on the brink of collapse.  Same with our musicians, their gigs, and even most of their lessons with students cancelled until further notice.  This is one of those people, a bartender at Olives, and a gifted female vocalist taken outside of the local bar as she and a couple of her friends offered up their voices to let the rest of us know that it's all going to be OK.

If you walk past some of these folks on the street, perhaps stop to listen to their gifts please don't walk away without tossing a couple of bucks in their guitar case...your doing do might make the difference between them eating or not that evening.   They are supporting and feeding our souls with their songs, let us help take care of a few of their needs.

I end today with this picture that kind of scared me, and brought home just how serious this all is.

Our banks are closed!  Yes, you can still use your debit cards, the ATM's are still up and running, but God Forbid you need a big chunk of your cash for a family emergency...you have to make an appointment to get into the bank.  Most ATM's including at the banks themselves limit how much you can take out, and if you need more than a few hundred bucks you have to see a teller.

Not now, not in this crisis.   Trying to see the positive of this reality, maybe its is good in the sense it limits the risk of America having a run on our banks as the stock market spirals downward and MILLIONS of Americans get laid off with no idea of when or if we will return to work.  Maybe today the Senate will do its job and pass a Corona Bailout that helps people instead of helping Big Business.

Remember everyone, be smart and stay inside, be safe and wash your hands, and most of all when you are passing someone on the street, even if from a safe distance say hello as that small greeting might be just what someone needs at a point when their own hope is waning.

God Bless