This piece was written near the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though being trapped at home has been hard, the most upsetting part of this month’s quarantine, to me, has been seeing my neighborhood shut down. I can accept the situation when I’m living in my own world, barely leaving my bedroom, but walking around and seeing the businesses that I love shuttered has been harder. For this project, I wanted to document some of the big changes in my area, so I went out with a digital camera and photographed some of what stood out to me the most.
The first thing that stood out to me was the closure notice at the Roseway Theater, just a few blocks from my house. The theater’s been open since the 1910s, and I’ve gone there at least a few times a year for most of my life. It’s been a habit for as long as I can remember to check the marquee to see what’s playing, so seeing nothing there was pretty jarring.
Just down the block from the theater, I passed Rose City Liquor – not only is the store still operating, but business is booming, with a line out the door.
As I walked down Sandy Boulevard, I passed dozens of signs alerting customers to closures or adjustments. Many businesses stopped taking cash, which could carry the virus, or started limiting the number of patrons allowed inside at a time.
Later in the day, I went to my local Safeway to pick up groceries. The aisles were nearly empty, with signs near the entrance and stickers on the floor every six feet. The changes were small compared to how shut-down the rest of the neighborhood was, but they still stuck out as a reminder that everything isn’t normal.
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