Day 184: Silence During Rush Hour

Living in Chicago during a global pandemic has brought with it any number of unusual experiences.

Blocks of bars closed to the public, boarded up grocery stores that remain open, and silence downtown during rush hour.

That’s what greeted me at the tail end of my four mile run this morning, was just…silence, silence where there should have been noise.

Thursday mornings on State Street in Chicago are supposed to be chaotic. The soundtrack should be cars passing, horns honking, pedestrians chattering about, an indistinguishable melange of chaos.

Thursday mornings on State Street in Chicago during a pandemic are…quiet. Quiet enough to where you can stand in the middle of the street during rush hour and take a picture.

Quiet enough to where it sticks in your mind just how odd this time in our lives is.