It's good to hear and see the perspective of this FROM someone actually there @kommienezupsadt . I hope you and your family are safe.
We live in more rural area, yet still peopled. We are an hour south of our City Boston. @winstonalden has been making the trip there a few days a week as his shop is in the heart of the city off the Boston Common and thus in the midst of it all.
The city went from an odd 'post apocalyptic' video game feel during the virus of empty streets to one of shattered shop windows. Newbury street, which is a pretty upscale shopping blvd, is tattered and broken. Windows are now boarded up with ply and military patrol. We used to have an apartment one street over on Comm ave and I walked Newbury daily to window shop the expensive things, just for fun, and get my fresh fruit and veg from the local green grocer and stop in for coffee. It is unrecognizable now, more like the scenes we sometimes see of the places in the Middle East where we are 'bringing freedom'... Anyway.
I am glad you are safe. We wonder at our world. I don't know what happened to the virus, as now most seem to just go out in droves maskless, so I guess that's last weeks story? I dont' know. I live on the sea and driving past a public beach which was just allowed to open yesterday, it was PACKED with people inches apart, maskless and the town ( a town so small it has literally ONE main street and then houses and sea) was full of cars no parking and endless families, smiling and maskless in summer dresses and shorts. It felt odd. How was this? Were we not just in an odd New Normal?
Every day the surreal becomes the real. Perhaps surreal paintings will have to be a city with people at cafes and police happily helping little children and old ladies whilst people run happily in parks or stand arm in arm...
Thanks again for your perspective.