We drove into Chicago on Saturday night around midnight. We came in on Ohio Street and as we approached Rush Street you could see people all over the place leaving bars, apparently, they had been out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early.  By the time we left Monday morning the restaurants were all closing, and everyone was preparing for the lockdown.

We spent two nights in Chicago so we could see my daughter and her boyfriend who are living downtown in River North while she attends grad school.  I went with her to Starbucks on Sunday and she was surprised to see that all the tables and chairs which had been there the day before had been removed.  Sunday night we went to Trader Joe’s and found many of the shelves completely empty.  In talking with employees, they said the store had set a sales record as people prepared for the lockdown.  They went on to explain how their warehouse was rationing shipments to limit hoarding and maintain a steady inventory for customers.

I have spent a lot of time in Chicago, I love photographing in that city.  It was eerie walking along Michigan Avenue Sunday and Monday with so few people on the street compared to normal times.  It was if I could feel the uncertainty everyone in the city had with the coming lockdown and the dangers of the virus. Chicago may have unfortunately changed forever this year, with the lockdown just being the starting point.