Early 2020: Humanity forcibly welcomed one of the biggest challenges in the modern era, Covid-19, the newest pandemic that nature invented to test our survival. Many people were too scared to leave their homes due to fear of the disease. Some people were not and thought of it as just a new kind of flu. With no regard to public opinion, the government announced a lockdown procedure that required every human in New York to mostly lock themselves up at home unless they were working in an essential role. As a delivery man, I was categorized as “essential,” regardless of how bad the situation became. My fear of boredom always grew stronger. So I decided to keep working at my job, without knowing what new experience awaited me.

New York City, the global capital, mankind’s busiest metropolis, had people from all over the world swarmed together, grinding away their lives chaotically. The fear of the disease washed all that away, and the city looked like a completely different place. The roads in Manhattan had always been filled with madness: shouting from pedestrians, cars honking, cursing from cyclists, trucks blocking the road—which always made me insane. It was all gone, including people hustling on the streets—all gone. There was no life in the Big Apple, as if the city was abandoned. But for me, this was a fascinating scenario. I felt like I was living in New York out of a post-apocalyptic movie. As for work, it made my job a lot easier because there were no vehicles on the roads. But for me, it was more than that; the roads were all mine. This city was all mine and mine alone!

Fortunately, the situation got better and the lockdown procedure gradually lifted. Unfortunately for me, I ran out of time to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I have to admit, the post-Covid syndrome hit me pretty hard. But regardless of what will happen, the most beautiful version of New York City will have a place to rest in my memory, forever.