A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EAST ESTUARY (RIVER): That’s right; the East River is actually an estuary (I couldn’t resist the triple E). The island of Manhattan lies between the Hudson River (also an estuary) on the west side, and the East River on the east side. What you see above is the southern tip of Manhattan and the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge, taken from the Brooklyn Bridge Park, just south of DUMBO–and only a 30-40 minute walk from our apartment.

While it’s cleaner than it has been in decades, the river’s pollution level deems it safe only for secondary contact such as boating. From sewage to bodies to diamonds, the East River contains it all, including a surprisingly diverse marine life (much of which comes with warnings to not consume–no surprise). Despite it’s sordid waters, many swimmers cough up (no pun intended) $2000-$3000 to take part in the 20 Bridges Swim each year. Nope.

The river has had its share of disasters including the 1904 sinking of a steamship that claimed over 1,000 lives, making it the deadliest NYC catastrophe until 9/11.

I hate to just rag on the East River, so here’s a fun story from last September where a paddle boarder came across a tomato plant growing out of a wooden pillar in the river.

EERINESS: Empty would also be appropriate. We rarely venture out unless we’re going to the grocery store, or maybe the occasional short walk to get the blood going.

The streets and sidewalks are quiet; an eeriness has settled over the city. Discarded rubber gloves have replaced coffee cup lids. Frankly, that’s about the only trash you see right now. We made a game out of it: if we spot two gloves of different colors mingling together, that’s a padiddle. A mask and a pair of gloves together is a triage. We haven’t spotted one of those yet. (It’s easy to run out of things to discuss on a long walk.)

Before leaving the apartment, I feel as though we’re preparing to walk out into Chernobyl. Once outside, it’s hard to not envision you’re in an episode of the The Walking Dead, feeling vulnerable, uncertain, and fearful.

But it’s necessary. And as eerie as it is, I’m glad to see very little people out and about. So let’s keep up the eeriness until we get through this.