Cheers for NYC Essential Workers (video)

Walking the NYC Pandemic

Every night at 7 PM, our neighborhood explodes with sound. From inside our apartments, perched on fire escapes or up on our rooftops, New Yorkers explode in loud appreciation for all our essential workers and, incidentally, we let each other know that we’re still here, still neighbors, still in it together.

We cheer, whoop, holler, bang on pots and pans, we raise a joyful sound. The streets are empty and, aside from the occasional silhouette of a torso at a window, we are invisible to one another. The sound seems to rise from bricks and pavement and for these few minutes, it’s as if the streets and buildings themselves are cheering. Stay inside, people, they seem to say, but know you’re not alone.

Here is one particular night’s noise, looking north from a rooftop over 109th Street and beyond.