The photo above might look fake, but trust me, it's real. It's a photo of Richmond's busiest intersection — No. 3 Road and Westminster Highway — on Monday morning at about 11, normally a very busy time.
It's deserted. Missing are the lineups of cars, buses and trucks, waiting in every direction. Also missing are the people. It's usually a bustling intersection. Clearly, people in Richmond are paying attention to B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry's order to stay home.
Before you ask me what I was doing out there, against orders, I was out for a bike ride, by myself. Everywhere I went, I saw a ghost town. Today's blog post is my photo essay of that journey.
As I rode past this school garden, I wondered, "Who's going to plant these plots this year? Maybe this will be the year nothing grows here." But of course, that's silly because if we've ever needed to grow our own food, this is the year. I hope someone takes it on.
This closed playground is right beside the fallow school garden. Seeing these "crime scene" tapes closing off the playground breaks my heart. The swings should be filled with children, running and laughing and socializing. That the kids are all hunkered down inside, alone and looking at screens is a tragedy. I hope it doesn't last too long.
Even the big kids' parks are closed. This is the turf soccer field at Minoru Park in central Richmond. You can see the pool just beyond the cherry trees. The sports field and the surrounding walking track, both of which are usually filled with people and the sounds of soccer, were nearly empty. There were a few walkers and even four social-distancing practitioners of Tai Chi. But still eerily quiet.
I've lived in Richmond for more than 25 years. I have NEVER seen this parking lot empty. This parking lot services the library, the pool, the arena and everything else nearby. It is always full.
This is Richmond Centre. Another parking lot where it's nearly impossible to find a spot, under normal circumstances. The mall itself was open, probably because of the restaurants, but no one was around.
This is another angle on the Richmond Centre parking lot. It makes me wonder what the unintended effects of everyone staying home might be. Internet overload? Yes. What else? Send me your thoughts.
I was surprised to see a lineup at the Bank of Montreal. I didn't go in. But I did read the sign. It says: STOP: We remain open for critical banking needs only. We are controlling access to enforce social distancing and will only limit 8 customers in the branch at a time. Thanks for your cooperation. It also says the first hour of banking is for seniors only.
And here's another angle on the intersection of No. 3 Road and Westminster Highway, like you've never seen it before.
Looking north on No. 3 Road, there's not a car in sight, other than the full parking lot off to the right. I'm not sure where all of those people are working.
This last photo is meant to make up for all those apocalyptic ones that came before. Despite COVID-19 nature is bursting forth. Spring has always been a hopeful time and here's hoping this doesn't last too long. Stay healthy, everyone.
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