Streetfilms: Get a Load of How Abnormal New York is Right Now
Our Orson Welles of the street, Clarence Eckerson Jr., takes you on a journey through a livable city (albeit one we only get because of coronavirus).
12:01 AM EDT on March 23, 2020
I hadn’t been on my bicycle in over a week, choosing to walk and run for exercise during the coronavirus (and observing recommended precautions), but I was curious what my normal commute looked like. So on Friday, I bicycled from Jackson Heights into Manhattan.
Comparing my new footage to my many reels of archive footage provides a reminder of how much we’ve lost — but also allows us to imagine what kind of city we could have when we emerge from this pandemic.
It could be great (if we don’t mess it up).
Clarence Eckerson Jr. has been running Streetfilms for two decades after serving as a producer of BikeTV. He loves the color purple, chocolate chip cookies, and enjoys walking, biking, and taking transit. He has never had a driver's license. But he does have an award from the U.N. (yes, that U.N.!)
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