Before-and-after photos show how fear of the coronavirus has emptied out New York's biggest landmarks
BEFORE: Times Square is one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the world. Every day, almost 380,000 pedestrians walk through Time Square.
AFTER: On March 12, Mayor Bill de Blasio banned gatherings of more than 500 people, and declared a state of emergency. By March 15, Time Square appeared deserted.
Source: The New York Times
BEFORE: In 2018, many people sat and rested on red chairs in Times Square. There were few spare tables.
AFTER: There would have been no trouble finding a seat at the red tables on March 16. Other than a lone woman walking by, they were empty, along with the rest of Time Square.
BEFORE: The famous Charging Bull has only been in New York since 1989, but on most days, according to Business Insider's Harrison Jacobs, "hordes of tourists can be found crowding around the sculpture, taking photos, or rubbing the bull's nose, horns, or backside."
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Business Insider
BEFORE: The Oculus, the World Trade Center's transit hub, gets up to 120 million visitors every year. This photo shows it in November 2019.
Source: Business of Fashion
AFTER: The Oculus, although not deserted, appears far less busy on March 16.
BEFORE: About 750,000 people use Grand Central, New York's most famous train station, every day.
Source: Grand Central Terminal
AFTER: On March 10, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio advised New Yorkers to avoid the subway if they could, and walk or bike to work. On March 16, it appeared his advice was followed.
Source: The Daily Mail
BEFORE: Fulton Center, in lower Manhattan, is another one of New York's busiest stations.
Source: The New York Times
AFTER: It appears de Blasio's advice was followed there, too. On March 16, the bustling station was almost empty.
BEFORE: New York's Central Park, which goes for 51 blocks, gets about 42 million visitors each year. Here, people gather around a the Bethesda Fountain in 2017.
Source: National Geographic
AFTER: On March 14, that same fountain is far quieter. Although, it's worth mentioning it's winter, too, and the previous photo was at the beginning of summer.
BEFORE: In 2018's Broadway season, about 14,768,254 patrons went to shows, making about $1.8 billion in box office gross. It was a record year.
Source: The New York Times
AFTER: But on March 12 Mayor de Blasio banned gatherings of more than 500 people, and Broadway productions were put on pause until April 12.
Source: The New York Times
BEFORE: About 10,000 pedestrians and 4,000 cyclists cross Brooklyn Bridge ever day. It connects Brooklyn to Manhattan.
Sources: The New York Times, NYC GO
AFTER: But with New York in a state of emergency, on March 16 there were few people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.
Source: The New York Times
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