For the last several Christmas Days in Chicago I’ve made a habit of walking outside and taking a photograph of the empty streets nearby. It seems everyone leaves the city or is inside opening presents. This year I decided to press further, into Chicago’s downtown, the Loop, and see what that looks like on the biggest holiday of the year.
With the exception of a lone biker, Halsted Street seemed devoid of its typical traffic.
Up the street Pasta Palazzo was shuttered, chairs up on the tables.
I turned west on Armitage Avenue and found another empty street.
After reaching the Armitage ‘L’ station I glanced around and noticed an older Asian couple walking far down the street. Otherwise I had the normally busy area around the station to myself.
I got off the ‘L’ train at Washington and Wells. Nothing was moving underneath the tracks.
There wasn’t any movement one block west on the usually busy LaSalle Street either.
I thought a few of the stalls in Daley Plaza’s Christkindelmarket might still be open for a little Christmas Day business. However, all I found was a few pigeons.
I continued walking east. State Street, I thought, would surely have some activity. It did. A couple walking down the sidewalk. Two guys facing a long wait for a bus. Not much else.
I didn’t find anyone in Federal Plaza. Not only was it Christmas, but the government had shut down the day before and no one apparently knows when it will reopen. I was alone with Calder’s Flamingo.
Eventually I began to see a few people. Many, looked to be tourists of non-Christian faiths, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, etc. The Jews, if they were like my relatives, were at the movies or heading out to get some Chinese food. Around Van Buren Street I saw a few people doing everyday things — taking the dog for a walk, texting a friend, out for a jog, etc.
The city mostly looked like it was hit by a neutron bomb — no people, but all the buildings still standing. It was kind of creepy. I decided to head back home to see my wife and our dogs. The ‘L’ station at LaSalle and Van Buren was . . . empty.
As a fitting end to my trip when I exited at Armitage Avenue I peered down from the station platform and saw a guy in a tiny car heading out of town with what looked like a Santa suit in the back seat. A friend of mine told me this is a Fiat Jolly. How appropriate.
