The Empty Quarter. A Memoir Of My Stay in The French Quarter During The Plague Years 2020 to 2021

the empty quarter by Max Singer A Memoir Of My Stay in The French Quarter During The Plague Years 2020 to 2021

Thanks to pandemic relief, I could afford to return to my spiritual home in the “Empty French Quarter” of New Orleans from October through December of 2020 and for June and July of 2021. I rented an apartment in a converted Creole Cottage across Esplanade on the Faubourg Marigny side of Chartres Street. It was very “affordable” as landlords in The Quarter were desperate for tenants.

across the street

my oasis

view from my front door

“The Empty Quarter” or The Rub’ al Khali, is a 250,000 sq mi. sand desert covering most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula and covers some parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. And I discovered that, like The Rub’ al Khali, the French Quarter during the pandemic was not devoid of life but dotted with oases of life and joy.

guardian on chartres

border guards

guardians on esplanade

envie

Though a back injury limited foot travel, my apartment was extremely conveniently located: it was only a short 2 block walk, almost daily to stop #1, Café Envie on Decatur and Barracks for alfresco breakfast and coffee.

And just to watch the world go by.

reminder of the times: balcony opposite cafe envie

manning the covid barricades

homebase

ennui

dog-tired

storage unit

tuned out

al fresco

the passing parade

bus buddy AT KRUZ

After envie: I might walk across the street and wait in front of “Kruz” to hop on the #5 or the #55 bus down Decatur to explore the Quarter and visit old stomping grounds.

the #5 and #55

HALF EMPTY. or HALF FULL?

royal “O” garage

café du monde

emptyempty napoleon napoleon househouse

I might get off at St. Louis and Chartres to visit the Napoleon House (I had been hanging out there since the 70s) for a cool drink, a “half-muff” or red beans and rice.

empty food court

empty monteleone lobby

empty rooms

empty stage

empty bar

Restaurants, bars and other venues which had difficulty adhering to social distancing restrictions, mask mandates, sanitizing and other protective measures struggled to stay afloat or remained closed.

unfinished masterpiece

empty shoes

empty riverboat

vigilance

street pollock

sign of hope: mcdonogh 15

we got the blues bro

abandoned opus

zoned out

suspicious

Many locals were assiduous about masks and social distancing.

Tourists not so much.

Many avoided the Quarter particularly on weekends and stayed away from Bourbon Street entirely.

canal street

up & down rides to empty shops

I joined the fitness center in Canal Place. The Prytania bet on New Orleans by opening a multiplex in Canal Place during this time. After a late afternoon workout it was a short bus to my oasis for a nap before the evening festivities.

hail prytania

barracks street

waiting for godot

essential workers

xmas balcony

pizza kitchen

distant tables

the french market

stripped of people the French Market revealed its skeleton.

xmas lights

blue a’s

parallel lines

empty shelves

abstraction

empty bike racks

firehouse at esplanade

haunting grounds

decatur after dark

apparition

apparition resolved

backpack crew

plus three

empty neon

closed junkyard

turtle bay & the abbey

I discovered funky places to hang out at night on Decatur for food & drinks such as Turtle Bay and The Abbey was soon open serving drinks to patrons on the sidewalk. And Later that year Checkpoint Charlie reopened. And the R Bar in 2021.

guardian of turtle bay

safety check

street scene

tamale man

safe haven

turwtle bay mullet

resurrection hallelujah

here’s lookin’ at you

walking the dog

abbey doorman

hanging out

abbey: hotwheels

local cats

abbey christmas

checkpoint

lights on

at the bar

adverse reaction

yes i did

bad bunny

streetside

at the mint

Through most of 2020 live music, one lifeblood of Nola was shut down. But soon there were outdoor concerts and movies at The Jazz Museum at the Old Mint.

the wildest

barbarians at the gates

waiting for the show

sitting pretty

freeloades

jazz trio

outside the lawn

taking a solo

second fiddle

eine kleine nachtmusik

setting up for movie night

american utopia

viral halloween

the haunting

two twos

monsta mask

During Halloween 2020 the Quarter came alive. Perhaps too alive, crowded by throngs of tourists many either ignorant or defiant of Covid restrictions.

hazmats

boo peep

witches brew

shopping party

search party

balcony music club

tiny dancer

warming up

floor show

tarot infestatiom returns

re-emergence

doofus

in the dark

jax rooftop

parking rules

decatur & st. ann

frenchmen street musicians

patio concert

knight riders

outsider artist and street denizen welmon & moi

my new years eve al fresco at cafe envie

au revoir