Items

• 2021-10-11

  Disney Wedding 2021

  My wife and I were supposed to go to her best friend's wedding in the fall of 2020. Well, with millions of other weddings and events that year, it had to be postponed. The wedding ended up taking place at Disney world in the fall of 2021. We flew from New York to Orlando, and I remember that everyone was still wearing masks in the airports and on the planes. And if I remember correctly masks were required on the plane for the whole ride. While staying on Disney property and in the parks, masks were required inside buildings. But outside you could have them off. During the wedding, which was on Disney property, we did have to wear masks for the ceremony, and while dancing, but at the tables, we could take them off. Still, it was a magical time, and the VIP access to the Epcot fireworks is still my favorite memory. Even now, in 2024, I will still wear a mask if I go on a plane again, or public transportation. That is something from the pandemic I think will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.
• 2021-11

  Strangers united in pettiness

  Medical mask mandates on public transport had been in effect for a while now when this happened: There are always the inevitable idiots who refuse to wear their masks (or just wear them below their nose, which in addition to being stupid also looks stupid) and usually people will just roll their eyes but say nothing - that one morning went differently. The train was neither particularly crowded nor empty, for each 4-seater there'd be 2-3 seats occupied. We rolled into a station, people got on, among them a young woman who sat down on the first available seat. Directly behind her, some middle-aged guy, in possession of a mask but having it bunched up beneath his chin like a face-diaper. Upon seeing the woman sit down, he suddenly started ranting at her because apparently he'd wanted to sit in that seat (note that there were plenty of seats left), insulting her with a barrage of sexist and racist terms I don't care to repeat. She ignored him. Another passenger, however, didn't, and told the mask-less idiot to stop making an ass of himself and put on his mask before speaking and 'spreading his aerosols' indoors, which drew the idiot's ire on him. After realising that neither the woman nor the other passengers would offer their seat to him in response to his insults, the idiot moved on to the next 4-seater - only to find that the people there used their bags and jackets to occupy the empty seats there to prevent him from sitting down there, responding to his cussing by telling him to just put on his fucking mask again. He moved on, everyone on the next row of seats blocked him as well, again and again. One woman, lacking a bag, went as far as full-on man-spreading in the middle of two seats to occupy them both. In the end, the idiot had to move to a whole other train car to find a seat. The rest of us was left with smug smiles and a sense of petty satisfaction for the rest of the ride!
• 
  2020-11-24

  Public transport use- Myki History 2020

  The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way I travel on a local level. Before the lockdowns in Melbourne I would frequently (several times per week) travel via public transport, mainly on trams. However, the lockdowns meant that all the things that I would use public transport to get to were moved online. As a result, for over eight months I did not use public transport at all. The increased exposure sites on trams meant that even when restrictions eased in various periods, I was reluctant to use them. The few times I have been on trams since I have felt anxious as there were often other passengers that did not wear facemasks properly, if at all. As a result, I now tend to use other forms of transport such as cycling and walking to arrive at destinations.
• 
  2021-03-31

  Gyre Oral History, 2021/03/31

  Self-Description: “My name is Gyre. I am a multidisciplinary artist based in South Africa with global ambitions. I specialize in music, but I also work as a freelance writer as well as in dance. I’m a dancer learning to choreograph. Political commentator, particularity with regard to the LBGTQA+ community. I identify as queer. I am homoromatic and homosexual at this point in my life. You never know honey, it’s a spectrum. I had my first venture into artistic expression that is rooted in queer rights and queer understanding and queer theory, was my debut album, titled Queernomics, which was a documented audio-visual book about the contemporary experiences of a Black queer South African male, and that has gotten me into the positions that I express myself in, both out of passion and out of profession. Inkosi Yenkonkoni, which means “The Gay King”, in my native language which is Zulu.” Other details available here: Works produced during the pandemic: Kithi, International LGBTQ+ Rights Festival, writing on football. Some of the things we spoke about included: “What happens at the top is just politics, what happens at the bottom is real life.” Thinking about the term “pandemic” Listening to the body The pandemic exposing state corruption Having written a song called “Quarantine” in 2018 The inadequacies and privileges of Medical Aid in South Africa, having aged out of Medical Aid before COVID, the personal impact of worse-health insurance during pandemic, the importance of demonetizing health care Pre-COVID keeping busy: organizing, walking, collaborating Transit during COVID, sub/urban and outskirt disparities Canceling shows and taking dance classes and rethinking what it means to be productive Global Americanization and the impact of Trump’s pandemic denialism on South African health Moving out of disbelief about the severity of COVID after losing a loved one in the first wave Gratitude for the global influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and sadness that tragedy in the diaspora brings neocolonialism to the fore The importance of social media for queer counter-violence and activist fractures among LGBTQA+ Feeling allyship with the #metoo movement How homophobia intersects with everyday altercations about social distancing The anxieties of hooking up during the pandemic The importance that scientists learn to speak in lay terms about climate change and vaccines Existence as resistance and creating art “Spread love not tolerance” Other cultural references include: Trans Day of Visibility, astrology, and the TV series Pose.
• 
  2021

  “Catching the 8am train”

  I love the colors in the piece. It also reminds me when it was safe to ride public transportation. This piece is by @uzo.art titled “Catching the 8am train”.
• 
  2020-12-08

  Six Foot Seating

  This photo shows a bench that is an advertisement for the dating app Bumble located in Boston’s Seaport district (exact location unknown). The bench has two seats, with space for social distancing between, which goes to show how far people are taking social distancing guidelines. Bumble makes use of participatory content here to engage the public to interact with their advertisements, which may lead to more interest in further interacting with the app. This object has the potential to interest future historians, as it shows how brands used the pandemic as ways of advertising. It also shows the ways in which not only we changed, but the physical objects around us changed to adapt to the pandemic.
• 
  2020-08-20

  Face shields on public transportation

  There's so much that Peru is doing right in terms of public health measures. This campaign is one more example, "Primero mi salud," (First my health), which is encouraging people to wear a mask and face shield on public transportation. The Ministry of Health has done a great job of creating campaigns and promoting sound public health measures. A commentator says...and people should wear them in markets, and everywhere, which is true. Infection rates will go down if more people follow these protocols.
• 
  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Curfew is Moved to 8pm

  On June 2nd, Mayor De Blasio changed the already established curfew from 11pm-5am to 8pm-5am. This was a very historical moment in New York, as there has never been any curfew enforced on the city in my lifetime and 8pm seemed very early. I worried for essential workers and anyone who had to rely on public transportation to get home for work, as they were arresting people who were out after 8pm if they did not have a valid excuse or explanation. Photo retrieved from the New York Times.
• 
  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Bus

  A CDTA bus pulling up to a bus stop on State Street in Downtown Albany, NY in late April. All riders were required to wear masks, and there were barely any riders on the bus. Its electronic sign reads, “STOP THE SPREAD.”
• 
  2020-06-25

  Daily life changes due to Covid

  Here we have a tweet discussing one of the may daily life changes that have taken place since covid and lockdown began. In this case, the user talks about how bus travel has changed since lockdown in Berlin. Bus divers in Berlin are now behind plastic sheets and the front doors of buses are no longer used in order to protect drivers. Many bus drivers have gotten sick and died due to the large public interaction their job has. I wanted to put this into the archive because it is a simple example of how covid has altered society and daily life. Here we have an example of public transportation being altered, likely permanently, in Berlin due to the virus. Between all the headlines and stats are the real life changes everyone sees, and this is one example. I also took note of the fact that Europe is still in their first lockdown, while we here in America are wondering if there will be a second lockdown since the first one has essentially over for weeks.
• 
  2020-04-10

  Empty New York City

  I think how this pandemic has managed to empty even the most crowded city in the states, and how we were all nervous about what future holds is something no one has ever experienced. Everyone will remember how the world stopped in 2020.
• 
  2020-03

  Sign Outside Mass. Ave Stop Explains How to Stop the Spread of Germs

  This sign outside of the Mass. Ave T-Stop in Boston advertises some of the ways to stop the spread of germs. The placement of this sign right outside a train station illustrates how especially important following these guidelines was while using public transportation during Covid-19.
• 
  03/19/2020

  Covid-19 in the Coachella Valley

  Here in this picture we can see away to prevent getting near the bus driver by adding caution tape in the middle. Also it was Free for everyone and you could not enter unless you have a mask on. The bus was my daily ride to everywhere I went because I did not have a car. When the Covid-19 started i was afraid they were gonna close down the bus, but they did not. They tried their best for them to be on service because many of the citizens need the bus as a way to travel to work. Not only that, but during that time of the picture everything changed for me. First, all of my classes turned online which was kind of good, but at the same time I missed going to class every Monday to wednesday. Also i lost my job as many people did, but in my citation is that the job was at the street fair and they told me they might even open until next year. All of this has taught me a lesson which is to always be prepared for these situations because one day I can be working, but then out of nowhere I don't have it anymore. Gladly i saved money to pay what i need to pay. Also I've been going hiking and trying to do more exercise at my house. At the end of the day we all need to be patient because great things can happen to us. *This is a picture of how they use caution tape on the bus to prevent anyone to get near the bus driver.
• 2020-05-06

  Initial Findings on Covid-19 in New York: Staying home may be putting people at risk.

  The source includes testimony of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding the present statistics of Covid-19 in New York. The evidence is shocking because as the government tries to determine how the virus is spreading, they uncover most of the hospitalized population to be those who were quarantined at home and non-essential. The homeless. the jailed, the essential workers, and even the users of public transportation were of the lowest percentage of hospitalized people. The early data begs the question: Is staying at home the best way to fight the pandemic? #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-03-22

  Returning Home in Seattle during the Pandemic

  The image was taken when I finally arrived at SeaTac airport in Washington at 11:00 A.M on March 22, 2020. Because my parents scared that Uber drivers are easier to be exposed to the COVID-19 virus and it would be more dangerous for me to sit near them, my mother told me to catch the public train instead. It was definitely the right choice because due to a huge number of infected people in WA, everyone is afraid to take public transportation so it was only me in that entire train's section. To be extremely careful, I also wear a mask, gloves, tie my hair, and cover my head so that I am less exposed myself to the air.
• 
  03/24/2020

  Ventra Pass Refunds and Account Tips for CTA Riders

  Reminder that CTA is serve the public.