 | | With so many people at home, we asked what new noises you have been hearing in your neighborhood.Tallulah Fontaine |
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Hi everyone, happy first week of March. |
On this day last year, most of the world was still doing entirely normal things that, when remembered through the haze of lockdown, now feel both nostalgic and impossible. (I was schlepping groceries on London's cramped Central Line and sharing dessert forks at a birthday dinner.) |
We didn't comprehend just how quickly nearly everything would change — including the sounds we hear every day. So to mark the first anniversary of the coronavirus being declared a global pandemic, we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on how our soundscapes have changed — and invite you to listen more closely to yours. |
We asked you to share with us one noise that defined your pandemic year. This is what you said. |
(These responses have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.) |
People banging pans, hands clapping, shouting and singing the Italian national anthem at 6 p.m. Every day. — Pietro Gerosa, New York. |
Birdsong and the silence that surrounded it. Hardly any cars on the street. Almost no planes in the sky. — Carolyn Polizzotto, Australia |
The dreaded ambulance sirens. That haunting sound pierced our days and nights for months. We live a half block from a Central Park West through street to the East Side. The ambulances flew through the park, wailing and screaming their death call. — Naomi Serviss, New York |
My fridge humming. My world feels smaller and quieter, and this is an aural indicator of that. — Liz Macfie, London |
The sound when someone joins Zoom. — Jake Blozan, California |
My children interrupting me during a call. The most memorable was when my older daughter came in to yell that her sister "pooped again!" — Alison Umbarger, Georgia |
The sounds of a new normal |
Muffled voices behind masks. — Debbie Duncan, California |
My name being announced and then ceremonial music rolling as I walked across the stage at my high school's drive-through graduation. — Kelby Beyer, Oregon |
Soundscapes I found online transported me to Australian beaches, Japanese gardens and French Alps. — Martin Steinbereithner, Michigan |
Looking back on our year on The Daily |
 | | A man believed to be Hong Kong's first coronavirus patient being treated on Jan. 22, 2020.Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times |
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On Jan. 30, 2020, The Daily published its first episode about a novel coronavirus that had wound its way through China. By Feb. 27, we were reporting that the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica — but we still wondered, "How threatening is the outbreak, really?" |
Our answer came quickly. Within weeks, we were releasing special episodes to cover the escalating crisis in the United States and Western Europe. On one, Michael Barbaro said, "We're going to keep covering this pandemic until it's over," and writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner posited that we might have a few more weeks of quarantine. It's been a long road since. |
We've covered the science and the personal stories — the institutional responses and the individual resilience of people facing down bankruptcy, eviction and hospitalization. So to recap the year, we've compiled a list of some of our most memorable episodes from the past year. Take a look, and listen to our playlist of pandemic stories in case you missed any. |
Early in the crisis, we released a special afternoon series on The Daily, "A Bit of Relief," to help meet the need for levity during the crisis. We thought we'd continue the spirit of the series and share some of the music that has powered our team through the pandemic: |
"During the pandemic I have rediscovered Florence and the Machine's debut album, 'Lungs.' It just reminds me of the period of time when I last obsessed over it — it was summer, I was able to move freely through a crowd of people without a second thought, and I wasn't old enough to have to pay rent yet. All the things I've recently fantasized about!" — Eric Krupke, Daily producer |
"There's the fake answer I could give to this question because of how I want to present my musical tastes and then there's the real one: For most of the pandemic, I listened to BTS, the K-pop group. When I worked out, when I went on walks, when I lacked energy, when I needed to get myself through a tough edit, you name it. They are indefatigably positive and upbeat, and isn't that what all of us need these days?" — Anita Badejo, a senior editor based in London |
"I've been listening to a lot of Sophie and her related projects ever since her death. My favorite song of hers is 'It's Okay to Cry.' It's an anthem of self-acceptance and the power of emotional connection. I religiously listen to it after therapy, it's that sort of song." — Soraya Shockley, a narrative audio producer |
Also, if you're looking for something to read, check out "Between Two Kingdoms," by Suleika Jaouad, described on an episode of The Book Review as a book about illness — but without the platitudes. |
Thursday: An update on the state of the pandemic: rising concern about variants and the approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. |
Friday: In the first of two parts about what we're learning about the Biden presidency, we look at his approach to Saudi Arabia. |
That's it for The Daily newsletter. See you next week. |
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