Chicago’s eerily quiet morning rush

Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic and a stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Daley Plaza sits nearly empty in the Loop, as seen from the roof of City Hall, during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

From the roof of City Hall, the near-silence of Chicago’s downtown streets is deafening.

Instead of car horns and people talking, the only sound is rumbling “L” trains.

As Illinoisans have entered the second week of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic, the Loop is now quieter than ever.

Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic and a stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, few pedestrians and minimal traffic could be seen in the Loop, looking north on North Clark Street from the roof of City Hall during what should have been the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

The virus-emptied view south on North LaSalle Street from the roof of City Hall looked like an architect’s model, with a few buses thrown in for scale, during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

Wide roads, but no cars using them, looking south on North LaSalle Street from the roof of City Hall during the Wednesday morning commute that wasn’t, April 1, 2020.

It might have been the greatest April 1 prank of all time—a city without its residents. But the shelter-in-place order was all too serious, looking north on North LaSalle Street from the roof of City Hall during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic and a stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, few pedestrians and minimal traffic could be seen in the Loop from the roof of City Hall during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

The mail goes through, for now, as demonstrated by this United States Postal Service semi by the Thompson Center, viewed from the roof of City Hall, Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The post office, an independent government agency, has said it might go out of business without a bailout.

But did he wonder what it is? A man has Daley Plaza to himself as he walks past the Picasso on Wednesday morning, April 1, 2020. The iconic sculpture was intended by the artist to be a woman.

With what should be the concert season arriving along with warmer weather, a glimpse of Pritzker Pavilion’s Gehry bandshell that may—or may not—host concerts this summer, looking east on West Washington Street from the roof of City Hall on Wednesday morning, April 1, 2020.

A morning crowd of one on North LaSalle Street, viewed from the top of City Hall, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

‘L’ trains rattled around the Loop, but were largely empty Wednesday morning, here looking north on North LaSalle Street from the roof of City Hall.

Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic and a stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, only one out of four office spaces at 120 W. Washington St. is occupied Wednesday morning, April 1, 2020.

A pedestrian walks alone in the crosswalk on North LaSalle Street at West Randolph Street in the Loop, as seen from the roof of City Hall during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic and a stay-at-home order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, few pedestrians and minimal traffic could be seen in the Loop, looking east on West Randolph Street from the roof of City Hall during the Wednesday morning commute, April 1, 2020.

Contributing: Neil Steinberg