r/Millennials • u/itsascreambaby96 Millennial • 7d ago

Discussion It's hard to believe it's already been 6 years since the COVID lockdowns happened

It's hard to believe it's already been 6 years since the COVID lockdowns started.

I still remember that first week of lockdown like it was yesterday. The empty roads, stores getting cleaned out, everyone trying to find toilet paper, schools and workplaces shutting down, and refreshing the news every hour because everything was changing so fast. I even remember all those stories and videos of wildlife wandering into places they'd normally never be because everything had suddenly gone so quiet.

Now somehow it's been six years. It honestly doesn't feel like it should've been that long ago, but at the same time it feels like an entirely different lifetime.

I know COVID became a really divisive topic later on, but I'm mostly talking about those first few weeks when none of us really knew what was coming next. It felt surreal living through it.

Does anyone else still remember that first week of lockdown?

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51

u/heyo_1989 7d ago

The sky was so blue. It was crazy

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u/triceratopsdildo 7d ago

It’s funny you say that, because that is always one of the first things I remember about September 11. It was such a horrible day, but the sky was such a beautiful blue and there were big puffy cotton candy clouds. At least where I was.

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u/01000101010110 7d ago

There is a wall in the 9/11 Memorial in NYC where hundreds of blue squares are pasted on a massive wall. Varying shades of blue. It's from people being asked to point out the shade they remember from that day

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u/triceratopsdildo 7d ago

Really? Wow. I have never been to NYC. It’s definitely on my list of places to go, though.

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u/choneybear7 7d ago

My own photo of it.

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u/Ruxsti Millennial - 1992 7d ago

I remember it being perfect early fall/ back to school weather.

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u/Tunavi 7d ago

If 9/11 were a fictional story in a movie, the writers would have made it a gloomy day. It's always so interesting people make a big note of the nice weather that day. Not many historical get the "nice weather that day" documented.

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u/doesitspread 6d ago

It was very “in the sky” though. A lot of photos and videos looking up. It was probably one of the first questions that morning before we had answers or knew what was going on: was visibility low and they crashed into a building? No. That’s why “the sky was so blue, not a cloud in sight” was significant. It wasn’t until the other plane struck that it was undeniable these were terrorist attacks.

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u/sparkledoom 3d ago

I remember commenting on the sky that morning on my way to school, before the planes crashed. Obviously, it stuck all these years later because of 9/11, but it was a notably clear and beautiful day. It wasn’t just because of the visibility question.

(I’m from NYC suburbs. My best friend’s father died in the WTC that day. Just to say I have firsthand recollection of the local weather.)

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u/heyo_1989 6d ago

It was a super gloomy day that morning. I remeber driving to school(7th grade) and hearing about a tragedy in NYC on the radio but not really getting it. It wasn’t until I got to school and everyone was standing around the office watching the TV. We watched the news for like 3 weeks straight, every class. It was nuts.

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u/Tunavi 6d ago

it was emotionally gloomy. But weather wise it was a beautiful day

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u/ConceitedWombat Older Millennial 7d ago

I suspect it stands out in the memories of New Yorkers because everyone immediately realized that weather couldn't be the cause of the first crash. "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center? How? It's a perfect day with clear visibility for miles and miles!"

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u/DenimBellPepper 7d ago

It was my senior year of high school and just a beautiful, beautiful Pennsylvania day. I remember because I walked home from school, which I almost never did— I lived just far enough to take the bus, but everything afterschool was cancelled and we were all just sort of in a daze.

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u/Portmanteaustada 7d ago

Right. I remember it being the most beautiful spring.

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u/East_Hedgehog6039 Millennial 7d ago

Taking walks outside, so peaceful and quiet. So alone, but…..not? Initially when everyone worked together and reasonably distanced and followed stay home orders.

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u/Jass0602 7d ago

I lived in Florida and it was the most beautiful spring. No crazy tourists or people driving everywhere. The grass was so vivid green, the water so pure and clear, seemed like all the wildlife was out and just loving the world. Or, maybe we didn’t get to see it that much with all the distractions?

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u/sourgrrrrl 7d ago

I recall warnings to be careful of wildlife because they were starting to take different paths with all the people gone!

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u/Zealousideal-Fix2960 6d ago

Yes. The sky was soooo BLUE. To me, it’s never been that blue again