Like any other citizen, I’ve spent most of my time these days indoors and headed outdoors only for a breath of fresh air, a brief walk or in search for household essentials. Yesterday, I literally did not move off the couch unless I was hungry, reaching for the remote, use the bathroom, sleep and then do it over again until bedtime. Today was different. I finally caught the “cabin fever”. Aching to move, I decided to drive out to Pasadena to get myself an authentic Venezuelan food.

I left early in the morning to get a head start to my day only to find myself without traffic and arriving to my destination in less than an hour. I was stunned. This was the first time I’ve ever seen the freeway traffic free, ever!

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I arrived in downtown Pasadena partly hungry and uneasy. I strolled my way through several closed stores where I saw through the windows with their lights off, chairs piled on top of the tables, clothing racks untouched, books neatly placed on the shelves and the rooms dark. A few restaurants on the streets was open with “take out only” signs posted on their doors including the restaurant I ordered my lunch at. I could not ignore the eerie feeling I felt as I walked towards the restaurant.

On the upside, once I arrived to the restaurant I was greeted cheerfully by 2 employees behind the counter. I appreciated their positivity in return during this difficult times. I paid my lunch and took my meal home back to netflix for the rest of the day.