March 2020: Dinner and drinks with St. Louis, Missouri-based bar industry friends at Izakaya Mita in Bucktown, Chicago, before everything changed. — T.M.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
April 2020: Shots with friends around the U.S. via Zoom. I live alone, so, pre-pandemic, I made sure to attend many live concerts and meet friends at bars to socialize. When the pandemic struck, I relied on watching livestreams on Twitch to maintain some kind of normalcy for real-time interaction. I would set up Zoom and Houseparty sessions to socialize with friends. My PlayStation 4 became my best friend when I wanted to play Uno, Poker, Call of Duty or NBA2K20 with some friends.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
May 2020: Dearborn Street bridge raised after a Black Lives Matter March in Downtown Chicago. Later, when I went back to work in July, I avoided public transportation and relied on my bicycle to commute to/from work, and then anywhere else. The city of Chicago is flat, so you can get mostly anywhere you need to go in under 30 to 40 minutes via bicycle.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
May 2020: Attending a Black Lives Matter march with friends.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
June 2020: A socially distanced celebration with friends for my 44th birthday. I formed a pod with a few friends to have socially distanced hangs on back decks, backyards, parks and bicycle rides around the city.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
July 2020: Arrachera and Mexican green onions on the grill.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
August 2020: Back to work behind the bar. I enjoy bartending and serving in the restaurant industry. I am hoping to do my part in revitalizing the bar and restaurant industry in Chicago post-pandemic.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
September 2020: My first real tattoo of a black panther at Brown Brothers Tattoo shop.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
October 2020: I voted early for the election.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
October 2020: And I had my first gin martini since the pandemic at LuxBar in Chicago.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
November 2020: Outdoor dining at RL Restaurant with my friend, Gideon Evans. When the weather got colder, we only had outdoor dining to keep us operating. Our team rallied together to provide the best outdoor experience to our customers considering the limitations of our restaurant space and the fickleness of Chicago weather. Surprisingly, we managed to maintain a steady business of regular customers to support our personal finances even through some cold inclement weather. Luckily, minus the huge snow storm in February, the weather somehow cooperated with our only option to provide outdoor dining only.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
December 2020: All of the major holidays were a blur, since spending time with my immediate family wasn’t much of an option, because they reside in different cities. Luckily, I had some friends from my college days drop off home-cooked holiday meals, so I didn’t feel too left out.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
December 2020: Working hard behind the bar.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
January 2021: Having some Korean rice cake soup (tteokguk) for good luck to usher in the New Year.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
February 2021: Donning PPE for airline travel. In February, my father was battling some complications from COVID-19, so my sister, niece, and I went to visit him in Houston once he was released from the hospital. Luckily, he’s doing much better than the initial diagnosis.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
February 2021: Reunited with my niece in Houston.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
March 2021: My second tattoo at Brown Brothers tattoo parlor in tribute to the late MF DOOM.
Photo Courtesy Terry Moore
Read More Stories From Resy's Special Project: A Year in the Life of Restaurant Workers
