Crop Specialist At Museum Shut Down Because Of Pandemic Continues His Work

Daily, Litvin ignores the dangers of contracting COVID-19 as he leaves his home on the Upper West Side and across Central Park to care for his plants.

The plants are part of a special exhibition, "Countryside, The Future" at the Guggenheim museum. However, the museum, like many other entertainment establishments, has become deserted because of the ongoing pandemic.

The museum closed down on March 13, but the plants did not stop growing, thus the basis of Litvin's motivation to continue caring for them.

He says:

"When you grow tomatoes on Fifth Avenue, you want to have the perfect tomatoes, there's no room to mess up. If I have ugly plants, I'll hear it from the neighbors."

Thanks to Litvin's continued care and attention to them, the crops reach full growth, so they are harvested continuously to make food for other New York residents like himself.

Litvin is not an original resident of the bustling city; he only recently moved to New York from Tel Aviv earlier this year, along with his wife, Stefanie, and their Dutch shepherd, Ester.

The original plan was to stay six months tending to Guggenheim's tomatoes and enjoy the scenic sights of the famous city.

The pandemic has dashed his hopes of doing the latter as he shares that he has only been to a comedy bar since his arrival.

However, he is not letting the primary purpose of his travel go to waste, and that couldn't be more admirable!

Image credits: The New York Times, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum