Whether they’ve arrived there by way of a half-hour stroll down Broadway Street and a short levee hike, or by a five minute drive dipping onto Magazine Street, The Fly at Audubon Park is an Uptown New Orleans hub for college students with weekend leisure time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become a, sometimes controversial, meeting spot for both safe and non-socially distanced hangouts.

Students from Loyola and Tulane Universities frequent The Fly for drinks, games with friends and relaxation by the Mississippi River’s shore.

Audubon Park shut down the hangout spot on a Friday during the last week of August due to large social gatherings and signs throughout the area now urge park visitors to follow social distancing guidelines.

Though the crowds are thinner since spring, the start of the semester has quickly livened up the park.

Here are some moments from a COVID-19 era Friday evening at The Fly.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Shadera Moore

A boat rolls along the Mississippi River as the sun sets on Sept. 4. Those who lounge near the park's shore can watch boats like this pass by several times in an evening.