march30–april12, 2020 | newyork 63onmarch16,MarisaMigdalpostedin
herneighborhoodFacebookgroupwitha
plea.“Mytwochildrenwere gettingfrus-
tratedwithnotbeingabletogo toplay-
groundsortouchanythingwhenwewenton
walks,”saysMigdal,wholivesontheborder
ofCobbleHillandCarrollGardens.“It
wasn’t asfunasfreshairshouldbe.” Some-
onesuggestedtryingwhat fa other
partsoftheworldwere do nging
drawingsofrainbowsintheirwindowsfor
kidsto spotontheirdailywalks,likea neigh-
PHOTOGRAPHS,
FROM
LEFT:
NICOLE
SYLIANTENG;
PAMELA
MOCK;
ISABELLA SPERDUTO; ANDREA STRONG; NEVA ALSHEIK; MARTHA BURZYNSKI; LEROSSBOSS; ANTOINETTE WANNEBO;
MEGAN
CRA
WLEY;
CASEY
ROEDE;
NIC
OLE
CEPED
A;
MAR
THA
BURZYNSKI;
REBE
CCA MACCURTAIN; LAUREN SHARPE; DEBRA ROBBINS; ISABELLA SPERDUTO
borhoodwideI Spygame.“Allofa sudden,
I neededhelptomakea GoogleMapof
everyoneparticipating,”Migdalsays.
Word got around to AnnaGrotzky,
anotherBrooklynresident,whovolunteered
tomapallthequarantinerainbows inthe
neighborhood.Shecreateda spreadsheet for
peopletoposttheiraddressesand share the
projectwithothersas“alovely reminder for
allofusthat,ina storm,there is still some-
thingtolookforward to.” And Brooklyn’s
QuarantineRainbowConnection was born.“Wego ona treasurehuntfor rainbows,
andit’ s madeourdays,” says Migdal. “You
canhearpeoplepassby a rainbow and say,
‘Ohlook,a rainbow!,’ and they run to the
windowandwave.” She went out the other
daywithherchildrenexpecting to use the
maptofindrainbows,but they spotted five
withoutevenlookingat the phone. The
Quarantine Rainbow Connection has
extendedbeyondBrooklyn—to Chicago,
Oakland,Mumbai,Montreal. When Migdal
sawthat someoneinSouth America had
added themselves to the map, she used it as
an opportunity for a geography lesson with
her daughter. “I think the kids had a hard
time understanding we’re not the only ones
stuck in our house,” Migdal says. “Knowing
people around the world are facing the same
thing has helped.” ■Make a Rainbow