When travel resumes again, in New York City and beyond, places offering overnight lodgings will be very different. Whether it is camping vehicles or live-in yachts, hotels or home rentals, the hospitality industry is trying to figure out how to regain customer confidence.
Among the many ideas industry professionals are suggesting, the most evident is the need to adhere to the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness; these will be the newest branders of quality accommodations.
For their part, hotels are tapping professional and industrial-grade cleaning supplies and services. Housekeeping staffs are being trained in new cleaning requirements and being equipped with proper personal protective gear. Some hotels are working with big-name companies in the health and hygiene industries to ensure safety. Other hotels have introduced “room seals,” similar to those found on food products, attesting to clients that no one has entered the room since it was last cleaned. Disinfectant wipes are being placed in frequently touched areas like elevators and passageways.
The fact that businesses are eager to reopen is understandable. The fact that the clientele is returning is a sign that New Yorkers are equally eager to resume some sense of normalcy.
Since March, eateries have only been allowed to offer takeout and delivery services. Now, as the city is poised to gradually reopen, some business owners have taken matters into their own hands. Throughout New York City, restaurants and bars have taken over the now nearly empty sidewalks. Recently proposed legislation will have the city identify sidewalks, streets, and plazas for table service so restaurants can meet capacity and social distancing regulations. The process of acquiring permits for these spaces will be streamlined.
Already, some restaurant owners are allowing diners to linger for an extra round or two and serving food through doors and windows. In the city’s hippest areas, patrons are congregating outside bars- with no seating- being served by masked bartenders passing drinks out the door.
Clothing stores have also taken to the outdoors, setting up racks outside. Touchless browsing is now the standard for shoppers; masks (and in some cases gloves) will be required in most indoor shops.
The temperature in New York is slowly rising and the sun is shining more as the days are getting longer. Despite all the corona-chaos, which has slowed the dizzying pace of New York City, Spring is most definitely in the air. The grasses are green, the flowers are blooming, and now we have the opportunity to enjoy it. Here are a few tips for having a safe New York City picnic this spring.
Location, Location, Location
Pick a spot that is not heavily visited and far from foot trafficked paths. Central Park has a lot of different areas and spaces. A full list of picnic parks is available here, but make sure to check each website to determine opening hours. Also consider putting your blanket down in a neighborhood park. If you are still not ready to venture outside, you can have a virtual picnic with friends by pulling up some an outdoor environment, like an aquarium webcam or a video tour of a national park and playing some nature sounds.
Time it Right
Everyone is looking to get outdoors after weeks of being cloistered at home. To avoid crowds, schedule an early morning breakfast picnic, or an after-dinner picnic party for dessert.
Be Selfish
Like all good potluck meals, picnics are fun because of the sharing. But now, more than ever, double-dipping and communal bowls should be avoided. Build a menu that focuses on individual servings. Pre-pack finger foods for each picnicker; slice and wrap any baked goods before heading out.
Plan to Play
Nobody should be touching public park equipment during this time; balls and frisbees pass through too many hands to be safe. That is why it is important to plan some entertainment for the kids. Apps like Heads Up!, a guessing game, and Midpoint, a word-association game offer fun activities for all ages. You can also go with classics like charades or I Spy.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The corona lockdown has been very good for the environment, reducing pollution and hazardous toxins. Do your part to keep that momentum going. If at all possible, consider using real dishes and cutlery. If you must go with disposable, opt for biodegradable products instead of plastics. Obviously, clear all waste to a garbage can and make sure you leave your picnic site clean for future visitors.
New York is showing its unity and solidarity in the fight against the novel coronavirus in many different ways. Its architecture is one of them.
Since the city went into lockdown just a few weeks ago, the Empire State Building has donned many different colors as a show of solidarity with those on the frontlines of COVID-19.
Now, a new initiative, with the hashtag #LightItBlue, is a worldwide effort to light up landmarks around the world in a “beacon of blue.” On April 9, 2020, more than 150 places in the United States beamed blue. In New York the cites included 1 World Trade Center, Madison Square Garden, the Times Square billboards, and the Beacon Theater. The illuminating initiative began in the United Kingdom and was led in the United States by leaders in the events and entertainment industry. It was meant to be “a collective salute to the millions of essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the press release.
Madison Square Garden gets ready to #LightItBlue in support of those fighting COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic is restricting travel, limiting gatherings, and changing the way we experience the world. With new public health and safety instructions being announced every day, the city that never sleeps is definitely slowing down.
Thankfully modern technology is making it possible for many of these museums, parks, and libraries to offer virtual access to their venues, galleries, and collections. While we all engage in social distancing and try to remain entertained and energetic, these virtual NY experiences are a great way to stay connected.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is offering virtual access to its building and exhibits
The parks are open, but outdoor gatherings and unnecessary exposure are not recommended. If you are feeling pent-up indoors, you can still go on a virtual tour of the High Line elevated park through Google Arts & Culture. New York favorites Central Park and the Staten Island Greenbelt are also open virtually through the New York City Parks Department.
Central Park’s benches are empty, but virtual access is still available
It is not often that you are given an opportunity to be a“Tourist In Your Own Town.” The New York Landmarks Conservancy has a series by that name, giving tours of historic landmarks such as President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace and the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum. Most of the concerts scheduled by the 92nd Street Y will be live-streamed with no audience.
Koalas are not just in New York’s zoos anymore. More than a few plush koalas have been affixed to landmarks across the borough as part of a cute campaign encouraging locals and tourists to donate to WIRES, the Australian wildlife rescue effort.
stuffed koalas across NYC and London
These fuzzy, flat-nosed creatures were placed by the New York office of Melbourne media outfit Cummins & Partners (as KoalasofNYC) in places like the Brooklyn Bridge, Tribeca, Central Park fences and benches, Soho, subway platforms, light poles, and fire stations. Each koala has a QR code printed on a tag that directs people to the fundraising page and reminds curious bypassers about the environmental and wildlife crisis in the wake of the 2019-20 brushfires. Koalas were also placed around London for the same purpose.
Visitors to New York can enjoy the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Over 3.5 million people are expected to attend the display of balloon and floats.
The parade will take place along a 2.5 mile stretch in NYC, and also features performers, bands and clowns. This year, there will be 16 giant character balloons and a total of 1,350 handlers!
For those who want to get a head start, stop by to watch the balloons being inflated outside of the American Museum of Natural History.
Visitors should be prepared for cold weather as the expected outdoor temperature is 40 degrees.
Opera singer Audrey Luna has broken a 130-year old Metropolitan Opera record by singing a high A note during her performance in The Exterminating Angel.
Luna is a Grammy-winning Soprano who plays Leticia in the show, which is based on the 1962 film by Luis Buñuel. After her feat, she interviewed with The Times and revealed:
“I’ve practiced up to a C above high C in the past, so I know it’s in me. But it’s just nothing I’ve performed on any stage before.”
Though it is possible that another singer has hit the note in the past, there is no known record of such an accomplishment.
Other divas have sung notes almost as high, such as a high A flat sung by Rachele Gilmore, the understudy for the role of Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman. She reached the note during her performance of “The Doll Song.” Luna has also hit the note in that very same role.
If you happen to find yourself in New York – on business or pleasure – and it is your first time in the Big Apple, there are a few must-see landmarks. One of these of course is the famous Empire State Building (ESB). In walking distance from Shimmie Horn’s Chandler Hotel, you simply have to check out the Tower Lights schedule of events as you can’t leave New York without having experienced that. Indeed, using its “iconic lightings” the ESB “celebrates many cultures and causes in the world community.”
The official Lighting Partner program of the ESB was set up in 2006. According to its website the tower lights are used to “recognize key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries and holidays throughout the world, not political or religion related events.”
They are quite spectacular and if you happen to be at the Chandler Hotel in a couple of weeks’ time, check out the green, white and orange lights in honor of the 31st annual India Day Parade on August 19 or 20th.
