Musicians all across Manhattan are playing al fresco in the hopes of earning some money and lifting morale. For many New Yorkers, the sounds and sights of musical ensembles on city streets and in parks is a much-needed sign of promise and resilience.
Since June, for example, Prospect Park’s entrance plaza has been the regular stage for Wayne Tucker and Bad Motha’s. They started playing outside because they missed the thrill of playing for crowds.
All of the city’s 2,400 indoor performance spaces have been closed since March when the pandemic began and New York issued lockdown orders. The improvised outdoor shows are kindling a connection and comradery that is healing for both the musicians and the city dwellers.
Major League Baseball has joined the NBA and NHL in operating major retail stores in Manhattan. The opening in early October 2020 follows the transfer of the commissioner’s office from Park Avenue to the upper floors of the Midtown Manhattan building. Baseball Advanced Media also moved to the new facility from the City’s Meatpacking District, as did the umpires’ video review control room.
The flagship store, on the street level of a revamped television studio building, is 10,000 square feet of MLB merchandise displayed on two floors. There is also a customization station, game-used gear on display and for sale, and a photo booth.
MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden related to the timing of the opening and said, “It’s a challenging environment out there. But certainly, as it relates to this store, there’s no better city for retail in the world than this one. And it’s going to come back, and as it does, we’re going to be here to service the fans and the folks that are traveling in the streets.”
Being stuck in a city due to lockdown can be dismal. But when that city is New York City the lockdown may not seem all that bad. Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in “the center of the universe” would have to agree that is one of the most buzzing places in the world. As famous fiction prize winning author John Updike said: “The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.”
Photographer Mozes Victor Konig had gone to visit some friends in New York in between lockdowns and got “stuck” there for some time. He decided to make the most of it. In the evenings he would go out when the streets were empty (so as not to inadvertently see anyone outside of his bubble) and snap pictures of New York city in lockdown.
“What I found,” recalls Konig, “was that New York’s allure is the people and activity. During lockdown you get to see the nuts and bolts of the place. Really it’s extremely ugly. Well, not exactly ugly but certainly not pretty and archaeologically there is nothing to get excited about.”
“Once lockdown ended, I ventured out a little more – still socially distancing and avoiding crowds. And that’s when I saw the New York I had fallen in love with on my first visit more than two decades ago. That’s when the spirit of NYC came back to life for me. And it was then that I concluded that New York is not its city, it is its action.”
New York is known as “the city that never sleeps.” Well, what happens when people don’t sleep? They look tired and worn out and not that attractive. The same with the city. But as Konig witnessed, when it is locked down and no one is out, it doesn’t have any of its traditional character, just a city like all others…
Let’s hope that New York soon gets back to its original buzzing character and good health returns to all!
New York’s tourism board recently reported that they are looking for volunteers to scout out the state’s most colorful and vivacious foliage.
After the long winter and summer months, and with the almost urgent need to safely escape the confines of pandemic imposed lockdown, New York State is offering foliage-infatuated residents a great opportunity: an official voluntary position as a I LOVE NY Leaf Peeper.
Only full time New York state and city dwellers can apply. Volunteers must commit to to tracking leafy areas from September to mid-November. The position also requires the submission of weekly detailed foliage reports that include location, percentage of leaves expected to change within the coming days, and vivid color descriptions.
Contributions made by Leaf Peepers are collated and included in I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report, the official state and city guides on the best autumn foliage spots. Leaf Peepers are also featured on the tourism board’s website and have their photos shared on related social media platforms.
As many performances have migrated to virtual spaces since the coronavirus took hold across the world, it has not been easy to keep up with the sheer quantity of cultural opportunities. Particularly the digital dance world has commissioned all kinds of works and adapted countless choreographies for screens new works for the screen.
But some establishments have chosen to reflect on the talents already existent in their mist, finding archival materials and unaired footage of past shows. The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s website now features a section entitled Love From the BAM Hamm Archives which includes more than two dozen interviews, routines, recitals, and presentations since 2008.
Among the featured dance acts are John Jasperse’s “Remains,” which debuted in 2016 at the Next Wave Festival, and “Expressions and Encounters: African, Cuban, and American Rhythms,” a DanceAfrica 2011 show. The credits for each video lead viewers to related archival materials including billboard posters, photos, program books, etc.
While official tourism data suggest a bleak summer, some brave visitors are making their way to the Big Apple. After months of being cooped up indoors, cooking countless meals, tourists are eager to experience new tastes and culinary favorites.
New York City’s Broadway and the museum scenes might be closed, but the sidewalk and rooftop dining options are booming.
There are also open street fairs, verdant parks, breathtaking architecture on every block, bridges, ferries, and bike-riding trails throughout all the five boroughs. If you can get to New York safely, and don’t come from a state requiring quarantine upon your arrival, a fun, food-filled, relatively affordable vacation is still possible.
Good news for New York City’s beach lovers: all eight of the public sandy ocean fronts will be open for swimming as of July 1.
The city’s 14 miles of beaches have been closed since March to curb the spread of coronavirus. Swimming hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with lifeguards on duty. Social distancing precautions will be put in place and NYC Parks Ambassadors will distribute face masks to those who arrive at the beach without.
“New Yorkers have worked hard to fight back this virus and to put us back on the path to a safe reopening,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This summer is still unlike any in our history, but now, we will all have the opportunity to cool off and swim at our cherished beaches.”
The city that never sleeps is currently taking a nap. All the things that make New York City the vibrant, exciting, and enchanting place that it is have modified their programming and reaching customers despite the current restrictions. There are plenty of the city’s finest haunts and jaunts available to enjoy virtually.
Social distancing, school lockdowns, and stay at home orders have made the days of the week virtually indistinguishable. Rosé Mansion makes sure you launch your weekend off right by offering virtual happy hours every week! They even have customized Zoom Backgrounds so you can feel like you are in your favorite mansion room. No happy hour is complete without a glass of wine, and Rose’ Mansion has got you covered. They will deliver a 6 or 12 pack of wine—produced by small businesses—right to your door. And while down your drink you can feel good about giving to charity too: 100% of the money from the online sales go toward paying the staff and reopening the bar.
If you are missing the sounds and beats of New York, you can check out the Music for the Soul of NYC’s Health + Hospitals Heroes. This new series brings inspiration and comfort to the 43,000 staff at NYC’s 11 public hospitals and their patients. It is providing paid work for musicians and features professional NYC musicians performing songs requested by health workers and patients at NYC public hospitals. Music for the Soul is livestreamed on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page every day from noon-1pm.
Thought Gallery is live-streaming hundreds of talks, lectures, performances, and cultural events to enjoy. If you like to curl up with a good book, The New York Public Library is offering access to more than 300,000 FREE e-books and e-audio books during this crisis.
In late March, New York City Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered all nonessential businesses in New York to close. With little notice or time to prepare, most businesses felt they needed to convey some kind of message to their customers. Some are handwritten expressions of gratitude. Others are hastily typed messages of resolve, affixed to shuttered storefronts with industrial tape. And others evoke a tone of humor or inspiration.
It is still unclear what New York City will look like on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic, but the current tour of the Big Apple’s businesses shows a kind of determination and grit that has always served them well. It is not the kind of tour anyone expects to enjoy. But walking along New York’s streets at this time offers a glimmer of hope that is the city’s strength. Collectively, all of these “closed” signs give voice to New York’s unbreakable spirit.
New Yorkers and Big Apple tourists are all impacted by
COVID-19. But not even the raging pandemic can put New York City’s culture to
rest. Check out this list for those looking for some good, old-fashioned New
York fun to enjoy from the safety and coziness of your own home.
The Metropolitan Opera is offering live audio streams of most performances. Some of Broadway’s best musicals are available for viewing on stage but at home. Netflix, AmazonPrime, BroadwayHD, and others are offering classics like Rent, Cats, and Kiss Me, Kate. Check provider websites for full listings.
New York Operas are being audio streamed for home-bound listeners
No matter how you get your New York fix these days, keep
yourself New York ready- and healthy- for when you can finally get back to all
your favorite spots.
