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.

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 really like celebrating the New Year, as many times in as many ways as possible. That’s only one of the reasons the two-weeks of merriment for the Lunar New Year are such an exciting time.

The gala welcome for the Year of the Rat, first of the zodiac animals believed to summon wealth, began on January 25, 2020, and will run through February 9, 2020.

Parades, concerts, presentations, and extraordinary firework displays are scheduled throughout New York City. The city’s several Chinatowns and numerous enclaves of Asian communities eagerly share the rich cultural experience with tourists and well-wishers. Among the fetes are longstanding favorites such as Lower Manhattan’s 21st annual Chinatown parade. New additions to the revelry include the first-ever Asian comedy festival and unique mixings of arts and science at the Lewis Latimer House Museum.

The 9th annual Savor the Bronx restaurant week is running through Jan. 17 2020. The Bronx is a fun place to visit even when it is not restaurant week. Now it is well worth a trip to taste some of the Italian, Asian, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines on offer.

45 eateries in the Bronx, representing the borough’s cultural and culinary diversity, are offering discounts and specials.

Whether you are a die-hard New Yorker or “just” a New York enthusiast, you can now get your NY-fix when you are in the United Kingdom.

Manahatta, a New York-inspired cocktail bar is opening in York on November 8.

The venue, like its namesake, will have many unique Instagrammable features, from neon signs and peacock blue booths. Stacked burgers like the ‘Godfather,’ a stack of beef, fried chicken, pancetta, pulled pork and Monterey Jack Cheese, is sure to please. The Beyond Brooklyn is a veggie option, with pulled BBQ jack fruit, vegan cheese, and spicy chipotle. Prosecco, Aperol Spritz, Bloody Marys, beer, and unique NY cocktails are all available.

An in-house DJ will fill Manhatta with NY-style music, including tunes played by various ensembles in NYC subways.

A private dining room on the top mezzanine, and other areas available for private hire, provide more intimate spaces to enjoy a taste of New York when visiting York.