In June, an entire family could walk arm-in-arm through Times Square. In July, the Brooklyn Bridge was empty aside from passing bikers and joggers traveling between boroughs. In August, Bryant Park is quiet.
Thanks to the coronavirus and New York’s role as an early epicenter in the pandemic during the spring, the city’s hallmark tourist locations have lost the hustle and bustle for which the city is known. But earlier this summer as cases, hospitalizations and deaths trended downward, New York began to reopen earlier this summer. Tourists are even returning – albeit slowly.
But nearly six months after it all began, “open for business” is still a relative term. Over the summer, the city postponed the planned July reopening of indoor dining indefinitely, and Broadway extended its shutdown until 2021.