NYC Reawakens – New York City Is Getting Ready To Reopen To Visitors
New York City is finally ready to reemerge after a year of suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic. The city is opening up with chic new hotels, new outdoor restaurants and improved transportation services.
‘NYC Reawakens’ initiative
The city’s official marketing and destination organization, New York City & Company, has recently announced a multi-layer approach to reopening the city after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in an online press conference that a $30 million marketing campaign investment is being used to reopen the city again. In a press release, de Blasio said, “Tourism accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in this city, and building a recovery for all of us means welcoming tourists back to the greatest travel destination in the world.”
“The ‘NYC Reawakens’ initiative will show travelers everywhere that New York City is not only ready to host them – it’s creating a fairer, better, and more vibrant city than ever before,” he added.
New plans and initiatives are in place to handle issues like diversity and sustainability, as well as spreading the wealth throughout all New York’s five boroughs. The emphasis will be on taking the lessons learned from the lockdown and implementing them in different ways.
Aired during an online press conference, Fred Dixon, president and CEO of New York City & Company, said in a pre-recorded video, “I want to make one thing very clear. New York City is very much alive and thriving.”
“The city is defined by its boundless energy, its vibrancy and its excitement,” he said.
Restaurants and outdoor dining
When it comes to restaurants, New York plans on keeping outdoor dining, while expanding it into a fully-fledged outdoor café scene similar to that found in Paris or Milan. At present, restaurants and bars can stay open until midnight, but their indoor dining capacity is limited to 50 percent.
According to Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality, the industry has been using every “entrepreneurial muscle” available over the past year in learning how to best serve outdoors for the first time.
“The life of the city is on display. The culinary delights are on display. We’re open for business and it feels really good to see the streets filling up,” Meyer added.
Changes in New York City transportation
When visitors arrive in the city, they will see plenty of changes made to the New York transportation system. One of the largest is a redesign of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. The revamped terminal featured 35 new gates, along with almost 50 shops and restaurants. Meanwhile, Newark Liberty Airport has almost completed its own renovations.
When it comes to trains, the Moynihan Train Hall is the newest transportation hub in the city. The former James A. Farley Post Office Building is now an expansion of Penn Station and is set to serve LIRR and Amtrak passengers.
As for the New York City ferry, new routes and additional stops have been added, in order to expand service into all five boroughs.
Entertainment in NYC
Meanwhile, New York City has slowly begun reopening its iconic museums, including the Museum of Natural History, along with art galleries like the Guggenheim and also Bronx Zoo. These will reopen on April 26 and will allow for 50 percent capacity.
A number of productions are poised for a spring reopening on Broadway, however the majority of the bigger venues will wait until early fall to reopen their doors.
New York City is accommodating
New York City’s hotel sector was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but is also slowly coming back to life. There are plans for 116 new hotels in New York City in 2021.
Mayor de Blasio and everyone in New York City’s tourism sector still have plenty of work to do. However, they are hopeful that the city will soon rebound and start welcoming millions of visitors to its streets, dining scene and entertainment options again.
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Photos credit: Deposit Photos
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