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Entertainment, Featured, NY News, Shimmie Horn, Tourism

What Hotels Are Doing to Reopen

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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 American Hotel & Lodging Association issued “Safe Stay” “ guidelines for member hotels, including expanded cleaning routines using stronger chemicals and social distancing measures in public spaces.

Entertainment, Environment, Fashion, Featured, NY News, Restaurants, Tourism

NYC businesses begin reopening alongside regulations and restrictions

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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.

Picnic during a Pandemic
Entertainment, Environment, Fitness, NY Environment, NY News, Sports, Tourism

It is Possible to Picnic During a Pandemic

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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.

Featured, NY News, Tourism

New York Salutes COVID-19 Frontlines from Its Buildings

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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
Entertainment, Featured, NY News, Tourism

The Sites and Sounds of NYC Come to You

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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.

Many NYC attractions offering virtual access
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is offering virtual access to its building and exhibits

Museums

The Google’s Arts & Culture platform offers access to the Met, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Cooper Hewitt. Some of the museums also include virtual tours of specific exhibits. The offerings at the Frick, the Museum of the City of New York, the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library are particularly nice.

Libraries

New York City’s public libraries have closed, but access to e-books and research platforms is still available. Check out the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Public Library to learn what is available.

Parks

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.

Fitness, NY Environment, NY News, Tourism, Transportation

Building a Better Bridge

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New York City has invited visionaries and strategists from around the world to help solve a truly NY problem: the notoriously overcrowded Brooklyn Bridge foot and bike path. The competition was officially launched in early February and is designed to raise ideas for alleviating the chronically clogged areas.

The Brooklyn Bridge and its pedestrians

The Brooklyn Bridge is an iconic tourist attraction with longstanding New York history and phenomenal views of Manhattan. The 137-year-old bridge sees an average of 16,500 pedestrians and 3,000 cyclists each day.

On several occasions (the most recent being New Year’s Eve 2018), the bridge became so crowded, forming a “human traffic jam,” and the bridge was temporarily closed. Clearly designated areas for pedestrians and cyclists are regularly ignored. Bikers have to maneuver around selfie-taking tourists and walkers have to be wary of distracted cyclists.

If you are an architectural, design, or engineering professional ages 22 and older or a young adults ages 21 and under with some good ideas for the walkway, submit them. And if you are a tourist visiting NYC in the near future, put the Brooklyn Bridge on your itinerary and see a part of New York’s glory.

Fashion, Featured, Fitness, NY News, Sports, Tourism, Transportation

New York City: Just Do It

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New York City and Nike have signed a new partnership allowing the sportswear giant to use more than 30 NYC trademarks (including the NYPD Bomb Squad seal, Department of Transportation crest, or FDNY insignia) on its apparel.

NYC iconoic logos like this will now appear alongside the Nike swoosh.

The deal is an economic tourism win: Nike will pay NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism outfit, royalties of 5 percent of the net sales from these emblazoned items each year. Revenue will be used to support the cost of the city’s licensing program.

NYC’s deal with Nike advances a set of ethical standards, including a ban on forced and child labor and a requirement that municipal vendors “treat employees with respect and dignity,” that the company must adhere to. Nike is also compelled to disclose where its city-branded products will be made; vendors will sign an ethical standards form when contracting with a new factory.

Tourists and NYC fans can look forward to finding Nike/NYC items as early as spring 2020.

Environment, Fundraising, NY Environment, NY News, Tourism, Transportation, Tribeca

Koalas Invade NYC

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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.

Entertainment, Environment, Fitness, NY News, Restaurants, Technology, Tourism

Latte & Laundry

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Vacationing in New York City is always fun. But sometimes the real-life chores like laundry and groceries can confound even the most seasoned traveler.

The Celsious laundromat in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is changing all of that. Sisters Corinna and Theresa Williams opened the new laundromat-café combination, It is a warm, friendly, environmentally-aware space where New Yorkers and tourists can relax, enjoy a coffee, and grab some food.

The laundry is customer and community focused, with regular open-to-the-public events held in the bright, airy, well decorated venue. Upstairs, in the mezzanine, the Clean Café offers an enticing café menu. With an outdoor sitting area in the garden, customers can catch some quiet outdoor time while waiting for the rinse cycle to end. The food is prepared by a nutritionist- chef and the coffee is roasted by Caffe Vita, a roaster committed to working with farmers practicing sustainable agriculture. Celsious washers and dryers feature energy-efficient technology.

grab a latte while your laundry gets done