Happy Friday. Isn’t it great to see the sun and blue sky outside the window this morning — and it’s set fair for the weekend!
Indoor dining in New York City increases to 50% capacity today.
“In New York State, our decisions are based on science and data and we are encouraged by the continued decline in infection and hospitalization rates. If we keep the infections down and vaccinations up, we will continue to stay ahead in the footrace against this invisible enemy and reach the light at the end of the tunnel together,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Last night, I made a 5:30pm reservation at Ikebana Zen on W53rd St. At that time, there were no other diners, others started to arrive at 7:30 as we left. It was nice to be indoors again — pick your moments. If you are cautious, like me, dining off-peak helps support these struggling restaurants. As you can see from the picture of my last course, it’s a rather special experience (yes, that’s gold leaf floating on the top!)
My friend, Ray Park, messaged me yesterday asking to get the word out to other local business owners about opportunist thieves operating in the neighborhood. His glass front door at Red Poke had been smashed yesterday morning in a burglary. More details here…
What we’ve been reading
A heartfelt appeal for more buses, everywhere… (New York Times)
On St Patrick’s Day, a Hell’s Kitchen artist created a solo Scavenger Hunt. (Patch)
What do you think about this ‘shipping containers as open-air theaters’ concept? (6sqft)
NYPD has already blown through its overtime budget. (Gothamist)
Thinking of taking a drive to check out yard sales this weekend? There’s BIG money to be made! (New York Daily News)
Freeze Frame
Thanks to Ben Wolfe for capturing the beauty of Broadway on a rainy night. He sent us this picture of the “lights back on W45th Street.”