REVITALIZATION

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Customers dine outdoors in New York City.

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Back in Business

City off ers new outdoor attractions amid COVID-19

By Ana Connery EW YORK CITY HAS long been a home for

Ncreatives to unleash their brightest ideas, and this year has shown that not even a global pandemic can quell that imaginative energy.

That’s, in part, what drew California native Shannon Rudd to the area. An avid cyclist, Rudd was thrilled when the New York City Department of

Transportation (DOT) launched the Open Streets initiative in July , closing 100 miles of roads to traff ic and giving pedestrians and cyclists more room to spread out safely.

“It felt great to have places to go without worrying that everybody would be on top of each other,” Rudd says.

The Open Streets initiative made it possible for restaurants and retailers across all fi ve boroughs to make use of previously unavailable outdoor space. Tables spilling over the sidewalks onto city streets was “a big win for the restaurant scene,” Rudd says. “Suddenly musicians start showing up, and it feels like you’re in Europe. It’s like a street party, except everyone is wearing masks and social distancing.”

Some of the city’s widest promenades now feel like urban versions of Main Street, USA. From socially distanced yoga and Zumba classes to family bike rides and daily programming for kids, the organizers have found ways to bring the community back together safely. “Opening up the streets has actually quadrupled the room, making social distancing easier,” says Jim Burke , one of the founding members of the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition in Queens . “Two weekends ago, we featured a Mexican dance troupe. Yesterday, we featured local artists . We’re reconnecting and strengthening friendships by creating these town squares. It off ers a celebratory place to go after a dark time.”

Also new on the scene: the NY Phil Bandwagon , a pickup truck that rolls through the fi ve boroughs with musicians from the city’s prestigious New York Philharmonic orchestra. Now on hiatus until March 2021, it presented

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Activities for children Mural, Prince Street, Manhattan Outdoor yoga classes

more than 80 “pull up” performances throughout the spring, summer and early fall, featuring everything from Broadway show tunes, baroque-period compositions and world premiere pieces.

Also on view throughout the city is a series of Black Lives Matter-inspired murals . Images on buildings and asphalt depict people who have been killed by police, as well as vibrant symbolism representing freedom and hope. The murals supported by the DOT are spread throughout the fi ve boroughs (along Centre Street in Manhattan , Richmond Terrace on Staten Island , Joralemon Street in Brooklyn , 153rd Street in Queens and Morris Avenue in the Bronx ).

NY Phil Bandwagon in October, Queens

JIM BURKE/34TH AVENUE OPEN STREETS COALITION (2); DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES; MARY ALTAFFER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

They’re not the only additions to the local art scene, however. Several organizations and businesses have commissioned public art in recent months, including the popular Fifth Avenue mural directly in front of Trump Tower , and a newer set of literary-inspired murals outside the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.

Neighborhood Curbside Canvas Project , a volunteer recovery effort that pairs local artists with restaurants, has helped transform some of the city’s outdoor dining areas into pop-up art galleries. It works on the barter system: Restaurateurs pay the artists with meals; artists provide their talents, and the public enjoys street art. There’s even a socially distanced, biweekly art crawl for those who want to explore all of the installations.

Performing artists have leveled up their creativity, too. While Broadway shows may be canceled through next summer, pandemic-friendly theatrical walking tours like Voyeur: The Windows of Toulouse-Lautrec , are using the sidewalks and shop windows of Greenwich Village as stages. Capped at masked groups of eight, the open-air, intimate experiences have drawn rave reviews.

Many of these recently launched programs have become so popular, there’s already talk of making them permanent. “The pandemic has caused us to rethink how we use public spaces,” Burke says. “And in a way, it’s helping us heal.”

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By Luisa Colón

MILESTONES ARE NOTHING NEW at the Metropolitan

Museum of Art. At 150 years old, the institution, beloved by tourists and locals alike, has amassed thousands of years worth of art history. Among its oldest works is a clay jar from Iran that was created between 3800–3700 B.C. during the Chalcolithic period . More recently created is a thoroughly modern sculpture made with thousands of bottle caps and seals (2007’s Dusasa

II, by El Anatsui) . And in August 2020, the largest museum in the

United States presented an exhibition that by its very definition is its most expansive to date: Making the Met, 1870–2020.

This collection of more than 250 works was originally slated to open in March, but as a result of the city’s pandemic lockdown, it reopened nearly six months later in August — in some ways making the event more celebratory and meaningful.

One of New York’s biggest tourist attractions, it had never before closed for more than three days — and that was for bad weather in March 2017 .

“By reflecting on the history, from 1870 up to the extraordinary developments that have defined the year 2020, the exhibition provides the opportunity to learn from our past and inform our future,” says Max NEW YORK CITY | ATTRACTIONS

The Met at 150

Legendary institution off ers glimpse into its eclectic collection

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PROVIDED BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

1 Torah crown (keter), Andrea Zambelli “L’Honnesta” (circa 1740), Italy 2 Dusasa II, El Anatsui (2007), Ghana 3 Street Story Quilt, Faith Ringgold (1985), United States 4 Egyptian queen Hatshepsut, (circa 1479-1458), Egypt 5 Native American pomo basket, (circa 1890–1910), United States 6 Tell Halaf Orthostat relief lion-hunt scene, Hittite, (circa 10th–9th century B.C.), Syria 7 Dress and wool coat, Yves Saint Laurent; House of Balenciaga (circa 1966), France

Hollein , director of the museum, adding that “in ways both planned and unanticipated, this anniversary year has highlighted how it is people — artists, staff and visitors — who truly make the Met, and we look forward to welcoming all to this exhibition.”

Making the Met is a vast exhibit as all-encompassing as the museum’s collection, including not just stunning works, but the narrative behind the art and the Met itself. There’s an exploration of the history of the museum — chronicling the concepts and ideals behind its founding (Creating a National Narrative), its evolution during pivotal periods like World War II (Fragmented Histories) and the stories about the incredible collection of works (Visions of Collecting).

Those in awe of the Met’s Ancient Egyptian treasures will marvel at how the Met has strived to unearth and preserve artifacts such as jewelry, sculpture and actual mummies (Collecting through Excavation). And anyone looking to get a sneak peek (or an online primer) can visit metmuseum.org for an interactive feature narrated by actor Steve Martin.

“You can find here respite, solace, maybe even energy again, passion, excitement,” Hollein adds. “All these things I would say: That’s what a museum is for and what art, in general, is for.”

USA TODAY writer Karen Weintraub contributed to this article.

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CITY’S ICONS CELEBRATE MILESTONES Happy birthday to these Big Apple attractions

JOHN MINCHILLO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

150TH The Met isn’t the only New York City institution celebrating an anniversary in 2020-21.

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130TH April 2021 marks the 130th year of Carnegie Hall, the prestigious landmark that has delighted audiences with performers from around the world, including Frank Sinatra , the Beatles and Gustav Mahler.

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125TH Another NYC mainstay with a recent anniversary is the New York Public Library . Established in 1895, the main branch in midtown Manhattan, with its entrance famously flanked by lion statues named Patience and Fortitude, is a must-visit landmark that turned 125 in May 2020.

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90TH Almost a hundred years ago, competing skyscrapers shot into the atmosphere in a race to become the world’s tallest building. At 1,046 feet, the Chrysler Building — which celebrated its 90th anniversary in May 2020 — was the first to hold the title, but only briefly.

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90TH One year after the Chrysler Building was built, the Empire State Building was completed, topping off at 1,250 feet (or 1,454 if you count the antennae and spire) and remained the world’s tallest building for a respectable 40 years. The iconic skyscraper — synonymous with the Big Apple itself — turns 90 in May 2021.

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New York Is Open for Christmas

Where to fi nd the magic of the season in the Big Apple this year

By Ana Connery ROADWAY MAY HAVE GONE dark until 2021 , but there are still plenty of ways

Bto enjoy the merriment of the season in the holiday capital of the world.

Despite the pandemic, many of the city’s most iconic destinations have announced plans to open for the season with social distancing, mask-wearing and other policies in place so that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable experience. With its world-famous shops, promenades and parades, perhaps no other

American city is as beloved as New York, especially during the holidays. Here’s a peek at some of the most anticipated activities on the calendar:

Visit nycgo.com for up-to-date information on holidays in New York.

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SEE THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS CHRISTMAS TREE. The live tree-lighting ceremony and the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular may have been canceled this year, but you can still see the tree and the displays surrounding it in person throughout the season. At press time, the famous Rockefeller Center ice skating rink was set to reopen in mid-November. For the first time, you’ll have to buy tickets and rent skates online prior to your visit, and timed entries will help control the number of people using the rink at any given time.

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BILL WALDORF

WANDER PAST WHIMSICAL WINDOWS. Even if you don’t step inside the largest store in New York, Macy’s at Herald Square’s famous holiday window displays are a sight to behold as they’re decorated in the store’s signature overthe-top style. This year, the interactive street-level window displays are taking the form of a thank-you letter to “first responders, essential workers, those who’ve marched for equality and New Yorkers who showed their grit, good humor and hopeful spirit during a tumultuous year,” according to a company statement . Also on this year’s must-see list: The creative “Give Happy” windows at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship store, where the theme is all about the spirit of positivity, a soothing antidote to 2020. You can also check out in-store and outdoor pop-ups offering hot cocoa, craft cocktails and treats, plus a gift-wrap station. For a quick trip to the tropics, take a walk through Barefoot Dreams, a palm tree-packed outdoor lot adjacent to the store. Over at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store, window displays celebrate the diversity of the people and neighborhoods that make New York one of the world’s most unique cities. The windows can be admired anywhere along Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, across from WALK THROUGH A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD. Brooklyn is considered one of New York’s coolest boroughs, and during the holidays, there’s no better place to be than Dyker Heights . The neighbors in this enclave with an Italian American heritage take holiday decorating seriously. From interactive displays blanketing gardens and courtyards to artificial snow and neck-craning rooftop attractions, expect to be wowed by every exterior square inch of the homes there. To see it all, be sure to stroll from 11th to 13th avenues and from 83rd to 86th streets. The light displays usually stay up through the first week of the new year.

VISIT A EUROPE-INSPIRED WINTER VILLAGE. Modeled after Germany’s world-famous Christmas markets, the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park has become one of New York’s most beloved traditions. A new layout designed for social distancing ensures an easier and safer stroll through the customized kiosks filled with artisanal vendors selling creative finds for giftgiving. Take a few graceful laps around one of the city’s Rockefeller Center, making social distancing easier to come by.

free ice skating rinks (advance reservations required), followed by a stop at one of the innovative food stalls that line the park. For the perfect après-skate activity, enjoy world-class people-watching while sipping festive holiday cocktails on the outdoor lounge deck or cozy up with your favorite people in one of the igloo domes surrounding the park. The festivities run through Jan. 3. If you’re up for a holiday market crawl, the Grand Central Holiday Fair at Grand Central Terminal focuses on American-made gifts. This market is held indoors and just a short walk from Bryant Park.

JULIE LARSEN MAHER/WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE. The quintessential holiday field trip is a stroll through the Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights , an annual extravaganza of animal-shaped light installations in five illuminated safaris this year, each with its own theme: Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Ocean and North America. Add to that three kid-friendly puppet shows in the Wildlife Theater and stilt walkers at every turn, and it’s the ideal way to get in the spirit of the season. Make plans to see the nightly ice-carving demos or visit on a Friday when experts go head to head in live ice-carving battles.

LUMINOCITY

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN ISLAND LIGHTS. Walk through a fantastical winter wonderland of light sculptures, illuminated jungles and towering, artistic light displays at LuminoCity at Randall’s Island Park , just a short walk across Manhattan’s pedestrian-friendly 103rd Street footbridge. This year’s open-air, walkable journey whisks you through five enchanted exhibits with names like Mystical Moon Land and Mysterious Forest, each one bringing to life the story of Lumi, a magical lightbulb who serves as the star of the festival. Warm up with hot cocoa, s’mores and more at some of the city’s most popular food trucks. This year’s festival takes place Nov. 27 through Jan. 10, with timed entries and other socialdistancing policies in place to prevent bottlenecking.

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Central Park’s new bronze suffragists statue features Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

ugust marked the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment , which gave women the right to vote. For travelers curious to learn more about the women’s suffrage movement, New York is one of the best places to explore the history of the fight for women’s rights.

Any trip to New York must include a stop in the Big Apple, and this August the city unveiled a statue in Central Park’s Literary Walk , the first to depict pioneering women . “The (city’s public design) commission specified statues of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the challenge was to find an artistic way to include other women who were an important part of the suffrage movement,” explains sculptor Meredith Bergmann, who added the famous abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth. “She seemed like the perfect third member of this triad.”

Venturing upstate, see the site of the historic Women’s Rights Convention, which took place on July 19 and 20, 1848, at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls and was organized by Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Martha

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TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Online resource shares suffragists’ stories

The interactive website womenandthevotenys.com highlights the New York burial sites of suffragists and provides biographies and histories that have been compiled by more than 30 volunteers in recent months. The website was created to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.

Also included on the website, conceived by filmmaker Linda Moroney, is information about activists who fought for gender equality in the years after 1920.

The site was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of when the 19th Amendment went into effect, according to Moroney, who considers the project “a dynamic way to connect the past and the present and bring suffrage stories to life.”

“Our goal is to shine a light on New York State’s rich suffragist legacy, as inclusively as possible,” Moroney said in a statement, “and to create a conversation with contemporary voters on where we are with political equality now, and where we want to be.”

— Gary Craig

HINDA MANDELL

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Isabella Baumfree, the brilliant woman who would later change her name to Sojourner Truth, was born into slavery in New York state in 1797. In her late 20s, she escaped the cruelty of enslavement and became heavily involved in the abolitionist movement. She later became an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. In a fascinating twist on history, Truth, well known for her speech Ain’t I a Woman likely never uttered those words. The speech traditionally attributed to her with a Southern dialect was written 12 years after Truth spoke at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. But a different version of the speech, which doesn’t include the phrase “ain’t I a woman?” was published in the Anti-Slavery Bugle in June 1851, a few weeks after the Akron convention. Koritha Mitchell, an English professor at Ohio State University and author of From Slave Cabins to the White House and Living With Lynching , explains how little we know about suffragists of color. “Frances (Ellen Watkins) Harper was very much (Frederick Douglass’) equal and contemporary. She wasn’t around for Seneca Falls because many Black women were working toward abolition. But Harper is so important because, unlike Sojourner Truth, who was easily misrepresented because she didn’t write for herself, Harper did write for herself ... She died in 1911, but even if she had lived until 1920 the vote still wouldn’t have been available to her.” “After 1920, things don’t actually change for women of color,” Mitchell explains. “For the most part, whiteness is the requisite that determines your citizenship. It’s not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that you begin to see Black people actually able to access the vote. Even after the 15th and 19th amendments, there was the bloodless violence of poll taxes and then there was the bloody violence of lynching — that’s how you give the message that the only people that are citizens are white, straight men with property.” For more on Black women’s struggle for equality and the right to vote, visit the Museum of Women’s Resistance in Brooklyn, N.Y.

— Carli Pierson

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Martha Wright , Mary Ann M’Clintock and Jane Hunt .

Nearby, don’t miss Hunt’s house in Waterloo, where the convention was planned . The M’Clintock house, also in Waterloo, where the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted, is another worthy stop. Inspired by the Declaration of Independence, the Sentiments outlined the rights that American women should enjoy as citizens. It was written primarily by Stanton, who read it at the Seneca Falls Convention, and it was followed by the passage of 12 women’s rights resolutions. The only resolution that didn’t pass unanimously was about women’s suffrage.

Visitors interested in learning more about New York’s suffrage movement should visit the Matilda Joslyn Gage Home and Foundation in Fayetteville, says Susan Zimet, a member of New York’s Women’s Suffrage Commission and author of Rebels and Roses: The Epic Story of The Women’s Right to Vote. Gage “was sort of written out of history, but was a radical women’s suffrage leader and abolitionist,” Zimet says. “It’s not just a museum, but it’s also a place for inspirational work on social justice and equal rights.”

While you’re upstate, head over to the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester . Her home was the headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the site where she was arrested for voting in 1872 .

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Pedestrian Pleasure

Walking tours offer facts, fun and fi tness

By Margaret Buranen

OR SO MANY

FAMERICANS, the pandemic has us feeling cooped up, unable to interact with fellow humans and, in many cases, with the landscape itself.

COVID-19 and its effects have kept many away from air travel, cruise ships and crowded beaches.

Enter a decidedly unplugged alternative, a very concrete antidote to a suddenly more virtual life: the walking tour.

“Our mental health matters also, and it’s very important for us ... when we’re really feeling extremely alienated from each other and feeling trapped in our homes, to walk our streets, in the safest way possible,” says Rebecca Manski of Social Justice Tours in New York City.

Walking tours have increased in popularity with people seeking outdoor activities while maintaining health and safety precautions and staying in small groups.

Here are some tours to try in the Big Apple:

— Dan Sewell of The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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SOCIAL JUSTICE TOURS Get “woke” while you walk with these tours that explore the experiences of New York’s marginalized groups. Learn about gentrification, the city’s LGBTQ community, women’s history, environmental justice and more. There’s also a (Donald) Trump Tour that connects national and local events. Dan Kaminsky founded the company after working as a tour guide in New Orleans. He used the opportunity to educate tourists about how systemic injustice led to the disproportionate destruction of underprivileged neighborhoods following Hurricane Katrina. That led to more public and private tours meant to create a dialogue. ▶ socialjusticetours.com/ current-tours.html

Mark Herdter

MARGOT NORTON

New York Walking Tours

MARK HERDTER

NEW YORK WALKING TOURS Of the options offered by New York Walking Tours, the Greenwich Village tour is a favorite of Mark Herdter , who became a city tour guide when he retired from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s department of photography.

Randomly walking through the city or visiting locations in tour books or apps might get you an overview, but with an experienced guide, “you’ll go places that you didn’t know existed. You’ll see things you would never see on your own,” says Herdter, a member of the Guides Association of New York City.

He gets many repeat customers. One family went on their first tour with him when their children were young. They see him every time they’re in the city, and now the children are teens.

“Half of my business is local — New York City residents — and half is people from other states and countries. I’ve had Greenwich Village residents take my tour there. They told me they live there, but wanted to learn about their neighborhood,” Herdter says.

His most requested tour is Yesterday & Today’s Immigrants, which takes visitors to neighborhoods where Irish, Jewish and German immigrants lived. Now the same buildings are occupied by Asian immigrants. ▶ walkingtoursny.com

TIP: Not all venues are handicapped-accessible. Ask about special accommodations when booking the tour.

BIG ONION WALKING TOURS Founded in 1991 by two history graduate students, this tour company has continued to hire educators and students as its guides. The name Big Onion refers to an earlier moniker for the city before it was known as The Big Apple. Tour options include Brooklyn Distilled (which explores the distillery and brewing industries’ effect on the history of Brooklyn), Central Park, Chelsea and The High Line, Gangs of New York, Historic Harlem and Immigrant New York (Chinatown, Little Italy and the former Five Points).

Founder Seth Kamil says the most popular trips are the Brooklyn Bridge and the Lower East Side Multi-Ethnic Eating tours, where participants “sample local foods from a series of unique shops and markets that represent the communities we are touring.” Kamil’s favorite is Greenwich Village, which “brings so many important aspects of New York history and architecture,” he says. ▶ bigonion.com

1840s home, Brooklyn Heights

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Arch at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn

BIG ONION TOURS

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Shorewalkers tour

PROVIDED BY CIMINE ENTERPRISES

SHOREWALKERS Visitors who want a longer, more strenuous walk can join members of Shorewalkers for their group tours near New York City’s waters. Founded in 1982, this local nonprofit is dedicated to protecting the city’s scenic shoreline areas. While these walks are led, don’t expect as much stopping and talking as a typical guide provides. You’ll get a good workout, meet some residents and see some sights that many tourists miss.

“As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve been amazed how much green space there is throughout the city and new places to explore that are rich in history,” says Shorewalkers board member Diane Cimine. “Our walks are equal parts education, socialization and exercise. They raise environmental awareness and uplift the spirit.”

Held each October, the Great Saunter , Shorewalkers’ best-known walk, is a daylong 32-mile jaunt around Manhattan’s coast. It was held as a virtual event this year, spread over two weeks, with participants from about 40 states and several countries. ▶ shorewalkers.org High Line tour

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MANHATTAN WALKING TOUR This company’s group walking excursions never have more than eight participants. There are four choices of historic walking tours and four choices of neighborhood food tours. Visitors can also choose a combo tour. For example, the Times Square walking tour is offered with the Hell’s Kitchen Food tour. Most routes are about a mile-and-a-half long and the walking pace is slow. ▶ manhattanwalkingtour.com

CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY TOURS Explore many of Central Park’s most serene locales. The Central Park Conservatory offers maps and information for several self-guided tours. Visitors can learn about the park’s landscaping, animals and history while taking in the sights of The Ramble, where more than 270 bird species have been spotted; the north end, home to a centuries-old military fort; the diverse flora of the Upper West Side and other park areas. ▶ centralparknyc.org

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