December 25th, 2020 8:46 pm
The dreary atmosphere that one knows from Germany’s streets and squares can also be found here: In the metropolis of New York. The corona virus has left its mark – and the holiday mood was exchanged for tough rules and empty streets.
Where otherwise tens of thousands of tourists romp around at Christmas time, there will be a clear emptiness in 2020. New York’s just snowy Times Square? Almost like a ghost zone. Significantly less audience on the streets. The dazzling Broadway? Deathly still. At the beginning of the Corona crisis, Manhattan was considered the epicenter in the USA.
Subway station under Time Square. © imago images / ZUMA Wire
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Free path in the otherwise crowded center
And even at the end of the year, the consequences of the pandemic can be felt in the otherwise colorful, noisy and raging city. Walking through Midtown in December is usually like walking through a confusing maze. This year? The way is clear! Anyone who decides to take a stroll over the Christmas days suddenly sees the city from a completely new perspective. In 2019, New Yorkers and tourists alike crowded into the shops and the various Christmas markets such as the famous Bryant Park. Not much of that left this year.
Restaurants are closed and the richly decorated shopping malls are only open to a small number of people. If you need gifts, you have to be prepared for long queues.
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Retail with massive losses
Despite the sparkling Christmas decorations and the smell of chocolate wafting through the city, retail sales have fallen by at least 60 percent this year – in some shops by as much as 85 percent! A horror figure that hits tourist hotspots like “Chelsea Market”, “Hudson Yards” and “Grand Central” hard. It is therefore not surprising that the research company “CBRE” predicts that online shopping in New York will increase from 14 to 40 percent of total retail sales at Christmas time.
Even if the imposing Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is splendidly decorated, as every year, the holiday mood is missing this year. There is no unrestricted marvel at the huge tree. On the contrary: The Rockefeller Center has created long logs for tree observation!
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“Virtual Queues”
In 2020, instead of shining children’s eyes, there will be “virtual queues”, a “five-minute limit when marveling at the tree” and a limit of four people for each group who want to catch a photo together in front of the traditional gem. Groups of more than four people will be split up. In addition, as everywhere in New York, there is of course a minimum distance of one and a half meters for everyone present. Contemplative and carefree sounds different! Since the COVID numbers are also rising steadily in New York City at the moment, the government strongly recommends staying at home over the Christmas period. Will the Americans heed the advice? According to this year’s forecast of the “American Automobile Association” unfortunately by far not all – although a significant decrease in the number of travelers over Christmas is expected compared to previous years. Specifically, it is projected that nearly 34 million Americans will be staying home this year compared to last year’s holiday season. This corresponds to a 29 percent decrease in trips. (Natascha Wittmann for klatsch-tratsch.de)
imago images / ZUMA Wire
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