If you were out and about last weekend you saw a transformed city. Crowds are back. Reservations are required again. And, most importantly, the fear is ebbing. We think the city will come back faster than the pundits are predicting. A big slate of returning culture reinforces that idea:

• Big Apple Greeter is back
• Little Island is now open
• The Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar is back at the Conrad New York Downtown
• Carolines on Broadway and Dumbo’s Time Out Market reopen tomorrow
• Theater for the New City presents its 26th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts this Friday through Sunday
• LEGOLAND New York Resort begins preview days May 29th
• STATE Grill and Bar in the Empire State Building reopens June 1st
• New York restaurants come and go, but Patsy’s Italian Restaurant is forever—and open again as of June 3rd
• Subway sounds are back: the MTA’s Music Under New York starts up June 4th 
• Grand Bazaar NYC is back with Sunday bazaars starting June 6th
• Picnic Performances return to Bryant Park, starting with a four-night New York Philharmonic run beginning June 9th
• Neue Galerie New York reopens June 10th
• New owners Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda reopen The Drama Book Shop in a new location June 10th
• The Queens Night Market returns June 19th
• The TD Five Boro Bike Tour returns August 22nd
• The US Open Tennis Championships will have fans this year—starting August 30th
• Hadestown jumps to the front of Broadway with a September 2nd return date

Mayor de Blasio announced a three-month tax holiday for NYC hotel stays starting June 1st. All the more reason to expect a resurgent tourism sector in the weeks ahead. As of today, the majority of American adults are fully vaccinated.

Picnic Performances bring 25 in-person music, dance, and theater events to Bryant Park starting in June. Photo by Ryan Muir.

Links of Interest

NYC

• Updated Broadway reopening dates
• Google searches point to booming business at New York restaurants, retailers, and hotels
• Transportation Alternatives influences mayoral race with “NYC 25X25” plan to reclaim 25% of public roadways
• Google will open a retail store in Chelsea this summer
• British furniture brand Timothy Oulton to open a Flatiron flagship
• Groundbreaking for the Universal Hip Hop Museum
• Danny Meyer podcast on the future of NYC restaurants
• JetBlue promises new New York-London flights will shake up the market

NATIONAL

• Challenges persist but hospitality anticipates a summertime boom
• TSA traffic numbers reaching 2019 levels
• Domestic car travel expected to dominate summer travel

DATA FROM EVERYTHING TO DO NYC FACEBOOK GROUP

Everything To Do NYC Facebook Group brings together 27,000 New York City superfans. It's a great resource for knowing what's going on, getting city suggestions, and tracking consumer sentiment. A recent poll gave a glimpse into how people are feeling about reopening, with a solid majority (78%) on record as likely or more to get out now that mask requirements have been relaxed. Check out the responses and full results here. And join the group if you haven't already.