New York City aims to fully reopen on July 1 and allow businesses including restaurants, shops and stadiums to operate at full capacity, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday, offering a tantalizing glimpse of normalcy even as his authority to actually lift restrictions on businesses was somewhat limited. Mr. de Blasio, who made the remarks on MSNBC, said that gyms, hair salons, arenas, some theaters and museums should all expect to be open fully without capacity limits. Broadway, he said, was on track to open in September. At his news conference later, the mayor added that he wanted the subways, which currently shut down for two hours overnight for cleaning and disinfecting, to run around the clock once more by July.
Mayor de Blasio: Restore NYC 24-hour subway service July 1 nydailynews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nydailynews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Somewhere in the East Village, a pizza joint slings cannabis-infused pies in a speakeasy-like environment.
Stoned Gourmet Cannabis Pizza the brainchild of the so-called “Pizza Pusha” Chris Barrett has operated in a sort of gray area since it opened last October. Reservations are made by direct messaging with a private Instagram account, which captures photos of guests lighting joints and dining on THC-infused pepperoni pizza and “Ganja” (Garlic) Knots. On one wall is a red neon sign that reads “Either light up or leave me alone.” And police have, thus far, looked the other way.
The establishment is one of an unknown number of underground marijuana speakeasies in the city. But with recreational marijuana now legal in New York, those businesses may be able to emerge from the darkness and enter a retail landscape that’s desperate for business.
Andrew Rigie is the executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association representing restaurants and nightlife venues throughout the five boroughs. Over the past year, he’s been a tireless advocate on the frontline of the effort to save the city’s restaurant industry, speaking with politicians on the Restaurant Act, pushing for vaccines for restaurant workers and working toward a safe reopening of restaurants and nightlife spaces.
In this edition of Voices In Food, Rigie shares his opinion on why and how customers should feel safe about dining both inside and outside at the city’s restaurants (provided they’re following proper COVID-19 safety protocols, such as wearing a mask and social distancing), and why a return is crucial for the industry’s survival.