The Summer of New York City

Today, Mayor de Blasio announced his intention to have the city fully reopen on July 1st, promising "This is going to be the summer of New York City." This means full capacity returned to restaurants, theaters, arenas, museums, and all businesses.

Broadway had previously set its own target date for shows to fully resume starting in September, which can now be met.

NY Governor Cuomo gave a statement that was, more or less, in support of this target date for reopenings. Left fully up to the Governor, of course, are other decisions, like the much-needed restoration of 24-hour subway service, and the question of what targets will allow the state to lift its mask mandate. Of course, regardless, individual businesses or venues will still be able to make their own decisions (on masks, capacity, whether to ask for vaccination status/tests, etc).

We urge all those who have yet to receive a COVID vaccine to do so as soon as possible, to ensure that we continue to push towards herd immunity this Summer. You can protect yourself, and help protect your community! City and state vaccine sites, as well as many pharmacies, are now taking walk-ins... the time of hard-to-get appointments and low supply is over! And a reminder that the vaccine is free, and safe. You can call 877-VAX-4NYC to find the site nearest you.

And we have heard reports that many of our members have started getting freelance tour work again, if a bit sporadically for now, and we could not be more happy. This positive trend will only grow, as NYC moves closer to a fuller reopening this Summer. "We're all going to get to enjoy this city again, and people are going to flock here from all over the country to be a part of this amazing moment for NYC," the Mayor also stated today. We urge all those traveling to NYC (or locals looking to better explore their own backyard) to do so with those who know New York best... professional tour guides.

You can find over 100 unique NYC tours on https://touryourowncity.com/ or peruse our roster of talented tour guides at https://www.ganyc.org/find-guide .

Be well New York, and we look forward to seeing you out on tour very soon!

[UPDATE: Gov. Cuomo has now announced that most capacity limits will be removed sooner-- May 19.]