Igloos and Iceless Curling: How New York Hopes to Fight Off a Grim Winter - The New York Times

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The threat of this virus has transformed outdoor spaces, even though some New Yorkers can’t afford it. Outdoor spaces are usually empty during the cold months.

As New York City passes through the pandemic winter, many parks, squares and open spaces are vital to New York’s public life in the warmer months and have now become cold playgrounds.

With the proliferation of viruses and new restrictions on indoor gatherings, outdoor spaces have become critical to crowded cities.

As a result, the menu of outdoor products has gone beyond the usual skating rink and winter celebrations, paving the way for a more robust outdoor culture.

Manhattan’s Bryant Park has a new ice-free curling cafe where players can slide stones on five slippery synthetic lanes. Outdoor movies are shown in the plaza near Hudson Yards. An "outdoor living room" with wooden benches near Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. An open space in Emptoria in Queens has been turned into an open-air cinema.

Heated igloos and cabins scatter the cityscape, and the glass canopy built on part of the public garden at the bottom of a skyscraper on Madison Avenue will eventually protect visitors from rain and snow.

Just as the pandemic has changed New York’s car-dominated streets through outdoor dining and shopping, the threat of this virus has also inspired a reimagining of public spaces that are usually vacant in cold weather.

Jerold S. Kayden, a professor of urban planning and design at Harvard University, said: “New York is not a city where outdoor activities are generally celebrated in winter.” “This is not a place where ice sculpture competitions traditionally break chainsaws.”

Mr. Kaden said, however, if New York City’s public places are equipped with heaters, heat-absorbing materials, designs that maximize the use of natural light, and other measures to “place New York City outdoors in a friendly way,” this may be possible. Will change. cold. "

Even before the virus broke out, people have been working hard to create more outdoor public places open all year round. A design

The city landmark at 550 Madison Avenue (previously home to AT&T and Sony) was unveiled in 2019.

However, the epidemic has brought many new and expanded outdoor activities throughout the city-although many people live in well-off communities, and prices are beyond the reach of many New Yorkers.

"They provide services to those who can afford it," said Claudia Coger, a 85-year-old retired urban transport worker who has already performed at the Astoria Open Air Theater. And hope to provide more outdoor activities for everyone around the city. "The rest are excluded. They need to go back to the drawing board once like this."

Nevertheless, some groups have organized free and low-cost outdoor activities. There is a new audio guide

It is a fairytale lookout in Central Park. During the holidays, there is a pop-up market for Caribbean and black artists in Prospect Park.

Later this month, a rainbow-like forest will cover 25 giant prisms on Broadway. The Garment District Alliance, which operates the business improvement area, is installing the name "

The president of the alliance, Barbara A. Blair, said that the plan was designed to revitalize the hard-hit communities, and the flow of people fell by more than half during the pandemic.

In lower Manhattan,

, Is a whimsical art installation, similar to a glowing neon jungle gymnasium, twice as much as the outdoor seating on the water street.

The Brooklyn Public Library only provides ready-to-use book services and provides free

Created by artist Heinrich Spillmann, the Internet can be accessed outside the central branch of the Grand Army Plaza, and the network will remain in use throughout the winter-but without heaters.

The library also plans to take a so-called story walk, in which pages of children's books will be displayed on the outdoor trail. Fritzi Bodenheimer, a library spokesperson, said: "If we can't bring people into our buildings, we have been thinking about bringing our services out."

However, many of the coolest outdoor experiences are not suitable for people on a tight budget.

The planned 1.2-acre Astoria coastal area has been temporarily converted into

With a huge movie screen, and set up a stage on the shipping container. There have been 22 performances, combining movies and live performances, attracting more than 1,000 people.

Producer Jeremy Shepard said that ticket sales ($100 per car, or up to 4 people on a picnic table) supported local actors, musicians and stage performers during the show Many of them lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Ms. Coger and other residents of Astoria Houses are free, which is a public housing development project across the street from the car. Ms. Cog attended three performances and told her neighbors to go.

She said: "A lot of people have never participated in an outdoor show." "They like it. They think it's a plus."

In Bryant Park,

The meeting starts in 90 minutes, costs $200, and allows up to four people to play in the dedicated lane. The price includes drinks and snacks with heated tents.

For those who like the pandemic limousine feel, there are also

Equipped with electric heaters, recliners, and offers dessert wine, salted caramel cider, handmade cheese plates and deli plates. The igloo starts at $200, can accommodate up to 4 people, lasts for 90 minutes, and is broadcast and disinfected after each use.

Shaival Patel, 37, a director of Mizuho Securities, recently proposed to his girlfriend, 30-year-old marketing manager Aditi Desai, in an igloo. Their first date was in the park in 2019, drinking hot chocolate together. This time, he bought an igloo for $250, and he knelt down. She said yes. After that, they toasted with sweet wine.

Mr. Patel said: "I think this is absolutely worth it for what you will remember all your life."

The heated igloo is also located along the Hudson River

At Pier 26

In Rockefeller Center. Michael Dorf, CEO and founder of the city winery that runs the two locations, said that a winter dome was added to expand its outdoor dining space.

For the short winter vacation, there are 28

Located at the top of the dining and entertainment center in South Avenue Seaport. Marketing director Craig Manfra said that in response to this epidemic, the outdoor area called "green plants on the roof of Pier 17" was divided into individual outdoor spaces. In summer, social distancing

Equipped with artificial turf, deck chairs and parasols.

The winter cabins are equipped with spacious booth seats, virtual fireplaces, air purifiers, and non-contact cocktails and hearty delicacies, such as fondue and truffle grilled cheese.

The cost of booking the cottage was $5 for lunch on weekdays and $50 for dinner and weekends. Part of the proceeds were donated to local charities. Manfra said the cabins are sold out almost every week and there is a waiting list of more than 17,000 requests.

There is even an outdoor fitness room. Equinox owns an upscale hotel and fitness club in Hudson Yards. The company took over a nearby open space and established advanced fitness equipment, private training and group classes in the outdoor fitness club. Open the ventilation in the heated tent of the ceiling.

This outdoor club opened to Equinox members in October-membership starts at $270 per month-and has been visited more than 10,000 times.

Just a few steps away, the outdoor plaza behind a luxury shopping mall in Hudson Yards has been turned into a public backyard. It has freely screened classic movies, including "This is Really a Beautiful Life" and "A Miracle on 34th Street", and showcased the murals that local artists placed in the shopping mall before the pandemic.

Two 49-year-old Faith Salie and John Semel have brought their two children to six outdoor movies. Ms. Salie is a writer and performer. She said that before the pandemic, they used to go out in the cold and could only go to other places indoors, but now they are looking for reasons to stay outdoors.

She said: "This is the only safe way to admire the city and the people we know from a distance." "This is a new experience. Sometimes I feel like I am a better mother. Send the children out and see them take. Go home with ruddy cheeks."