Recent openings around the neighborhood

REAL PILATES IS BACK ON SEPT. 2!
Real Pilates is returning to its physical studio with private sessions to start on Sept. 2. Online classes will continue for groups and privates. The studio is taking all sorts of precautions, including hourly bookings with spaces in between, mapped out common spaces, protective shields for reception staff and electrostatic cleanings should a case of covid be reported. “This is a brand new landscape and we will be negotiating our way through this.”

BOOK NOOK OPENING SEPT. 14
Book Nook, which also has a studio on the Upper East Side, is opening for in-person, small group pod classes on Sept. 14. (On the UES, you can create your own pod and have a Book Nook teacher come to you.) Max class size will be five, which was always their model, but they are making modifications. The classes are all drop-off only, and they are building 30 minutes between classes to allow for extra cleaning of their spaces.

FRED ASTAIRE OPENING FOR CLASSES SEPT. 2
The studio on Reade and Broadway will reopen on its third anniversary, Sept. 2. See information on classes here.

DRIFT IN IN THE VILLAGE
The Grand Banks folks have opened a new spot in Hudson River Park called Drift In, in the old Wafels and Dinges space between Christopher and West 10th. They just got their liquor license last week, and they have also added Saturday brunch. See more info here.

 

19 Comments

    • And what’s your plan? Have indoor dining after our infection rate has dwindled to the lowest rate of ANY major US city?

      You will have to wait awhile, ok?

      Keep crying about de Blasio – Trump would be proud of you.

      • My plan would be to allow indoor dining right away with restrictions on capacity and spacing along with the use of partitions wherever possible as other cities are doing. I don’t think its wise to let the restaurant business in NYC become extinct. If we wait until “sometime next year” as the mayor suggests, then we’re looking at about a year that restaurants could not fully operate. No restaurant can survive that long. Look at how many have permanently closed already. Outdoor dining won’t be feasible once the warm weather fades in a matter of weeks and they cannot survive only on offering take out.

        • Other cities? Oh you mean like ones in California, Texas, and Florida who have all surpassed New York in COVID 19 cases because of what you want to do “right away” based on zero science. Turn off FOX News and/or OANN dude. Better off stop parroting Trump and let the scientists determine the course if action to take when, where, and how based on their (not your) why.

          Lives over profit.

          • Well it’s clear that indoor dining can happen safely. CT has had it since June, and they’re doing better than NY on their COVID stats. And of course, it needs to be pointed out again, NYC is the *ONLY* place in the state of NY where indoor dining is not offered.

            You can argue the same rhetoric that somehow we don’t have the same space to support 50% capacity in NYC safely, but somehow they can measure safety and compliance for bowling alleys, but they can’t do a restaurant inspection before allowing them to open?

  1. Drift In has a really lovely vibe. Lots of twinkly lights, beachy seating and set off the main drag a bit so diners can people watch as the sun sets. On my walk back from The High Line (book a ticket for timed entry) last Thursday the place was buzzy – but not too buzzy (!). The spacing between tables is generous.

  2. not sure how you justify not allowing NYC restaurants at limited indoor capacity when it’s allowed in Long Island. our infection rate has been super low for a while with real testing volume. Mr Mayors comment on restaurants being a rich persons activity shows he really either doesn’t know or cares about the impact this has on NYC economy and peoples lives. Can’t wait till he goes away but never forgotten as worst mayor in NYC history!

    • Agreed. Anyone that believes this is just about keeping NYers safe hasn’t left their block since March.

      • I’m curious, and this is a genuine question: what do you think the motives are?

        I am no fan of BdB, nor of Cuomo, but I am a fan of our city currently having things under control. I miss indoor dining and our old lives as much as anyone, but I’m willing now to be cautious to not re-live what we went through in March and April.

        • You can look at Long Island, Fairfield County, CT, Westchester County, NY, etc. all with indoor dining programs and none of them are in a COVID tailspin. So it can’t just be about safety.

          As for conspiracy theories, I dunno… the rest of NY state is certainly benefitting financially by being in “new normal” mode for a while. The optics are good for Cuomo outside of NYC would be my guess.

          And rents dropping in NYC from the resident exodus means a potential economic reset of many neighborhoods, which BdB would a fan of.

          Add to that Cuomo and BdB hate each other, so it’s potentially just a staring match at our expense.

        • Contradictory. We have things under control here because of Cuomo and de Blasio. We sure wouldn’t if we had Governor Molinaro and Mayor Malliotakis.

      • First off unlike you I monitor the daily infection rate in NYC and it is lower than CT. No one is talking about CT. Cuomo is the man and de Blasio is widely deferring to him.

        Second there’s no indoor dining in NYC yet because health professionals which you are not one of have determined that is the correct course of action.

        Last I am sick of all the whining about not being able to find indoors. Cook, order in, pick up, and dine at outside seating.

        • Why can’t we look at the state of CT? It’s a great example of a state that is effectively fully open that is effectively matching NYC’s locked down numbers with no indoor dining (3.1/100k). Risk mitigation strategies obviously work for other places, even in the rest of NY state… and there are plenty of locations in NYC that can support social distanced seating. But we don’t.

          And need I remind, healthcare professional do not set policy. They can only advise. That’s sorta why the US is where it is right now.

          The importance of indoor dining is not to be trivialized. If you remove that, come December, there will be no restaurants left. Most of them are already walking that fine line. That may not matter to you, but if there are no restaurants, offices certainly won’t reopen, tourists won’t come, and we will experience an even worse economic downturn than we’re in right now.

          • Policy in NY including NYC is executed based on health professionals’ recommendations. I trust them more than your anectodal observations of CT, LI, etc. NYC is not CT. NYC was hit first after the few cases in WA. It has a much higher population density than CT, might even have more people than the entire state of CT in only 300 something square miles. NYC has the most cases and deaths of any major US city. Reducing future infections and deaths is more important than your damn privilege (not right) to done indoors, ok? The importance of saving lives over restaurants must not be trivialized. This Isn’t about you ok? What matters to me is less infections and deaths til we get to zero.

            We’re not “sorta” where we’re at, we’re where we are because we have a moron for a president with no plan because he has no clue or care but NY has ignored him to the tune of going from first in the nation with cases to fourth behind CA, TX, and FL. Other states don’t cone close to the 20M or so people NY has to overtake NY so It’s fourth place by default but who knows? Georgia is fifth and gaining.

            If COVID 19 cases increase because people like you have to dine onside a restaurant instead of outdoors when It’s still warm enough yo, order in, or pick up there won’t be any offices or tourists…like now.

            We’re in the beginning or middle not the end of the second deadliest U.S. pandemic after the 1918 Spanish flu.

            Shame on you for caring more about business and money than people’s lives.

          • Difference between NYC and CT, LI, and upstate is that NYC is way much denser.

  3. I don’t believe anyone is putting money and business ahead of lives certainly not privilege ahead of lives. i respect the science and rightfully so should continue to affect actions if not policy( agree on failed leadership) but guidelines that health officials and Cuomo (hero) and Mayor( moron) set out for partial indoor at 25% was 1% or less infection rate for 2 weeks, last I looked infection rate in NYS and NYC has been less than that for more than 2 weeks, it was 0.65% yesterday. this is with increased testing daily.The issue is lack of uniform policy, lack of attention and purpose from our mayor impacts lives in a different way. 300,000 restaurant workers have been out of work since March and mayor dismisses restaurants as a privilege, Not sure how you can open schools at full capacity and continue to say restaurants can’t open indoors at 25% capacity.

  4. Schools are essential – restaurants are not. You do not HAVE TO dine inside a restaurant, you can dine outdoors in front of one, picnic or eat outside wherever, order in, pick up, or cook. Dining out is a luxury if not a privilege. I don’t think schools should reopen yet either.

    I’m confused by the the Mayor dislike and hate. Moron? Who is only following orders from the hero Cuomo? I think a lot of you out there mistakenly think he has executive powers immune to state authority – he has none or at least none re: this pandemic. NYC isn’t a state within a state.

    My theory is the state and city see three states leapfrog it in cases and figures if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If the infection rate is 1% or less through say next month ok open indoor dining at 25%. Same through October? 50%. November 75%. See how 75% works for awhile from there. We all will have to wait longer and yes, you all are harping on business and workers more than lives, and you sound like Trump. He doesn’t have a clue – you all do. Be smart like Dr.Fauci not stupid like Trump and his yes man robot Pence who had 1000 attendees all huddled together for his hate and division rally last night. Btw 2 staff workers and 2 attendees got infected in Charlotte two nights ago.

    To give you an idea about how scary this disease is 53 of 67 attendees of an OUTDOOR wedding in RURAL MAINE got infected and one person who DIDN’T attend died from getting it. More could die. So forgive me if I don’t want restaurants having indoor dining yet.

    I have some (I think) sensible ideas for indoor dining I’ll post later. Stay tuned.

    • I agree with you tiered approach to indoor dining, if you disagree with school openings then you must see a flawed approach to strategy. My dislike for the Mayor comes from his actions that don’t involve NYS oversight, things like homeless encampments being allowed, no answer to rising violent crime, no response to quality of life issues, city filthier everyday. Police cut at the knees.I am born and raised in NYC and it sure looks like the glorious 70’s to me again thanks to your hero Mayor no doubt.

  5. I can live without indoor dining if necessary, but how long can restaurants survive without it while paying NYC level rents? What about all their employees, the majority of whom are barely getting by when things were normal?

    Also, many Scandinavian counties, Canada and resort towns in the US have outdoor dining when the weather turns colder- provide heaters, or people will just keep their warm coats on. People eat and drink outside when skiing, so certainly we can do it too. We have to be creative here and adapt, but also let restaurants have a fighting chance to survive, and keep employing hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

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