Inflating the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons on the streets surrounding the American Museum of Natural History is a daylong event that delights both children and adults. Canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year it was open to the public again and brought a sense of fun and celebration to a weary city. Proof of vaccination against Covid was required for entry, mask wearing was encouraged, and security was tight.
The 50th running of the New York Marathon brought a return of exhilaration and joy to the streets of New York City and a feeling of hope that, at last, the worst of the pandemic is behind us.
Canceled in 2021, Halloween celebrations are back again in New York City this year. In these scenes on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, you could almost forget the pandemic.
On the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Fire Department of New York held a service at the Firemens Memorial on Riverside Drive. The ceremony began with a reading of the names of the fallen firefighters, many with posthumous promotions. A silver fire bell rang after each name. After a benediction, the firefighters saluted and the Marine Corps Band and the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums played. Emotions have become less raw over the years since the terrorist attack, but the city’s respect and reverence for the firefighters has never diminished.
During the pandemic, in 2020, many people were drawn to birds and birdwatching. Suddenly and with almost no warning we were torn from our families, our friends, our jobs, and all of our social and recreational activities. Aside from staying indoors, the only safe activity seemed to be visiting parks or other outdoor spaces, distant from other people. There, we could enjoy the sight and sounds of beautiful birds that seemed to possess all of the freedoms that we had lost.
In early June, the summer solstice approaches and the sun casts the most beautiful light of the year.
May 29 on a rainy and chilly holiday weekend. A short walk on Broadway between 103rd and 97th Streets showed some of the lasting effects of the pandemic.
One year ago New York City looked and felt very different, but now in the middle of May change has started to take hold and hope is in the air. Here is a look back at the first five months of 2021.
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The year we would all rather forget, the year from hell, the year of shock and loss and pain is nearing its end. With vaccines and a new president, change is in the air for 2021.
The fourth annual Women’s March in January took place while impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump were underway.
Columbia University students enjoying springlike weather on campus, February 23. The university shut down soon after this photo was taken.
A beloved neighborhood diner on Broadway, closed during the pandemic.
Street vendors selling masks on Broadway in June
DeborahShapiroPhotos 