PJ's Studio: Dining Al Fresco

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Dining Al Fresco

Due to Covid-19 NYC has embraced dining al fresco this summer. Actually outdoor dining has been gaining momentum for the past decade in NYC, no doubt due to the influence of Europeans. But on June 8th when the city officially entered phase 2 and outdoor dining was permitted it took off.

Numero 28 has been a trooper. During lockdown they were one of the few places open for takeout and delivery. Then they opened up the front of the restaurant and started participating in happy hours offering free pizza bites with drinks.

They expanded their outdoor seating stealthily at first, gradually expanding in front of the adjoining stores.

But on June 8th they took to the streets. I had offered up the opinion a few weeks earlier that the city ought to eliminate the parking in front of stores and allow them to expand. And that was exactly what happened.

That night, as each car departed a table was brought out to replace it. Gradually they secured a decent space. Then I saw a van pull up and start chatting with the workers. I thought - "Oh. no. He wants to park there." But I was wrong. Because he got out of his van, opened the back and started taking out lattice fencing. Which he then began to assemble.

This being NY, people began to sit even while he was working. These two tables of ladies arrived at about the same time and seemed to really hit it off.

Meanwhile, the building continued.

And more people kept arriving

By the time construction had wrapped, the ladies had decided that they liked each other enough to merge. :-)

And off the van went.

But then it returned the next day with sticks of wood.

I was still trying to figure out what they were up to when they began stringing the lights. I guess the candles from the previous night weren't cutting it.