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 | | The New York Times |
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For the past few years, Covid has made it complicated — or outright impossible — to go out on the town in New York. |
But with summer in full swing, large-scale nightlife events are becoming more common. That's a positive development when done safely, says Julia Carmel, who has covered New York City nightlife during the pandemic. |
"Some people look at nightlife as a luxury, but it's so important to the greater culture of a city," Julia told me. "Nightlife is a place where underground art scenes can find an audience. It's a place where performers can make ends meet. It offers a lot of ways for people to make a living and to share and to connect and find community." |
I spoke with Julia for more on the city's nocturnal vibes. |
Catch us up. How has New York City nightlife fared during the pandemic? |
In March 2020, everything went dark. You could say that about any industry, but in nightlife, it was more desolate than other industries because when it came to fields that were centered on hedonism and pleasure, reopening felt a lot more tumultuous. Nightlife was on the back burner — and rightfully so. At the same time, a lot of people in the industry, from part-time bartenders to people who work sound systems at nightclubs, had a really rough time for basically 15 months. |
In the spring of 2021, I was working on this big project about nightlife coming back, but as we were nearing the end, the Delta variant arrived. It started becoming clear that nightlife wasn't coming back in the way we all thought it was. |
Many people were looking at the situation as black and white. There is nightlife or there is no nightlife. It is safe or it is not safe. But once a lot of venues opened, they didn't want to close again. They rehired people and they reopened, which was a very expensive process. Still, there was a slowdown and venues scaled back. Then, when Omicron came around, it was especially rough because, for many places in New York, it's hard to adapt events to be outside in the winter. |
What is New York City nightlife like now? |
At least in New York City, there are plenty of venues that are back to throwing parties every night of the week. Some beloved local spots did close down permanently, but many others have found ways to adapt to different comfort levels. |
This spring and summer have felt significantly more relaxed than last summer, but people have acted with less abandon. I haven't been hearing the things I was hearing last summer like, "this is going to be THE summer," because I think everyone has kind of learned that this isn't something that's going to fully go away. There are also plenty of people who haven't gone out in over two years, and even for those of us who feel comfortable and safe doing so, I don't know if we're ever going to get to a point where people can go to a party and not think even a little bit about their potential risk. |
What does going out look like now? |
The pandemic has definitely motivated more flexible party setups. So venues may have indoor and outdoor spaces, or hosts may decide to throw an event outside at a park. There's also a lot more communication. At weddings, for example, some people are clear that they want everyone to be vaccinated or to get a test within 48 hours. And there's a general heightened empathy to what guests may be comfortable with. People are thinking a lot more about the information that they think people want to know before they arrive, so that they're not going to be surprised. |
There's also a lot of variety. I could be at a concert, and there would be people there with N-95 masks on. But you can also go to a 1,000-person warehouse party where people are packed like sardines and are making out with complete strangers. |
How has the pandemic changed the way we go out? |
The past few years have forced many people to think about what they value and what they want to do. Personally, I don't expect people to come to things out of obligation anymore. And likewise, when I choose to go to something, it really feels like, "no, I'm choosing this." Like, yes, it is worth it to me to see these people get married. To see my friend celebrate a birthday. To go dance at a bar because it's Pride weekend. Some events are also more conscious and thoughtful when it comes to accessibility — sometimes that looks like a livestream that people can watch virtually, or an outdoor space. There are also plenty of incredibly valid reasons people don't feel comfortable going to a party just yet. The care and understanding that many nightlife workers are showing to one another and to their communities has also made reuniting on the dance floor feel even more exciting at times. It's maybe one of the silver linings of the pandemic. |
A goodbye: Julia is leaving for a position at The Los Angeles Times. We wish her the best. |
What else we're following |
To tell you the truth, I feel forgotten. I'm 61 and I work in retail at an "essential" business. As a result, I never quarantined and I wore a mask for eight hours a day. I see lots of coverage regarding the effects that quarantine has had on various groups but little has been said about the effects of dealing with working throughout this pandemic. I used to enjoy my work, but my opinion of the general public has suffered a huge hit. I have very little patience for the foolish and ill mannered public. I don't want to deal with them anymore. Where is society's concern for someone like me? — Laura O'Kelly, Yuba City, Calif. |
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| Thanks for reading. We're off Monday for the holiday, but I'll be back Wednesday. — Jonathan |
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