New York
International Tourists Flock Back to New York, With One Big Exception
![International Tourists Flock Back to New York, With One Big Exception International Tourists Flock Back to New York, With One Big Exception](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/00nytourism1-facebookJumbo.jpg)
After two years of sparse crowds in Instances Sq. and different widespread points of interest, New York Metropolis is lastly hoping for a sturdy rebound of tourists this 12 months. However the metropolis will nonetheless be lacking a fundamental driver of its prepandemic tourism increase: massive spenders from China, whose authorities has but to permit journey overseas.
Earlier than the pandemic, China was the fastest-growing supply of overseas guests to town, with greater than 1.1 million Chinese language vacationers arriving in 2019. Their influence on New York’s economic system was supersized as a result of they tended to remain longer and spend greater than different vacationers.
Now, with American borders totally reopened to guests for the primary spring since 2019, metropolis officers are relying on vacationers from international locations together with Mexico, Brazil and Australia to assist make up for the absent Chinese language — at the least quickly.
In a forecast to be launched on Wednesday, NYC & Firm, town’s tourism promotion company, is projecting a 70 % enhance in vacationers this 12 months from final 12 months to 56.4 million guests, together with 8 million from exterior the USA.
That complete would nonetheless be far under the 66.6 million guests that NYC & Firm estimated for 2019. However it could put town nearer to Mayor Eric Adams’s objective of a full tourism restoration by 2024.
Tourism is an important cog within the metropolis’s economic system, supporting greater than 300,000 jobs in accommodations, eating places, museums and theaters. And worldwide vacationers have the most important influence as a result of they spend greater than thrice as a lot on common as the standard home vacationer does.
Guests, together with those that traveled at the least 50 miles however didn’t keep in a single day, spent about $24 billion within the metropolis final 12 months, NYC & Firm estimates. That was about half as a lot as in 2019 however up greater than 50 % from 2020.
“It’s all the time been the case and continues to be the case that journey and tourism are main cornerstones of our economic system,” stated Maria Torres-Springer, a deputy mayor.
Making certain that the fruits of a resurgence in tourism are unfold all through town, not simply in Manhattan, she stated, was a central purpose of the Adams administration’s blueprint for financial restoration.
“We’re seeing some inexperienced shoots of a restoration in tourism,” stated Fred Dixon, the chief government of NYC & Firm. “We’re working to ensure that these inexperienced shoots flip right into a full-fledged restoration.”
One trigger for optimism, Mr. Dixon famous, was a rebound in resort occupancy in latest weeks because the Omicron variant of the coronavirus pale. Three-quarters of town’s out there resort rooms had been stuffed within the week that ended March 19, based on STR, an business analysis agency. That was nonetheless under the prepandemic stage of 87 %, however a lot larger than within the first two months of the 12 months when Omicron saved many guests away.
To spur demand, Mr. Adams gave NYC & Firm a further $10 million to place towards the promotional marketing campaign it launched final 12 months, with the theme “It’s Time for New York Metropolis.” That was the primary enhance within the allocation of metropolis funds to the company in a number of years.
The earlier mayor, Invoice de Blasio, funneled $30 million of federal pandemic assist to the tourism company final summer season in hopes of spurring a fast return of tourists. Town staged free live shows and flicks across the 5 boroughs to have a good time the comeback. However new variants of the virus, first Delta then Omicron, undermined these efforts, and the 12 months ended on a bleak notice.
For all of 2021, town obtained simply 32.9 million guests, lower than half the file complete for 2019. With the nation’s borders closed for the primary 10 months of final 12 months, solely 8 % of these guests got here from different international locations, down from 20 % earlier than the pandemic.
NYC & Firm is forecasting a tripling of worldwide guests this 12 months. However that forecast contains 438,000 guests from China, assuming that nation will finish its Covid lockdowns and permit its residents to journey once more.
“We acknowledge there are draw back dangers to the present forecast, and doubtlessly room for a downward revision this summer season,” Emina Cardamone, director of Tourism Economics, the corporate that produced that forecast, cautioned.
Mr. Dixon admitted that predicting when Chinese language vacationers would return concerned a “lot of hypothesis.” However he added that many of the overseas vacationers could be from Canada and Europe, the place pent-up demand for journey is believed to be excessive and the place NYC & Firm has revived its advertising and marketing groups.
The company had representatives all around the world earlier than town went into lockdown in March 2020. However because the pandemic wore on, Mr. Dixon needed to shut down these operations, which he had spent a decade constructing.
In latest months, NYC & Firm has steadily reopened these workplaces — with the exceptions of China and Singapore — to unfold the phrase that New York is able to welcome vacationers once more. The company started a brand new partnership with a promotional firm in Japan this week.
Mr. Adams is easing many restrictions to attempt to speed up town’s rebound.
“We needed to rebuild confidence in New York,” Mr. Dixon stated. “One of many greatest challenges we’ve needed to face is displaying vacationers that the New York they know and love is right here, and that Broadway and the eating places are again.”
Town nonetheless faces a protracted street to full restoration. About 115 of its accommodations haven’t reopened, together with the 1,025-room Roosevelt Resort in Midtown, and about one-fourth of its unionized resort staff stay laid off. General employment within the leisure and hospitality sector, which incorporates accommodations, eating places, museums and theaters, continues to be down about 100,000 jobs since earlier than the pandemic.
“We’re positively in a greater place than final 12 months, however under no circumstances can we are saying that we’ve recovered,” stated Vijay Dandapani, the chief government of the Resort Affiliation of New York Metropolis. “The sustained loss for the final two years is cash down the drain.”
As a part of its marketing campaign, NYC & Firm plans to advertise every of the 5 boroughs to vacationers.
Some points of interest exterior Manhattan, just like the Common Hip Hop Museum’s exhibit on the Bronx Terminal Market, are nonetheless in restoration mode. The museum, whose everlasting location is scheduled to open in 2024, closed its exhibit on the South Bronx market in December as Omicron was sweeping by way of town.
Now, it’s getting ready to open a brand new exhibit there specializing in the early days of hip-hop within the late Eighties, together with costumes and different memorabilia from performers like LL Cool J and Run-DMC, stated Rocky Bucano, the museum’s government director.
“We get individuals from each nook of the world, regardless that it’s unlucky that some international locations nonetheless have sure journey restrictions,” Mr. Bucano stated. “We anticipate massive crowds after we reopen in Could.”
The plan to start out the boroughs marketing campaign in Brooklyn was welcomed by cultural establishments. “That is music to my ears, as a result of traditionally the overwhelming majority of tourism {dollars} has gone towards Manhattan,” stated Anne Pasternak, director of the Brooklyn Museum.
Ms. Pasternak stated crowds had flocked to latest displays on the museum, together with one showcasing Christian Dior fashions. “Brooklyn has all the time been again as a result of we by no means left,” she stated.
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New York
Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter
![Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/23/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo-facebookJumbo.png)
ROBERT MENENDEZ
NEW JERSEY
COMMITTEES:
BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN
AFFAIRS
FINANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
Office of the Governor
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Dear Governor Murphy,
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3005
July 23, 2024
528 SENATE HART OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
210 HUDSON STREET
HARBORSIDE 3, SUITE #1000
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311
(973) 645-3030
208 WHITE HORSE PIKE
SUITE 18-19
BARRINGTON, NJ 08007
(856) 757-5353
This is to advise you that I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from
New Jersey, effective on the close of business on August 20, 2024.
This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that
are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close
out my Senate affairs.
While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court,
I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important
work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters
before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff
Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.
I am proud of the many accomplishments I’ve had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the
federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the
federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families
through a once in a century COVID pandemic. These successes led you, Governor, to call me the
“Indispensable Senator.”
I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the
United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Pabet Menang.
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
New Jersey
cc: The Honorable Kamala Harris, President of the Senate
The Honorable Ann Berry, Secretary of the Senate
New York
How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?
![How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn? How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/22/books/review/22Quiz-Brooklyn/22Quiz-Brooklyn-facebookJumbo.jpg)
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates Brooklyn and novels set around the bustling borough. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
New York
See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing
![See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/10/multimedia/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index-facebookJumbo-v4.png)
After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted New York City’s congestion pricing program last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut $16.5 billion worth of planned upgrades to the city’s vast transit network, mostly to account for the loss of funding that was tied to revenue from the toll.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Notes: The chart shows the $28.5 billion in uncommitted funds in the M.T.A.’s 2020-24 capital program; an additional $27 billion had already been committed.
The impact of the congestion pricing suspension on the M.T.A.’s funds for capital projects
Projects were cut from each part of New York City’s transit system, which is the largest in North America and is used by millions of people every day. The projects included elevator and ramp installations that would make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities, structural repairs to aging infrastructure and upgrades to 1930s-era signals that regularly cause delays.
Here are some of the subway projects the authority says it has shelved:
The cuts announced by the M.T.A. — the state agency that runs the subway, bus and commuter rail lines — will also affect transit outside the subway system. The authority has postponed the purchase of more than 250 electric buses and charging infrastructure at bus depots, as well as upgrades to regional rails and a ramp reconstruction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
The $12 billion remaining in the M.T.A.’s capital funds will be spent on projects the authority considers the most urgent, like track replacements and repairs to power substations. It will also replace some of the “least reliable” subway and railway cars, the authority said in a report.
All told, there are 92 subway stations that will not get planned improvements, including 22 stations that will not get new elevators or ramps; 10 that will not get upgrades like structural repairs, platform replacements and new barriers between platforms and tracks; and 71 that will not get upgrades to their public announcement systems.
Below is a list of the subway stations where upgrades have been put on hold, based on what the M.T.A. has detailed so far:
Projects on hold at 41 stations in Brooklyn:
Union St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
4 Av-9 St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
36 St D N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
59 St N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bergen St F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
15 St-Prospect Park F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Church Av F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue X F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neptune Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
- platform or waiting area replacement
Jay St-MetroTech A C F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts A C G
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Franklin Av C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Nostrand Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Utica Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Euclid Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
7 Av B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue U Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neck Rd Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sheepshead Bay B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Brighton Beach B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ocean Pkwy Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
W 8 St-NY Aquarium F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jefferson St L
- elevator or ramp installation
Nevins St 2 3 4 5
- platform or waiting area replacement
Crescent St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Norwood Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Cleveland St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Van Siclen Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Alabama Av J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chauncey St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Halsey St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Gates Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kosciuszko St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Myrtle Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Flushing Av J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lorimer St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hewes St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Marcy Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy N
- elevator or ramp installation
18 Av D
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 9 stations in the Bronx:
Norwood-205 St D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bedford Park Blvd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kingsbridge Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Fordham Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Tremont Av B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
161 St-Yankee Stadium B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Wakefield-241 St 2
- elevator or ramp installation
Brook Av 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
3 Av-138 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Projects on hold at 27 stations in Manhattan:
Roosevelt Island F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/63 St F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
42 St-Bryant Pk B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
34 St-Herald Sq B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broadway-Lafayette St B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
2 Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Delancey St-Essex St F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
East Broadway F
- upgrade to public announcement system
190 St A
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
145 St A C B D
- elevator or ramp installation
W 4 St-Wash Sq A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Canal St A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
World Trade Center E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/59 St N R W
- elevator or ramp installation
168 St 1
- elevator or ramp installation
3 Av L
- new fencing between platform and track
5 Av 7
- elevator or ramp installation
Times Sq-42 St 7
- new fencing between platform and track
Delancey St-Essex St J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Canal St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Broad St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
110 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
59 St 4 5 6
- elevator or ramp installation
7 Av B D E
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 14 stations in Queens:
21 St-Queensbridge F
- upgrade to public announcement system
111 St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
75 St-Elderts Ln J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport E J Z
- new fencing between platform and track
Jamaica-Van Wyck E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Parsons Blvd F
- elevator or ramp installation
Sutphin Blvd F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Briarwood E F
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Howard Beach-JFK Airport A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broad Channel A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Far Rockaway-Mott Av A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Projects on hold at 1 station in Staten Island:
Clifton SIR
- elevator or ramp installation
-
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