Grand Gentral Terminal during Coronavirus - Update

Grand Central Terminal in the middle of the pandemic. All non-essential areas have been closed off, such as the retail stores and dining area. Ticket booths are also clsoed off, and tickets must be purchased either through the app or vending machines.

never seen Grand Central so empty in the afternoon

stairs to balcony and dining concourse are closed off

dining concourse is closed off

Ticket booths are all closed, tickets must be purchased at vending machines or through the app.
On board tickets are not available

Metro-North employee health screening area

service advisory

Grand Central market is partially open

retail area is closed off

Zaros

from 42nd St

from 40th St

43rd St and Vanderbilt Ave side entrance is closed

43rd St and Vanderbilt Ave side entrance is closed

Cunningham Park during Coronavirus

Thankfully the number of daily 911 calls has dropped and daily patients arriving to hospitals is also on the decline. However, warm weather is making it very tempting for people to leave the house and head to the parks, especially this past weekend. Little Bay Park was so full the main parking lot (by Fort Totten) was closed off by police, while the second parking lot under Throgs Neck Bridge was overflowing.

Cunningham Park was more manageable. While there were still a lot of people, it was easier to keep distance from other people except for certain walkways, particularly leading to and from the parking lot.

NYPD and NYC Park Rangers were also handing out free face masks to people in various parks around Queens, including here (though this park wasn't listed on the website).

nice 70°F weather in Queens

watching the sun set over the park

barbecue grills are blocked to prevent use

tables have been turned upside down to prevent people from gathering and using them

picnic areas have been roped off

posted signs

another roped off area

NYPD handing out free face masks

NYPD handing out free face masks

tennis courts have been locked

sign posted at tennis courts, though there's too much condensation to read it

bocce ball court is also blocked off

Closed Manhattan Stores

Just a look at stores around Manhattan which are closed due to COVID-19.

New York Public Library
this was taken before the lockdown, which is why the sign optimistically says they'll re-open after March 31

Express

never understood why you'd open a year-round Christmas store...

souvenir store

Joe Coffee in Bryant Park

even many laundromats are closed

99 Cent Pizza closed; Taco Mix open

and of course Game Stop is still open since the company doesn't care about its employees or customers

Grand Central Terminal during Coronavirus

While it's actually not too hard to get empty photos of Grand Central Terminal (since the terminal closes from 2am-5am), it's definitely unusual to find it so empty during rush hour.

Below are some side by side comparisons of Grand Central Terminal. Left photos are from December 29, 2019 at around 6:30PM and the right photos are from March 19, 2020 at around 6PM.

from 42nd St

facing west

Some additional photos from March 19, 2020

Of course, this is a good sign since it means most people are staying home (unlike me, who still has to go in to work at least twice a week... )