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

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

Bryant Park during Coronavirus

A friend who is a paramedic mentioned that yesterday New York City had around 6500 emergency calls. For comparison, on an average day, NYC gets around 4000-4500 calls. All of the calls my friend responded to yesterday were coronavirus related. All of the patients tested positive for coronavirus. Half of them are now in ICU.

Things will definitely get worse before they get better.

On another note, below are more photos from the city during self-isolation. These photos are from Bryant Park on March 19, 2020 around 6:30pm.

NYPL side

NYPL side

NYPL side, normally filled with people

main lawn, still covered in dirt from the Winter Village skating rink

40th St side

40th St side
Joe's Coffee is closed because of the upcoming lockdown

Bryant Park fountain

Bryant Park fountain

Wafels & Dinges and Bread Bakery, both closed because of the coronavirus

Sixth Avenue during rush hour, normally jammed with cars

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... )

9/11 Tribute in Light

view from Jersey City

lights going up

The lights are projected from the top floor of Battery Parking Garage. The top floor is open to the public for free, though the area immediately around the lights is limited to members of the Audubon Society. The Audubon is there to monitor how many migrating birds get caught in the lights. The lights confuse birds and have to be turned off occasionally to allow the birds to fly off.

7th floor of Battery Parking Garage

Each beam is made of 44 xenon spotlights placed in a square

close up of the lights as they were being turned off

view from Battery Parking Garage, overlooking Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel

view from DUMBO