Eat Street, NYC

Not much seating, but I like how they take advantage of the planters as pre-existing spacers. They should put out more tables.

I visited the Upper East Side today, and its restaurant landscape is pretty sparse compared to downtown. But we did visit this cute cafe that presumably has more seating now than they did in the past. It's hard to see, but they've maximized their space by setting up a "table" in front of their bench made of milk crates and a plywood board painted pink.  

With sports back in session, lots of restaurants have put big screen TVs outside for patrons. This ends up packing the places on the weekends, but even on random weekdays, the screens are still out. (Expand post for a second picture.)  

The Jerk Hut, brought to you by Akbar and Jeff's long lost cousin Lily. (The orange bench seating is also a nice touch.)  

This is the last place I ate, on March 9, before The Shutdown. Now, they have both a sidewalk patio and an on-street deck. It's only a little unfortunate that the deck is in the bus lane, though I guess I'd rather prioritize restaurants than a slightly faster bus right now.

It's aesthetically pleasing when a restaurant uses their indoor furniture (though undoubtedly a pain to have to bring it back inside overnight). Bonus points for matching the barrier wall with the furniture.

Another place with live music. The amplification system here is kind of too loud, but still, props for partnering with musicians. 

Brown velour seats + live jazz music on a blocked off street. More places should be bringing outdoor music to their piece of sidewalk. 

  Excellent spacing of tables to maximize social distancing. Another lucky restaurant able to make use of the space that is coincidentally next to the building.  

Not many restaurants are open by 8am for breakfast, but Bluestone Lane is reliable. Lots of online orders wait for their recipients too. Relatively large number of single diners gives this a typical coffee shop vibe. Another example of a corner restaurant that can expand their seating capacity. (August 6, 2020)

Admirable dedication to matching the umbrellas with the facade of the restaurant (there were more blue umbrellas outside the frame). Substantial sidewalk space means the tables can be much more appropriately spaced out than they would be on a deck.

A split-sidewalk design. The flowers in the planter match those in the treebed. The tables are separated by dividers to make diners feel safer. Not much shade on the street side of the sidewalk. (August 2, 2020)