SEE: Commuters Welcomed Back To Grand Central With Piano Concert
NEW YORK, NY — As New York City continues its economic recovery from the novel coronavirus life will return to once-deserted transit hubs such as Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. The Metro-North railroad decided to welcome commuters back to the city with a grand piano concert Tuesday.
The commuter line brought students from prestigious New York City music school Juilliard to play tunes on a Steinway & Sons piano Tuesday. New York City entered phase two of its coronavirus recovery this week, which allows offices, restaurants, retail stores, salons and houses or worship to reopen with new capacity regulations.
For many office workers, this means a return to the city after months of working remotely from the suburbs. Grand Central and Penn Station may not be teeming with commuters right away, but city officials expect that phase two means hundreds of thousands of workers will be returning to their jobs barring a setback.
"This is a wonderful way to welcome visitors and Metro-North customers back to Grand Central Terminal," Catherine Rinaldi, Metro-North Railroad president, said in a statement. "Grand Central Terminal’s 107-year history has connected so many New Yorkers and visitors – and today the sounds of live music echoing throughout the Terminal being played by the talented students of The Juilliard School, will connect us all again."
The MTA reversed drastic cuts to public transit service earlier this month when New York City became the last region in New York to meet the state's requirements to begin reopening. The city's infection numbers held firm enough to advance to phase two in the minimum two weeks. State officials will continue to monitor data such as infection rates, hospital bed availability and testing capacity to determine whether New York City can continue to reopen additional parts of its economy.
Check out video of the live performances in Grand Central below:
This article originally appeared on the Midtown-Hell's Kitchen Patch
