By Gordon Hughes
What a way to end a year. Due to the persistence of COVID, it’s changes and ups and downs may make this column more or less factual and timely.
There are three Broadway musicals that I am involved with that are now up and running, three tiles in a mosaic of new and old shows back up on the Great White Way. Broadway is back! On the other hand, there is the return of COVID-19 hovering over the city once again. There are old and updated protocols being put in place to combat the pandemic. Both the governor and mayor of New York State and New York City have reintroduced these protocols to protect and fight the variant. One step forward one step back.
Now, I have been attending a number of Christmas gatherings and they have been more fun than I can remember. It’s been almost two years since folks have seen one another. Friends and relatives are so excited to be reunited. With the new Omicron variant, greetings can run the gambit of hugs to fist bumps to simple waves. Still, there is joy in the air. The city itself is decorated in a festive fashion. The Theatre District is aglow with almost forgotten lights. Of course, Rockefeller Center is a blaze of color with the return of the ice skaters. But if you really want to feel the holiday spirit, walk the streets of the West Village. The stoops on the brownstones are so much fun, now more elaborately decorated than I can remember. Of course, there are the Christmas trees for sale on the corners and the unique Village shops with fun and different gifts for sale. Toys, clothing, and all kinds of antiques. Pop-up stores have appeared, filling up the open spaces. Then there are the restaurants; the summer gazebos for outdoor dining have been converted into winter igloos and they are packed. So, all this said New York is back. Broadway is back. The West Village is back with a vengeance. December is a great window of reflection of the year and a great way to welcome in 2022. Really, it can only get better. Happy Holidays and best in the New Year.
Using amazing true-life stories and scientific research, this book demonstrates that making time to connect is the most productive thing we can do to thrive at home or at work.
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