To some, they are a public nuisance; to others, they have helped inject life back into New York City.
Any way you slice it, the presence of outdoor dining sheds on the Big Apple’s streets continue to draw strong emotions — and the program itself, launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago, is very much in limbo today.
Depending on the location, one can find a host of problems associated with outdoor sheds — trash, vermin, graffiti, noise, general disrepair and the loss of valuable street parking spots. But other sheds are properly maintained, and bustling on a daily basis with diners enjoying their meals al fresco in scenes often resembling spring or summer dining in European cities like London, Paris or Rome.