There was hand sanitizer to spare, and faces were mostly masked, but joy still rocketed between the rides and game booths of Coney Island's Luna Park, which opened this weekend for the first time in 18 months.
Under an overcast sky and scattered rain, there was a feeling of jubilation and rebirth. And the lights of the iconic Wonder Wheel sparkled again after being shut down for the first time in a century.
Monica Ghee, who at 71 has been working at the amusement park for 52 years, said she was "over the moon with excitement" to be back at work. "The silence was killing us," she said.
As more New Yorkers vaccinated against Covid-19, the city's restlessness after a year of lockdowns and social distancing is boiling over. But it was also a return to normal.
With just over two months to go before the city's June 22 Democratic primary, candidates for mayor showed up in force, taking selfies and offering Covid-safe elbow bumps to passerby on the Coney Island boardwalk, while current Mayor Bill de Blasio was seen riding in the front-row of the Cyclone.