I had a sit-down dinner at a New York City restaurant for the first time during the pandemic, and felt safer than I expected

Rachel AskinasiJun 24, 2020, 22:19 IST

The restaurant set up seating in the parking lane of the downtown street.Rachel Askinasi/Insider

New York City restaurants were allowed to open to outdoor diners starting Monday as the city entered Phase 2 of reopening.
I visited Edward's, a restaurant in lower Manhattan, to dine out for the first time in more than three months.
I was nervous about crowds and safety beforehand.
But the combination of distanced tables, mask-wearing employees, and single-use resources put me at ease.

On June 22, I ventured out into the changed New York City dining scene to eat at a restaurant for the first time in more than three months.

A view of Edward's from across the street. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

When I first got the June 21 email from Notify NYC — an alert service for NYC residents — that outdoor dining would open starting the next day, I felt conflicted.

This table serves as the host stand, a sanitizing station, and a place to settle up with your credit card. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

When I first got the June 21 email from Notify NYC — an alert service for NYC residents — that outdoor dining would open starting the next day, I felt conflicted.

Walking around the weekend before New York City entered Phase 2, when outdoor dining could officially begin, I had already seen New Yorkers taking to the streets to eat and booze their way through the summer weather.

People gathered on sidewalks and in streets outside of bars drinking cocktails out of plastic cups. NurPhoto/Contributor/Getty Images

Walking around the weekend before New York City entered Phase 2, when outdoor dining could officially begin, I had already seen New Yorkers taking to the streets to eat and booze their way through the summer weather.

But restaurants opening up their sit-down service means we can trade in our takeout containers for actual dishware.

I wasn't happy about using a single-use cup, but I did it anyway. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Going into the experience, I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy it because I'd be worrying about all of the outside factors and potential for contracting COVID-19.

I carried disinfecting wipes, rubber gloves, a spare mask, plastic cutlery, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and my own straw. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

When I walked up to the restaurant, I saw that it had taken over what would be parking spaces to create its own patio rather than crowd the sidewalk.

There was plenty of room for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

To limit shared items between customers, Edward's was using paper menus. But, they did use glass carafes and water cups.

Menus were paper but drinking cups were glass. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I didn't have to whip out my plastic cutlery because Edward's was distributing its own.

Plastic did the job just fine with this meal. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

There were no salt and pepper shakers on the tables, and ketchup came in packets rather than a bottle.

I was never a huge fan of the ketchup packets anyway. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I felt like I was able to keep 6 feet between myself, diners around me, and even the person I was dining with.

I was able to have a great conversation with my dinner date even with my mask on. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I had a great experience that turned out to be a lot less panic-inducing than I anticipated.

Cheers! Rachel Askinasi/Insider

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I had a sit-down dinner at a New York City restaurant for the first time during the pandemic, and felt safer than I expected

On June 22, I ventured out into the changed New York City dining scene to eat at a restaurant for the first time in more than three months.

When I first got the June 21 email from Notify NYC — an alert service for NYC residents — that outdoor dining would open starting the next day, I felt conflicted.

Walking around the weekend before New York City entered Phase 2, when outdoor dining could officially begin, I had already seen New Yorkers taking to the streets to eat and booze their way through the summer weather.

But restaurants opening up their sit-down service means we can trade in our takeout containers for actual dishware.

Going into the experience, I thought I wouldn't be able to enjoy it because I'd be worrying about all of the outside factors and potential for contracting COVID-19.

When I walked up to the restaurant, I saw that it had taken over what would be parking spaces to create its own patio rather than crowd the sidewalk.

To limit shared items between customers, Edward's was using paper menus. But, they did use glass carafes and water cups.

I didn't have to whip out my plastic cutlery because Edward's was distributing its own.

There were no salt and pepper shakers on the tables, and ketchup came in packets rather than a bottle.

I felt like I was able to keep 6 feet between myself, diners around me, and even the person I was dining with.

I had a great experience that turned out to be a lot less panic-inducing than I anticipated.