I went holiday shopping on New York City's famous Fifth Avenue and was horrified by the huge crowds

Frank OlitoDec 17, 2020, 20:41 IST

Shopping on Fifth Avenue looked a bit different this year.Frank Olito/ Insider

I went Christmas shopping on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to see how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the holiday tradition.
While the streets, the stores, and the holiday market at Bryant Park had fewer people than in previous years, the crowds were still substantive, especially when the sun set.
There were fewer lines this year and although everyone was wearing a mask, not everyone was social distancing in the stores or outside.
When the crowds flocked to Fifth Avenue at night, I became so overwhelmed and horrified at the lack of social distancing that I had to cut my trip short.

When I was young, my family and I would take a train from my hometown on Long Island to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue every December to do our Christmas shopping.

While walking down the famous avenue, we would shop at the big-name stores, enjoy Saks Fifth Avenue's window display, and take in the Rockefeller Christmas tree. It's a tradition I've kept alive most years, especially because I hate shopping online.

But this December is different. The coronavirus pandemic has completely altered the way we do almost everything in our lives, and many businesses are not operating as they once were.

To see how the pandemic has affected holiday shopping on Fifth Avenue, I ventured to the famous street. I sought to stay as safe as possible by wearing a mask, endeavoring to social distance whether inside or outside, and packing lots of hand sanitizer.

What I found both surprised and horrified me.

On a Sunday afternoon in December, I took the train from Brooklyn to the first stop on my attempted shopping spree: Bryant Park in Manhattan.

Bryant Park. Frank Olito/ Insider

When I stepped into the park, I was instantly surprised to find big crowds, even though the market itself was scaled back.

Bryant Park's ice skating rink. Frank Olito/ Insider

Although everyone was wearing masks, per the park's rules, I still didn't feel comfortable about the lack of social distancing around the small shops and decided to leave.

Bryant Park's crowds. Frank Olito/ Insider

Although everyone was wearing masks, per the park's rules, I still didn't feel comfortable about the lack of social distancing around the small shops and decided to leave.

I left Bryant Park and started walking up Fifth Avenue, which had fewer people but was still surprisingly crowded.

A busy sidewalk on Fifth Avenue. Frank Olito/ Insider

To get away from the crowd, I dipped inside Barnes & Noble and then Urban Outfitters.

Inside Urban Outfitters. Frank Olito/ Insider

H&M also had a crowd in the store, but it wasn't as busy as previous holiday seasons.

H&M. Frank Olito/ Insider

Most notably, there weren't long lines at the checkout counters.

Lines were short in Guess. Frank Olito/ Insider

There were, however, lines of people waiting outside some stores.

The line outside of Apple. Frank Olito/ Insider

Each store had tape on the floor to direct traffic and to ensure people were staying 6 feet apart.

Five Below. Frank Olito/ Insider

To further ensure safety, every store had a plexiglass window at checkout.

Cashiers were behind plexiglass. Frank Olito/ Insider

After shopping in Five Below, I went back outside and found an even larger crowd by the famous windows of Saks Fifth Avenue.

The crowd outside of Saks Fifth Avenue. Frank Olito/ Insider

To escape the crowd, I ducked inside Saks Fifth Avenue, which wasn't as busy as usual.

Saks Fifth Avenue. Frank Olito/ Insider

Once the sun set, Fifth Avenue and the area immediately outside of Saks became unbearable.

The very crowded Fifth Avenue. Frank Olito/ Insider

After nine months of avoiding people at all costs, this was too much. I had to call it quits.

The Rockefeller Christmas tree. Frank Olito/ Insider

At the end of the day, it was a semi-successful Christmas shopping haul, but I'll finish the rest of my shopping online.

The haul. Frank Olito/ Insider

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I went holiday shopping on New York City's famous Fifth Avenue and was horrified by the huge crowds

On a Sunday afternoon in December, I took the train from Brooklyn to the first stop on my attempted shopping spree: Bryant Park in Manhattan.

When I stepped into the park, I was instantly surprised to find big crowds, even though the market itself was scaled back.

Although everyone was wearing masks, per the park's rules, I still didn't feel comfortable about the lack of social distancing around the small shops and decided to leave.

I left Bryant Park and started walking up Fifth Avenue, which had fewer people but was still surprisingly crowded.

To get away from the crowd, I dipped inside Barnes & Noble and then Urban Outfitters.

H&M also had a crowd in the store, but it wasn't as busy as previous holiday seasons.

Most notably, there weren't long lines at the checkout counters.

There were, however, lines of people waiting outside some stores.

Each store had tape on the floor to direct traffic and to ensure people were staying 6 feet apart.

To further ensure safety, every store had a plexiglass window at checkout.

After shopping in Five Below, I went back outside and found an even larger crowd by the famous windows of Saks Fifth Avenue.

To escape the crowd, I ducked inside Saks Fifth Avenue, which wasn't as busy as usual.

Once the sun set, Fifth Avenue and the area immediately outside of Saks became unbearable.

After nine months of avoiding people at all costs, this was too much. I had to call it quits.

At the end of the day, it was a semi-successful Christmas shopping haul, but I'll finish the rest of my shopping online.