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Ghost yurts and love shacks

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | The Village landscape is dotted with pandemic outdoor dining structures — some of them full of light, life and laughter, others abandoned hulks sitting sorrily amid the snowbanks.

Eye-catching but empty, a pink shed sits in disrepair on W. Fourth St. near Sheridan Square. (Photo by The Village Sun)
A broken-down yurt on First Avenue that wouldn’t have won any awards for design anyway. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Some of the unused structures look like they were attached to businesses that have closed for good, while others might just be closed temporarily.

Things were bustling on Thursday night outside Caffe Reggio on MacDougal St. (Photo by The Village Sun)
A bar on W. Fourth St. only had one tableful of customers last Thursday night, far below the capacity of its dining shed. (Photo by The Village Sun)

With temperatures hovering around freezing, it’s not surprising that outdoor dining might be falling off. Following the recent blizzard, 4 to 8 more inches of snow is forecast for Super Bowl Sunday.

A mothballed outdoor dining structure on W. Fourth St. (Photo by The Village Sun)
The “ruins” of an outdoor dining structure outside The Slaughtered Lamb pub on W. Fourth St. (Photo by The Village Sun)
Left over from busier days back during Halloween, an abandoned limb on W. Fourth St. outside The Slaughtered Lamb. (Photo by The Village Sun)

In a desperately needed lifeline to local restaurants and bars, though, in another week, indoor dining at 25 percent capacity is scheduled to return on Valentine’s Day. The hospitality industry, however, says it needs 50 percent capacity.

As for removing the discarded dining huts, people can call 311 and the city will either contact the owner to do it or have the Department of Sanitation handle it.

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