Like almost anything else, party supply sales are far down. Holiday kits for 50 people are still stored on the shelves of Doolin’s Party Supply.
“Usually these days are our busiest days and we usually do over 6,000 balloons. We go crazy, we don’t know what the road is,” said owner Nicholas Doolin. “This is much more of a gloomy moment. We look forward to moving beyond 2020.”
And with lower temperatures and no meals inside, people rely on restaurants that heat things up on their terrace.
At the Greek-inspired restaurant Avli, reservations come quickly, as do departure orders, 60 already filled for Thursday night.
Many restaurants are pushing their New Year’s Eve specialties to contribute extra support during an already extremely challenging fiscal year.
“Everyone is trying, everyone is trying to be safe, follow the rules and have as many jobs as we can,” said Avli chief executive Dimitris Dib.
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And Chicago officials are reminding people to celebrate safely.
The Department for Business and Consumer Protection even warns that it intends to apply the city’s rules on New Year’s Eve and on weekends, not only with quotes, but also with business closures, if necessary.
In fact, a party of more than 150 people was closed on Saturday in the 5400 block of North Avenue, so officers will be vigilant on Thursday.
In Avli, they take full advantage of their large space, with a capacity of 80 seats. With a few seats still available for New Year’s Eve, the chef is ready to serve as many people as possible safely.
“The property has spent a lot of money to buy heaters to make the yard feel like inside,” Dib said.
Usually on New Year’s Eve, the city offers free CTA flights, but Chicago officials said that is not the case this year.
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In a statement, a CTA spokesman said: “As we continue to face the effects of an unprecedented global health crisis, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) encourages Chicagoans to follow the health guidelines set by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Health (IDPH) and celebrate the New Year responsibly from the comfort and safety of home this year. As such, no free trips will be offered on CTA buses or trains on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Eve.
“This decision has taken into account the high interest of our riders and employees and is in line with what other peer transit agencies are doing this year in response to the pandemic, including those in Dallas, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto and Vancouver. ”
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