Signs of optimism as NYC sees rise in tourism, bit by bit

The once-deserted steps outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art are filling up with visitors again. Tourists who vanished from New York City's museums, hotels and cultural attractions when the coronavirus pandemic hit a year ago are trickling back in as restrictions loosen. “I've always wanted to come to New York, just because I've watched the movies,” said Chazmin Fuhrer, 26, a first-time visitor from Concord, California, who came into the city for a handful of days recently to celebrate a friend's birthday.