In Times Square, the most densely tourist-populated place in the United States, a mentally disturbed man known as Mr. Kim begs cops to kill him. ‘I want to die. You have a gun? Shoot,’ he pleads. After the officers demur, he picks up a plank of wood and starts smashing it against the Pele soccer shop.

The lights of the entertainment world and the normalization of many activities in the Big Apple already have a start date: May 19, after more than a year of pandemic blackout. With this announcement, it is also “Open the curtain” of the recovery of at least 90,000 jobs, in addition to the ventures and dreams of thousands of Hispanic families that depend on tourism.

Police are continuing to search for those involved in the Times Square shooting that left three bystanders wounded on Saturday. Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced that “additional NYPD resources” will be deployed to the area “to add an extra measure of protection.”

The phones at the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Midtown are ringing more often lately. After dropping to 10% during the height of the pandemic, occupancy levels have shot up to 30%.

Federal authorities have arrested the alleged gunman who shot three bystanders, including a toddler, in Times Square last weekend.

For 10 straight years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic, a torrent of tourists from around the world poured into New York City, with their numbers rising to a record level in 2019.

“It is likely to have a dramatic positive impact on the city, particularly food and beverage and event spaces in both hotels and freestanding locations,” said Vijay Dandapani, executive director of the Hotel Association of New York City. “The emergence of near-normalcy is a very important signal for potential tourists.”

The city’s real estate community found cause to celebrate on Thursday after the CDC issued new guidelines that those who were fully vaccinated were not required to wear masks or maintain a six-foot social distance indoors.