Rockin’ around the Christmas tree looks different for visitors at Rockefeller Center this year, starting with Wednesday’s tree lighting ceremony. What’s normally a chaotic, crowded tourist hotspot during the holiday season was instead a mask-mandated, time-limited, socially distanced locale due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tree, a 75-foot (23-meter) Norway spruce, had its holiday lights turned on in an event that was broadcast on television but closed to the public. The telecast used pre-recorded performances from entertainers like Kelly Clarkson and Dolly Parton, and camera shots of the streets around the tree showed them to be largely empty.
In a city known for spectacle, Soul Kitchen in Business Bay stands out by doing the opposite. It whispers instead of shouting. Tucked away from the obvious hotspots, the restaurant has become a quiet cultural landmark — a space where food, art, and identity move together in harmony.
