Like almost everything, the sale of party supplies is much lower. The celebration packages for 50 people are still being filled to the brim at Doolin’s Party Supply.
“These days are usually our busiest days of the year, and we usually do more than 6,000 balloons. We go crazy, we don’t know which way to go,” said owner Nicholas Doolin. “It’s a lot more of a gloomy time here. We’re just looking forward to getting to 2020 by 2020.”
And with colder temperatures and no dining room inside, people rely on restaurants to heat things up on their porch.
At the Greek-inspired restaurant Avli, the bookings arrive quickly, as do the orders, with 60 already being filled for Thursday night.
Many restaurants are pushing up their New Year’s Eve offerings to contribute to additional support during an already extremely challenging financial year.
“Everyone is trying, everyone is trying to be safe, following the rules and having as much work as possible,” said Dimitris Dib, chief executive of Avli.
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And Chicago officials are reminding people to celebrate safely.
The Department of Business and Consumer Protection even warns that they do intend to apply the city’s rules on New Year’s Eve and at the weekend, with not only quotes, but the closure of businesses if necessary.
In fact, a party with more than 150 people ended just in the 5400 block of North Avenue on Saturday, and officers will be on the lookout on Thursday.
At Avli, they utilize their large patio space with seating for 80. With a few seats still available for New Year, the chef is ready to serve as many people as he can safely do.
“The ownership spent a lot of money buying heaters to make the patio feel inside,” Dib said.
Usually on New Year’s Eve, the city offers free CTA rides, 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 grapple with the aftermath of an unprecedented global health crisis, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) encourages Chicago residents to follow the health guidelines set forth by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Illinois Department of Public Institution Health (IDPH), and celebrates the new year responsibly from the comfort and safety of the home.As such, no free rides will be offered with CTA buses or trains New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Eve.
‘This decision was taken with the best interests of our riders and employees in mind, and is in line with what other peer transport agencies are doing this year in response to the pandemic, including those in the cities of Dallas, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto and Vancouver. ‘
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