NYC gave up 8,550 parking spots for al fresco dining amid COVID

They have an appetite for obstruction!

Restaurants have gobbled up around 8,550 publicly-owned curbside parking spots for their outdoor seating set-ups since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to city data. Since last June, the mayor and Department of Transportation have let eateries build the dining areas in the now-former spots outside their storefronts, as indoor eating was restricted amid the pandemic.