Americans flocking to movies, bars and ballparks as winter wories fade

From Florida to 'Frisco, Americans flock to movies, bars and ballparks after winter of worry From the crack of the baseball bat in Florida to clinking of cocktails in San Francisco bars, the sounds of spring are in the air as Americans start to return to many of the beloved pastimes they were forced to abandon 12 months ago. Saundra Amrhein, Alexandra Ulmer U.S.

DUNEDIN, Florida/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - From the crack of the baseball bat in Florida to clinking of cocktails in San Francisco bars, the sounds of spring are in the air as Americans start to return to many of the beloved pastimes they were forced to abandon 12 months ago.

With cities and states loosening restrictions as new COVID-19 cases recede and the rollout of vaccines accelerates, people are enjoying a taste of their old lives again.

Over the past weekend, New Yorkers watched movies on the big screen, San Franciscans dined indoors, and baseball fans cheered on their favorite big-league players as spring training resumed in Florida.

“It feels awesome,” said civil engineering specialist Matt Skelton, 39, leaving a concession stand on Saturday afternoon clutching a bag of popcorn at TD Ballpark in Florida’s West Coast city of Dunedin, seasonal home of the Toronto Blue Jays.

“You can feel how it’s not as tense or stressed. People are feeling a sense of relief,” added Skelton, muffled by his mask.

He isn’t the only one feeling upbeat.

In just one month, the mood in the United States has rebounded from an eight-year low to the highest level recorded by Reuters/Ipsos polls that date back to 2012.

In January, just 15% of Americans thought the country was headed in the right direction, according to a poll taken after the deadly attack on the Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump. The latest poll, conducted Feb. 18-24, shows that since then the percentage who think the country is headed in the right direction has nearly tripled, to 42%. ...

To be sure, the pandemic, which has killed more than half a million Americans, is far from over. In fact, some health experts are warning that a decline in new cases is leveling off and potentially more virulent variants are spreading just as restrictions ease.

Even as the U.S. government distributed more than 110 million vaccine doses and put shots into over 57 million arms, according to federal data, the country is still recording upwards of 60,000 new COVID-19 cases daily. ...