Times Square really was the Crossroads of the World again on Monday as thousands of tourists arrived back in NYC and hea

Times Square really was the Crossroads of the World again on Monday as thousands of tourists arrived back in NYC and headed to Manhattan's beating heart after COVID restrictions were lifted for the first time in 20 months.

Smiling under the neon jumbotrons of NYC's Midtown commercial district, passengers from all over the world told DailyMail.com of their joy at being reunited with loved ones or just soaked up the sights of the Big Apple - which had been off-limits for so wine tours long island.  

Excited French couple Eva and Frederick said they were simply happy to be back in one of their favorite cities and shrugged off worries about vaccinations in the NYC.

'Not everyone in Europe is vaccinated,' Frederick jokingly remarked.  Indeed, while American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the US the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travelers and kept families apart.