New Yorkers mourn passing of Queen Elizabeth
NEW YORK -- Tears are flowing Thursday from London to New York City, where Britons are overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
As CBS2's Tim McNicholas reports, Tea & Sympathy, a British restaurant in the West Village, holds a special connection to the queen. They're used to celebrating big royal events, and still have a sign hanging from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee a few months ago.
But Thursday, customers and staff are far from jubilant.
The team at Tea & Sympathy is proud of their authentic British menu, but owner Nicky Perry is even more proud of the moment framed on her wall.
"This is my father getting his award," Perry said.
The Queen herself presented an award to Nicky's father at Buckingham Palace for his contributions to classical music.
"It was probably the proudest day of my life," Perry said.
Less than an hour after she showed McNicholas the photos of that special moment, she learned the queen had died.
"Just feel really upset for everybody," Perry said. "I don't know, shaking. Like my mom or something. Really odd feeling," Perry said.
And it wasn't just Perry and her staff grieving.
Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss are customers who lived in England in the '90s and still hold dual citizenship. They're not exactly fans of the royal institution.
"It's really out of touch in a lot of ways," Weiss said.
But they have long respected the Queen, and were surprised by their own emotions today.
"I'm embarrassed that I'm crying. It's the end of an era. It's a heroic woman," Schiller said.
"I guess I feel pretty emotional about," Weiss said.
The owners of Tea & Sympathy say they will likely have some kind of special event here for the Queen's funeral. That's all still being planned as they push through an emotional day.
The Empire State Building was shining in purple and sparkling in silver to mark the Queen's life and legacy.
The beloved leader made her way to the top of the Empire State Building in 1957.
This isn't the first time the tower has honored her. It was illuminated in purple and gold in June to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
Tennis fans also tribute to the Queen as a moment of silence was held before the first women's semifinal match at the US Open. The crowd stood as her picture was displayed on the stadium screen.
A picture of Queen Elizabeth II was also put on the screen during the Yankees-Twins game at Yankee Stadium. Fans there also observed a moment of silence.
Pop star Harry Styles paid tribute to the Queen during his Thursday night concert at Madison Square Garden, asking the audience to join him in a round of applause.
