NEW YORK (AP) — Museums, the Empire State Building, Broadway theaters and many stores reopened Wednesday to the relief of tourists who’d been stuck in hotel rooms since the weekend due to superstorm Sandy. But parks, the 9/11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and other top attractions remained shuttered, some indefinitely as damage assessment continued.

“We tried to go to Central Park but it was closed,” said Angela Walsh, here from Lincoln, England, with her husband and two kids, as they took pictures at Rockefeller Center Wednesday morning, where the rink was opening for skating. She said they’d spent much of the last two days in their hotel room. “Thank God for Facebook,” she added. “That kept them entertained.”

All city parks and the High Line are closed indefinitely. In Central Park at least 250 mature trees were felled by the storm, with benches and playgrounds damaged as well. “It’s all about keeping the public safe,” said Doug Blonsky, president and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy.