The "A Brown Discharge Bomb" Edition

Why elevated highways flood, saving an animatronic horse, fighting knights in Central Park, saving the city from flooding, Only Murders in the Building, and more

Today - Low: 71˚ High: 79˚
Clear throughout the day.

Thanks to reader George for sending in today’s featured photo! Send your NYC photos to thebriefly@gmail.com

• Labor Day originated in 1882 with a march from City Hall to Union Square. (Emily Nonko for 6sqft)

• A look at the original manuscript of Manhattan's street grid plan, which is on display at the New York Public Library's Treasures exhibit. (Gothamist)

• If you were skeptical about the NYPD's ability or willingness to enforce the MTA's mask mandate, August's numbers won't shock you. The NYPD issued zero fines for mask mandate violations with 21 people asked to leave the subways for refusing to wear a face covering. (Jose Martinez for The City)

• 14 restaurants offering Rosh Hashanah specials. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation)

• How to get help if you suffered damage from Hurricane Ida. (David Cruz and Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)

• One way to fight flooding in the city and on the subway is at our feet. More green spaces and less cement will increase absorbency and divert our regular 100- and 500-year storms from dumping their waters into our homes and subways. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog)

• How is it possible that an elevated highway, like the FDR or the ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, was flooded? (Alissa Walker for Curbed)

• The storm also released "a brown discharge bomb" on Newtown Creek. When rainfall overwhelms the city's sewage treatment plants, untreated sewage flows into the city's waters through dozens of sewage overflow locations. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)

• Interested in knowing when your poop is headed towards the city’s waters? There’s a Twitter account for that. (@combinedsewer)

nyc combined sewers @combinedsewer

Here's a map of the waterways and outfalls that I tweet about:

• Worried about poop in the water when you’re headed to the beach? The city has a Beach Water Quality site. (nyc.gov)

• What you need to know about the city's basement apartments, including what may make them illegal and what to do if you suspect you're in an illegal apartment. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)

• The mayor says the city will increase its storm alerts and evacuations in the wake of Hurricane Ida, which include sending emergency responders door-to-door to help evacuations. Question: How do you send emergency responders to illegal basement apartments that you don't know exist? There's no one solution to deal with the wrath of the planet and a non-holistic approach will continue to ensure failures. (Jeffrey C. Mays for NY Times)

• The mayor, with a 37% approval rating, seems to be considering a run for governor. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)

• Where to eat, drink, and shop at Essex Market. (Carlo Mantuano for The Infatuation)

• H&H Bagels is going national with the country's top 50 markets being targeted. In light of their expansion, some clarity on the history of H&H and its history. (Bobby Panza for I Love the Upper West Side)

• RIP Michael K. Williams, Omar from The Wire, who was found dead in his home on Monday. (Annie Correal and Matthew Haag for NY Times)

• The activists fighting to save the facade of the Grand Prospect Hall won a temporary court order that demands the contractors demolishing the building "take all appropriate precautions to preserve the facade and to not further damage the facade or character of the building" until September 16, when they are hoping to have gone before the Landmarks Preservation Commission to secure landmark status for the hall. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)

• If you're like my wife and I, you are wondering what happened to the weird talking animatronic horse that was stationed outside the Brooklyn Bavarian Biergarten. The construction crews gave the horse to some neighbors at 320 Prospect Ave, who plan to clean him up and outside their building on special occasions. Did you know that the animatronic horse was once a stand-in for Mr. Ed? (Patty Onderko for Brooklyn Magazine)

• It's like MMA, but with medieval knight armor, swords, and axes. Welcome to GladiatorsNYC, which meets up monthly in Central Park to fight. Want to join in? There are classes too. (Bobby Panza for I Love The Upper West Side)

• State lawmakers voted Wednesday to extend the COVID-19 emergency eviction moratorium until Jan. 15. (Allison Dikanovic for The City)

Jackson Isaacson @jacksonisaacson

we finally got a bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge and it’s so much more pleasant than constantly yelling at tourists.

• The fight against the National Grid fracked gas pipeline that would run through Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, and Williamsburg is being elevated to the Biden administration. Opponents argue that National Grid failed to notify and educate the public about the pipeline, as required by law, and that New York State failed to conduct a proper environmental analysis, and the disproportionate impact to people of color violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Mags Chmielarczyk for Brooklyn Magazine)

• 16 new public art installations in September 2021. (Irene Madrigal for Untapped New York)

• Real Estate Lust: A $5.2 million Morris Park townhouse with original woodwork from 1889, seven beds, five and a half baths, 6,000 square feet, fireplaces, stained glass, a backyard, and more. (Dana Schulz for 6qsft)

• Filming locations for “Only Murders In the Building,” starring Steve Martin and Martin Short, which is now available on Hulu. No, The Arconia is not a real building. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York)

• 21 fall restaurant openings you need to know about. (Rob Patronite for Grub Street)

Featured Pet: Moose!

Thanks to reader Bailey for sending in this photo of Moose! Want to see your beloved pet featured here? Send your photo to thebriefly@gmail.com

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Thank you to the two readers that bought The Briefly a coffee since my last email.