The "A Place to Yell at Someone in the Subway" Edition
Will the new MTA customer service centers write us notes about why we're late for work because of subway delays?
• Let me know if this sounds familiar: The Adams administration missed a legal deadline to update progress on building bike and bus lanes. There were zero repercussions for missing the deadline. (Kevin Duggan for Streetsblog)
• The MTA’s Access-A-Ride service is so bad that it is violating federal disability laws, according to the Justice Department, quoted as saying, “NYCTA has failed to provide paratransit services at a level of service comparable to the level of service provided to individuals who use the fixed-route system.” There were no repercussions announced for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Jose Martinez for The City)
• RIP Abraham “Abe” L. Snyder, founder of the African American Day Parade. (Amsterdam News)
• Why the hell did Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg allow the dismissal of a case against a former NYPD detective accused of framing people on drug charges? (George Joseph for The City)
• The MTA is opening new Customer Service Centers in subway stations throughout the city, staffed 24/7. Three centers are already open at Coney Island, Yankee Stadium, and Atlantic Terminal. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York)
• Bird News: Inside Central Park Zoo’s effort to recapture Flaco, the missing owl. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• Quick Q: Could there be alligators in the city's sewers? (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York, updated by Nicole Saraniero)
• A look at Governor Hochul's reliance on money from horse race track operators to the tune of half a billion dollars in the state budget, despite their decline in business. Did you know the state owns the Aqueduct race track? (Sam Mellins for New York Focus)
Will the advent of gambling destinations eventually benefit New York on a financial level? Most likely. Will they kill the quintessential New York vibe? Not necessarily—at least not if built with the city’s culture in mind. We don’t need a Vegas-style casino but we could, maybe, hopefully, benefit from a New York version of it that won’t remind us of the soulless, dry and overall petrifying lifestyle that defines the day-to-day in Nevada (to each their own, of course).
- Anna Rahmanan, Let me tell you—NYC’s neighborhood map is fine as it is for Time Out
• Comparing burgers between two LA-themed diners in Chelsea plus burger hacks when ordering in a diner. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Twenty micro-ethnic neighborhoods in the city. (Untapped New York)
• I'll list any headline that declares NYC is the best town for pizza lovers, and I declare it has the best pizza lovers in town. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• Where to Go: Velma in Ridgewood. What to Order: PIZZA, "the cheesiest slices in town, rivaling Sal and Carmine's for sheer gooeyness." Finally, a Velma in 2023 that doesn’t suck. (Scott Lynch for Hell Gate)
• RIP Flamingo, the pigeon dyed pink and found in Madison Square Park. Flamingo died of inhalation of the fumes coming off the dye, according to the Wild Bird Fund. (Michelle Bocanegra for Gothamist)
• Every coffee bar in the West Village. Some people want to know what's the best, but this is not for those people. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Apartment Porn: A $2.4 million Park Slope apartment with a finished roof deck with 100-square-foot sun umbrellas (what?), three beds, two baths, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• Where to Go: Three Maples in Bed-Stuy. What to Order: Fish and chips or thick-cut bacon. (Jessy Edwards for BK Reader)
• 15 Underground Railroad stops in New York City. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• The most romantic restaurants for date night. (Izzy Baskette and Tae Yoon for Thrillist)
Top Clicked Links in the Last Edition:
MTA Brings New Open Gangway Trains to Coney Island for Sneak Peek
Bald Eagles Are Back in NYC and Waging War on Our Beautiful Herons
Peeing Is Believing: These Renovated MTA Bathrooms Are Spectacular
Featured City Pet: Anderson Coopurr
Thank you so much to reader Kendra for sending in this photo of Andy, who enjoys watching the birds in our backyard (and sometimes going on the stoop). Send your pet pics (or adoptable pet pics) to thebriefly@gmail.com.
