The "All the New Mandate News" Edition
The "All the New Mandate News" Edition
The new vaccine mandates, Only Murders in the Building" is back (to filming), the best new dishes of 2021, the new spicy New Spicy Village mystery, 14 Sichuan restaurants, and more
Today - Low: 40˚ High: 43˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
psst! it’s time to send me more pet photos!
Another A+ entry into THE GREATEST TWITTER THREAD OF ALL TIME.
• New York City will implement a vaccine mandate on December 27 for all private employers. This will be in place for all businesses with more than one employee. The mayor will announce more details and penalties on December 15. (Kevin Duggan for amNY Metro)
• The existing school mandate for staff and teachers was extended to the city's private and religious schools. Private and religious school staff have until December 20 to provide proof of vaccination. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• Anyone over 12 will need to have received at least two shots in order to dine indoors starting on December 27. Children between 5 and 11 will need to have proof they've received at least one dose to dine indoors. (Rachel Sugar for Grub Street)
• For all the shit I've given Mayor de Blasio for cowardly decisions, these changes to the vaccine mandates are very forward-thinking. Speaking of cowardly statements, Mayor-elect Eric Adams won't commit to enforcing de Blasio's mandates. (Dana Rubinstein for NY Times)
• The state has begun postponing elective surgeries in 32 hospitals due to capacity issues as part of the executive order signed last week by Governor Hochul. (Nick Reisman for NY1)
• City Hall withheld neighborhood death data in the early days of the pandemic. The Department of Health couldn't release any information without approval from the mayor's office, which held up the release of the death data and an advisory for patients on how to get medical care for non-Covid illnesses. (Katie Honan for The City)
• What is NYC without cream cheese? Supply chain issues are causing a potential cream cheese shortage. (Amal Sytsma for Grub Street)
• Speaking of shortages, there's a Christmas tree shortage as well. This one isn't a supply chain issue but due to an unexpected frost in the spring damaging trees in Quebec and fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. Christmas trees take about 12 years to reach maturation. This may continue for a few years until the 2012 crop of trees is ready. (Katherine Fung for Gothamist)
• The East Side Coastal Resiliency project is underway, closing half of East River Park. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• Nearly half of the city's buildings received a D or F energy efficiency rating in the second year of grading. Only about 20% of buildings received A grades. (Samantha Maldonado for The City)
• The New York Public Library (NYPL) just announced the opening of a free new exhibit that features objects and letters related to Stephen Sondheim. The Exhibition will open on January 14, 2022. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• “Only Murders in the Building” is back filming on the Upper West Side, at least that's what the sleuths at I Love the Upper West Side believe based on the name being used for production. (E.L. Danvers for I Love the Upper West Side)
• A look at Eric Adams's transition team, including the founder of a lobbying group, the publisher of amNY Metro, Brooklyn Paper, Bronx Times, and more, the Manhattan DA-elect, the CEO of United Way, former de Blasio and Bloomberg administration people, and more. (David Cruz for Gothamist)
• Looking for a good mystery? There's a New Spicy Village that has nothing to do with the original Spicy Village. To make this more confusing, the name of the new spot is New Spicy Village, so while it's not really a new Spicy Village, it is New Spicy Village. While New Spicy Village isn't a new Spicy Village, it is copying Spicy Village's menu, making New Spicy Village look like a new Spicy Village. Understood? (Chris Crowley for Grub Street)
• The best new dishes of 2021, unranked. (Hannah Albertine, Nikko Duren, and Carlo Mantuano for The Infatuation)
• Hundreds of thousands of commuter railroad riders paid peak fares during the pandemic despite off-peak pricing being in effect for the last 20 months. (Jose Martinez for The City)
• Interview: John Wilson from HBO's How To with John Wilson. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
• 10 pop-up holiday bars. (Kat Odell for Eater)
• Review: More intimate than "Sleep No More," less traditional than "Speakeasy Times Square," and not as straightforward in purpose as "Odd Man Out." Bottom of the Ocean is described as memorable, unique, absolutely frightening, and not seeming to have a point. Oh Bushwick, never change. (Anna Rahmanan for Brooklyn Magazine)
• Review: Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway gives us all the opportunity to ask: "Why?" (Matt Windman for amNY Metro)
• 14 mouth-numbing Sichuan restaurants. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
Featured Pet: Mr. Phillip the Cat!
I have a lot of photos of Phillip looking indifferent in multiple adorable outfits. Thank you to reader Stephanie for sending this one in!
Thank you so much to the reader who contributed to The Briefly since the last edition using the Ko-Fi link in the footer of the email. There’s something exciting coming in the next few months for everyone who’s ever contributed.