The Briefly for April 18, 2019 – The "Tough Talk From A Mayor Who Can't Back It Up" Edition

The view from the top of Brooklyn's tallest tower is magnificent, but it'll only be the tallest tower for a short period of time. (Curbed)

The latest hole poked in the city's congestion pricing condom is for Bronx residents, who will not have to pay to cross the Henry Hudson Bridge. (Streets Blog)

Mayor de Blasio touts the NYC Ferry system for addressing some of New York's "historic inequities," despite having literally zero evidence to back up his claim. (amNY)

The mayor claims the reason for his crackdown on electric bikes has been safety, but he's either willfully lying or he's pathetically uninformed. Neither option is great. There were 45,775 motor vehicle collisions that resulted in injuries, 31 of those involving electric bikes and 23 of those were injuries to the rider of the bike. Zero pedestrians were killed by bikes, electric or otherwise. (Streetsblog)

The NYPD only cost the city $230 million in settlements last year. $25.4 million of that was a settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit related to the NYPD's illegal arrest quotas, which the NYPD denies is still happening, while it is still very much happening. (Gothamist)

The mayor declared Tuesday “Jin Park Day” in honor of Harvard student Jin Park, the first undocumented Rhodes scholar in history who has been a longtime NYC resident. (Huff Post)

The 16 best French restaurants in New York. (Grub Street)

The $3 billion Amazon tax subsidy is dead. Are any lawmakers daring enough to go after the film tax credit, which has given out $6.5 billion in subsidies in the last fifteen years? (Gothamist)

Take a video tour of Brooklyn... from 1949. (js4653)

How to find temporary student housing in the city. (StreetEasy)

Long Island City's Noguchi Museum is making a 6,000 square foot expansion and opening Noguchi's original studio building. The expansion is expected to be finished by 2021. (Curbed)

10 iconic Bushwick landmarks. None of them involve unicycles, Four Loko can structures, mustache wax, or eight people living in a two bedroom apartment. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

With the Democrats in firm control of New York, tenants are seeing more protections, which may include "universal rent control." (NY Times)

Rent control is good for cities according to a new study. The city's welfare went up when rent control increased. The reduction of the housing supply was outweighed by the positive effect of not worrying about losing your home. (Gothamist)

A closer look at how Oregon implemented Universal Rent Control to stop a crisis of displacement and gentrification. (Curbed)

Surprise the Harry Potter fan in your life with reservations to The Wizard Brunch when it hits NYC, which recreates an experience that is close but not to an infringing level, of eating at Hogwarts. (Time Out)

Avoid spicy tuna rolls and all raw tuna for a while. The CDC and FDA flagged it as part of a recall of Salmonella-tainted tuna coming from a company in Louisiana. New York was one of 13 states affected. Go for vegetarian options. (Gothamist)

Where to get rid of your unwanted shit when doing your spring cleaning. (6sqft)

Continuing his Justice 2020 push to move away from an over-reliance of jailing people, Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez announced a softer parole policy for Brooklyn. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

The City’s Board of Health mandatory measles vaccination was upheld in a unanimous Health Department vote. No one has been fined $1,000, but over 500 children have been vaccinated in the last week. (Gothamist)

Street vendors will take over empty subway storefronts in Corona, thanks to a partnership with the MTA announced State Senator Jessica Ramos. (Curbed)

Where to get a Passover meal in the city. (Patch)

A Brooklyn Supreme Court judge temporarily blocked a plan to build two 16-story rental buildings, the construction of the buildings is opposed by activist groups and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. (Gothamist)

We are one step closer to a five-cent fee for a paper bags once the plastic bag ban is enacted. (amNY)

It took about four hours, but nearly 200 firefighters put out a five-alarm fire in Marine Park. (Bklyner)

The M14 needs to step it up before the L Project ruins your trip to Williamsburg for brunch according to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. Maybe she didn't say the brunch part. (amNY)

A new law will prevent ICE from making arrests inside courthouses without judicial warrants. (TIme)

Happy Easter this Sunday, that's also the day the city's subways and buses will rise. (amNY)

A man was arrested for trying to carry two gas cans, two bottles of lighter fluid, and two butane lighters into St. Patricks Cathedral. He claims he was just cutting through the Cathedral to Madison Ave. Dude, come on. (NY Times)

Rents in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens have hit an all-time high. Prices dropped in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, but now that Cuomo's L Project has taken over for the L Shutdown, kiss that trend goodbye. Where is Jimmy McMillan when we need him? (StreetEasy)

Where to eat regionally inspired Mexican food in the city. (Eater)

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