The Briefly for August 6, 2020 - The "NYC is Horny for Books" Edition
Today - Low: 71˚ High: 81˚
Rain overnight.
Liquored up ice cream is now legal in New York. The new liquor ice cream can be alcoholic up to 5% by volume. (Luke Fortney for Eater) Photos and Video: Inside an abandoned Brooklyn warehouse and a look at the treasures left behind. (Noah Sheidlower for Untapped New York) In parts of the city, the fireworks stopped shortly after July 4. Apparently Norwood didn't get the message because there was a 45-minute fireworks display over the weekend in a memorial for James Wimmer, who was a lifelong resident, on what would have been his 45th birthday. In 45 minutes, how many police showed up? Exactly zero. (Norwood News) Mayor de Blasio wants you to know that he fired Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city's former health commissioner, and she did not resign in protest. Yes, it makes total sense to fire your top health official in the middle of a health crisis. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist) The city's libraries' grab-and-go service has proven one thing: New Yorkers are horny for reading. (Reuven Blau for The City) Why did Mayor de Blasio push Dr. Oxiris Barbot out in the middle of a pandemic? He says he wants the "atmosphere of unity." Nothing says unity like people quitting your administration in frustration and forcing out the top health official in the middle of a health emergency. That must also be why you keep around NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, who shit talks in public. Bill, we all know you're a simp for cops. (Erin Durkin for Politico) There are six botanical gardens you can visit in the city this summer. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York) A look through the archives of the Brooklyn Eagle at Irving Kaufman's photography, with a focus this week on NYC construction in the 1930's. (Phil Kaufman for Brooklyn Eagle) RIP Pete Hamill, a celebrated NYC reporter whose work was featured in nearly any publication you can name. (Robert D. McFadden for NY Times) There were still nearly 100,000 customers without power after Tropical Storm Isaias on Wednesday night as ConEd reports it may take days to restore power across the city. Governor Cuomo directed the Department of Public Service to investigate ConEd's response to the storm. (Matt Troutman for Patch) If you thought that the city's bootleg bartenders selling drinks from coolers was going to dwindle in the pandemic, you're wrong. (Avery Stone for Eater) With Isaias fresh in mind and with repairs from Hurricane Sandy still going, it's a good time to examine the loopholes that allow home sellers from disclosing if their home may flood or not. (Rachel Holliday Smith for The City) Where to get takeout and delivery in Queens, updated for August. (Eater) It's like a "Why I'm leaving New York" personal essay, but it's about a restaurant. Why the Banty Rooster is leaving New York. (Matthew Sedacca with Delores Tronco-DePierro and John DiPierro for Grub Street) The city will be installing checkpoints to identify out-of-state travelers who are required to quarantine and handing out fines up to $10,000 for violations. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist) The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced firings of 79 employees, 181 furloughs, and 93 voluntary retirements. (Julia Jacobs for NY Times) This is a good link to have when someone asks you if you think they can afford an apartment in NYC: What is a good rent-to-income ratio in NYC. I've always used the 40:1 rule, but this goes a bit deeper. (AJ Jordan for Localize Labs)
"If you’ve never been to courts in New York City, even the newest buildings are teeming with people and their germs. Just to call a single case, there have to be at least 10 people in the room. One judge. One clerk. One court reporter. Four court officers. One prosecutor. One defense attorney. One person who stands accused of a crime and possibly their family members. So when OCA tells us that it will only have 10 cases on at once, that doesn’t mean just 10 people confined to one courtroom, but many, many more, all at risk of contracting and spreading the same virus that killed so many, including my colleague."
-Martha Lineberger, public defender for the Legal Aid Society, Lives Hang in the Balance as Courts Resume In-Person Work for City Limits
Welcome to the first day after Governor Cuomo's eviction moratorium is over. Without protections form the state, this could be the start of mass evictions and a huge jump in preventable homelessness in the city. (Matt Troutman for Patch) NYC will dedicate a team of contact tracers to investigate coronavirus cases in schools, but based on the city's contact tracing program so far (reminder: the NY Times called it a "disaster"), don't get your hopes too high. (Christina Veiga for Chalkbeat) Go home, NY Times, you're drunk. Headline: New York’s Sidewalk Prophets Are Heirs of the Lascaux Cave Artisans (Seph Rodney for NY Times) According to RentHop's rental report, rents dropped 5% year-over-year in Manhattan. (RentHop) A rundown of all of the bad options the MTA has now that it seems clear that the federal government is not going to be helping and congestion pricing isn't happening anytime soon. Reduced service with raised fares? Check. Signal upgrade delays? Check. Shelving new construction? Check. It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but every choice past page one is bad. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog) "The best places to eat sushi outside" is a very 2020 headline. (Hannah Albertine for The Infatuation)