The Briefly for December 13, 2019 – The "When Calling 311 is Not the Answer" Edition

Today - Low: 48˚ High: 49˚

Rain starting in the afternoon.

This weekend - Low: 33˚ High: 45˚

Lots of disruptions on the subways this weekend on the 1, 3, A, C, F, N, Q, and R trains. Check the scheduled shutdowns before you go. (Subway Weekender) The Old Farmer's Almanac, a competitor to the Farmer's Almanac, has a prediction for NYC weather on Christmas day: "It should be a snowy, picturesque Christmas Day." (Adam Nichols for Patch) The mayor has a new plan to address homelessness, which centers around training city workers to call 311. An op-ed, credited to current and former outreach workers, the plan "is a massive misdirection of effort and resources, and has the potential to undermine the city’s ability to house and serve the people it is supposed to be helping". A worthwhile read breaking down why this doesn't approach a solution to the problem. (Gothamist) How to survive SantaCon if you feel you both hate your fellow New Yorkers and absolutely MUST participate. (Alexandra Alex for 6sqft) Here's a SantaCon map of places to avoid on Saturday. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Why all the SantaCon hate? Check out some horror stories of SantaCon's past. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) CUNY started a $1 million pilot program to address food insecurity among the students at BMCC. 50% of students enrolled are food insecure according to self-reports. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork) Alcoholic candy? Yup. Smith & Sinclair has brought boozy gummies to New York. (Emma Orlow for Time Out) Con Ed is planning on raising rates 16% on electricity and between 25% and 34% for gas over the next three years, and the chairman of the City Council's Committee on Environmental Protection isn't having it. The Public Service Commission must vote on the price hike before it can be implemented. (Bill Parry for QNS) Mrs. Claus is paid about half of what a Santa is paid, making the pay closer to an elf than the big red fat man. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft) This new development planned for the Williamsburg waterfront is really goin to divide people. Giant, unconventionally shaped buildings? Yes. A promise to build a new public park? Yes. A man-made beach? Yup. (Devin Gannon or 6sqft) Ecco! has been on Chambers St for over 25 years, but the end of the "Italian saloon" may be nigh, as a new application for a liquor license for another location fo The Grey Dog was filed for the address. (Tribeca Citizen) Public defenders and justice advocates are calling on new NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to abolish a policing tool he’s strongly defended: the department’s gang database. (Ese Olumhense and Eileen Grench for The City) Are we so starved for nature in the city that we're willing to pay someone for pinecones for $1 to $5 and tree branches for $10? Yes we are. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) More than 1,000 mourners streamed onto a Williamsburg street Wednesday evening to pay their final respects to two of the civilian victims of the Jersey City shooting. The crowd carried the bodies of the dead through the street before they were taken to their final resting places. (Noah Goldberg for Brooklyn Eagle) Apartment Porn: Take a look at Giorgio Armani’s new $17.5 million penthouse on Central Park West. (Michele Petry for StreetEasy) A first-year student at Barnard College was killed in an upper Manhattan park early Wednesday evening. Police say the young woman was slain during a mugging. (Jen Chung for Gothamist) Thursday morning was a shit-souffle of a commute, with nine different lines experiencing signal problems, door malfunctions, and activated brakes all before 9am. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Winters seems like a terrible time to surf the East River, but Santa took to the water for half an hour in frigid temperatures. (Claire Lampen for Gothamist) Six picks for top holiday windows to see this year. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) Photos: The 2019 holiday windows. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft, photos by James and Karla Murray) Some of the city’s best and most affordable museums. (Gabe Herman for amNewYork) New York City’s best museum gift shops. (Amy Plitt for Curbed) The Infatuation’s favorite new restaurants of 2019. (The Infatuation) Undocumented immigrants can get legal drivers licenses in New York starting on Monday, as the state's Greenlight law is set to take effect. (Zack Fink for NY1) The 5 best restaurants in Cobble Hill. (Scott Enman for Brooklyn Eagle) Suit up for a Sunday in the life of Storm Marrero, the first Afro-Latina singing ringmaster for the Big Apple Circus. (Alix Strauss for NY Times) A look at the recent struggles of Birdcamp, a store and boarding facility for birds. Birdcamp has been an institution for nearly two decades for bird lovers on E 53rd and is in danger of closing. (Alix Strauss for NY Times) Mayor Bloomberg's legacy with lead is toxic and steeped in institutional racism. (Alexander C. Kaufman for HuffPost) The city passed a law banning vendors from the Dyker Heights Christmas lights in an attempt to ease the difficulties the neighborhood was experiencing with the crowds, but the vendors found a loophole and have come back. (Meaghan McGoldrick and Paul Frangipane for Brooklyn Eagle) NYC’s 31 top Italian restaurants. (Eater)