The Briefly for December 4-5, 2020 – The "Where to Cry in Public" Friday Edition

Today - Low: 45˚ High: 51˚

Rain starting in the afternoon.

This weekend - Low: 32˚ High: 46˚

Get a jump on January and learn how to run in the winter. (Jen A. Miller for NY Times) The state's Green Light Law, which allowed undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, survived a federal appeals court challenge. (Nick Reisman for NY1) 12 new public art installations this month. (Untapped New York) There’s a screenshot of the best places to cry in NYC making its way around the internet but experienced public cryers will know there was an entire Tumblr account dedicated to places to cry. (NYC Crying Guide) Gothamist wants your help to write NYC a love letter for 2020. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) Video: Did you see (and hear) the terrifying sights and sounds of the Verrazzano Bridge on Monday during the storm? (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) Remember that guy who experienced a living nightmare of falling 12 feet through the sidewalk into a sinkhole that was full of rats where he was trapped for 30 minutes? He's suing. It doesn't matter what the amount is, it isn't enough. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) Meet Charles Barry, who has been scamming subway riders for nearly 40 years and has been arrested about 160 times. (Reuven Blau for The City) Marie's Crisis is ready to open again on December 8 at a 25% capacity, allowing only 15 patrons in at a time. (Bill Pearis for BrooklynVegan) A list of NYC-themed gifts. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) "These employees allegedly worked very hard – to steal MTA time and money," say hello to the five MTA employees accused of "brazen, repeated" overtime fraud. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) Photos: The construction of the Statue of Liberty. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) It's the future site of 1,000 below-market-rate apartments and according to the EPA, it's also home to a ton of toxic pollution a few feet underground. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) Staten Island's Mac's Public House declared itself an "autonomous zone" from the state's Covid-19 laws. It's co-owner Danny Presti was arrested. This was followed by a swam of shitheads gathering to protest. The zip code has the fourth-highest Covid-19 positivity rate in the city. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan) Two dozen subway cars were hit by a graffiti storm over the weekend, hitting the 1, 6, M, G, and Q lines. (Jose Martinez for The City) Photos: The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) Despite what you may have read in this very newsletter, you don't actually need a ticket to see the Christmas tree, but they are limiting the number of people who can be in the plaza at once. (Michelle Young for Untapped New York) The history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) Looking for a less auspicious holiday light display? Check out this Google Doc with almost 30 holiday light displays across the city. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) Speaking of holiday displays, the Dyker Heights Christmas lights are coming back this year, and people are not happy about it. 2020, amirite? (Noah Singer for Brooklyn Eagle) 6 department store holiday windows to check out. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York) RIP Betsy Wade, the first woman to edit news copy for The New York Times. (Robert D. McFadden for NY Times) The city can't move the homeless New Yorkers from the Upper West Side's Lucerne Hotel for at least two more weeks after an Appellate Court issued a temporary stay that prevents the city from moving them. This story has been ongoing since July. (Mirela Iverac for Gothamist) It's looking more and more like auditions for city schools' performing arts programs will be moving online. (Christina Veiga for Chalkbeat) Outdoor dining is looking more and more like indoor dining. Bedford + Bowery asks and answers if it's safe. The answer is that it is not. (Justin McGowan for Bedford + Bowery) A new report that looks at data from 121 cities over 10 years shows that mass transit is not a significant vector for spreading viruses. That being said, wear your damn masks on the subway. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist) Photos: Inside NYC's biggest Covid-19 lab. (Elizabeth Kim with photos by Scott Heins for Gothamist) 78% of the surveyed restaurant workers report hostile behavior from customers when staff try to enforce COVID-19 safety rules according to a new study from the One Fair Wage advocacy group. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) New York will get 170,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine by December 15, according to Governor Cuomo. The first phase of distribution will be focused on healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) Unboxing videos on YouTube hit their peak in popularity around 2014, but that didn't stop Governor Cuomo's live unboxing of an empty Pfizer vaccine box during a press conference this week. "What's up, it's ya boy Gov Cuomo and today we're unboxing a vaccine. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe if you wanna see more content like this in the future and also to smash that bell icon to get notifications because you might miss a video if you don't." (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) The CDC shortened its recommended quarantine to 10 days, but included a plea to just stop traveling. Roni Caryn Rabin for NY Times) Dr Fauci, who will be staying on with the Biden administration, said we could get "back to normal, or at least approaching close to normal, as you get into the late summer and early fall," if 75-85% of Americans get vaccinated. This was in response to a question about Broadway reopening, which has been closed since March 12 of this year. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) The New York Blood Center fears a blood shortage. Here's how to help. (Ron Lee for NY1) 10 holiday markets, pop-ups, and sales this weekend. (the skint)