The Briefly for January 3, 2020 – The "Your Choice of Subway Seat is Always Wrong" Edition

Today - Low: 45˚ High: 49˚

Light rain until morning, starting again in the evening.

This weekend - Low: 34˚ High: 52˚

Lance at Subway Weekender has retired his blog detailing the weekend's subway delays. I'm working on either finding a replacement or doing this work myself. In the meantime, check the MTA's giant list of everything happening to avoid being stranded by the trains this weekend. Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero is modeled on a Swedish approach that views all deaths as preventable. If that's the case why did the deaths of pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists increase in 2019? (Emma G. Fitzsimmons for NY Times) There's an unlikely place to find the city's history: postcards. (John Freeman Gill for NY Times) What is the best subway seat? This meme lasted less than a day before de Blasio and Bloomberg ruined the fun. (Jen Carlson for Gothamist) The Times has the best answer. Your answer is obviously wrong. (Emma G. Fitzsimmons for NY Times) A record collection that rivals the one maintained by the Library of Congress sits in Tribeca needs a new home. (Derek K. Norman for NY Times) David Hay, the deputy chief of staff to schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, was fired after he was arrested for allegedly trying to arrange sex with an underage boy online. (Nina Golgowski for HuffPost) Turns out David Hay, hired by the Department of Education, never received a completed background investigation. The Department of Investigation's Background Investigation Unit has backlog of thousands of files. (Jen Chung for Gothamist) 6 crucial ways New York City’s landscape will change in 2020. (Zoe Rosenberg for Curbed) Cardell Gadsden, a corrections officer from Rikers Island, was arrested after he allegedly murdered his uncle Steven Gadsden on the Upper West Side on Thursday. Gadsden was suspended without pay. (Jen Chung for Gothamist) The 79th Street Boat Basin is the only spot in the city where houseboats can dock year-round. At the moment there's room for 33 boats and there is a 14-year waitlist for a lease. The Department of Parks is planning a $90 million renovation to triple capacity with construction starting late 2021 or early 2022. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) The city's laws require employers to provide employees with lactation areas, but that doesn't seem to matter to the NYPD, according to a new lawsuit. Five women are suing the NYPD for forcing them to pump breast-milk in rooms full of garbage bed bugs, their cars, and bathrooms. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) Lasagna. Is this really going to be 2020's food trend? We can survive anything after the 2019 horny chicken parm craze. (Alan Sytsma for Grub Street) Video: Think you've got what it takes to keep up with a Rockette? You don't. (Matt Coneybeare for Viewing NYC) Following a rash of anti-Semitic violence in recent weeks, Brooklyn elected officials are calling for dialogue and camaraderie between the borough’s black and Jewish populations. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) The Brooklyn House of Detention officially closed on Thursday. The remaining 390 detainees moved to other facilities, including Rikers Island. (Kevin Duggan for Brooklyn Paper) Ok Kang, 70, is the first pedestrian in the city killed by a driver in 2020 on Northern Boulevard, the "New Boulevard of Death." (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist) A man was caught on video literally trying to grab a sleeping woman on the subway and carry her off the train. The man, Sonny Alloway, was arrested and claims to have been attacked on the street multiple times since the video went public and offered $5,000 to anyone who attacked him if they can knock him out in a boxing match. For $5,000 I might consider giving it a try! (Brooklyn Baldwin for The Root) The annoyances and adoration of Di Fara pizza. (Michael Fiorito for Red Hook Star-Revue) All buses on the B44 SBS route are now equipped with the transit agency’s new Automated Bus Lane Enforcement system, issuing fines to cars caught illegally in the bus lane. Doesn't it defeat the purpose of the system if the MTA announces that its use is limited to the B44, M14, and M15? (Scott Unman for Brooklyn Eagle) The NY Post continues to be the NY Post. Offensive, exploitative, and I am 100% here for Gothamist shitting on the worst publication in the city. (Christopher Robbins for Gothamist) NY Yankees Pitcher Domingo German will miss 63 games after accepting a suspension for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend last September. (Alex Mitchell for amNewYork) NYC Ferry's ridership was up by 32% in 2019. The increase includes the new Lower East Side and Soundview routes. (Gabe Herman for amNewYork) Farrell’s Bar and Grill is one of Brooklyn's oldest bars, dating back to 1933. The biggest change might be the bar's signature styrofoam cups gave way when the city banned them. Two Brooklynites are raising funds to produce a documentary about the bar that hasn't changed despite the changes to the city around it. (Scott Unman for The Brooklyn Home Reporter) Sales at Trump-branded condos continue to fall behind the rest of Manhattan. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) The hottest restaurants in Manhattan, January 2020 edition. (Stefanie Tuder and Serena Dai for Eater)