The Briefly for July 2, 2019 – The "One of the Worst Run Big Cities in America!" Edition
Start putting your July 4th travel plans together, even if you're not planning on leaving the city, because subways, streets, buses, and ferries will all be affected by holiday changes. (Curbed)
Congrats to presidential candidate and sometimes-in-NYC mayor Bill de Blasio. New York City is one of the worst run big cities in America! (Patch)
After the Shalimar Diner closed in November, a Facebook group called "Save the Shalimar Diner" wanted to... you know, save the Shalimar Diner. Cue 1986 Met Lenny Dykstra, who is (kind of) saving it by moving the whole thing to Long Island. (Untapped Cities)
Construction debris fell from the 12th story of a nearby apartment building still being finished through the roof of Mission Delores, the popular Park Slope bar, on Sunday, seriously injuring a woman who was in the bar. Mission Delores is closed until further notice and the woman who was struck is breathing with the assistance of a tube at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. (Eater)
8 new outdoor art installations for July. (Untapped Cities)
Dante de Blasio wrote an op-ed in today's USA Today about "the talk" his father had with him about dealing with the police that was mentioned in last week's presidential primary debate. The head of the Police Benevolent Associaton called the mayor's remarks "shameful." (USA Today)
Eater wanted to know if L&B Spumoni Garden is still good. Turns out it is! (Eater)
The city is nearly doubling its monetary support for the LGBT community with funding for Trans Equity Programs, LGBT community services, and LGBT inclusive curriculums in public schools. (6sqft)
Here's what you need to know about the Grub Hub/Seamless website buying controversy that erupted last week. Grub Hub has been finding new and creative ways to rip off local restaurants, including registering fake websites in their names and tricking customers. (Grub Street)
Playing ping-pong on the subway. Fun idea or public nuisance? (Gothamist)
The president doesn't seem to know Letitia James's name, but he certainly knows he thinks she's being used by Governor Cuomo against him. (Patch)
The count of people who've died in car crashes while riding bicycles is up to 15 in 2019. 29-year-old Devra Freelander was hit and killed by a 70-year-old cement truck driver in Bushwick. (Streetsblog)
The number of dead bicyclists on city streets was 10 for all of 2018, the mayor says Vision Zero, which strives to "use every tool at its disposal to improve the safety of our streets," will still be viewed as a success this year. (Gothamist)
The opposition to the 14th Street busway has some opposition of its own. An advocacy group supporting the busway slammed the lawsuit that blocked the busway from taking effect on July 1 as classist, citing the average rider of the M14 has an income of $28,455/year and are people of color. (amNY)
Reaching-Out in Bensonhurst is a food pantry that has provided food and social service referrals to people in need for 30 years but due to a shortage of funds has had to turn away hungry families. The shortage is due to stagnant funding. They currently serve 9,800 families and are always open to donations. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
If you have $13 million, you can own something almost no one in NYC has: your own set of private islands. (NY Times)
The city's ban on CBD was promised at the beginning of the year for July 1. Now that it's July, the Department of Health claims that it is cracking down, but they won't issues fines until October 1. (amNY)
If you're looking for the city's biggest asshole, you wouldn't be wrong to start looking at whoever decided to create this $250 hot dog. (Gothamist)
What does Midtown need? How about an 800-foot tall tower right on top of Macy's? (NY Times)
The mayor will honor the late Det. Luis Alvarez, who recently died at 53 due to 9/11-related cancer, with a key to the city. (amNY)
A former high school student was awarded nearly $60 million in damages on Monday after a Manhattan jury found the city’s Department of Education and his former teacher liable for an accident that left much of his body scarred from third-degree burns. (NY Times)
A non-NIMBY argument against City Councilmember Brad Lander's "YIMBY Junk." (Red Hook Star-Revue)
The days of speeding without consequence in the city is coming to an end. The city is installing 2,000 speed cameras within a quarter mile of schools, which are practically everywhere. Anyone going 10 mph over the posted speed limit will get a $50 ticket. Critics say that turning the entire city into a speed trap won't save lives, but anyone who gets a $50 ticket in the mail will start driving differently. (NY Times)
Where to get lunch in Midtown East. (The Infatuation)
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