The Briefly for July 3, 2019 – The "Pick A Side: Iced Coffee vs Cold Brew" Edition

Here's the deal with the subways and buses on July 4. (6sqft)

Expect massive crowds and tight security if you're checking out the fireworks over the east river. (Patch)

Safety tips for pet owners on July 4. (amNY)

Each year's Fourth of July fireworks display in the city starts in the California desert, in 11 underground bunkers in high-security facilities. (NY Times)

What's open and what's closed on July 4. (Patch)

The New York Times is never why when it comes to controversy, and they jumped in head-first with this one. Is cold brew better than iced coffee? (NY Times)

Checking in with Tom's Restaurant on the Upper West Side 30 years after Seinfeld's pilot aired. (Gothamist)

The top 10 secrets of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. (Untapped Cities)

Despite every last inch of Manhattan having been developed, there is still wildlife. With the year half over, coyote sightings in Central Park are at quadruple the level they were for all of 2018. If you encounter one, leave it alone and report it. (I Love the Upper West Side)

While conservatives around the country are mounting challenges to Roe v Wade, New York City has become more accommodating to those seeking an abortion. Charities helping women afford abortions are seeing a higher percentage of those women come from outside the city. The city even set aside a quarter of a million dollars in support for the New York Abortion Access Fund to assist people from outside the city be able to afford an abortion. (Gothamist)

The okapi diorama at the Museum of Natural History is considered to be one of the world's most impressive taxidermy dioramas. Here's the story behind the diorama and even the one riddle/practical joke that can be found if you look close enough. (Atlas Obscura)

NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza issued new gender inclusion guidelines to better support the city's 1.1 million students. The guide touches on sports, name and gender changes, dress codes, and more. While they are still only guidelines, they are being praised by advocacy groups as a good start. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Don't be alarmed, but we've hit "the cockroaches are flying" time of year. (Gothamist)

Right now the city's homeless shelters turn away people with pets, which becomes a real problem for the 10-25% of people experiencing homelessness who have pets. More than 98% of animals surrendered to the city's Animal Care Centers in the last six months are due to their owners' homelessness. Two bills making their way towards the city council could change that. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

The city's restaurants have begun to embrace the latest food trend: chickpeas. (amNY)

Sometimes it's better not to ask. Like, "What is that black, smelly liquid pouring out of the elevator at Grand Central?" Maybe that's information we should never know. "Why was it gushing out and why did it smell like sewage?" These are more questions that should not be asked because you probably don't want to know the answer. (Gothamist)

On any given day you can find multiple photos of NYPD vehicles using the city's bike lanes like personal parking garages, which makes the mayor's declaration that the NYPD is going to start taking drivers in the city's bike lanes laughable. (Streetsblog)

Apologies to our mayor, who had his time in Iowa interrupted to discuss the three bicyclist deaths in the city in the last week. A "crisis," but not enough of a crisis to deal with it within the confines of the city that he's supposed to be in charge of. The mayor was short on details, aside from increased NYPD enforcement of pre-existing laws. (Gothamist)

The crackdown is not permanent, but a three-week targeted enforcement. (Streetsblog)

Fact-checking the president's claims that New York's taxes are driving people away. (NY Times)

Our president is a serial liar, so no one should be surprised that despite his claims that he's never had an alcoholic drink that he regularly drank in New York City, according to a new book by Allen Salkin. (Vice)

The first section of a state park honoring the first African-American woman elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm, is open in Brooklyn. (Curbed)

The city is speckled with the history of the revolutionary war if you know where to look. (amNY)

Remember the city's styrofoam ban? It's in effect and the first fines have been issued. (Gothamist)

Central Park's Belvedere Castle is open after a 15-month renovation. (Time Out)

The drink of the summer: The Gin and Tonic Plus (Grub Street)

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