The Briefly for May 14, 2019 – The "Four Billion Dollar Leaky Roof" Edition
Video: How much do you love your partner? Enough to get married on the Q train? (ABC 7 NY)
It seems like a bad idea to stop paying your mortgage for five years, but that's what legendarily stubborn Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer did with her four-story Upper West Side townhouse in protest of a tax issue. (The City)
This is your weekly warning that if you have allergies, never leave the house. This week will bring blooming flowers and misery for you while the tree and grass pollen count remains very high or high through Monday. (Patch)
The Oculus is leaking. After spending $4 billion on the building, $32 million on the skylight, and $30,000 on filling leaks with sealant, you'd think the problem would be under control. The Port Authority will replace the skylight's rubber seal this summer. (6sqft)
The new Essex Market opened its doors, across the street from the original location. (Eater)
10 fun facts about the new Essex Market. You can't have an opening without some fun facts! (Untapped Cities)
Video: Watch 24 hours of city transit in one minute. (Will Geary)
Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer accused of choking Eric Garner to death, faces a possible firing during his NYPD internal trial. Pantaleo's lawyer says he did not use a chokehold and did not have his arm around Eric Garner's throat when Garner was saying he could not breathe. The trial will last two weeks. (Patch)
With the new price of a MetroCard and no bonuses, does a value or a timed card make more sense? More often than not, even if you commute to work 5x a week, the pay per ride card is a cheaper option. (Gothamist)
Award-winning cocktails and vegan BBQ in the East Village. (Bedford + Bowery)
Mayor de Blasio attempted to create a vision of a man who was running for president by mounting a climate change rally outside of Trump Tower only to be heckled by people with "Trump 2020" and "Worst Mayor Ever" signs. The man no one wants to see run for president said that he'll make his decision this week about if he wants to spend the next year of his life on a losing endeavor instead of his job as mayor. (amNY)
Mayor de Blasio was attempting to tout the city's New Green Deal's impact on the Trump Organization, which will cost the company millions of dollars in fines if they don't renovate their buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. (Splinter)
Subway maps used to be pretty cool, as evidence of this map from 1958. (Viewing NYC)
It appears that marijuana legalization in New York is on life support. (NY Times)
63% of city voters changing the SHSAT to boost diversity, with 57% willing to scrap the test altogether. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
"What the hell does the 'night mayor' even do?" No one's really sure, but at the very least the night mayor's office has a Facebook and Instagram account now. (BrooklynVegan)
This year a New York Times piece by an Aperol Spritz denier kicked up a city-wide argument in defense of the summer-y drink. There will be a "Rally for Aperol" on Friday, which sounds less like a rally and more like a sponsored event at a bar. (Time Out)
Manhattanhenge approcheth. (I Love the Upper West Side)
An update on Charter Communications, the company trying to buy Time Warner Cable and was subsequently told to leave New York because of poor service, broken promises, and defrauding the state. They're being allowed to stay after promising they won't break any more promises. (Boing Boing)
Howie, the wallaby that ended up in the case of the Animal Care Centers of NYC, will find a new home in the Bronx Zoo. (Patch)
The governor signed a bill into law that will increase the number of speed cameras in school zones from 140 to 750 this summer, which makes last year's fight over cameras feel like an extremely distant memory. The cameras will operate from 6am to 10pm. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
Here are the eight hopefuls in the 45th Council District in Flatbush's special election, vying for Jumaane William's former seat. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
Video: Is this the subway car of the future? Forget high tech, just give us a place to stand where our crotch isn't directly in someone's face while they eat their carton of egg salad. (Cheddar)
If you're someone who collected limited edition MetroCards, 9/11 Emergency Responder MetroCard will soon be available at 10 stations. If you'd like to avoid a daily reminder of the city's terrorist disaster, there are 10 stations you should not buy your MetroCard at. (Gothamist)
A yeshiva in Queens was closed as the city's cases of the measles is nearly at 500 people. Eight of the nine schools and daycare centers previously closed have reopened under Department of Health supervision. (amNY)
Video: A tour from a real New York insider. Richard Splett's New York Splett of Mind for Splettnet.net. Richard Splett was recently Richard Splett on HBO's Veep. (Splettnet)
The five best chocolate chip cookies in the city. (Thrillist)
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