The Briefly for May 20, 2020 – The "What to Do if You Find a Baby Bird" Edition
Today - Low: 48˚ High: 63˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
After cancelation, reinstatement, appeal, and a rejection the June 23 presidential primary is officially back. This means an additional 615 in-person poll sites, 22 early voting poll sites, and 4,617 poll workers will be required. This is also a reminder that you can and should vote absentee this year. Here's how. (Brigid Bergin for Gothamist) The Chrysler Building applied to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to add an observation deck on the 61st floor. (Sebastian Morris for New York YIMBY) 177,700 students will be attending virtual summer school this year. It's been a tough year for students, so comparing this year's numbers to any year in the past is not an apples-to-apples comparison, but this is the highest number of students in history. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist) What to do if you find a baby bird. Hint: its parents won't smell you on them. (Beth Skwarecki for Lifehacker) “My fingernails are breaking, I’ve got hangnails, I’ve been getting my nails done for 14 years … I’m very much into yoga, I can’t go to my Bikram yoga studios, I can’t go get my eyelashes done, I can’t go and socialize with the people that are my friends. It’s led me to depression, it’s made me not feel sexual — I mean it’s awful.” This is a real quote from someone protesting outside a barbershop in Williamsburg, but the protestors were sparse mostly from out of state. If you're looking for a barbershop to avoid, it's the Beard Barberia Cut and Shave on the corner of Grand Street, who organized the protest (which drew six!!! people) with the pro-Trump group Liberate America, whose organizer was arrested in 2017 for allegedly jerking off in the back seat of an Uber in CA. (Kevin Dugan for Brooklyn Paper) This year's virtual pride celebration's grand marshals are the Ali Forney Center, Dan Levy, showrunner and star of “Schitt’s Creek,” Yanzi Peng, executive director of LGBT Rights China, and Victoria Cruz, a queer rights activist. (Paul Schindler for Gay City News) The mayor announced the city's heatwave plan, which includes air conditioners for NYCHA and low-income homes, electricity subsidies, misting oases in parks, and open fire hydrants on certain blocks. (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech for amNewYork Metro) Nearly 70% of offices were open concept, what will offices look like when they reopen? (Shaye Weaver for Time Out) Have you been in a car around the city lately? It's very weird. (Michael Wilson for NY Times) It's amazing what a bit of yarn on a fence can do to lift your spirits. A look at the yarn bombing in East Harlem. (Roger Clark for NY1) Momofuku announced that Ssäm Bar will be moving from the East Village to the Wayō space in Manhattan’s Seaport District. David Chang's restaurants have chosen increasingly more touristy areas for its restaurants since Trump-supporting billionaire Stephen Ross came on board in 2016. (Ryan Sutton for Eater) Peter Luger is offering take-out and delivery for the first time ever. If you've been clamoring for food from the restaurants that recently received a zero-star rating from NY Times's Pete Wells, here's your chance. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft) Today (Wednesday) is the Naming The Lost: A 24 Hour COVID Vigil, a 24-hour virtual vigil that starts at 2 pm to provide an opportunity for collective mourning as the number of deaths reaches for 100,000. (Sydney Pereira for Gothamist) Mayor Bill de Blasio will press the state to approve line-of-duty benefits for families of city workers killed by the coronavirus. The mayor wants the benefits to expand beyond first responders, which is the current limit of federal legislation. (Erin Durkin for Politico) A weekend project: make Shake Shack's cheese sauce at home. (Claire Lower for Lifehacker) Nine hospitals in the city are about to begin allowing visitors again in a test program as Covid-19 is showing signs of abatement. There will be restrictions, but to those who have been in the hospital during this pandemic, I'm sure that any friendly face would be a welcome one. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Five of the most cringe-worthy excerpts from President Trump's talk with NYC restaurant owners. Thomas Keller from Per Se is kissing the president's ass so hard these moments he should be embarrassed. (Erika Adams for Eater) Fresco's Cantina in Astoria is putting a new spin on delivery with its new "DRAG-livery" service, which involves sending drag queens out to deliver food and perform. The service is an additional $15 on top of a food order. (NY1) A look at David Bowie's favorite NYC sandwiches. (Robert Sietsema for Eater) Magnolia Bakery's locations on the Upper West Side and in the West Village are experimenting with new ultraviolet lights that supposedly kill airborne virus particles as people enter the bakery. The light will be in addition to every other protective measure that has been put in place. (Tanay Warerkar for Eater) Magnolia isn't the only one getting in on UV lights, the MTA announced it is launching a three-week pilot program using UVC lights, which has been used to disinfect buses in Shanghai. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) If your plan was to hear out to Long Island this weekend because the city's beaches will be closed, tough shit because Long Island's beaches will be off-limits to city residents. (Marcus Navarro for Politico) Taste Of Persia, the Persian restaurant once inside a pizza place in Flatiron, is reopening as a delivery-only business. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) Why hasn't Dr. Oxiris Barbot been at the forefront of the city's communication with the public? The root of the problem seems to be the mayor, who has had a tense history with his Health Department. (J. David Goodman and Jeffrey C. Mays for NY Times) Where to find NYC’s best bread delivery right now. (Bao Ong for Time Out) NYU is planning on allowing students back on campus for the fall semester. (Shannan Ferry for NY1) 13% of the city's nearly 10,000 corrections officers have caught Covid-19. (Jan Ransom for NY Times) Being a fan of the Knicks is fun because every year the Knicks try something new or hire new people and still manage to produce the same garbage results. The Knicks' latest move is hiring Frank Zanin as an assistant general manager. The Knicks are 67-163 under their current general manager, so Zanin has a tough road ahead of him whenever the NBA starts up again. (Joe Pantorno for amNewYork Metro) Health inspectors are two months into a hiatus on examining local restaurants still open for takeout during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reuven Blau for The City) Where to get Chinese takeout and delivery. (Hannah Albertine & Bryan Kim for The Infatuation) Thanks to reader Emma for today's featured photo!