The Briefly for November 19, 2019 – The "Is The Rent Finally Too Damn High?" Edition

A Midtown BINGO card, to make going to Midtown only slightly less terrible. (Gothamist)

There are signs that, to quote Jimmy McMillan, "the rent is too damn high." The volume of apartments for rent has increased for the fourth month in a row, raising the vacancy rate across the city. (amNewYork)

Got 100 years? That's all it'll take the average New Yorker to save up enough money to buy a home here. (Patch)

Chef Amanda Cohen, best known for Dirt Candy on the LES, is unveiling Lekka, a new restaurant. The main event is a new veggie burger. The entire restaurant, including the name, has a South African influence. Lekka opens today. (Grub Street)

The globes on the Manhattan Bridge are coming back as part of a $75.9 million rehabilitation of the bridge. (Untapped New York)

Video: One of the three new Staten Island ferries getting launched into the water. The first is expected in the city in August. (Untapped New York)

The MTA is not known for being gentle, and their work in the 86th Street R station in Bay Ridge is no exception. Renovations have damaged the station's historic tile work, which dates back over a century. (The Brooklyn Home Reporter)

Martin McDonagh’s dark drama about a British executioner "Hangmen" is coming to Broadway with previews in February. "Hangmen" won the Olivier Award for best new play in 2016 in London. (NY Times)

No one is buying Michael Bloomberg's "remorse" over stop-and-frisk. (The Root)

Holiday pop-up bar season has come for us all. (Eater)

Here come the holiday markets. (6sqft)

There's a parent-led concerted effort going on in District 15 to integrate their middle schools and the results are encouraging. District 15 covers Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Sunset Park, Cobble Hill and Windsor Terrace. (Gothamist)

Don't believe the NY Post when it comes to the city's supervised release program. Despite the headlines, the city doesn't give everyone "gift cards, cell phones, and Mets tickets." The supervised release program is in place to help ensure people make their court dates, and appearances have held steady at 88% when intake has increased over 50%. Pretty good track record. (Gothamist)

The Playboy Club is dead and changing into the Live Nation Theater at Cachet Hotel. Turns out not many people were interested in a $100,000 membership. (Brooklyn Vegan)

The boyhood home of Donald Trump was for sale in an auction and no one bid on it. Maybe if everyone puts in money we can buy it and throw a sledgehammer party to demolish it. (6sqft)

In tribute to the Diamond District, which sits on W 47th between Fifth and Sixth, "one of the last New York blocks left in Manhattan." (Gothamist)

After being pressured to leave Bed-Stuy, Charlotte Taillor's BDSM Collective and Domination School Taillor Group has settled into their home in Bushwick to host kink/BDSM workshops, self-defense classes, and private sessions, all of it legal. (Bushwick Daily)

Photos: Opening day at the new flagship Milk Bar, including the "neon hallway." (Gothamist)

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told the City Council’s Public Safety Committee Monday that they should pass a bill mandating the public release of NYPD body camera footage. (amNewYork)

Esquire's list of the best new restaurants in America for 2019 is out and it includes NYC's Rezdôra, Kawi, Oddo, Wayan, and Red Hook Tavern. (Patch)

The city is making a big push to offer services to the homeless in Outreach NYC, but the program is being met with skepticism. Yes, the outreach is improving, but the shelter system itself still has all of its own problems. (Gothamist)

Photos: The Brooklyn Botanical Garden unveiled its new Robert W. Wilson Overlook, which gives viewers a sweeping view of the Cherry Esplanade. (Curbed)

There have been more and more coyote sightings in Central Park. If you come across one, stay calm and try to avoid it. If it comes up to you, try to make yourself look bigger and make loud noises until it retreats. (Gothamist)

Pot arrests have dropped dramatically in the city, but the people arrested are still predominantly black and Hispanic, making up 90 percent of arrests last quarter. OF the 260 people arrested for possession, less than 20 were white. (Patch)

Ben Kallos, running for Manhattan Borough president, got a cease and desist from Marvel Comics for dressing up like Captain America in a recent political mailer. (Patch)

The death of 25-year-old Brooklynite Ola Salem, found in a wooded area of a Staten Island park, was ruled a homicide. (Gothamist)

The MTA is planning to renovate the 52nd Street, 61st Street, 69th, 82nd, 103st and 111th Street stations along the 7 line with renovations getting started in the second half of next year. (Jackson Heights Post)

The best burgers in the Upper West Side. (I Love The Upper West Side)