The Briefly for September 3, 2019 – The "Paying to Sleep in a Van in the East Village" Edition
The Brooklyn Detention Complex will close by the end of the year and its inmates will be transferred to Rikers Island. This is the jail that had a fire in the winter that robbed it of heat for days on end and struggled with the heat during the hottest days of summer. Mayor de Blasio's community jail plan is set for a vote in city council this month. (The City)
Three illegal Airbnb landlords agreed to a $1 million settlement after making $21.4 million from illegal rentals. Seems like a good deal to me. (Patch)
$85 a night on Airbnb to sleep in a van in the East Village. (Airbnb)
Everyone's talking about the end of summer, and even though it doesn't end for three more weeks, here's a map of when to see peak fall foliage in the city. (Patch)
Meet the Houdini Museum of New York's 23-year-old director. (amNY)
The top 10 secrets of Madison Square Garden, although "they dress up the backstage area for artists" doesn't seem like much of a secret. (Untapped Cities)
The restaurants ordered closed by the Department of Health, including 3 restaurants ordered closed after 100+ point violations. (Patch)
The boiler room of the Chelsea Market is now an art space, with ARTECHOUSE taking over the space. The first show is Machine Hallucinations from digital artist Refik Anadol. (Untapped Cities)
The state finished the Kosciuszko Bridge early and the city's Department of Transportation was caught with their pants down and the bike paths to the bridge weren't ready. (Curbed)
Did you see the mystery Boerum Hill chicken massacre aftermath video? (Gothamist)
NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill has no plans to step down in light of the Police Benevolent Association's vote of no confidence. (amNY)
If you're thinking about a new look for the fall, you're in luck because Cheetos and Forever21 are giving out free Flamin' Haute Cheeto makeovers on Friday and Saturday. (Time Out)
NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes will open next week. (amNY)
Just in time, they can investigate who vandalized the Silver Gull in Queens with anti-semitic, pro-Nazi, and racist graffiti. (NY Times)
National Grid has been refusing to serve new businesses as a tactic to get their gas pipeline approved by the state and the governor isn't having it, making public statements that the Department of Public Service should consider alternative franchisees. (Brooklyn Paper)
The NYPD's leadership is very white. (The City)
This weekend was a particularly violent one when it came to shootings. The NYPD shot and killed a man in Jamaica, Queens who was the suspect in a bodega shooting. (Gothamist)
A shootout with the NYPD in Brownsville, Brooklyn has left a man dead. (amNY)
A shooting in Richmond Hill, Queens left one dead and two seriously injured. (QNS)
Smithsonian Museum Day is coming up on September 21, which means free admission to 30 of the city's museums if you register in advance. (Time Out)
The Paris Theater, the city's last single-screen movie theater, is closed. As John Waters comments in this Times piece Where will old art movie fans go to see rarified foreign films in the safety of a rich neighborhood?" (NY Times)
Cars were removed from Central Park last June but traffic signals and lines painted on the streets haven't been changed, causing chaos and creating a wild atmosphere for pedestrians and cyclists alike. (Streetsblog)
Photos from the Electric Zoo on Randall's Island. (Gothamist)
How the global diamond trade helped shape the city's skyline. (The Real Deal)
An SUV driver hit and killed a man he suspected broke into his car on Monday, marking the 21st cyclist to be killed by a driver in the city this year. (Gothamist)
How did a giraffe corpse end up at the bottom of the Lower New York Bay? How about a piano in the Bronx River? These are the mysteries of Underwater New York. (Patch)
Photos from J'Ouvert 2019. (Gothamist)
Where to go when you want dinner to feel like going out. (The Infatuation)