The "Can Rockefeller Center Ever Be Cool?" Edition
The most fascinating people, $200 fries, get married in a deli, sinkholes, mosquitoes, seafood in Brooklyn, and more
Today - Low: 71˚ High: 84˚
• Brooklyn Magazine released its inaugural list of Brooklyn’s Fifty Most Fascinating. "You don’t have to like someone to find them fascinating," as the description says. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• Say hello to the $200 plate of french fries at Serendipity3, the world's most expensive fries. Can I ask for the 23-carat gold dust on the side? (Melizza Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• The Museum Of Chinese In America reopened this week but was protested due to Jonathan Chu's place on the board. Chu is the landlord being blamed for the closing of Jing Fong. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• Over 5,700 New York City eateries got $2.8 billion in Restaurant Revitalization grants and you can see who got what. At the top of the list are Katz's and Le Bernardin for $5 million each. (Nick Garber for Patch)
• Congrats to the Queens County Inn & Suites of Long Island City, which topped the list of the worst hotels in the city for bed bugs. Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• It's a good time to be a driver in a fatal or near-fatal hit and run. Compared to the NYPD's 54% clearance for murders last year, this year's hit and runs only have a 23% arrest rate. This year's 47 hit and runs are the most since 2015 when this data was first published. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• When you read about something in The Briefly that you want to check out one day, I suggest you make plans to see it soon. The second and third oldest known manhole covers in the city have been removed. The oldest, from 1862, is still in Central Park. (Ariella Rosen for Untapped New York)
• 18 coolest ice cream shops in New York City. (6sqft)
• The recent rains and heat have created the "ideal conditions" for the West Nile Virus. The city's already started to spray for mosquitoes but it's time to buy some repellant. (Chloe K. Li for Gothamist)
• Speaking of the rain, it’s partially to blame for the two giant sinkholes that opened up in the city this week. (Precious Fondren and Ashley Wong for NY Times)
• Rough Trade is moving to Rockefeller Center, which makes us all ask can Rockefeller Center ever be cool? (Kim Velsey for Curbed)
• No one freak out about this but it's possible that Wegmans might be moving into Astor Place. (EV Grieve)
• Apparently there's a heroin named Covid-19 because things aren't weird enough already. BoJack Kills. (Anna Quinn for Patch)
• Elizabeth Crowley conceded in the Queens borough president race, finishing behind incumbent Borough President Donovan Richards by less than one percentage point. (Allie Griffin for Queens Post)
• RIP Biz Markie (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• A series of bills signed into law this week will make it easier to obtain an absentee ballot in future elections. (David Cruz for Gothamist)
• The Paris Theater will reopen on August 6 with a "light refresh." (André Wheeler for Time Out)
• Interview: Libby Schoettle, aka PhoebeNewYork, whose art you have definitely seen in public, even if you don't recognize her name. (Katie Zepf for Time Out)
• Ten years past its closing, looking back at Mars Bar. (EV Grieve)
• Despite the recent surge in Covid-19 cases with the Delta variant, the mayor has no plans to implement another mask mandate. (Anna Quinn for Patch)
• The nearly forgotten history of Prospect Park—from grazing sheep to secret gardens. (Allison C. Meier for Brooklyn Based)
• Love pastrami almost as much as your loved one? Not you can get married at Katz's. (André Wheeler for Time Out)
• The Lucerne on the Upper West Side has plans to reopen as a hotel this October after some minor renovations. (Mike Mishkin for I Love the Upper West Side)
• Summer school just started and more than 80 classrooms are already in Covid-19 quarantine. (Jessica Gould for Gothamist)
• A look at NYC Mesh, an inexpensive community internet that provides an alternative to the likes of Verizon and Optimum. (Bliss Broyard for NY Times)
• A guide to summer seafood in Brooklyn from Fifi Bell-Clinton and Gwen Woods, the founders of The Crabby Shack. (Carla Thomas for The Infatuation)
Featured Pet: Bagel!
Shhhh! Don’t wake Bagel! Thanks to Jennifer for sending in this photo of this sweet pup. Send in your pet and animal photos to thebriefly@gmail.com or reply to this email!