The "Century of Infrastructure in NYC" Edition
The "Century of Infrastructure in NYC" Edition
Undoing Robert Moses's damage, the best sushi in NYC, a featured pet that will make you squeal, the Gowanus rezoning gets more support, stripping Trump from the Henry Hudson Parkway, and more
Today - Low: 49˚ High: 66˚
Rain in the morning and afternoon.
This weekend - Low: 38˚ High: 60˚
• One of the struggles New York faces in the next century will be to heal the structural racism that Robert Moses built into the infrastructure. One of the scars he left behind was the Cross Bronx Expressway, which cleaves a neighborhood and pollutes it with exhaust. With Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Ritchie Torres's support capping the Cross Bronx and reuniting the South Bronx may be possible. (Ed García Conde for Welcome2TheBronx)
• While it isn't written in stone, the Gowanus rezoning appears to be more and more likely to be happening. In exchange for the support of City Council Members Brad Lander and Steve Levin, the city will invest $200 million to modernize the Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens NYCHA developments and another $174 million will go towards sewage infrastructure along 4th Ave. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• The trillion-dollar-plus infrastructure bill has Carlo Scissura, the head of the panel Mayor de Blasio created to rethink how to replace the BQE, thinking that tearing down the BQE and starting from scratch might be the best way forward. (Julianne Cuba for Streetsblog)
• The Brooklyn Bridge bike lane is popular, according to new data. Bike trips across the bridge have nearly doubled year over year without decreasing the volume of bike traffic on nearby bridges. It's amazing what can happen when you make the city more bike-friendly. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• The election is finally over. How did three ballot proposals fail and what's next? Rachel Holliday Smith's election coverage is a must-read. (Rachel Holliday Smith for The City)
• Curbed spent an afternoon with the Wheelie Guys in Harlem. (Paula Aceves for Curbed)
• Interactive Map: NYC rat inspections. (nyc.gov)
• Real Estate Lust: A $7.25 million classic six on the Upper East Side with two beds, two baths, designed by an award-winning designer, 16-foot ceilings, a fireplace, a custom LED sculpture, washer, dryer, ice maker, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• A look inside Ergot, a brand new record store in the East Village on E 2nd and Second Ave. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• "Do you understand where a human’s butt is?" is just one of the questions investigators asked Andrew Cuomo during his 11 hours of interrogation. (Josefa Velasquez for The City)
• The best Taiwanese restaurants in Flushing. (Diana Kuan for The Infatuation)
• The Henry Hudson Parkway beautification efforts took a step forward this week with the removal of a sign proclaiming Donald Trump adopted a portion of the highway. The DOT doesn't allow political candidates or campaigns to sponsor highways, so this sign should have been removed years ago. (Jen Chung for Gothamist)
• It's always good to stay on top of what the kids are drinking. Washington Square News ranks the top eight hard seltzers and Bud Light's entrant came in ahead of White Claw. Bon & Viv came out on top. (Sabrina Choudhary and Joey Hung for Washington Square News)
• Did everyone catch Wrinkle the Duck running a portion of the NYC Marathon? (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• A new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History showcases a rare 20-carat blue diamond from Botswana that’s considered nearly flawless. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• Video: Drone footage inside the NYPL's Treasures exhibition. (Untapped New York)
• It's framed as a billionaire vs millionaire penthouse battle, a story with no protagonist where no one is likable, kind of like Breaking Bad, Succession, or Sex and the City. (Kim Velsey for Curbed)
• "To refer to Sushi on Me as yet another exclusive omakase restaurant would be as nonsensical as writing off the rapper Common as yet another Oscar-winning performer." Ryan Sutton has high praise for Sushi on Me in Jackson Heights. (Ryan Sutton for Eater)
• Real Estate Lust: Michel Gondry's $2.3 million Italianate House in East Williamsburg with a sound-proof music studio, three beds, two baths, a fenced-in yard, and more. (Susan De Vries for Brownstoner)
• Central Park’s ice rink is opening this weekend and without operations from the Trump Organization Skating will be free on Sunday. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• The 31 best sushi restaurants in NYC. (Kat Odell and Eater Staff for Eater)
Featured Pet: Brave Lil Bud
I think my heart has exploded just looking at this photo of Brave Lil Bud. Thank you to reader Julian for sending in today’s featured pet. According to Julian, “his hobbies include car rides and stealing (from other dogs) —basically, he's two opposable thumbs away from Grand Theft Auto.”
Thank you to the five readers who generously contributed to The Briefly using the Ko-Fi link in the footer of the email digest.