The "Dogs in Halloween Costumes" Edition
Early voting, a profile of Eric Adams, the taste of our tap water, the agony and ecstasy of the incomplete bean, the best bars in Midtown, and more
Today - Low: 59˚ High: 60˚
Possible drizzle overnight.
• Photos: The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan)
• Early voting has begun and continues through Halloween. (Sophia Chang, David Cruz, and Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• This NY Times profile puts its finger on what makes Eric Adams so unsettling. It's only when you read more about him, both in this feature and in general, the more unsettling he and the stories he tells become. It's a fascinating read but a troubling one, as this man is the likely next mayor of the city. (Matt Flegenheimer, Michael Rothfeld, and Jeffery C. Mays for NY Times)
• Vintage Map: Check out the BMT trolley map showing all the above-ground routes that Brooklyn used to have. Funnily enough, Red Hook was still pretty inaccessible in the 30s. (Matt Coneybeare for Viewing NYC)
• Be careful, if you joke about going to "da club," you may end up in Nebula, times Square's newest club, which is also Manhattan's largest club to open in years. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• The MTA's working shortage can be traced back to Governor Cuomo's plan to modernize the MTA back in 2019. The state paid consultants millions of dollars to cut thousands of jobs resulting in the agency scrambling to hire more people now. The City looks at the history of the transformation plan, how it was passed at the last minute, and the impact it had. (Jose Martinez for The City)
• All families with children in New York City public schools are eligible for discounted internet and devices thanks to a temporary federal program, yet only a fraction of eligible households appear to have signed up for the six-month-old program. (Reema Amin for Chalkbeat)
• If you're worried about the non-toxic gas being released into the subways, Time Out has 11 things New Yorkers do that are more toxic than the non-toxic gas being released in the subway this month. How many are you guilty of? (Melizza Kravtiz-Hoeffner for Time Out)
• The best bars in Midtown. (The Infatuation)
• Inside the Zombie Barneys that is now a Spirit Halloween and a look at how Spirit has thrived in an otherwise haunted retail environment. (Kim Velsey for Curbed)
• Okay, so I know the last link was about Spirit Halloween and you're already upset that the Halloween candy section is starting to be eaten by the Christmas decor at Duane Reade, but the Bronx Zoo holiday lights will return on November 9. (Bronx Times)
• The Rink at Rockefeller Center opens on November 6. I'm sorry, I know. You're still trying to enjoy spooky season and have been lucky enough not to hear THE Mariah Carey song yet. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Even the Sanitation Department knows it can't stop the ever-present march of time towards winter, as preparations for snow season are underway. (Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)
• Video: The scariest Halloween house in NYC, in Bayside at 214th Street & 56th Avenue. It's like Dyker Heights's Christmas lights houses, but spooooooky. (ActionKid)
• The agony and the ecstasy of the unfinished bean at 56 Leonard St. It seems as if we may be at full bean very soon, but we'll always be at half bean in our hearts. (Sophie Haigney for Curbed)
• People sensitive to taste can detect organic compounds in a concentration of 10 parts per trillion, or ten grains of sand in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. No wonder that some people can detect the difference in taste when the city switches from the Catskill Aqueduct to the Croton Reservoir. For the next few months, the tap water in Manhattan and the Bronx may taste a little different while the aqueduct is down for repairs. (Danny Lewis for Gothamist)
• The judicial inquiry into Eric Garner's death will begin on Monday. The inquiry is expected to focus on the stop and use of force against Garner, the alleged filing of false documents following the arrest, the leaking of Garner's arrest history and medical conditions, and the alleged failure to provide him medical care following the chokehold. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• Apartment Lust: A $2.6 million Brooklyn Heights duplex owned by Andrew Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa, so you can live like someone who helped shape Cuomo's defense against sexual harassment allegations with three beds, private outdoor space on the roof, wood-burning fireplaces, an en-suite bath, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• October is national pizza month. Where to celebrate with the best pizza in Astoria. (Merissa Principe for Give Me Astoria)
• A tour through the Mandala Lab at the Rubin Museum, an interactive guide to Tibetan Buddhist thought. (Laurel Graeber for NY Times)
• A boozy jelly cake company for when you want to elevate your Jell-O shot game, but don't expect these to get you wasted at 5% alcohol per cake. (Emma Orlow for Eater)
• The hidden park, the plane on the roof of a building on Water Street, and more of the ten secrets of the Financial District. (Laura Itzkowitz for Untapped New York)
• What makes a church? Is it the congregation or the building? That question is playing out in Harlem as the shrinking Grace Congregational Church wants to tear down their building as part of a plan to survive but local preservationists want to save the building. (Liam Stack for NY Times)
• Maybe I don't understand why this is a thing because I'm a vegetarian, but here are 13 places to buy and eat tinned seafood around NYC. (David Neimanis for Eater)
• It is time to put an end to thinking that New York somehow "needs" an In-N-Out Burger. (Chris Crowley for Grub Street)
• The best restaurants in East Harlem. (The Curious Uptowner for The Infatuation)
Featured Pet: Chela!
The hat. I’m dying. Thank you Stephanie for sending in this photo of Chela, who was a foster-turned-adopted from Anjellicle Cats Rescue.
Thank you to the three people who contributed to The Briefly since the last edition. Your support and generosity are very well appreciated.