The "Immortality on the LIRR Rails" Edition
The "Immortality on the LIRR Rails" Edition
A problem eight years in the making is bringing LIRR trains out of retirement. Veselka is opening a second location, McNally Jackson is moving, where to eat in Chelsea, and more.
• Everything to know about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (Davin Gannon for 6sqft)
• Five secrets of McSorley's Old Ale House. Is the “no ladies” history of McSorley’s a secret? (Walker Schulte Schneider for Time Out)
• The 11 best Irish bars in New York City. (Rebecca Fishbein for 6sqft)
• People released under New York's bail reform laws are less likely to get rearrested. Eliminating bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies reduced recidivism in New York City. Remember that. (Matt Katz for Gothamist)
• NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell downgraded or outright ignored recommended punishments for cop misconduct last year hundreds more times than previously known. Sewel claimed to depart from the Civilian Complaint Review Board's recommendations 70 times, while the number is actually at least 425. Remind me again why this person deserves the trust of the public? (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• The city Department of Investigation’s unit that keeps an eye on the NYPD has been without a permanent inspector general for more than a year and is working with half as many staffers as at its peak — resulting in less scrutiny of police activities. (Katie Honan for The City)
• While I applaud the effort, City Councilmember Rita Joseph's proposal that the city builds 100 miles of protected bike lanes per year might be out of reach since it couldn't hit its established 50-mile requirement last year. (Kevin Duggan for Streetsblog)
• The Department of Sanitation’s test project to containerize trash pickup on one residential block won’t work on a citywide level according to the DSNY commissioner. From the quotes in the article, it appears to be a bit more work for pickup to get bags out of a container instead of off a pile on the sidewalk. Isn't it nice to imagine a city without mountains of leaky rotting trash bags in August? (Kevin Duggan for Streetsblog)
• In some positive news, the Board of Corrections pushed back on all three of Mayor Adams's proposals for the time being. The mayor was trying to get the jail oversight board to meet less frequently, to cut off care packages to people in custody, and to prevent anyone incarcerated from receiving physical mail. Adams's lack of control of the board may be short-lived, as he hasn't had an opportunity to appoint new members yet. (Nick Pinto for Hell Gate)
• There is some concern about Mayor Adams's plan to make the city's Department of Design and Construction a state authority, which might speed up construction by bypassing some processes for major capital projects, including public and expert review. The mayor, who already doesn't appear to give a shit about what most people think, is really showing his cards with this one. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• According to the latest from the Department of Design and Construction, construction of a new jail in Brooklyn will complete two years later than the city's 2027 Rikers shutdown. While the DDC did cite Covid-19 and increased construction and labor costs, "public and expert review" isn't on the list of reasons for the delay. (Ximena Del Cerro for Brooklyn Paper)
• NYC jail captain Rebecca Hillman has been convicted of criminally negligent homicide for waiting to intervene as a man was dying in his cell in November 2020. (Samantha Max for Gothamist)
• Here's an insane headline: NYPD Removes Punisher Poster From Manhattan Sex Offender Check-In Facility. They removed it after a complaint, not of their own accord. (Katie Way for Hell Gate)
• Veselka is opening a new location in Williamsburg. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• McNally Jackson bookstore is moving a few blocks down Price St. The store will close on Tuesday until the new location is set up. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• Andrew Cuomo is trying to grope his way back into the spotlight. Cuomo is drawing the false equivalency that not showing full-throated support for Israel is the same as anti-semitism and also that if you don't "stand with Israel" you "stand against Israel." Did he talk about his dead dad in a weird way? You bet he did. (Hell Gate)
• A guide to the 2023 state budget fight. (New York Focus)
• The state is considering granting the City Council the ability to create a residential parking permit system with monthly permit fees flagged for the MTA. (Jon Campbell for Gothamist)
• A fight in the state budget between Governor Hochul and the state's legislature will be over subway and bus fares. The legislature proposes holding fares at $2.75 while Governor Hochul calls for $3. Quotes from representatives are asking the MTA to be seen as a public good like sanitation and firefighting. (Aaron Ginsburg for 6sqft)
• The MTA brought some of its oldest and least reliable trains out of retirement for the LIRR because almost 25% of its fleet can't fit in the tunnels leading to the new Grand Central Madison. The MTA knew about the issue in 2016 and hasn't ordered new train cars to remedy the situation. Maybe the key to true immortality is to be a train car on the LIRR. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• The city broke ground on the 12 million gallon sewage overflow tanks that will collect Park Slope and Gowanus's poop and pee when it rains instead of dumping it into the Gowanus. (Ethan Stark-Miller for Brooklyn Paper)
• Apartment Porn: A $7.75 million Village two family townhouse with a glass-roofed atrium, 3,600 square feet, fireplaces a roof deck, and more. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)
• The new Moxy hotel in Williamsburg will feature a Dolly Parton-inspired “high-energy sound room with a state-of-the-art audio and light system” aptly dubbed “Jolene.” (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• 20 Questions with HAGS’ Telly Justice. (Noëmie Carrant for RESY)
• Interview: How to get a table at Double Chicken Please, according to the founders. Deanna Ting
• The first cherry blossoms of 2023 are blooming at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, following Central Park's recent bloom. It won't be a bad weekend to check them out either. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• "We have been unable to find any legislation related to the inspection of unlicensed retail locations, or any cannabis legislation mentioning the Sheriff as an enforcement officer." Maybe the city's crackdown on illegal pot shops isn't legal? (Yoav Gonen for The City)
• 26 essential places to eat in Chelsea. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
Top Clicked Links in the Last Edition:
Featured City Pet: Slim!
Thanks to reader Marisa for sending in this shot of the gentleman Slim, enjoying a box. Send your pet pics to thebriefly@gmail.com.
