The "Jackie Robinson Beef Highway" Edition
The Briefly has a podcast, Eric Adams's challenges on fighting crime, live in Harper Lee's apartment, and more
Today - Low: 28˚ High: 34˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
The Briefly has a podcast!
In this week’s edition, artist Rick Secen joins me for a conversation about his exhibition Guiding Lights at the Established Gallery in Brooklyn, the art community in Gowanus, moving back to the city at the start of the pandemic, and more. Links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc., are coming soon.
The latest seven-day positivity rate: 14.74%
74.37% of city residents have received two shots, 83.88% of city residents have received one or more shots. Source: NYC Department of Health.
• Eric Adams says, "I'm the right person for this moment," when discussing the balance between public safety and justice. Reducing violent crime will be a far more challenging test for him than for previous mayors, trying to thread the needle between driving down violent crime without sending high numbers of people to jail for misdemeanors. There is a lot of discussion around the current level of crime in the city, but the number of murders is down over 75% since 1990. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• This week's list of restaurants ordered closed doesn't hit many high notes outside of Fatty Daddy Taco on Smith St in Brooklyn, hitting 84 violation points. The 2022 high score is currently 112 points. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)
• Ten infamous mob hangouts if you want to pretend to be a wise guy. (Anthony Falco for Untapped New York)
• Pete Davidson and Colin Jost bought an old Staten Island Ferry for $280,100 and have plans to turn it into a club. (Bill Pearis for Brooklyn Vegan)
• This isn't a new idea. In 1976, George Searle bought a used Staten Island Ferry to turn it into a restaurant. How did it go? It sat next to the New Jersey Turnpike for over thirty years, rotting. Good luck, Colin and Pete. (James D. Walsh for Curbed)
• A tractor-trailer full of beef struck an overpass on the Jack Robinson on Friday morning. You might say traffic ground to a stop. (Todd Maisel for amNY Metro)
• Mayor Adams vetoed a part of the Soho/Noho rezoning that would have increased fines for residents illegally living in artist housing. The Joint Living Work Quarters for Artists zone was established in the 70s, allowing certified artists to live in the area. Artists are supposed to apply for certification from the city or pay a $2,500 fee to live there. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• Andrew Alpern bought his apartment in Chelsea for $3,000 in 1962. He still lives there sixty years later. Take a look inside. (Wendy Goodman for Curbed)
• Bronx Congressperson Jamaal Bowman was arrested in Washington D.C. after joining a protest supporting the Voting Rights Act. He was in handcuffs for about 90 minutes and released. (Jason Cohen for Bronx Times)
• More details about the Interborough Express are available now that the state's feasibility study is complete. The line would connect 17 subway stops and the LIRR between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights. (Aaron Ginsburg for 6sqft)
• The headline is all you need: For $25, You Can Stand on a Freezing Roof, Sipping a Cocktail from a Glass Carved from Ice. (Claude Scales for Brooklyn Heights Blog)
• Going deep into the omicron variant's impact on the city's public education. (Gabe Berry for Socialist Alternative NYC)
• What's the status of remote learning? There's no current remote learning, but it's no guarantee it will stay that way. (Christina Veiga for Chalkbeat)
• It's time to name roaches for Valentine's Day at the Bronx Zoo. The perfect gift to seriously confuse someone you love (or get revenge against someone you hate). (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)
• A Chicken Soup Sandwich? Yeah. A chicken soup sandwich from R&D Foods in Prospect Heights. (Scott Lynch for Gothamist)
• Real Estate Lust: A $6.25 million prewar apartment in Brooklyn Heights on the market for the first time in thirty years with four beds, three baths, 3,200 square feet, ten-and-a-half foot ceilings, wood-burning fireplace, and more. (Jenny Xie for Curbed)
• Eight real-life co-op board reference letters that work. (Emily Myers for Brick Underground)
• The history of the Jewish deli in NYC. (Untapped New York)
• The MTA partnered with Maxine the Fluffy Corgi to create a guide on properly stuffing your dog into a backpack. It is, as you could imagine, adorable. (Caroline Spivack for Curbed)
• Harper Lee's former Upper East Side apartment is up for rent, where Lee lived from 1967 to 2007. She paid $1,000 a month in rent for a 600-square-foot apartment; you probably won't get the same deal. (E.L. Danvers for East Side Feed)
• Twelve standout wood-fired restaurants. (Beth Landman for Eater)
• Companion: The rise of wood-fired food in NYC. (Juliet Izon for Eater)
• The Resy guide to late-night NYC dining. (Kara Newman for Resy)
Featured Pet: Mr. Peanutbutter!
Thank you Catherine for this photo of Mr. Peanutbutter having a hard time getting back to work.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s contributed to The Briefly using this Ko-Fi link.
The Briefly Podcast: Rick Secen
Rick Secen talks about his exhibition Guiding Lights at Established Gallery, coming back to NYC at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the future of arts in Gowanus, and more. Listen to The Briefly: The “Rick Secen” Podcast edition!