The "No More Alcohol To Go" Edition
No more state of emergency, R Kelly is moving to Brooklyn, the reason for subway delays, X on NY government IDs, and more
Today - Low: 69˚ High: 77˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
This weekend - Low: 72˚ High: 82˚
Featured photos and pets will return on Sunday!
Where we stand with the primary for mayor: Round 1 is not over with Eric Adams in the lead followed by Maya Wiley and Kathryn Garcia. Absentee ballots have to arrive by June 29 and voters have until July 9 to correct their ballots.
• When Mayor de Blasio ran for mayor the first time, he wanted to end the "Tale of Two Cities" that was happening in NYC. Mission accomplished as the headline from Gothamist reads "How the NYC Mayoral Race Revealed A "Tale of Three Cities." (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• Everyone's least favorite ghoul, Rudy Giuliani, lost his law license due to his involvement in the Big Lie about the 2020 election. Shame. (Nicole Hong, William K. Rashbaum, and Ben Protess for NY Times)
• A guide to the NYC primary results from mayor to city council. (Samantha Maldonado for The City)
• Despite his concession, Andrew Yang launched an absentee ballot lawsuit, which preserves the campaign's right to correct errors in election returns. There are still over 138,000 absentee ballots yet to be received. (Clifford Michel for The City)
• How Maya Wiley or Kathryn Garcia could beat Eric Adams. I love Ranked Choice Voting. (Andy Newman for NY Times)
• We won't miss much from the pandemic, but the abrupt end to to-go cocktails and alcohol delivery along with food is happening a bit too early for my liking. (Chris Crowley for Grub Street)
• Rents in New York City rent-stabilized apartments will freeze for six months and then increase by 1.5 percent for the next six months, under the proposal adopted by the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) on Wednesday. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• R. Kelly is moving to Brooklyn. More specifically he's moving to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park. This is the prison that was without heat in the winter of 2019 and where conditions have been described as "horrific." (Duncan Freeman for Brooklyn Magazine)
• If you've tried to ride the subway recently, you've probably noticed the absurd delays due to a hiring freeze that was imposed during the pandemic. Like everything, the MTA has no ability to handle this quickly. According to Interim President Sarah Feinberg, the subway may still face delays due to crew shortages through the late spring of 2022. Ridership is currently only at 50% of pre-pandemic levels. (Mirela Iverac for Gothamist)
• Chinatown's Doyers Street has a new mural, "Rice Terraces," covering its entire length. The mural uses the Anamorfism technique to appear to create a 3D experience. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to designate the Kimlau War Memorial at Kimlau Square in Chinatown as a landmark. The memorial honors Chinese American soldiers who lost their lives serving in the US military. (Untapped New York)
• The New York City Public Design Commission voted unanimously to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History. It will be relocated to a cultural institution dedicated to his life and legacy. No such institution has been named. (Laura Zornosa for NY Times)
• Nonbinary New Yorkers will be able to choose an "X" option on government IDs if the "Male" or "Female" options do not apply to them. The law was signed by Governor Cuomo this week and will take effect in 180 days. (Brooklyn Eagle)
• Renderings: New York State is adding Essential Worker Park and the Essential Workers Monument to Battery Park City this fall. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• New York state's state of disaster emergency is over. Federal guidelines will still apply for unvaccinated individuals, for public transit, and in other specific settings and local guidelines may also still be in place. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz appeared in Queens criminal court Tuesday to ask that more than 3,200 low-level marijuana-related offenses be dismissed and sealed, signaling more change in the city’s justice system following the state's legalization of marijuana. (Joseph Gedeon for Gothamist)
• The city's pools officially open this Saturday. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• A look at the Phoenix, Coney Island's newest roller coaster, and its connection to Dollywood. The Phoenix is expected to be available to ride around July 4. (Jessica Parks for Brownstoner)
• The city is paying $8 million to spruce up Richmond County Bank Ballpark to attract an Atlantic League team. Six million will go towards replacing the seats and field and two million will go towards paying water, sewer, gas, and upkeep bills. (Clifford Michel for The City)
• Stickett Inn, run by husbands Johnny Pizzolato and Roswell Hamrick, is a newly opened LGBTQ-friendly speakeasy-style tasting room in the East Village. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• The new Space Jam-themed window displays at Bloomingdale's are now showing off life-size LeBron James and Bugs Bunny sculptures. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Ten secrets of Stonewall Inn. (Bella Druckman for Untapped New York)