The "Pity the 'Merely' Wealthy" Edition
The "Pity the 'Merely' Wealthy" Edition
Sorry to the wealthy, there's no room for you on W 11th anymore. Also a new plan for Penn Station, Vanderbilt Ave and the Astoria Pool loses their summers, and more.
I’m in a little rush this morning, so enjoy this bare-bones newsletter!
• There's a new plan to redevelop Penn Station, which includes demolishing the Theater at MSG and building out from MSG to use pretty much all of the available space on the surrounding sidewalks. There's no dollar amount attached to the redesign, but it's less than the original plan, estimated at seven billion dollars. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• It looks like Vanderbilt Avenue isn't gonna be the fun spot it has been in previous summers. Vanderbilt Ave is slated to be dug up due to construction related to Pacific Park, the new high rises at the formerly named Atlantic Yards. Vanderbilt restaurants are told to take down their dining sheds after Memorial Day. In addition to the construction, restaurants are being told water shutoff will start in June. (Chris Crowley for Grub Street, backup link)
• The tax-free bagel is an abomination available at H&H in Moynihan Station that was built to avoid the state's "prepared sandwich tax" by stuffing a bagel with cream cheese. (Christopher Robbins for Hell Gate, backup link)
• Wildfires are no longer happening outside New York, as New York wildfires have destroyed over 700 acres of land in the state. (Giulia Heyward for Gothamist)
• Astoria Pool will be closed for the entire summer while repairs are made. The goal is to reopen next year. (Give Me Astoria)
• The Civilian Complaint Review Board has substantiated misconduct by the NYPD’s top uniformed officer, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, over his intervention in releasing a retired cop who’d been arrested after allegedly menacing three boys with a gun. The recommended penalty comes with a maximum loss of 10 vacation days. (Yoav Gonen for The City)
• Filming locations for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. (Untapped New York)
• It seems like you can install anything you want on any sidewalk in NYC, based on this story of landlords installing metal mailboxes on the sidewalk outside their building without any approvals. Some excellent reporting from Upper East Site gets to the bottom of who installed it, what city agency is responsible for overseeing the sidewalks, and noting that these illegal boxes have been there for years. (Upper East Site)
• If you've noticed that your therapist's background changed recently, you're not alone. Manhattan is drowning in empty therapist's offices. (Adriane Quinlan for Curbed)
• The MTA and Transport Workers Union Local 100 are negotiating a new contract. TWU represents about 40,000 subway and bus workers who are legally not allowed to strike thanks to state law because New York is pro-union as long as it doesn't inconvenience people. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist)
• Dr. Darius Paduch was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting children who were patients in his care. A former doctor on the Upper East Side, he's in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. (Upper East Site)
• Ten remnants of the seedy Times Square of yesteryear. (Nicole Saraniero for Untapped New York)
• Broadway does not want a casino in Times Square. (David Brand for Gothamist)
• Time Out's 100 best things to do in NYC. (Shaye Weaver and Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out)
• “Harry” Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping were arrested and charged with operating a secret police station in Chinatown with a mission to repress Chinese dissidents living in the United States. (Ann Givens for Gothamist)
• The Bing Bong guy opened a merch store in Coney Island, about a block away from the ballpark on Mermaid Ave. (Jada Camille for Brooklyn Paper)
• Pity the "merely" wealthy, who can no longer afford to live on W 11th St. (Kim Velsey for Curbed, archive link)
• A look at how Brooklyn is home to the city's most exciting Cambodian dishes. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Are you the person who tossed your Christmas tree in mid-April? I have some questions. (EV Grieve)
See you on Friday!