The "Riding the Third Wave to the Beach" Edition
The "Riding the Third Wave to the Beach" Edition
Free Citi Bikes, Washington Square Park, in praise of beach bums, the best dishes of the year, apply for your passport NOW, and more
Today - Low: 69˚ High: 82˚
Clear throughout the day.
This weekend - Low: 70˚ High: 83˚
• Citi Bike is offering free 30-minute rides on Saturday. (André Wheeler for Time Out)
• The tension in and around Washington Square Park at night has been an ongoing story for months between noise complaints, late-night parties, police closures, and at the heart of it all is the question "Who are our parks for?" The City takes a look at how residents have asked the city to intervene and how Mayor de Blasio's "proactive" measures were possibly already too late. (Andrew Giambrone for The City)
• A fascinating story about a rogue demolition crew in Prospect Lefferts Gardens that has continued despite fines, stop orders, and threats. (Gabriel Sandoval for The City)
• The Times asks "Is NYC doing enough to slow a 3rd virus wave?" No, of course not. We didn't do enough to stop the first or second waves, what makes you think the city is suddenly gonna get this right? (Joseph Goldstein and Emma G. Fitzsimmons for NY Times)
• In a rent-stabilized apartment and signing a new lease? Here’s everything you need to know to make sure you’re signing the correct lease and paying the right rent. (Allison Dikanovic for The City)
• Netflix is opening a new 170,000 square foot production studio in East Williamsburg in September, there are plans to film two shows there immediately but which shows have not been released. (Ben Brachfeld for Brooklyn Paper)
• In praise of the beach bums, who know what to do when it's too hot to do anything in NYC. (Julia Carmel for NY Times)
• Did you know the legal age of marriage in New York was 14? It was until Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law raising the minimum age to 18. "New York ends child marriage" was not on my 2021 BINGO card. (Kevin Duggan for amNewYork Metro)
• With the red sun this week due to the wildfires on the West coast, Curbed makes the call that it might be time to get yourself an air-quality app (Apple Maps includes an Air Quality Index under the temperature in the bottom right corner). (Alissa Walker for Curbed)
• For better or worse, the federal government approved the La Guardia AirTrain. You'd be hard-pressed to find people outside of Cuomo's circle celebrating the news. (Christopher Bonanos for Curbed)
• In a very "Law & Order"-type scene, the NYPD found a man dead inside his Staten Island apartment Monday morning, but also found messages written on the man's chest and stomach, including "I touch little girls." (Jeff Arnold for Patch)
• The Times has noticed that in the fight between Upper West Side residents and real estate developers, the developers are winning. (Sydney Franklin for NY Times)
• Renderings: The 44-story 80 and 100 Flatbush, in Downtown Brooklyn and across from the Atlantic Ave terminal. (Michael Young for New York YIMBY)
• Thinking about getting a passport? Get ready for an 18-week wait. The State Department has a backlog of over 1.5 million applications and advises anyone thinking about a passport to apply six months ahead of time. (Mirela Iverac for Gothamist)
• "The most exciting new appetizer in NYC" involves a wooden hammer, no joke. The latest from Time Out's "Instagram Thing" feature. (Amber Sutherland-Namako for Time Out)
• Allan's in Prospect Lefferts Gardens gets the feature treatment from Brownstoner. (Reyna Iwamoto for Brownstoner)
• New York will get more than $1 billion from the three largest distributors of opioids, part of a $26 billion deal to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by states and municipalities against companies involved in the opioid crisis. (Sarah Maslin Nir for NY Times)
• Reminder: Dave’s Lesbian Bar is taking over Heart of Gold bar this Saturday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. to raise money to permanently open a lesbian bar in Queens. (Michael Dorgan for Queens Post)
• Renderings: New images of the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, showing off the marble facade, theaters, bars, and restaurant, scheduled to open in 2023. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• NYC's 15 standout dishes from 2021. (Ryan Sutton for Eater)
• The Rooftop at Pier 17 (South Street Seaport) is back with rentable "backyards" on the East River, offering up a 14x14 space for up to eight people. A 90-minute spot costs $40 and does not include any food or drinks. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• The garbage-based life form Harvey Weinstein was transferred to California to face charges of rape and sexual assault. At 69, may he live a long and miserable existence enough to see his full sentence in both states minus one day. (Jonah R. Bromwich for NY Times)
• I know some of you want to make new friends. The app One Roof wants you to make friends with your neighbors. You mean, like, actually know the people in the same building? Ew, as if. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Photos and Video: The Central Park Barred Owl is still hanging out, being an owl and delighting watchers, unlike that Mandarin Duck which left us. (D Bruce Yolton for Urban Hawks)
• "Mayor de Blasio says no to mask mandate despite the climb in positive cases" is an evergreen headline at this point. The city's seven-day average has been rising ever since mid-June and is sitting at 1.72%. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• The Times eulogizes the Astor Place Kmart, including some stories about it being haunted. (Caragh Poh for NY Times)
• Where to go for the best raw oysters in Brooklyn. (Meredith Craig de Pietro for Brooklyn Based)
• Thinking about dinner at Per Se? That will be $800 per person, please. No, that does not include wine or tip. (Ryan Sutton for Eater)
• 6 things to know about visiting Yankee Stadium this summer. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Where to find Texas dishes in NYC. All the more reason to never visit Texas, which just stripped Martin Luther Kind Jr's "I have a dream" speech from its school curriculum and also removed the requirement to teach that the KKK is "morally wrong." (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Baby Luc’s, the new slice shop from Lucali, is now open in Brooklyn. (Amber Sutherland-Namako for Time Out)
• The Christmas Spectacular Starring and Rockettes will return this winter. (Ariella Weintraub for NY1)
• Real Estate Lust: A $2.9 million one-bedroom just off Central Park that offers a 500-foot terrace that is "a slice of Paris," 13-foot ceilings, multiple fireplaces, a clawfoot tub, and more. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft)
• The wild ride that is Coney Island’s history. (Allison C. Meier for Brooklyn Based)
• The Impossible Burger... doughnut? Now available at Smorgasburg. (Melizza Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Farewell to NPR's Ask Me Another, which NPR announced the end of after a decade and called the Bell House home. The final live show will be the first back from the pandemic on August 12. I was once a contestant on AMA! I did not win because I couldn't remember the name of the bird the albatross. I AM NOT BITTER ABOUT IT. IT DOES NOT HAUNT ME. (Duncan Freeman for Brooklyn Magazine)
• Brooklyn Bowl is reopening on September 8 with a show headlined by The Wailers. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklyVegan)
• 10 best spots for outdoor concerts in NYC this summer. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
Featured Pet: Jules!
Thank you to reader Rebecca for sending in this photo of Jules, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 11-years old, Brooklyn Heights resident while on vacation in Northern California. When I got this in my email it absolutely made my day. Send in your pet photos to thebriefly@gmail.com to delight people with your adorable animals.
I was today years old when I realized that “Rockettes” was a pun on Rockefeller Center.