The "Squirrel Census is My Favorite Census" Edition

LGA AirTrain alternatives, the end of the vaccine mandate, where to buy your plants, the difficulty in removing abandoned dining sheds, the best brunches, doom for lower Manhattan, and more

Today - Low: 52˚ High: 62˚
Light rain in the morning and afternoon.

The latest seven-day positivity rate: 1.65%
77.02% of city residents have received two shots, 86.08% of city residents have received one or more shots. Source: NYC Department of Health.

Thank you to reader Madeline for sending in today’s featured photo. Raking up disco balls. Only in NY. Send your NYC photos to thebriefly@gmail.com.

• The LaGuardia AirTrain proposal has some competition. The Port Authority came up with alternative options to Cuomo's $2.1 billion pet project. The 14 options include two subway extensions, five light rail routes, five bus options, a ferry service, and some options using "emerging technologies." Thankfully none of those technologies involve Elon Musk. (Aaron Ginsburg for 6sqft)

• The mayor ended the city's vaccine mandate for restaurants, gyms, cultural institutions, and entertainment venues. The city also introduced a color-coded alert system that we will all soon forget about because those color-coded systems always get ignored eventually. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)

• February was the city's deadliest month for traffic since the city began releasing data on them in 2008. There were 23 deaths of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)

• An 37-year-old NYPD sergeant who attacked two people while in police custody pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges. He was sentenced to two years probation, anger management, and community service. It seems light considered the second of the two charges was for pinning a man down with his knees while bouncing on him and punching him in the face while yelling, "I don't give a fuck if you can breathe or not." The incidents happened in October 2019 and April 2020. (Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)

• A plea for you to buy your plants on Craigslist. (Clio Chang for Curbed)

• It's a subscription for being able to take a nap in either Tribeca or Greenwich Village. $199 for a month of 90-minute naps or a one-time nap for $75, Mon - Thu 12-4 pm. No, seriously, this is real. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)

• Interview: Why is NYC so shitty when it comes to public toilets? (Katherine Fung for Gothamist)

• The squirrel census is back! Check out the 2020 results, learn how to volunteer, how the squirrels get counted, and more. I'll be honest. The census maps are a perfect NYC gift. (Rosemary Misdary for Gothamist)

Laura Peek @laurapeek_

Damn everybody in nyc wears such cool pants I’m not being sarcastic where are y’all getting these pants!! every time I’m here I feel like a huge idiot, pantswise

• Ten churches and cathedrals worth visiting in NYC... you sinners. (RentHop)

• How many people does it take to remove an abandoned outdoor dining shed? A look at the logistical nightmare of taking down abandoned outdoor dining sheds. A dozen people, multiple hours, and four truckloads. Tip: Report abandoned sheds to 311 instead of posting photos to Instagram to complain about them. (Tribeca Citizen)

• "A regular bar will open on the Lower East Side next week." Kudos to Lullaby for not being a speakeasy or speakeasy-style bar, despite being in a basement. What a concept, a regular bar. (Amber Sutherland-Namako for Time Out)

• Real Estate Lust: Writer and director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume designer Catherine Martin's $20 million Gramercy townhouse with six beds, a dramatic interior design, 16-foot ceilings, walk-in closet, corner terrace, elevator, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)

• When Broadway's Cort Theater reopens, it'll be under the new name The James Earl Jones Theatre. (Adam Feldman for Time Out)

• ConEd says they plan to prevent spikes in energy costs like what happened in January. It seems like if it is preventable now, it should have been preventable then, no? (Matt Troutman for Patch)

• The United Nations Climate Report is here, and, as you might expect, it spells doom for Lower Manhattan. (Rosemary Misdary for Gothamist)

• The updated best brunch in the city. (The Infatuation)

Featured Pet: Dumpling!

Dumpling is back to show off Dumpling, who has excellent vision and a more fabulous sense of style, looking sharp as heck in glasses. Send your pet photos to thebriefly@gmail.com