The "There Are No Romantic Restaurants" Edition

Buying weed without buying weed comes under fire, Mayor Adams targets drill rap, buy Bon Jovi's apartment, LaGuardia is not a hellhole anymore, chopped cheese goes nation-wide, and more

Today - Low: 22˚ High: 34˚
Snow (1–2 in.) in the morning and afternoon.

The latest seven-day positivity rate: 3.07%
75.73% of city residents have received two shots, 84.91% of city residents have received one or more shots. Source: NYC Department of Health.

The Briefly - A NYC News Email and Podcast @TheBrieflyNYC

This week’s podcast is up! This week @mostlyvibing joins the conversation to talk about @hotsinglesnyc, what’s lacking in dating apps, what makes you hot, the melting stigma around singles parties, moving to NYC in the early pandemic, and more.

thebriefly.comThe “Randa Sakallah From Hot Singles” Podcast EditionListen now (12 min) | What makes you hot? Randa Sakallah is the arbiter of hotness and the founder of Hot Singles.

• Monday is the deadline to change your political party affiliation before the midterm primary election. (Brigid Bergin for Gothamist)

• New York City has no romantic restaurants, according to an OpenTable survey. None of the top 100 romantic restaurants are in the city, so you may as well order from your usual place on Valentine's Day. What's the difference? (Kathleen Culliton for Patch)

• 14 things to do on Valentine's Day to celebrate your singledom. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner)

• Nine best places to get wings in Astoria on Super Bowl Sunday. (Christina Heiser for Give Me Astoria)

• Real Estate Lust: A $22 million condo in Greenwich Village owned by Bon Jovi with four beds, a private elevator, multiple Juliet balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, a windowed bathtub, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)

• While the floors still "radiate bland institutional chill," LaGuardia Airport Terminal B is no longer a hellscape. (Justin Davidson for Curbed)

• Upside, the 90's-themed pizzeria with multiple spots in Manhattan, is opening a Greenpoint outpost, which adds booze and soft-serve ice cream to the menu. Toss in a Mortal Kombat machine and I'll move in. (Emily Wilson for Eater)

• You can't legally buy weed in the city, but that hasn't stopped some places from selling other items and offering a "gift" of some weed along with the purchase. Turns out the state is aware and is sending some nasty letters telling the stores to knock it off. (Clio Chang for Curbed)

• Drill rap has some new enemies in Mayor Adams and Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez after two young drill rappers were shot and killed. Wikipedia says it's "defined by its dark, violent and nihilistic lyrical content and ominous trap-influenced beats," but I'm too old and out of touch from rap to truly give you a better understanding. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan)

• Add the chopped cheese to the list of foods exported from New York and will be often imitated but never authentic around the country. "New York-style Chopped Cheese." Just like pizza and bagels, the other versions will be a disappointment. (Jason Diamond for Grub Street)

• How much will it cost to paint your apartment? (Evelyn Battaglia for Brick Underground)

• Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank, near City Hall, is turning into a new center for custom-designed immersive art experiences called Hall des Lumières. It seems that the "immersive experiences" that we've seen come to the city in recent years are sticking around. The headline calls it an "immersive art museum," which might be stretching the meaning of "museum." (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)

• A look at what it takes to keep the city's dog runs going by the volunteer workforce. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)

• Park Slope's 7th Ave subway stop is getting an elevator, and construction has begun. Construction is expected to be completed in July 2023. (Ximena Del Cerro for Brooklyn Paper)

• Making a case for reparations in New York City, based on the displacement of Black New Yorkers in the 1800s from Seneca Village in the 1800s to build Central Park. (Arun Venugopal for Gothamist)

• The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request to consider an appeal by a group of NYC teachers seeking to block a vaccine mandate over what they said was a discriminatory religious exemption policy. (Karen Zraick for NY Times)

• Central Park's Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater reopened after being closed since March 2020 with performances Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11 am and 1 pm. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)

• Two Manhattan Rite Aids are closing. If you believe Michael Rappaport's Twitter account or the loons at Fox News, and no one should, it's because of shoplifting. In reality, Rite Aid is reducing costs. (Jack Denton for Curbed)

• Meshell Ndegeocello is doing a New York City residency at Symphony Space with three nights of performances at the end of the month. (Amanda Hatfield for BrooklynVegan)

• Upper West Side locations from 30 Rock. Hey baby, what’s wrong? (Bobby Panza for I Love the Upper West Side)

• Real Estate Lust: A $2.7 million Chelsea duplex loft with 1,884 square feet, open layout, no beds (it's a true loft), iron columns, a gas fireplace, a second story with a lofted sleeping area, two baths, and more. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)

• The best new bars in the city. (The Infatuation)

Thank you so much to the reader who contributed to The Briefly using this Ko-Fi link since the last edition. I appreciate the support so much.

Featured Pet: Baci!

Thanks to reader Carly for sending in this photo of Baci, ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

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A list of Valentine’s Day Lists:

• 18 local chocolate shops to love in NYC. (Michelle Cohen for 6sqft)

• Twelve romantic spots to take your sweetheart to this Valentine’s Day. (Christina Heiser for Give Me Astoria)

• Two of the country's most romantic restaurants are in New York. (Anna Rahmanan for Time Out)

• Six ways to spend Valentine's Day in Bushwick. (Anna Conkling for Bushwick Daily)

• Twelve swoon-worthy spots to celebrate Valentine's Day. (Beth Landman for Eater)

• the skint’s Valentine’s weekend + day event roundup. (the skint)