The "They Added More Clowns" Edition
Our deadbeat mayor, Succession-flavored ice cream, ketamine isn't cool anymore, the party mayor of 1826, New Jersey owes us big, chile cheeseburgers, and more
Today - Low: 51˚ High: 63˚
Clear throughout the day.
Hey everyone! Let’s try an experiment. Send me your most mundane photos that still scream “New York City!” Very early in The Briefly before anyone submitted photos I walked around the city snapping as many as I could to ensure I always had something new to show. Many of them were of pretty normal NYC stuff but I still enjoyed sharing them. Email them to thebriefly@gmail.com.
• This apartment comes with heat, hot water, and internet access. A new bill in the City Council proposes all new construction be wired for internet access with all existing housing with 10 or more units provide access to tenants at no cost, which would allow for bulk pricing. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• The city's best Halloween-decorated house is back. The Lindsay-Abaire house in Ditmas Park is up and running on the corner of Albermarle and Argyle. This year adds zombies, a werewolf, even more clowns, and a dragon. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
• SubwayCreatures gets the NY Times profile treatment. (Steven Kurutz for NY Times)
• Review: Williamsburg's Santa Fe BK has one of the city's best chile cheeseburgers. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Sorry kids, ketamine is no longer cool. How can this be so easily declared? There's a chain of wellness centers offering ketamine treatments to the tune of $4,000 for seven sessions on Madison Ave, Park Ave, and on 4th Ave in Park Slope in centers that display NFTs. (Will Gleason for Time Out)
• Add one more title to the mayor: deadbeat. Mayor de Blasio owes other people nearly a million dollars with hundreds of thousands of dollars going back to 2017. He's used the pandemic as an excuse but what about the prior three years? (Greg B. Smith for The City)
• If you didn't read the 47-page report detailing how Mayor de Blasio abused his security privileges, Gothamist read it so you don’t have to. Here's what you need to know. (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• The mayor announced his replacement for the Gifted and Talented program: Brilliant NYC. The plan includes expanding accelerated learning to all kindergarten students instead of allowing a single test to decide their future in the city's school system. The final plan will be unveiled in December, the last month of the mayor's term. (Matt Troutman for Patch)
• Eric Adams immediately publicly stated that he will not eliminate the Gifted and Talented program, making Mayor de Blasio's efforts a waste. When asked for details about what Adams would do to expand the opportunities for accelerated learning, he was vague on details. Mayor de Blasio waited long enough to ensure that his decision would be ineffectual but can still lie to himself to say that he tried. (Eliza Shapiro for NY Times)
• Video: Watch the "other folks" mayoral debate between Bill Pipitone, Stacey Prussman, Raja Slores, and Skiboky Stora, moderated by Ben Max. (Ben Max for Gotham Gazette)
• Since we're on the topic of the mayor's decisions coming too late and making no impact: A report from a federal monitor overseeing Rikers Island says Mayor de Blasio's interventions have not improved the conditions there. September's body count of three matches all of 2019. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• Rikers Island's 13 death in 2021 happened this week as a man died of Covid-19 that he contracted while in Rikers on the same day he was granted compassionate release. He was in Rikers awaiting trial because his family couldn't afford the $100,000 bail. (David Cruz and George Joseph for Gothamist)
• If you can't get enough of Succession, Ample Hills is adding a new flavor inspired by the show. S'More on the Floor is inspired by the Boar on the Floor scene from season two. Milk chocolate marshmallow with marshmallow scotch swirls, chocolate-dipped graham cracker cookies, and chocolate Greg sprinkles. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Time Out)
• Queens-based rapper Anik Khan shares his seven favorite NYC restaurants and they're none of the usuals. (Chris Mohney for The Infatuation)
• Inside the Horological Society of New York, America's oldest watchmaking guild, founded in 1866. (Untapped New York)
• Are these volunteer seniors being shut out of Floyd Bennett Field due in retaliation for reporting racial discrimination? They preserve and rehabilitate retired military aircraft and haven’t been allowed access to their workshop by the National Parks Service since Covid-19 began. (Jessica Parks for Brooklyn Paper)
• Meet Philip Hone, the party mayor from 1826-1827, whose actions helped create Washington Square Park. He didn't die in office, mayoral terms were just really short. (Bowery Boys)
• Take a guess how much out-of-state drivers owe the city in parking and moving violation tickets since 2016. Here's a hint: it's 3.5 million tickets. $288.2 million. New Jersey drivers alone owe $84 million, which earns that state zero sympathies when it comes to congestion pricing. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog)
• Remembering October of 2006, when CBGB shut its doors for good. (Elie Z. Perler for Bowery Boogie)
• Jose Ramos is the fifteenth cyclist to be killed by a driver in the city in 2021. He was walking his bike in a crosswalk when a driver Ramos him with their car, killing him, and drove away. (Sophia Chang for Gothamist)
• See inside the tallest and most expensive condo ever built in Dumbo. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)
• Similar to the stories about bidding wars happening in the suburbs surrounding the city in the early part of the pandemic, here come the stories about long lines to see apartment and bidding wars. This one includes anecdotes about 70 people wanting to see one apartment on the Upper East Side and another about a two-bedroom in Prospect Heights being leased for $4,500/month when the asking price was $3,750. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)
• Real Estate Lust: A $7.25 million classic Tribeca loft formerly occupied by Taylor Swift, Peter Jackson, Aziz Ansari, and Orlando Bloom, but not at the same time. It has 2,800 square feet, an enormous kitchen, three beds, south- and east-facing windows, and more. (Devin Gannon for 6sqft)
• Interview: Johnny Thornton, executive director of Arts Gowanus, on the Gowanus rezoning and the fears of being driven out of the neighborhood. (Mags Chmielarczyk for Brooklyn Magazine)
• NYBG’s Holiday Train Show is back at the New York Botanical Garden. It opens on November 20 and runs through January 23. (Lynn Lieberman for GothamToGo)
• Where to eat in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill right now. (Emma Orlow for Eater)
Featured Pet: Moose!
Jessica Parks, congratulations on your two-year anniversary at the Brooklyn Paper! Thanks to AJ who sent in this photo of mid-air Moose. Send your pet and animal photos to thebriefly@gmail.com.
According to Grammarly, this edition sounds “worried.” I feel pretty calm.
Thank you to the reader who contributed to The Briefly since the last edition!