The "When One Bathroom is Two Bathrooms" Edition

Recapping the Hochul-Zeldin debate, the state of rats in the city, Halloween events, where to go trick or treating, do you read these recaps, a guide to twelve-foot skeletons, and more

Today - Low: 47˚ High: 57˚
Mostly cloudy throughout the day.
This weekend - Low: 49˚ High: 61˚

Send me photos of your pets in Halloween costumes.

Thanks to reader Jennifer for today’s featured photo! Send your NYC photo to thebriely@gmail.com to be featured.

As we hit the ten-year mark past Hurricane Sandy, two main themes are coming from the many articles written about it: we haven’t finished repairing the damage yet, and we’re not prepared if it were to happen again.

• Five takeaways from the Hochul-Zeldin debate. Zeldin leaned on crime, Hochul leaned on abortion, Zeldin downplayed his support and connection to Trump, Zeldin tried to push on Hochyl's ethics, and neither talked extensively about the economy. (By Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Michael Gold for NY Times)

• Gothamist has a Q&A about subway safety, including some of Zeldin's fearmongering comments from the debate. (Stephen Nessen for Gothamist with reporting by Rebecca Redelmeier and data help from Samantha Max)

• Katie Honan, over at The City, did a great job recapping the debate’s themes and substance. I want to be clear that this isn't a year where the prevalent theme is "vote because voting is important." This is a "fuck you very much if you don't vote" year. (Katie Honan for The City)

• City Council passed several bills focusing on taking down our rat overlords. The biggest headline that'll come out of this is a Department of Sanitation rule moves when you can push trash on the curb from 4 pm to 8 pm (Ethan Stark-Miller for Brooklyn Paper)

• Chicago is the #1 worst city regarding rats, not NYC. (Matt Troutman for Patch)

• A look at the other bills City Council is poised to pass, including creating a citywide greenway, requiring a report on public bathrooms, and two bills aimed at improving the lives of survivors of domestic violence. (Gwynne Hogan for Gothamist)

• Speaking of bathrooms, the MTA will open sixteen bathrooms early next year. No, not new bathrooms, bathrooms they've kept closed to the public for years. They've only announced five stations and are counting their bathrooms for men and women at one station as two separate bathrooms. (Kevin Duggan for Streetsblog)

• The MTA is facing a class-action lawsuit from New Yorkers with disabilities demanding the MTA fix the gaps between the station platforms for riders who are blind or in wheelchairs. The suit highlights the MTA's standards for horizontal and vertical gaps between the trains and platforms and how a 2013 report identified 91 stations where the MTA violated those standards. (Jose Martinez for The City)

• Incarcerated people are locked in their cells at Rikers Island for long periods, violating city regulations, according to a new report from the Department of Corrections. The report also states that the problem is likely worse than reported because the jail's use of solitary confinement is regularly undocumented. (Matt Katz for Gothamist)

• Get ready for a resurgence of Covid-19 paired with a "more robust" flu this winter. If you haven't gotten your bivalent Covid-19 booster or flu shot, DO IT NOW. Seriously. (Matt Troutman for Patch)

• The FDNY appointed its first female commissioner in its 157-year history. Less than 1% of firefighters in the FDNY are women. (Jake Offenhartz for Gothamist)

• Ten places to see fall foliage in Central Park. (Nicole Sara Niero for Untapped New York)

• You want photos of NYC fog? You got photos of NYC fog! (Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out)

• A guide to the 12-foot skeletons of NYC. Someone that isn't Home Depot needs to start producing these things. Home Depot is the biggest donor to 2020 election deniers. (Kate Mooney for Hell Gate)

• Eight last-minute NYC-themed Halloween costumes. (Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out)

• 41 fun places to trick-or-treat in the city. (Kerry Shaw for Gothamist)

• A look at the work of Brandon Hardy, the Village Halloween Parade's prolific upper maker, who is preparing a Hocus Pocus-themed set of puppets this year and looking back on thirteen years of parade preparations. (Shaye Weaver for Time Out)

• Ten of the city's spookiest crypts and catacombs. (Untapped New York)

• 60+ Halloween events in NYC for $45 and under. (the skint for the skint for the skint for the skint)

Top Clicked Links in the Last Edition:

1. James Corden's Balthazar Blues: Saga Continues With NYTimes Breakfast

2. NYC’s coziest spots to escape the cold weather

3. How Much for a Hamburger?

Featured City Pet: Gigi!

Thanks to Barbara for sending in this photo of Gigi, who is contemplating her next move to cause trouble.

PLEASE SEND ME PHOTOS OF YOUR PETS IN HALLOWEEN COSTUMES. thebriefly@gmail.com