Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Outdoor Dining

Thursday’s Headlines: Outdoor Dining is Fun Edition

If outdoor dining had been a thing back in the sad 1940s, maybe Edward Hopper’s classic painting, “Nighthawks,” would have turned out different. Photo: The Streetsblog Photoshop Desk

The big news on Wednesday was an incremental piece of small news: the state's Appellate Division threw out a lawsuit by opponents of outdoor dining on strictly procedural grounds (namely, you can't sue over a government program that hasn't officially started yet).

Edward Hopper's original, "Nighthawks." Photo: Wikipedia
Edward Hopper's original, "Nighthawks." Click to enlarge. Photo: Wikipedia
Edward Hopper's original, "Nighthawks." Photo: Wikipedia

This is good news for all of us who love outdoor dining — though want it to be properly regulated by the city and paid for by the restaurants, all of which is part of a piece of legislation that is moving ever so slowly through the City Council meat grinder (how much of a meat grinder? Well, even the Speaker doesn't always stay on the talking points!).

Everyone covered the ruling — with obvious reminder that opponents of outdoor dining will certainly refile a suit once the temporary Covid-era dining program becomes permanent:

    • The Village Sun was first, thanks to Lincoln Anderson's old-fashioned reporter's obsession with the legal underpinnings of the case.
    • Streetsblog quickly followed once we got a hold of the ruling.
    • amNY may have overstated the significance of the ruling.
    • NY1 also may have overstated that the ruling clears the way for the Council legislation to move forward. It's unclear if the litigation or simply political cowardice has been stalling the legislation.
    • Gothamist had a weird headline on an otherwise straight story.

No matter what spin the outlets put on it, outdoor dining is here to stay for a while, which made our graphics team so excited that they reimagined what Edward Hopper's classic painting, "Nighthawks," might have looked like if alfresco eating had been a thing in the 1940s. Why sit inside all lonely? Why not grab a table on the curb?

In other news from a slow, Yom Kippur:

    • Man, New Jersey just won't let congestion pricing be! (NYDN)
    • We were happy to see that Curbed got around to covering what we've been obsessed with for years: The SUV-ification of the police squad car. Alyssa Walker graciously linked to some of our past coverage, but missed our big "get," when then-Transportation Bureau Chief William Morris defended handing cops yet another deadly weapon. That legacy, alas, lives on in a department with literally no oversight.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hundreds of Community Groups — From the Far Right to the Socialists! — Demand Daylighting

Two hundred New York City groups from across the ideological spectrum joined calls to ban parking at corners in order to improve safety and visibility, also known as daylighting.

October 24, 2025

OPINION: Canal Street — Not The Vendors — Is the Problem

If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor — and is true to his vision for a fair, livable city — he will have to take on this long-ignored corridor. Here's how.

October 24, 2025

Vision Zero Cities: Bicycles Are Not Cars So They Shouldn’t Have to Follow the Same Rules

The default in nearly all states is to impose the same traffic rules on bicycles as on motor vehicles even though the needs of cyclists are so different.

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Today’s the Day Edition

Mayor Adams's new 15 mph speed limit is officially goes into effect today. Plus more news.

October 24, 2025

Cough, Cough: DEP Considers Largest Ever Exemption Request to City’s Anti-Idling Law

Academy Bus claims no technological alternatives exist for heating and cooling buses without idling. Advocates warn an exemption would "gut" the city's 50-year-old idling ban.

October 23, 2025

Truckers to US DOT: Busways Are Good for Us!

The federal government has obviously lost its trucking mind.

October 23, 2025
See all posts