Tout le monde was talking about David Byrne's appearance at the Met Gala last night, where the Talking Heads frontman showed up with the ultimate fashion statement: his bike.
Sure beats AOC in a form-fitting "Tax the Rich" dress, right?
David Byrne (and his bike) have arrived at the #MetGala. https://t.co/m94XaFKHbE pic.twitter.com/3XlGlMm5xD
— Variety (@Variety) May 1, 2023
The coverage in Uproxx suggests that he actually rode said two-wheeler to the event in honor of Karl Lagerfeld (though, this being New York City, it's pretty clear he didn't have secure bike parking). The Robb Report — which is like the Daily News, except for people who make eight figures — was dismissive of Byrne's choice of transportation:
The Met Gala is known for its groundbreaking fashion and iconic entrances (i.e. Billy Porter arriving on six men circa 2019), but David Byrne may take the cake for the most bizarre, specifically because it was so mundane. Rather than taking an Escalade or Bentley, the vocalist strolled onto the Met carpet with his bicycle that was fitted with a basket and a bell — because accessories make the man great, after all.
The New York City Department of Transportation, naturally, was practically burning down the house with excitement, retweeting New York Magazine's photo (though The NY Times didn't feature even a small shot of Byrne in its one-page spread in print on Tuesday):
told ya cycling’s at an all-time high in nyc https://t.co/pPJncvrcu7
— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) May 2, 2023
The bike was, indeed, the best way to get to the event — just ask Paris Hilton, whose van got blocked by people protesting her and others' egregious wealth, the Post reported.
In honor of Bryne, we'll wear our best suits on our bikes today (but don't expect us to be in white).
In other news from a not-so-busy Monday:
- The woman who plowed into Black Lives Matter protesters in Midtown — and was facing seven years in jail — cut a deal with prosecutors from Alvin Bragg's office to serve just five hours of community service. If she had done the same with a gun, she'd be behind bars for sure. (NY Post)
- ICYMI, we posted Dave Colon's story about an MTA bus lane enforcement camera expansion late on Monday. Crain's also covered the MTA angle on the budget.
- Like Streetsblog, amNY covered the state's cyclist census.
- The serious injuries to a 17-year veteran cop heading back to distant Long Island from his Manhattan precinct should once again raise questions about why cops are driving so much. If Kevin Lui was assigned to a precinct in eastern Queens, his commute would be one-third shorter. And if the city had a residency requirement, he might not be driving at all. (NY Post)
- In a sort-of related story, The City at least looked at how rookie cops are deployed.
- Crain's is all in on micro-distribution hubs, which we wrote about last month.
- Charging hubs are coming to city-owned parking lots. The goal, according to city officials, is to eventually have a network so no car owners is more than 2.5 miles from an EV charging port. Yes, once again, the city is subsidizing private car ownership. (amNY, Gothamist)
