There was a lot of news over the weekend, so let's just start with the story of a man. A common man. A man just like you or me. Actually, strike that — this guy is nothing like you or me ... because he rode a Citi Bike from the Williamsburg Bridge to Montauk Point!
Check it out on Reddit:
We're hoping to have more on this heroic 132-mile ride today when we get the full interview with this should-be Olympian with the epic Strava page. Until then, here are all the stories you might have missed as you were beating the heat this weekend:
- The big story over the weekend was the deadline for restaurants to apply for outdoor dining. Many of the 12,500 or so roadway outdoor dining areas have been dismantled as Covid went into remission, but so many more will be abandoned because the City Council and Mayor Adams made the program seasonal — saddling restaurateurs with the cost of storing their sheds for five months per year. We'll update you later today on how many restaurants have applied for roadway space, but last week it was in the mere hundreds. It's the end of a brief era when public space was used to create business-friendly, livable streets. (NY Times, Gothamist, Reddit)
- Meanwhile, our friend Boba Cyclist put the tragedy in visceral terms:
What a downgrade for Beija-Flor, the excellent Brazilian restaurant in Dutch Kills. Their pretty outdoor dining structure is now gone, just so two people can park their cars in front. No more live music outside, I guess, either.
— Boba Cyclist 정 (@BobaCyclist) August 4, 2024
Conservative NIMBYs just hate this city. pic.twitter.com/5v5iEwcSKN
- Did you know you can't get across the George Washington Bridge unless you're in a car between midnight and 6 a.m.? The ban on bikes frustrates many commuters on both sides of the Hudson. (Gothamist)
- Did you see how the city finally accomplished something (albeit for one day) that other world capitals consider routine: Keeping cars outside of parks. (Streetsblog)
- So remember that huge story in 2014 when cops found a dead bear in Central Park? And remember how the original coverage revealed that the bear had been found under a bicycle? Well, mystery solved: presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a new video thin which he admits that he was the one who dumped the dead bear cub — which was roadkill he had found earlier in the day upstate — and doctored the scene to make it look like the bear had been killed by a reckless cyclist in the park. I suppose if there's any upside to this sordid story, it's that a decade-old slur against cyclists has been debunked. The Times covered Beargate.
- Long Island rail commuters are going to have to bear with construction of several Sandy-damaged tunnels, says Larry Penner. (Mass Transit)
- Ferry prices are going up. (NY Post)
- And you think your commute is bad? (NY Post)
- Grand Central Madison apparently isn't done yet. (Gothamist)
- It's worth noting a brief exchange in the New Yorker's fun interview with "This American Life" host — and former Chicagoan — Ira Glass. When asked if his quality of life improved when he moved to New York, Glass gave the honest answer: "Your quality of life goes down so much when you move to New York. ... In Chicago, you can have a big, beautiful apartment for cheap." So tell me again about New York exceptionalism? Oh, yeah, it's the idea that we're so great and don't have to confront our obvious problems.
- From the assignment desk: Today at 10 a.m., House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will join the MTA for an "announcement regarding funding for an accessibility project." Great, but Rep. Jeffries knows better than anyone that congestion pricing — which he opposes — was slated to provide plenty of funding for accessibility projects. Hey, press colleagues, let's all grill Jeffries about his actual support for transit at the even today at the Classon Avenue G train. The public can watch it live via YouTube.
- Meanwhile, Gov. Hochul channeled Louis XIV with her "L'etat c'est moi" comment about congestion pricing (Streetsblog). The next day, Streetfilms covered a rally at which an effigy of the gridlock governor was repeatedly taunted:
- So let me get this straight: Staten Island's Republican politicians oppose congestion pricing — yet are shocked (shocked!) when supporters advocate reallocating money to projects in friendly districts? You want new rail cars, Staten Island? Then help fund them. (NY Post)
- And, finally, our congestion pricing tracker is still racking up big numbers:
