Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines: Outdoor Dining Down Edition

Mood Ring in Bushwick is the latest establishment to take down its outdoor dining set-up after new city rules went into effect earlier this month. Plus more news.

Photo: Emily Lipstein|

The soon-to-be-demolished outdoor dining shed at Mood Ring in Bushwick.

Outdoor dining structures are coming down across New York City — including outside Mood Ring on Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick, where Streetsblog's Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein visited Tuesday afternoon as the bar's owners prepared to dismantle the shed they installed in the parking spot outside their business four years ago.

Like businesses across the five boroughs, the bar opted to retreat from the curbside due to the high cost of permitting and dismantling the set-up every winter under the city's new regulations, which went into effect on Aug. 3, co-owner Bowen Goh told Lipstein.

"I can understand it from a sanitation point of view, I can understand it from the city government trying to make more money. Maybe there's an aspect where, you know, they're also trying to clear up a bit more parking," Goh said. "But for us, I think on purpose they kind of make it a bit difficult. One is the pricing and, two the application is quite arduous. ... It's a very difficult application. Maybe it's by design that they do it like that so that they can make money off of it, but also reduce the amount of structures out here.

"It's a tough decision for us," added Goh, who said the bar hasn't decided whether or not to keep its sidewalk seating — which also needs city approval — and could reconsider and bring back the street seating next year.

"It's just some we have to adjust to, and we'll play it by ear," he said. "If we find that it is really useful to have it, we'll try to bring it back next year and if not, then it is what it is."

Around 2,600 bars and restaurants applied in the first round of applications for the permanent outdoor seating program — down from around 6,000 to 8,000 that had sidewalk or roadway seating this summer, according to city figures. Of the permanent program participants, 1,911 applied to set-up in the street.

In other news:

  • A group of Manhattan neighbors want to turn a vacant lot beneath the Queensboro Bridge into a park. They're hosting a community meeting there today at 6:30 p.m. (FOX 5 via YouTube)
  • Council Member Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge) joins Mark Levine and Jennifer Rajkumar in race for comptroller. (NY Post)
  • Speaking of Levine, he talked illegal license plate covers on NY1.
  • Donations to Mayor Adams from a trash hauler that won a commercial collection license from his administration are under investigation by the city Campaign Finance Board. (Gothamist)
  • A 30-year-old pedestrian suffered "critical injuries" at the hands of a hit-and-run driver in Hells Kitchen. (Patch)
  • The Daily News Editorial Board panned the Gateway Tunnel project as a $50 billion waste that won't improve capacity at Penn Station.
  • A 13-year-old newly-arrived immigrant from Mexico died in a motorcycle crash in the Bronx. (Daily News)
  • Octogenerian North Jersey Rep. Bill Pascarell has been in and out of the hospital for a month. (New Jersey Globe)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Walkable This Way: How Fashionista Derek Guy Became One of the Nation’s Best-Known Urbanists

The menswear icon has used his vast social media platform to wade into another culture war by promoting walkable neighborhoods over the alienating lifestyle of suburban sprawl.

December 8, 2024

Daylight Again! Council Seeks Universal Parking Ban At Intersections

The city will also have to physically protect 1,000 corners from parking each year.

December 6, 2024

Friday Video: Wider Bike Lanes on Second Avenue

The Department of Transportation has made some excellent improvements on the long-dangerous roadway. Check them out.

December 6, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: City of ‘Yes, But’ Edition

The City Council passed Mayor Adams's "City of Yes for Housing" plan by a vote of 31 to 20 on Thursday. Plus more news.

December 6, 2024
See all posts