Happy Thursday. The temperature is being turned up as the week goes on. We will head into the mid-80s this afternoon and the humidity is creeping up too. Maybe start preparing for the holiday weekend with a nice cold beer at happy hour this evening…
Talking of happy hour… Kashkaval Garden has a great one and they are celebrating their 25 years in Hell’s Kitchen. Take a trip back in time and check out their earliest menu when they converted from cheese shop to eatery. Read more…

You’ve heard their praises sung at the Tony Awards, dozens of Broadway curtain call speeches, and across New York’s stages — but what does it take to perform as an understudy, standby or swing? What really goes on between the moment an actor tests positive and that slip of paper arrives in your Playbill announcing a substitute? W42ST spoke with two versatile Broadway performers about the highs and lows of stepping into the spotlight at a moment’s notice. Read more…

What we’ve been reading
New Yorker finally gets his Purple Heart at 97 years old. (New York Daily News)
Did you see the “CarCroach” around town last week? (Hell Gate)
Video shows a family surrounded by dirt bikes and ATVs on the West Side Highway. (PIX11)
The Met Museum hikes its visitor price to $30. (TimeOut)
Choon! Here are a few ideas for your summer playlist. (WSJ)
Freeze Frame

We all know this feeling… “Sitting on work” is the title of this post on Instagram of Hell’s Kitchen kitty Niko Neko. In case you don’t know already, Neko is cat 猫 in Japanese.
Happy Birthday to Ben Schlair and Shom Chowdhury.