Good morning and happy June to you! Did you take advantage of the bars being open until 4am last night? We must be getting old — as we didn’t.
Over the past year, restaurateurs and diners alike have embraced outdoor dining — it’s a fixture of pandemic life that many are happy to see become a permanent part of our city landscape. Now, your favorite streetside spaces can get the recognition they deserve (and a boost to their business) via the Alfresco Awards, a new program that’s been dubbed “the Oscars of outdoor dining”. Read more…
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What we’ve been reading
Low-income renters are facing staggering pandemic debts. (New York Times)
There are a growing number of SUVs on New York’s streets. (Brooklyn Eagle)
Carolines comedy club has reopened on Broadway. (Eyewitness News)
The story of Hell’s Kitchen gangster Owney Madden. (Leeds Live)
Mark your calendars — Make Music New York 2021 is coming! (Gotham ToGo)
Freeze Frame

Thanks to Paul Thom (alias @plantmepaul) for welcoming us into PRIDE month with this fun picture. “There was a time when I would hide behind a facade (or plants if I could) of accepting who I was. Falling down a rabbit hole of guilt and constantly asking myself “why me?” Trying to hide from my persona, acting “too gay” and from accepting myself,” Paul shares. “BUT thankfully with some wonderful supportive girlfriends and loving family, I’m unapologetically living my best life. It wasn’t an easy road as a teenager, but it does get better!”
We’re wishing Paul a happy birthday for next week — and sending belated birthday wishes to Leanne Buckley. If you’ve got a friend or loved one who reads the daily newsletter — do tell us when their special day is coming up and we’ll try to give a shout-out!