Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Yesterday was a rollercoaster, with all that’s good and bad about the pandemic giving us the highs and lows we’ve come to expect in the past 17 months.

First the good news! It was like we’d stepped back in time when we arrived at the August Wilson Theatre on W52nd Street last night. There was a line, there was a buzz, there was garbage piled up, there was Frank DiLella, there were impatient horns in the street, there was a police horse, there were standing ovations, a block party — and even an Evita-like speech from a balcony. Join us for our photo and video coverage of the first new production on Broadway since the pandemic — Pass Over.


Organizers have canceled the 2021 New York International Auto Show at the Javits Center, due to the growing concern about the COVID Delta variant and increased measures put in place by state and local officials this week to stop the spread. One bar owner described the decision as “heartbreaking” as the huge event was “the bright light at the end of this tunnel of hell.” More reaction here…


SPONSORED POST

Dance to all the hits that shaped NYC club culture — Funk & Soul, Disco, Hip-Hop, House, Latin + more, all spun on vinyl. Details here…


What we’ve been reading

Simone Biles pops into Times Square after her Tokyo flight. #W42ST

Hell’s Kitchen gets a community food cupboard. (Patch)

Where have all the yellow cabs gone? (Eyewitness News)

Vaccine passports reignite the NYC privacy debate. (New York Times)

Lincoln Center appoints Shanta Thake from the Public Theater to lead a revival. (Vulture)


Freeze Frame

Thanks to Doug Williams for these reflections on 11th Avenue. “I got to take a break and hit the roof just in time to see the most beautiful reflections,” he said.

Happy Birthday to Matt Fox from Fine & Dandy. He’s a tireless supporter of Hell’s Kitchen and W42ST. Thanks for all you do for the neighborhood, Matt — and have a wonderful day.