Happy Humpday! We ventured to the movies last night for the first time in 16 months — Cruella was great! If you’re ready to get back into a theater, it’s a good start.
Magnolia Bakery is under new ownership! Stephen Ross’s venture fund, RSE, has acquired the iconic New York Bakery. Expect a new branch at Hudson Yards soon. More here…
The Crossroads of the World is getting back to business, and its new summer program includes some familiar favorites for locals and visitors alike. Taste of Times Square, Summer Solstice yoga and more…
What’s your plan for hurricane season? If you’ve not got one, get one! Hell’s Kitchen has many high-risk areas. Check the details out here…
What we’ve been reading
Angelina’s bakery shrinks — and rises. (Forbes)
Pedestrian dies after collision with truck on W41st Street. (New York Daily News)
Retirement for the man who kept the sound of music alive. (New York Times)
NYPL’s $200m upgrade is unveiled. (New York Post)
For better or worse – these NYT Vows gaffes are well worth exploring! (Slate)
Freeze Frame
Yesterday was Hell’s Kitchen planting day for Shanti Nagel from Design Wild. There was sunshine, there were flowers — and there was suffering.
Shanti has been designing and caring for public plantings in Hell’s Kitchen for over a decade. She describes it as “a rough and wild place and a great match for our WILD and natural planting style.”
She shared her pictures “full of cheerful flowers” but at the margins of these images, her planting day was accompanied by great human suffering. “It hung in the air around us. Heavy drug use was within arm’s reach most of the day, humans shooting up and laid out on the street, unmoving as we pass by with our arms full of flowers. On another corner, by noon, a LONG line snaked down the block and around the corner spreading out from a community church as their emergency food distribution prepared to open for the day. The face of hunger here amongst us,” she said on Instagram.
“I know our plantings don’t begin to touch the deep needs here. They are not universal access to health care. They are not livable wages. They are not safety, they do not replace hunger or provide affordable housing,” Shanti continued. “However, I still believe they are important. I hope that they bring small moments of joy, dignity, and beauty to these streets. I pray that in these times of suffering and transition our plantings are a reminder we humans, all of us, belong here on this EARTH!”
… and finally! Happy Birthday to Jeff Dyksterhouse — and we hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.