Good morning and happy Friday. What are your plans for the July 4th weekend? Are fireworks involved?
Our post yesterday on the free weekend ferries to Red Hook got readers very excited. If you are feeling more energetic —but still want a river adventure — check out Manhattan Community Boathouse. They have just reopened after the pandemic for free kayaking. Details here…
For this weekend only, you can see two Statues of Liberty in New York! Lady Liberty got a “Little Sister” yesterday as a 9-foot-tall bronze statue crafted from the original 1878 plaster model by Auguste Bartholdi was put on display at Ellis Island. More here…
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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
Take a peek at opening night at one of Hell’s Kitchen’s newest gay venues. (Insider)
The subway car of the future is unveiled by the MTA. (New York Post)
Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest is back for July 4. (CBS)
Bumble app creates a space for dates. (Grub Street)
Broadway ushers back workers — including this usher. (New York Times)
Freeze Frame

A Reddit user took the time to create a map of the New York Subway for those with disabilities. It’s a thin skeleton of the map most of us have the privilege to access every day.
You might have noticed that at W42ST.nyc we’ve been trialing a service that makes our site more accessible. All stories can now be listened to. Please give the service a trial, tell your friends — and we would welcome your feedback. We are working to fine-tune the pronunciations of the automated service (although the way they say “de Blasio” amuses us so much that we think we will leave that as is!).