Good morning and happy Friday. Don’t be fooled by those sunny skies as you wake up today. Strong winds will whip in this morning and drop the temperature by 20 degrees over the next 24 hours. Wrap up warm — or stay home!
Expect play towers and a “Cloud” fountain in a two-block expansion of Bella Abzug Park. Once named by Politico as “the most expensive park in the city”, Bella Abzug will extend up to the Lincoln Tunnel and the area planned for a future Port Authority Bus Terminal expansion. A hotel, art gallery and an aquarium store will be purchased using eminent domain and demolished to complete the park. Read more…
Well-traveled Hell’s Kitchen friends are bringing global flavors and local passion to The Purple Tongue — a new West Side wine bar where they hope to spread the same communal, neighborhood ambiance that brought them together. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a 💰
A Hamptons trailer has sold for a record $3.75m. (New York Post)
Is it time to turn the camera around from that selfie? (New York Times💰)
Feeling the stress of a New York commute? Looks like you’re not the only one. (TimeOut)
On the streets of New York with fashion photographer Phil Oh. (Vogue)
The finalists for the Gotham Book Prize 2023 have been announced — are any on your to-be-read list? (Literary Hub)
Freeze Frame
I’ve been suffering from the homesick blues this week — so last night Gwen had the bright idea to take me to dinner at Balthazar in Covent Garden. Bartender Megan, from Arkansas, made me feel like I was back in NYC for a few hours…
… and happy birthday to my favorite Hell’s Kitchen bartender Megan Gerlach who shares her celebration day with Max Bidna and Michael Wojcik.
