Pier 97 is coming + HK this week

Good morning and welcome to the weekend. It’s been a super busy week and I’m ready to close down the laptop and get out to enjoy the city.

The week has been full of activities focusing on the opening of Pier 76. It was nice to get to train my camera on stars like Whoopi Goldberg and Robert De Niro. This morning we report that work will start at Pier 97 this summer, and it will be ready for the public in fall 2022. Pictures and details here…

An institution on the Lower East Side since 1936, Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys is opening a second location on the West Side this fall. More here…

Thanks to all the readers who shared their Hell’s Kitchen Happy Hour secrets with us. You now have an A-Z of great value fun in the neighborhood. Here’s the list…

Here we got with what’s been happening in Hell’s Kitchen this week.

“What’d I miss?” The Drama Book Shop came back to the neighborhood this week, complete with a bookworm that winds around the store.

A car flipped on 8th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen on Sunday evening after speeding down a bike lane, hitting a pedestrian, colliding with a pedicab and damaging three other cars. The driver was later charged with drunk driving, leaving the scene of a crash and reckless driving. More here…

We read in The Village Voice this week that “in 2016, there were 4.9 million registered voters in New York City. In the following year’s general election, Mayor Bill de Blasio clinched his second term with just 726,361 votes. That means only 14 percent of people who could vote, voted for de Blasio.”

We published an article from THE CITY — “Why We Might Not Know Who Won the NYC Mayoral Primary Until Mid-July” — which includes tips to help you navigate the 2021 elections.

Next week, W42ST will be publishing the West Side Stories of the six candidates fighting to replace Corey Johnson as the member for Council District 3.

Thanks to Kerry Byrne for the news that Rudy’s is returning on August 1. Baron von Swine will be back on 9th Avenue after a hiatus of nearly 18 months (although the Baron did make an appearance last October for an afternoon).

Kerry (pictured with manager Danny DePamphilis) shared: “Rudy’s, among other claims to fame, is featured in the Steely Dan song Black Cow and has cheaply lubricated the lips of celebrities, locals and visitors alike for many decades.”

SPONSORED POST

Hell’s Kitchen’s pandemic pups will soon have a new place to meet their pals while their owners enjoy breakfast, dinner, brunch, lunch, cocktails and even a nightcap. Upper East Side doggy dining favorite Barking Dog is coming to World Wide Plaza. More here…

In other hot news, W42ST’s Best of Award winner Empanada Mama is back to serving the neighborhood (and your late-night cravings) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Woot woot!

Thanks to Chris Coffey for capturing this timelapse of the storm heading into the city this week from New Jersey. “Can’t love summer storms more,” he said.

Did you get up early on Thursday to watch the “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse? Don’t worry if you missed it. Gary Hershorn was out on the media boat to record it for you. Pics and details here…

I love the serendipity of chance meetings. On Thursday lunchtime, I was taking a break at Hell’s Kitchen Park in between meetings when I was approached by a lady canvassing for the June primaries. She asked if I was eligible to vote (which I am not) — but we struck up a conversation. We’d lived in the same building for many years, we have mutual friends, she’s been a huge fan of the print magazine — but never met. It was Evelyn Yang.

Late, on my way to happy hour drinks with friends, I came across a huge crowd outside the CBS Broadcast Center on W57th Street (a block from my home). It was the location for Thursday’s NYC mayoral debate. I went to take some pictures — and who should walk towards me but Evelyn, who gave me the biggest smile and a friendly wave. Her husband, Andrew, was bemused at who I was… I now have one of the few pictures of him not smiling! We’ve still not properly met!

Salute the sun and find peace in the heart of the Crossroads of the World on June 20 when Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga returns with in person classes. Details here…

After a long year of curfews and closures, officials are looking for new ways to wake up the city that never sleeps. In their first-ever report released last week, the Office of Nightlife (ONL), outlined a series of recommendations for the city — including the creation of a nightlife museum.

Chatting with Evelyn about the print magazine made me reminisce about our Wagging Tales feature. So here’s Daphne the Greyhound at Pier 84. With all those pandemic pups, should we bring this feature back for the daily newsletter?

However, as many readers pointed out, don’t take your dog on the grass in Hudson River Park. It’s not allowed!