We managed to weather the Sunday night storm, although West Side Rag reports that we lost three willow trees up in Riverside Park near W63rd Street (one of my favorite bits of the river walk).

It looks like the Chinese Consulate lost a chunk of its wall in the high winds too. That building holds some of my favorite bits of West Side history.


Lockdown boredom can help the creative mind. A German design firm has used this time to imagine how Times Square could work without traffic. What do you think?


Pandemic fatigue is definitely taking a toll on our mental health. I recommend setting aside 15 minutes to listen to this NPR podcast. The part about “doom scrolling” particularly resonated. I’m going to try to resist “poaching in other people’s anxiety.”


What we’ve been reading

The Beacon School has closed through November 26 after COVID cases were confirmed there. (Patch)

Chopper noise complaints to 311 are sky high – with a “perfect storm of exacerbating factors” to blame. (The City)

Enjoy a little culture! The Met Opera is streaming full recordings for free every night this week. (TimeOut)

Indoor? Outdoor? Throw in a side order of curfew and NYC dining gets ever more complicated… (Astrolabe)