Webster’s Dictionary tells me that the “Silly Season” is a period (such as late summer) when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories.
At W42ST in 2020, we’ve been working on avoiding the major news stories all year, to keep readers connected, updated, and (most of all) upbeat. That’s meant the past few weeks have been filled by Holiday stories (in particular that viral Rockefeller Christmas tree!).
So first up today, in our Silly Season Friday. A young gay boy’s heartbreaking letter to Santa gets answered by HK’s own Queer Latino Elf, who just happens to be our food writer. Read on…
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Back to Christmas Trees! I finally got mine. We initially headed uptown to 60th and West End where we had spotted a seller. We found a lovely looking 7ft specimen after a beauty parade, and asked the price. $190! What..? He asked what we expected and I said in the past that I had paid around $80. He said they had come from Canada, he could do $180.
We trudged off. I remembered the last one I got was from the bodega on W52nd and 9th. Sure enough, we found a beauty. $80, no haggling involved. It got home, via a pit stop at Taboon… and is now resting before decorating.
Now the big question is, do I create a time-lapse video of putting the decorations on, like Sean Patrick Gallagher, or just enjoy the moment with a glass of sherry!?
What We’ve Been Reading
Who wins in the bodegas vs grocery stores debate? (New York Post)
“No issue has produced the number of complaints through the years as helicopters” – but can Gale Brewer tackle the ever-growing number of low-flying choppers? (Gotham Gazette)
Shocking statistics highlight the plight of New York’s homeless children. (WNYC)
Winter from Hell…“Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, packed with bar and restaurant revelers over the summer, feels increasingly lonely and barren at night as the weather turns cooler.” (Eater)
There’s an Ars Nova Telethon this weekend! (TimeOut)
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Here’s what one supporter told us: “Hey W42ST team – I eagerly open your newsletter every single day. It’s a funny and well-written break from national politics and a global pandemic. Honestly, though, I’m not usually one to read newsletters. Yours however is different. Through it you provide laughs, value, and insight into HK’s best stories! It’s the flat out best newsletter that I have ever subscribed to. Keep Doing What You’re Doing!”