Happy Monday! Congratulations — we made it through two years. Our world will never be the same again after this experience. For some, this time has been marked by trauma and tragedy — and all of us have learned to deal with a life of vax and mask.
This is the 663rd daily email since we started on March 14, 2020. That first daily newsletter had the subject line “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and encouraged locals to get together and sing at 7pm! It also talked about the dilemma that we’ve all faced for two years: “Are you like me – wondering whether to stay home, or go out? I’m torn between ‘being safe’ and supporting local businesses as much as possible.”
The communal singing never quite took off, but things did start happening at 7pm. However, we managed to get through the storm (and supported each other and those local businesses). Thanks for being with us on that journey!
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Rodgers & Hammerstein
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Thanks to Gary Hershorn for this picture of today’s early morning golden sky. His photography has brightened our news feed for the past two years. He has been missing for a few weeks as he’s taken time to recover from a busted ankle. Welcome back!

As New York excitedly gears up for its first full St Patrick’s Day celebrations since 2019, Hell’s Kitchen’s rich Irish heritage will be in the spotlight as Governor Kathy Hochul approves the addition of the 9th Ave Paddy’s Market District to the National Register of Historic Places. The stretch of 9th Avenue from W35th to W40th Street was among 21 locations recently approved by the Governor for addition to the NRHP. We’ve also got some ideas of how you can celebrate this year. Read more…

What we’ve been reading
New gay bar Thirst opens on 10th Avenue in former Prohibition space. (Instinct Magazine)
Chinatown’s bilingual street signs have been disappearing. (New York Times)
Masa at Columbus Circle is increasing its high-rise menu prices. (New York Post)
Fran Lebowitz’s unique take on the New York real estate market. (Architectural Digest)
Here’s a video of Columbus Circle from above — and it’s mesmerizing! (The Dronalist)
Freeze Frame

Thanks to Arnold Wilkerson at Little Pie Company for another wonderful window display. Did you know that Pi Day was only celebrated for the first time in 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw brought fruit pies and tea to the Exploratorium in San Francisco? The House of Representatives made Pi Day official in 2009. It has an uncanny significance within the scientific community too. Stephen Hawking passed away on this day in 2018 — and Albert Einstein was born on this day in 1879. Of course, the main thing is that it’s a great excuse to eat pie!
Happy birthday to John Mudd.
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