Good morning and happy Tuesday. Well, the good news is that it’s the sort of day you don’t need to worry about whether to take an umbrella with you or not! It’s full-on rain for at least the next 24 hours! Yikes…

Welcome to the 3rd Annual W42ST Best of Awards — Sponsored by Wells Fargo with support from Intrepid Museum.
Voting is now open! You can nominate your Hell’s Kitchen favorites across 10 categories (check out the list of last year’s winners here).
Win tickets for the Awards ceremony! All voters will be entered to win a pair of tickets for the Awards Ceremony held on the evening of September 30 under the wings of Concorde at the Intrepid Museum!
Please remember to mind the rules! There is one vote per person — and a valid email address must be provided for a vote to count. Vote here…
One of the new categories in this year’s awards is “Best Venue”. There are over 40 venues in and around HK offering entertainment that are not Broadway theaters. Check the list…

What we’ve been reading
Google is doubling down on its strategy of boosting its footprint in New York City. (New York Post)
Senator clears up the mess… “You do NOT need to ID a customer in order to sell them a can of whipped cream.” (Gothamist)
Blank Street coffee shops are blanketing the city with a venture capital-backed plan. (New York Times)
A date has been set for the official reopening of the James Earl Jones Theatre. (Deadline)
Willy Spiller’s photos take us back to the dark days of the subway in the 1970s and 80s. (My Modern Met)
Freeze Frame

The Manhattan Plaza Block Festival is coming up on Saturday, September 17. There are still opportunities to sign up for a space to sell at the event. To reserve a spot email MPTABFC@gmail.com or check the details on their website. The application deadline is September 8.
Happy belated birthdays to Alicia Reich and Kathryn Roach — and many happy returns today to Gale Brewer, Lee Caple and Karen Gibson Lampiasi.