Good morning and happy Friday. My second vaccination has so far had no more impact than a slightly stiff shoulder — so I’m up and ready to end the week. Woot woot!
Manganaro’s, a feature of 9th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen since 1893, has closed. For the first time in over 100 years, the block between W37th and W38th Street will not display the Manganaro family name. George has been leafing through the pages of their New York foodie history…
We popped down to check out the opening day of The Farmers’ Market at Hudson Yards Backyard. The wind had pushed the vendors inside, but there was a great range of local produce. They will be open 10-6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays through to the fall.
On Saturday, Stony Hill Farms will be back on 43rd Street (between 9th/10th Aves) next to Little Pie Company. Carol Davis will be coming back for another season offering Jersey-fresh produce, eggs, flowering plants, and ice cream.
What we’ve been reading
Comic Con will be back at the Javits in October — but with limited capacity. (NBC)
Mask disposal is causing problems for the city. (Crain’s)
The drop in ridership has led to rents falling close to subway stations. (Queens Crap)
Can you pedal a million miles in May? Maybe you can by joining these New Yorkers… (BikeNYC)
Broadway actors take to the streets in protest. (CBS)
Freeze Frame
We hopped the M11 bus back uptown from Hudson Yards. Staring out the window, we spotted Howie Ostrofsky sitting in his bar, On the Rocks, on 10th Avenue. The cozy whiskey bar has been shuttered since March 2020 — so it was a real double-take moment. Scrambling off the bus at the next stop, we went back to chat. Howie’s not opening yet (he expects to be open again in September — or “when the Governor opens up to 100% indoors”). Meanwhile, he’s doing work on the air filters and taking delivery of some very special whiskey. Cheers to that 🥃