The Brooklyn coastline is about to get all glammed up: Bloomberg reports that New York City just took control of 122 acres of rugged land from the southern edge of Brooklyn Bridge Park down to Red Hook. Authorities plan to redevelop the area into “housing, retail, green space and a modern, environmentally friendly port.”

The news is a pretty big deal: until now controlled by both the city and the Port Authority, the area will now be under the complete purview of the city and state, a fact that will hopefully make it easier to actually redevelop the decrepit zone. As part of the deal, the city will also give the Port Authority operational control of a 225-acre portion of Staten Island’s Howland Hook Marine Terminal.

During an official press conference, Mayor Eric Adams announced a whopping $80 million investment to repair Piers 7, 8 and 10 by the Brooklyn Martine Terminal and a $15 million investment to fund a new electrified container crane for operations on site.

“For 20 years, skeptics thought this deal couldn’t get done, but our administration prioritized the ‘Harbor of the Future’ and now we have the potential to create thousands of new jobs, generate billions in economic impact, and create a neighborhood on our shoreline that truly displays the promise of New York City,” said Mayor Adams in an official statement, specifically mentioning his initiative that seeks to transform the city’s watrfront. “By assuming control of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Red Hook in our city government’s largest real estate transaction in recent memory, our administration is demonstrating that we will continue to deliver big wins for New Yorkers, day after day.”

The city has already applied for over $350 million in federal grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete the revamp of the terminal into a more modern facility that could handle low-carbon freight movements. Even more specifically, the requests mention the need to replace Piers 9a and 9b, which are in horrible conditions at the moment. 

The developments follow years of stalled projects that never came to fruition. Here’s to hoping things will finally move forward.

* This article was originally published here

New York City’s battle against rats continues: Mayor Eric Adams just revealed that the city will host the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit this fall, on September 18 and 19.

The, let’s be honest, hilarious-sounding event will bring together rodent experts from all over the country, from academic researchers to municipal pest control managers. Together, the gurus will teach attendees how to deal with rat-related issues, mitigate their impact and explain how the pests thrive in urban environments.

Adams’ absolute distaste for rats is no secret: officials have implemented countless measures to stop the rodents from multiplying and invading neighborhoods throughout the past few years, including the release of a map that tracks all their movements and the decision to hire a rat czar. We dare say that we’re actually winning the war against them! 

“With rat sightings down nearly 14 percent in our city’s Rat Mitigation Zones year over year, we continue to make progress, but we’re not stopping there. The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy,” the Mayor said in an official statement. “That’s why we’re holding this inaugural summit, to bring experts and leaders from across the country together to better understand urban rats and how to manage their populations.”

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Cornell University’s New York State Integrated Pest Management Program will host the summit but details regarding potential passes for the general public have yet to be announced.

New York City rats, get ready for the next phase of war.

* This article was originally published here

Every year, New York has one of the biggest Pride celebrations anywhere in the world, one that involves exciting programming all the way through June. This year, though, things are looking a bit different: NYC Pride just announced that it’s cancelling two of its flagship summer events. 

Heritage of Pride, the organization behind NYC Pride events, revealed that Pride Island, the annual flagship music festival, and Pride Rally, an event that involves community leaders discussing the most pressing LGBTQ+ issues of today, will not happen this year.

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“We are still very much working in a ‘post’ COVID environment, taking into account the impact on our community and the city,” Sandra Pérez, Heritage of Pride’s Executive Director, told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880. “The cost of doing business has risen dramatically for everyone, that is no secret. While we may receive the same level of support from partners, it simply doesn’t cover all of the expenses we incur so we’ve had to reexamine key events.”

She added that, to make up for the changes, Heritage of Pride will work on pushing LGBTQ+ programming throughout the year, and not just June.

If you’ve been to NYC Pride before, then you know that the cancellation of these two happenings is a pretty big deal.

Pride Island is a big music festival that happens on the last weekend of June and attracts some of the biggest names in music. In 2022, Pride Island took place on Governors Island and featured Lil’ Kim and Kim Petras. The year after, the festivities took over the Brooklyn Army Terminal, with Christina Aguilera as the headliner. 

Pride Rally, on the other hand, brings together activists and advocates to discuss some of the biggest topics and issues in the queer community. Last year, the event featured trans rights activist Raquel Willis and Sage Dolan-Sandrino.

It’s important to note that Pride Rally is not the same thing as the citywide Pride march, which happens on the last Sunday of June, and is very much still happening this year. 

Even though this isn’t ideal news, don’t despair: NYC Pride is still hosting many of its other flagship events, including TEAZE, bringing together New York City’s most diverse queer parties into one space on June 22nd; Bliss Days, an event that focuses on queer women happening on June 30th at the DL; and PrideFest, an outdoor festival that features different exhibitors and food vendors.

Outside of Heritage of Pride events, June will still be jam packed with queer-adjacent festivities throughout the city, including drag brunches, queer plays and no shortage of parties.

And yet, it’s hard not to mourn the loss of two of the most emblematic Pride events of the year, a development that speaks to a larger set of economic challenges that queer organizations are facing.

“We know from our colleagues that NY Pride is not alone—the investment in Pride organizations across the country is sorely lacking,” said Pérez. “But here is the real challenge: while we have an economic impact in our communities, that isn’t reflected in the support we receive from city and state agencies and others who benefit from the work we do.”

* This article was originally published here

First we had an earthquake, then we had an eclipse and now the Knicks are actually good at basketball.

They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice but, this year, New York has been pulsing with electricity, and the Knicks’ latest winning streak has every New Yorker, whether a basketball fan or not, in a chokehold.

If you haven’t been following, here’s why tomorrow night’s game is such a big deal: if the Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers, it will be the first time in 24 years that the team will qualify to go to the Eastern conference finals, bringing them one step closer to the playoffs.

That is all to say: tomorrow night’s game, which kicks off at 8:30pm, is something to be experienced alongside fellow New Yorkers… which is why we’ve put together a list of the best places around the city to watch it all unfold:

Manhattan 

• Madison Square Garden, Midtown: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza

What better place to watch the game than on the Knicks’ home turf? Madison Square Garden will be hosting a giant watch party and you can snag tickets, which start at $27, right here here. 

• Slate NY, Midtown: 54 West 21st Street

Enjoy the game on a big screen at an event hosted by Knicks Fan TV, the online sports news channel and social media account dedicated to the team. Doors open at 6:30pm and you have the option to reserve a table. Get your tickets here. 

• Pennsylvania 6 NYC, Midtown: 132 West 31st Street

Produced by The Roommates Show and presented by Tommy John, tickets to the watch party at Pennsylvania 6 NYC will include an open bar, pizza and giveaways. You can get your tickets here. 

• T Squared Social, Midtown: 7 East 42nd Street

This Midtown bar will start with a pregame party at 8pm and blast the match’s audio chronicle through its in-house speakers. 

• Amity Hall, Greenwich Village: 80 West 3rd Street

This is an official Knicks Bar Takeover location, which means that the entire bar will be watching the game. There will be flatscreen TVs on every wall and the menu will be filled with a healthy selection of craft beers and classic American food. If you’re looking to experience the game alongside a younger energetic crowd, this is a great option (you’ll be smack dab in the middle of the NYU campus, after all).

• Stout, Midtown: 133 West 33rd Street

If the Knicks win, you’ll want to be at Stout’s 33rd Street location, which is just half a block away from Madison Square Garden—where Knicks fans gather every time the team scores a victory. 

Queens

• Alewife Brewing, Sunnyside: 41-11 39th Street

Founded in 2021, Alewife is a spacious, Irish brewery with an outdoor area (we’re expected to hit the high 60s tomorrow night). Founded by the people behind other iconic breweries like Rattle N Hum, The Jeffrey and Fools Gold, expect a fun viewing experience in a social beer hall setting. 

• Pig Beach, Astoria: 35-37 36th Street, ground floor

If BBQ with a side of basketball sounds like your vibe, Pig Beach BBQ should be your go-to. 

• Lost in Paradise Rooftop, Long Island City: 11-01 43rd Avenue

If a rooftop party with a view is more your speed, Lost in Paradise’s space, food and hookah is for you. You can reserve your table here. 

Brooklyn

• Fulton Hall, Downtown Brooklyn: 250 Ashland Place

Located in a spacious industrial space in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, Fulton Hall boasts plenty of comfortable seats, with a mixture of booths, bar seating and tables. The vibe is festive and there’s a pool table on site. 

• Emblem, Williamsburg: 187 Graham Avenue

Decked out with a staggering 15 high-definition flat screens, Emblem is not only a great place to watch the game, but also a great place to try out some local brews.  

• Time Out Market New York: 55 Water Street

Watch the game with sound on at Time Out Market with your pick of incredible NYC favorites, from comfort food at Jacob’s Pickles to delicious pizza from Fornino. You can wash it all down with a cold brew or specialty cocktail—all with a view of the NYC skyline.

Bronx

• Brewsky Bar and Grill, Throgs Neck: 3718 East Tremont Avenue

Brewksy’s large outdoor area and picnic tables are perfect for a pre-summer vibe with a wide selection of food: think hard shell tacos, robust nacho plates and mac and cheese.

* This article was originally published here