It’s tough to stay on top of NYC news, but Rob Blatt’s email, The Briefly does an amazing job of bringing you up to speed. We’re excited to feature a weekly distillation of The Briefly on Brooklyn Based, curated from the point of view of the obvious center of the universe. Here are some of the key and quirky news stories around New York you may have missed — sign up for the email to keep them coming.
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• The Great PUPkin Dog Costume Contest is coming back this year on October 30 at noon. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
• Here’s what you need to know as enforcement of the city’s indoor vaccination mandate starts this week. (Anna Quinn for Patch)
• Grand Prospect Hall’s demolition is paused until September 16th with the developer being directed to “take all appropriate precautions to preserve the facade and to not further damage the facade or character of the building.” Activists sued to stop demolition in hopes of going in front of the Landmarks Preservation Commission to win landmark status for the building. The commission is reviewing the application. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
• The creepy animatronic horse that was outside the Brooklyn Bavarian Biergarten was saved and will have a new home up the street where it will be refurbished and occasionally put on display. (Patty Onderko for Brooklyn Magazine)
• Real Estate Lust: A beautifully decorated live/work $2.9 million triplex on Van Brunt in Red Hook with a roof terrace, a commercial art gallery on the first floor, exposed brick walls, multiple fireplaces, a floating clawfoot tub, and more. (Dana Schulz for 6sqft)
• The Department of Transportation announced that the area under the BQE from Metropolitan Ave to Apollo St will get a makeover to remove the current free parking and replace them with a third sidewalk, protected bike lanes, and metered parking spaces. There is, of course, a group of NIMBYs attempting to stop the project. (Jennifer Rosini-Gentile for Greenpointers)
• Chicago-style hot dogs without having to go to the Midwest. Robert Sietsema reviews Windsor Terrace’s Dog Day Afternoon with standouts the Chicago dog (with a vegan option), polish sausage, and midwest milkshake. (Robert Sietsema for Eater)
• Photos: The Brooklyn Museum’s “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” exhibit is now open through February 2022. The exhibit has been touring since 2017 but has been expanded for the Brooklyn Museum. (Andrea Lopez for Untapped New York)
• The mayor, who is sporting a 37% approval rating and already had an embarrassing Presidential campaign, is not ruling out a run for governor. Would he take a car from Albany to jog in Prospect Park on a daily basis? (Elizabeth Kim for Gothamist)
• A driver going the wrong way on Gates Ave in Fort Greene hit another car head-on between Vanderbilt and Fulton, sending both cars into a family and killing a three-month-old baby. The driver headed in the wrong direction had 91 camera-issued speeding tickets issued against them. After seven years of the mayor’s Vision Zero initiative, 2021 is looking to be the deadliest year since the initiative was announced. (Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog)
• Vaccinations, masks, and more. Six issues to watch for as the city’s schools come back into session. The city’s positivity rate has been down slightly in the last month. We’ll see how one million kids can impact that. (Amy Zimmer for Chalkbeat)
• Wythe Ave is getting new protected bike lanes between Williamsburg Street East and Penn Street. (Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner for Greenpointers)
• The hottest new restaurants in Brooklyn for fall 2021. (Eater)
