6SqFt: NYC’s landmarked Roosevelt Hotel will close after 96 years due to pandemic. “When the Roosevelt Hotel opened on East 45th Street in 1924, it was connected to Grand Central via an underground tunnel, signaling its prominence among New York’s Jazz Age society. But nearly 100 years later, the Midtown hotel will shut it doors for good on October 31.”
New York City
New York Times: How a Feud Between Cuomo and de Blasio Led to a Chaotic Virus Crackdown
New York Times: How a Feud Between Cuomo and de Blasio Led to a Chaotic Virus Crackdown. “The governor and mayor, both Democrats, have feuded for years, and their reluctance to work together closely has become a critical issue during the pandemic. Mr. [Bill] de Blasio, who needed Mr. [Andrew] Cuomo’s approval to act, pushed out a plan without the state’s blessing, only to have the governor override that plan with one of his own — causing unnecessary confusion for thousands of business owners and school parents.”
New York Times: Broadway Will Remain Closed at Least Through May
New York Times: Broadway Will Remain Closed at Least Through May. “Broadway is going to remain closed at least through next May 30, which is 444 days after all 41 theaters went dark as part of New York’s effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.”
Hyperallergic: Art in General, Beloved Brooklyn Arts Nonprofit, Announces Closure
Hyperallergic: Art in General, Beloved Brooklyn Arts Nonprofit, Announces Closure. “Art in General, the Brooklyn nonprofit dedicated to presenting new work by emerging and mid-career artists, has announced its closure after nearly four decades of operation. In a statement, Board President Leslie Ruff and Executive Director Irene Mei Zhi Shum cited the economic pressures of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”
New York Times: Inspired by Trump, Hasidic Backlash Grows Over Virus Rules
New York Times: Inspired by Trump, Hasidic Backlash Grows Over Virus Rules. “Orthodox Jewish leaders have seen a growing, raucous faction of young men in the community, tired of pandemic guidelines and resentful of the secular authorities.”
Gothamist: Orthodox Borough Park Residents Burn Masks, Beat Dissenters Over COVID Lockdown
Gothamist: Orthodox Borough Park Residents Burn Masks, Beat Dissenters Over COVID Lockdown. “Hundreds of members of Brooklyn’s Orthodox community stormed the streets and synagogues of Borough Park on [October 6] to protest new coronavirus restrictions imposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.”
Plague Comforts: Empty Streets (Mother Jones)
Mother Jones: Plague Comforts: Empty Streets. “After the coronavirus paralyzed New York City in March, the only part of my life that became more pleasant was riding my bike. For a moment, empty streets replaced cars parked in bike lanes, cars running red lights, cars blaring their horns for no discernible reason. On most days when I rode, I felt free. I no longer envisioned myself ensnared in the wheels of a box truck or flattened against the pavement by a charter bus that had run a red. Instead, I entertained myself, in this socially distanced reality, by riding to Rockaway Beach, or Kissena Park, or eerily silent Times Square with a clear mind.”
New York Times: How a Virus Surge Among Orthodox Jews Became a Crisis for New York
New York Times: How a Virus Surge Among Orthodox Jews Became a Crisis for New York. “For decades, tightly knit Hasidic and other ultra-Orthodox Jewish sects have thrived in the city and the surrounding suburbs while warding off many aspects of the modern world. Now, they are facing unwelcome scrutiny over whether the virus is spreading because some people in these insular communities are reluctant to embrace public health practices and have become susceptible to misinformation, including from President Trump.”
6 SqFt: Amazing archival photos show New York City in the 1940s and ’50s
6 SqFt: Amazing archival photos show New York City in the 1940s and ’50s. “Nonprofit advocacy and educational organization Village Preservation is well known for many things, one of which is its historic image archive. Their newest addition is the Jean Polacheck Collection, which dates largely from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, and includes scenes of Washington Square Park, the interior of clubs and restaurants, and other NYC street scenes.”
‘We’re at War’: New York City Faces a Financial Abyss (New York Times)
New York Times: ‘We’re at War’: New York City Faces a Financial Abyss. “The unemployment rate in New York City is 16 percent, twice as high as the rest of the country. Personal income tax revenue is expected to drop by $2 billion this fiscal year. Only a third of hotel rooms are occupied, and apartment vacancies in Manhattan have hit a peak. New York, more than any large city in the world, has been forced to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak’s dual paths of devastation: The virus has killed 24,000 people in the city and has sapped it of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue.”
New York Post: NYC to pay school bus companies $106M for COVID-19 idling
New York Post: NYC to pay school bus companies $106M for COVID-19 idling. “The city will pay school bus companies $106 million for two of the months in which they stood idle during the COVID-19 shutdown, officials told The Post. And in a massive new deal, the cash-strapped city will be on the hook to pay bus companies at least 43% of their contracts through 2025 if schools close for more than five days in a row.”
‘It is not acceptable’: Cuomo, de Blasio at odds as Covid surges in New York (Politico)
Politico: ‘It is not acceptable’: Cuomo, de Blasio at odds as Covid surges in New York. “New York City is reliving some of the nightmares it endured earlier this spring as coronavirus cases begin to surge, and once again Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are pointing fingers and offering conflicting guidance.”
The City: Closed Private Subway Entrances Give Shuttered Feel to Manhattan Office Buildings and Former Hotspots
The City: Closed Private Subway Entrances Give Shuttered Feel to Manhattan Office Buildings and Former Hotspots. “Even as more New Yorkers return to their offices and the subway system, nine privately maintained station entrances in Midtown and Lower Manhattan remain off-limits to riders more than six months into the pandemic. The gateways — which include multiple entrances to the sprawling Fulton Street complex, along with 42nd Street-Bryant Park and 42nd Street/Port Authority — were closed by the MTA early in the coronavirus crisis at the request of building owners, an agency spokesperson said.”
WLNY: NYPD Threatens Disciplinary Action For Officers Who Don’t Wear Face Masks
WLNY: NYPD Threatens Disciplinary Action For Officers Who Don’t Wear Face Masks. “The NYPD is ordering all its officers to mask up or face disciplinary action. The move comes after criticism from the public and Gov. Andrew Cuomo that many officers were enforcing the rule but not following it themselves.”
NY1: Mayor Proposes Shutting Schools and Non-Essential Businesses in 9 NYC Zip Codes Battling COVID-19 Uptick
NY1: Mayor Proposes Shutting Schools and Non-Essential Businesses in 9 NYC Zip Codes Battling COVID-19 Uptick. “Mayor Bill de Blaiso Sunday proposed shutting down schools and non-essential businesses in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens starting Wednesday due to an uptick in coronavirus cases in those areas. The move requires state approval.”