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Hello New York! The PEN World Voices Festival lands this week with 140+ writers from around the world, Hudson Yards is blooming with floral couture installations, Congress is demanding FIFA foot the bill for those $150 World Cup train tickets, and the city just announced an ambitious plan to cover 30% of the five boroughs in tree canopy. Plus, the mayor's viral "tax the rich" video outside a billionaire's penthouse is still making waves — and may have just cost the city a $6 billion office project.
Let's get to it.
– Sofia Kurd.
Best Events April 28 – May 2
• Tues–Sat: PEN World Voices Festival — One of the biggest literary festivals in the country returns April 29 through May 2 with 140+ writers and 40+ events across NYC. Judith Butler, Cory Doctorow, Siri Hustvedt, Katie Kitamura, and Rivers Solomon headline. 20+ free events including the Translation Slam, the Unbannable Library, and the tenth annual Indie Lit Fair. Use code "PENPAL26" for 20% off tickets.
Tue, Apr 28, 7–9pm: Recover Different — Beem Light Sauna
A smart wellness-meets-fitness event at Brooklyn Running Co. with a short talk on infrared sauna, red light therapy, and heat training performance benefits, followed by your choice of a one-mile recovery walk or three-mile run to Beem Light Sauna in Park Slope. Complimentary sauna sessions, red light therapy, hydration, and prize raffles included.
• Thru 5/3: Fleurs de Villes: Flora at Hudson Yards — 15 floral installations by New York female florists reimagining spring couture entirely in flowers. Level one of The Shops at Hudson Yards. Free.
• Thru 4/30: Jane Fonda Film Series at BAM — The Brooklyn Academy of Music wraps up its eight-film retrospective of Jane Fonda this week — screenings include 9 to 5, Barbarella, Klute, and The China Syndrome. BAM Rose Cinemas, Fort Greene. $17.
Fri, May 1, 5–10pm: Verci Sunset Yacht
Welcome in summer with Verci on a three-hour yacht tour and sunset cruise. Starts with drinks and snacks at Verci, then heads to Skyport Marina to board the yacht. Go hang out, enjoy the city views, and watch the sunset from the water.
Sun, May 3, 11am–2pm: Madrid Open Tennis Final Watch Party
The Manhattan Tennis Association takes over the second floor of One4One for a daytime watch party for the Madrid Open Men’s Final. Expect a tennis-heavy crowd, match audio on full sound, sunlight-filled space overlooking Chrystie Street, and a DJ set after the final.
• Sat nights through October: Queens Night Market — If you missed the April preview, the beloved outdoor food market behind the NY Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows goes free admission starting May 2. 100+ vendors, most dishes $5-6, food from dozens of countries.
Local News
• NYC wants to cover 30% of the city in tree canopy by 2040 — Mayor Mamdani unveiled a new Urban Forest Plan this week with an ambitious goal: expand tree coverage from the current 23.4% to 30% across all five boroughs. The plan prioritizes neighborhoods with the least shade — places like Hunts Point in the Bronx, which has just 6% tree cover compared to the boroughwide average of 27%. Low-income minority neighborhoods average 19% canopy versus 26% in wealthier areas. Streets, sidewalks, and residential brownstones were identified as having the most potential for new plantings. However, a separate report from Comptroller Mark Levine found that chronic underfunding and staffing cuts are already undermining existing trees — pruning backlogs are growing, early tree mortality is elevated, and maintenance can't keep pace.
• Congress tells FIFA to pay for World Cup transit — Four Democratic members of Congress from New York and New Jersey wrote a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino demanding the organization subsidize the $150 round-trip train tickets to MetLife Stadium. Their argument: FIFA expects to make $11 billion from this year's tournament — they can chip in so fans can actually get to the games. NJ Governor Sherrill is pushing the same line. FIFA's response so far? They're "surprised" by the costs and have pointed out the original 2018 hosting agreement required free transit to all matches — that was quietly amended in 2023 to "at cost." If you're planning to attend games this summer (June 13 through July 19), start mapping your transit now.
• Mamdani's "tax the rich" video has 52 million views — and the business community is not amused — The mayor's viral video celebrating the proposed pied-à-terre tax, filmed outside hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin's $238 million Central Park South penthouse, has drawn sharp criticism from business leaders who say it crossed a line in an era of increasing political violence. Griffin is reportedly now reconsidering a $6 billion Midtown office project that would create 15,000 permanent jobs. Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called on Mamdani to do some "soul searching." But the video is the mayor's most-watched ever, and supporters see it as refreshing political action. Mamdani has since extended an olive branch to Griffin — "we all believe in the same city" — but hasn't backed away from the pied-à-terre tax, which would apply to second homes worth over $5 million.
• New York is suing the feds over $73 million in withheld highway funds — again — Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Hochul filed suit Friday to recover highway funding the Trump administration is withholding over a dispute about commercial drivers licenses issued to noncitizens. The feds say more than half of the licenses they audited violated federal law; the state says they were all issued in compliance. The $73 million funds road maintenance, safety upgrades, and infrastructure projects statewide, with threats to withhold an additional $147 million annually. Courts have repeatedly sided with New York in similar fights this year — over congestion pricing, the Second Avenue subway, and the Gateway Tunnel — so the state has momentum.
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New York Trivia
Question: What is the oldest bridge still in use in New York City?
A) Brooklyn Bridge (1883)
B) High Bridge (1848)
C) Washington Bridge (1889)
D) Macombs Dam Bridge (1895)
Reply to this email with your response. The answer will be revealed in the next newsletter. No cheating!
NYC Featured
In 1679, years before New York was the financial capital of America, the city held one of its first futures markets—beaver pelts. Then called New Amsterdam’s successor settlement, merchants in lower Manhattan were trading contracts and promises tied to fur shipments that had not yet arrived. Beaver hats were a global luxury item, and the region’s waterways made the city a prime trading hub. In a real sense, Wall Street’s later culture of speculation began not with stocks or bonds, but with traders betting on the future price of pelts at the edge of the harbor.