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Good Morning, New York!
Did you know? On this day, December 1, 1913, New York City flipped the switch on its first mechanized traffic signals, turning Fifth Avenue into a controlled corridor for the very first time.
In today’s NYC Newsletter:
All of the best holiday events and popups this week
Protests over NYC ICE raids, Real estate policy
Columbia neuroscience
Let’s get to it.
– Sofia Kurd.
New York Question Of The Day
The answer from last week’s riddle was: Penn Station
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NYC Riddle:
I’m the rare New York address that outlives relationships, jobs, and trends—once you get me, you never move; what am I?
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Top 10 Best Events
Dec 1, Hudson Yards Shine Bright Lighting — The annual holiday-lights & “vessel lighting” show kicks off at Hudson Yards, turning the neighborhood into a glowing winter spectacle.
Dec 1–7, Chinatown Holiday Market — For the first time, a holiday market is popping up in Chinatown. The non-profit Welcome to Chinatown is transforming the second floor of Canal Street's Kam Man Market into a month-long holiday market.
Dec 2, Tavern On The Green Tree Lighting: Hot Chocolate + Cookies, Performances by Kelsie Watts (Six on Broadway), and more.
Dec 2, Hysteria - Stories of Women’s Health: Storytellers share intimate, funny, and fearless tales from their personal journeys through the triumphs, challenges and mysteries of their own bodies.
Dec 2, PINK × LoveShackFancy Holiday Drop Pop-Up — A one-day playful pop-up in Chelsea offering early access to the holiday collection, photo ops, complimentary hot chocolate and a whimsical gifting station.
Dec 2, Bryant Park Tree Lighting — The official holiday-season tree lighting at Bryant Park’s Winter Village.
Dec 3, A Very ALDI Holiday Pop-Up — Free entry pop-up (with RSVP) showcasing ALDI holiday products, festive bites and drinks.
Dec 5, DSW Holiday Gallery Pop-Up — Spot for shoe lovers: holiday-season pop-up dioramas, free hot cocoa, photo booth moments, giveaways, and limited-edition merch at 430 West Broadway.
Dec 5, Pura × Pantone: The Color of the Year 2026 Scent Experience — An immersive fragrance + color experience at Iron23. First 300 guests will receive a free Pura x Pantone Mini diffuser and fragrance set.
We’ve tracked down some great hidden gems in the city to try this fall:
A preserved 19th-century family home where original furnishings and interiors remain intact, giving a rare window into everyday life in old New York.
Free fashion museum inside the Fashion Institute of Technology. It focuses on clear, well-curated exhibitions that trace how clothing trends, textiles, and design have evolved.
16-seat French tasting-menu restaurant hidden behind an art gallery façade, perfect for food lovers seeking an intimate, elevated dining experience off the usual restaurant grid.
A European-style wellness escape: QC NY is a sprawling thermal spa on Governors Island with heated outdoor pools overlooking the NYC skyline, relaxation rooms themed like little dream worlds, saunas, steam rituals, and quiet indoor lounges.
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Local News
Inter Miami CF crushes New York City FC 5-1, advances to MLS Cup final — Inter Miami dominated NYCFC at Chase Stadium to clinch the Eastern Conference title. intermiamicf+1
Hundreds protest and clash with police over suspected ICE raid in Lower Manhattan — Demonstrators blocked a federal agents’ parking garage ramp near Chinatown, leading to multiple arrests. NY1+2New York Post+2
New York City Council weighs controversial legislation expanding nonprofits’ access to real estate — but warns it could delay closings and raise costs — The bill under review could reshape property sales dynamics for nonprofits and buyers alike. amNewYork
Gotham FC to be honored at City Hall with key-to-the-city ceremony after NWSL championship win — The city is spotlighting the team’s second title in three years with a formal celebration. New York Post+1
NYC braces for a nor’easter: snow expected across metro area next week — Forecasts suggest 1–2 inches in the city, with heavier snow (3–5 inches) possible in lower Hudson Valley and surrounding regions. New York Post
Manhattan immigration-raid protest turns tense; agents forced to retreat after crowd blocks garage exit — Activists disrupted what organizers say was an impending ICE operation in Chinatown, drawing federal and local attention. The Japan Times+1
Local real-estate insiders warn that proposed nonprofit-home-ownership reforms could complicate future closings — If passed, the new legislation may add regulatory overhead to property transactions in NYC. amNewYork
Holiday-season weather alert: wintry mix and rain likely — New Yorkers told to prep for slick sidewalks and potential commute chaos — The nor’easter’s arrival could mix snow with rain, complicating holiday travel and transit. New York Post+1
NYC Fact Of The Day
In the early 2000s, a team of Columbia University neuroscientists quietly built one of the most influential datasets in modern brain science—stored not in a lab on campus, but in a converted apartment on the Upper West Side. This project, known as the Human Connectome Pilot, was one of the first attempts to map real-time neural activity in healthy adults using high-resolution fMRI, long before “brain mapping” became a mainstream research goal. Today, versions of those early tools impact how researchers around the world analyze neural networks and build machine-learning models that mimic them.
Those early NYC scans became foundational training material for algorithms studying memory formation, perception, and even the architecture of artificial neural networks. Before Silicon Valley obsessed over “AI inspired by the brain,” Columbia’s researchers were logging thousands of hours of neural data in a little lab off Broadway, sketching the earliest computational outlines of how the mind moves.
New Yorkers Through History
Chester Arthur, the 21st President of the United States, was a lifelong New Yorker who spent most of his adult life in Manhattan long before he ever entered the White House. He lived in a brownstone on Lexington Avenue, worked as a lawyer, and built his career in the city’s political circles, where he was known more for stylish suits and sharp social instincts than for ambition. His New York life shaped him far more than Washington ever did.
When he unexpectedly became president after Garfield’s assassination, most people assumed he’d just protect the old political machine he came from. Instead, he shocked the country—he backed major civil-service reforms and pushed to clean up the system he once benefited from.
NYC Predicts
Take this week’s prediction survey and share your take on major NYC and national storylines. At the end of each month, we randomly select one respondent to receive a $75 gift card. Each poll you complete counts as an additional entry — so if you answer four polls that month, you’ll have four chances to win instead of one.
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