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Good Morning, New York!
Did you know? On Dec 5, 1933, when the 21st amendment was ratified, Prohibition officially ended, and New York City erupted as thousands of speakeasies flung their doors open and poured the first legal drinks in 13 years.
In today’s NYC Newsletter:
Best holiday events and hidden gems
Street safety, Mamdani policies, Letitia James
Let’s get to it.
– Sofia Kurd.
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New York Question Of The Day
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NYC Riddle:
I’m a park on a bridge in NYC, what am I?
Click reply, send me your answer, and the correct answer will be revealed in the next newsletter.
The answer from last week’s riddle was: The One Bryant Park spire — its “clock” isn’t a clock at all, but a temperature display that always looks wrong if you think it’s telling time.
Best Events
Sat–Sun, Dec 6–7, MCNY x Brooklyn Pop-Up Holiday Market (Museum of the City of New York, East Harlem)
A hybrid holiday market + museum outing with local vendors, NYC-themed goods, and pay-what-you-can access for residents.Sat, Dec 6, Kinder Chocolate x Elf on the Shelf Treat Truck (Citywide Pop-Up)
A roaming holiday truck handing out complimentary cocoa, chocolates, and photo-opp moments.Sun, Dec 7, Holiday Cookie Swap — Seaport, Manhattan
Holiday Cookie Swap (Seaport) hosted by Flour Bakery (19 Drydock Ave). Bring your best cookies and leave with a box of mixed treats.Fri–Sun, Dec 5–7, Oculus Holiday Market (World Trade Center)
An indoor holiday market set beneath the white rib structure of the Oculus — design-forward vendors plus live performances.Sat, Dec 6: Ceramics + Soup Pop-Up (115 Bowery, Chinatown)
A cozy winter drop-in featuring hands-on ceramics and hot soup. $7 admission.Sat, Dec 6: Free Skating at Wollman Rink (Central Park)
The first 1,000 visitors skate for free (rental included), with DJs from 106.7 appearing throughout the day.Sun, Dec 7: Holiday Nostalgia Train (Uptown F + Q Lines)
Ride restored 1930s subway cars for the price of a normal swipe; runs Sundays through 12/28 between 2nd Ave–Houston (F) and 96th–2nd Ave (Q).Sun, Dec 7: A Charlie Brown Christmas with Aidan Scrimgeour (Jalopy Theater, CSWD)
A live jazz performance of Vince Guaraldi’s score with scenes from the special and sing-alongs; acoustic at 2:30pm, electric at 6:30pm.
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Hidden Gems
We’ve tracked down some great hidden gems in the city to try this fall:
A tiny vinyl-driven dinner party inside a sushi restaurant. You pick records, they play them, and a Japanese tasting menu rolls out course by course.
A wellness class mixing gentle yoga with cuddly puppies roaming free — mats, sparkling “wellness drinks,” and post-flow puppy social time included. The yoga is beginner-friendly, and the pups are adorable.
A professional cooking school that quietly opens its doors at night for the public — offering hands-on classes in pasta-making, sushi rolling, bread baking, pastry techniques, and more.
Local News
Grand jury rejects new mortgage-fraud indictment against Letitia James
Prosecutors failed to secure a new indictment against the New York State Attorney General after a judge dismissed the previous case. Spectrum News NY1Zohran Mamdani vows to end all homeless-encampment sweeps when he becomes mayor
The incoming mayor announced he will stop the city’s policy of clearing homeless encampments — reversing a key initiative from the outgoing administration. Fox NewsEric Adams issues executive orders blocking city divestment from Israel and restricting protests near houses of worship
In his final weeks in office, the mayor signed orders aimed at banning BDS-aligned divestments and limiting protests at religious sites — setting up a political clash with the incoming leadership. The Guardian+1NYC sees major Jewish-community rally after recent synagogue-targeted protests
Hundreds gathered in solidarity after a controversial protest targeting a synagogue, emphasizing community support and safety. The Jerusalem PostNew bagel shop Moonrise Bagels opens in Greenwich Village, offering stuffed-bagel twist on a classic staple
The Hudson-Valley bagel brand launched in the city with creative stuffed bagel options — a fresh entry in NYC’s evolving bagel scene. Eater NYThe annual light-up of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree marks the start of NYC’s holiday season
The 75-ft spruce lit up midtown with 50,000+ lights and a 900-lb star; the ceremony returned with festive performances after Thanksgiving’s finale. AP NewsTraffic and congestion patterns under review as congestion-pricing impacts are debated
Officials say congestion pricing has cut vehicle trips and improved traffic—but critics (especially drivers and contractors) remain unconvinced of real change. New York PostPolitical shake-up: Antonio Reynoso enters race to replace longtime Rep. Nydia Velázquez in Congress
The Brooklyn Borough President made a formal bid for the open 7th Congressional District seat, signaling a potential shift in the district’s representation. New York PostStreet-safety & Vision Zero efforts spotlighted as NYC pushes to stand out among U.S. cities
The city’s expanded “Vision Zero” traffic-safety programs were featured as a model — part of ongoing efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and improve urban mobility. nyc.streetsblog.orgDreamers Welcome announced a 15% discount for NYC Newsletter subscribers on Puerto Rico stays, part of a winter travel deal aimed at New Yorkers looking to escape the cold. The offer comes at a great time for holiday gifts and travel, and 15% promotion ends soon so take a look now. Dreamers Welcome
NYC Fact Of The Day
New York City once banned dancing. For nearly a century, the infamous Cabaret Law made it illegal for more than three people to dance in a bar without a special license, a permit so difficult and expensive to obtain that only a tiny fraction of venues ever qualified. Officially, the rule was about “public safety.” Unofficially, it became a tool to police jazz clubs in the Harlem Renaissance, LGBTQ bars in the Village, and later downtown nightlife scenes the city didn’t quite know how to handle.
The law stayed in place until 2017, meaning that for most of modern New York history, almost every late-night dance floor—from disco basements to warehouse parties—was technically illegal..
New Yorkers Through History
Most people know Andy Warhol for the soup cans and the celebrity portraits, but fewer know how quietly strange his day-to-day New York life actually was. For years, he kept dozens of small tape recorders around his apartment and studio, capturing casual conversations, phone calls, and background noise. He called it his “electronic diary,” and he treated the recordings as just as real and important as his paintings. Friends joked that talking to him meant talking to the tape first.
Another lesser-known piece of Warhol’s New York story: his NYC “time capsules.” Whenever his studio got too cluttered, he swept everything on his desk—notes, receipts, ticket stubs, sketches, newspapers—into a cardboard box, sealed it, dated it, and started fresh. He did this for twenty years, leaving behind more than 600 boxes. Together, they form one of the strangest accidental portraits of New York life ever assembled: a city captured through the tiny scraps people normally throw away.
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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