Good Morning, New York!
Did you know? On this day, November 19th, in New York City, fashion designer Calvin Klein was born in 1942.
In today’s NYC Newsletter:
Best events this week, hidden gems to try now in the city
Preventing National Guard in NYC, Michelin 2025 Awards, Congress Votes To Release Epstein Files
Gary Muhrcke, Alexander Hamilton
Let’s get to it.
– Sofia Kurd.
New York Question Of The Day
The correct answer from last week’s question was: A) The Phantom of the Opera
Want to participate? Reply A, B, C or D directly to this newsletter. No cheating!
Question: Which famous NYC landmark used to have live alligators living in its basement during the early 1900s?
A) The Natural History Museum
B) The Waldorf Astoria
C) The Bronx Zoo Reptile House
D) The New York Public Library
Click reply, send me your answer, and the correct answer will be revealed in the next newsletter.
Top 10 Best Events
Wed Nov 19 – Stevie Nicks at Barclays Center
The former Fleetwood Mac singer is scheduled to make up her cancelled Aug. 8 concert at the Barclays Center and headline the Nets’ Prospect Heights home tonight - Nov 19
Wed Nov 19 – QVC Holiday House Pop-Up
A highly-produced holiday pop-up with exclusive lifestyle and beauty releases. Nov 19–20. Free.
Wed Nov 19 – Bloomingdale’s x Burberry Holiday Event
New holiday partnership unveiling with installations and limited-edition items.
Wed Nov 19 – Zibby’s Bookshop Pop-Up Launch
A buzzy literary pop-up debuting for the season. Running Nov 19–Dec 15.
Thu Nov 20 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Entirely From Memory
Performers attempt to recreate Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) without the help of scripts, featuring improvised scenes and audience-written lines. $12–$14.
Thu Nov 20 – LCD Soundsystem Residency Kickoff (Knockdown Center)
First night of the band’s multi-night NYC run + James Murphy’s wine bar pop-up.
Thu Nov 20 – Cirque Le Swing at Swing 46
Cirque-style acrobatics + live jazz at a Times Square supper club.
Thu Nov 20 – Scientific American 2025 Nonfiction Panel
A nonfiction showcase from the nation’s oldest continuously published magazine, featuring authors Marguerite Holloway, Maris Kreizman, Nathan H. Lents, and Kate Marvel. Q&A, signings, and refreshments. Free.
Thu Nov 20 – Multi-Artist Autumn Art Showcase (Opening Night)
Opening reception for a new painting, sculpture, and mixed-media exhibition. Free.
Thu Nov 20 – Afters: Stories of So-Called Endings
Comedy-storytelling show about breakups, breakdowns, and new beginnings, backed by a live three-piece band. $10.
We’ve tracked down some of the best hidden gems in the city to try this fall:
The Pickle Guys – Lower East Side
An old-school pickle shop that does small-batch, barrel-fermented pickles, but the fun part is their seasonal limited drops—pumpkin spice pickles in fall, bright-pink beet-soaked pickles, and spicy horseradish ones that sell out early.
Link: https://www.pickleguys.comMs. Yoo – Lower East Side
A Korean-American comfort-food spot with fun small plates (Korean wings, kimchi parm fries), neon lights, and cocktails in cute glassware. Has a “late-night bites” deal on some weekdays.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/msyoo_nycShirokuro – East Village
A totally immersive dining experience: an omakase restaurant where every surface—walls, floors, even chairs—is hand-drawn in black and white to look like a sketchbook.
Link: https://shirokuronyc.comThe 99¢ Oyster Happy Hour at Crave Fishbar – Midtown/Upper West Side
One of NYC’s best oyster deals — dozens of varieties, all 99 cents during happy hour every Monday. Crowded but fun, and feels like you’re getting away with something.
Link: https://www.cravefishbar.com
Local News
Kathy Hochul is working with Wall Street executives to discourage deploying the National Guard to New York City following the election of Zohran Mamdani; officials argue a guard deployment could damage local business and tourism.
U.S. judge upholds New York law barring immigration agents from arresting individuals at courthouses.
New York City Department of Transportation still slow-rolling safe battery-charging infrastructure even as fires linked to charging devices rise across the five boroughs.
Federal immigration enforcement operations expected to increase in NYC, says Tom Homan, while city officials warn of the impact on immigrant communities.
Stocks slide again: The S&P 500 falls for a fourth straight session as tech valuations and interest-rate uncertainty bite.
Major Michelin 2025 awards: Three NYC restaurants—Bridges (Chinatown), Muku (Tribeca), and Hūso by Buddha Lo—earned their first ever Michelin stars, while Sushi Sho vaulted from two to three stars in the annual recognition of New York’s dining scene.
At a debate at the Yale Political Union, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander argued in favour of preserving the city’s sanctuary-city status, highlighting tensions ahead of the incoming administration.
U.S. Congress votes almost unanimously to release previously sealed files related to the late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein, pushing transparency in one of New York’s long-running scandal threads.
A code-blue alert was issued in NYC for tens of thousands of residents facing an overnight plunge in temperature below 39°F—officials urged vulnerable populations to seek shelter.
NYC Fact Of The Day
Alexander Hamilton
During the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton founded his first artillery company in what’s now Battery Park—and his troops practiced firing cannons into the Hudson River because the city didn’t have a proper training ground. The unit, known as the Hearts of Oak, was made up of King’s College students (now Columbia University) who drilled between classes, sometimes using the college chapel as a guard post when British ships approached.
Hamilton wasn’t yet a statesman or Treasury Secretary—he was a teenager running cannon crews from the shoreline of Lower Manhattan, turning the area from a quiet colonial port into a makeshift battlefield.
New Yorkers Through History
Gary Muhrcke
Gary Muhrcke was the first winner of the New York City Marathon, which took place in 1970 on a four-lap course inside Central Park. He wasn’t trying to make history; he was a New York City firefighter who ran to stay fit between overnight shifts. When the first New York City Marathon took place in 1968—just a handful of runners looping Central Park in brutal heat—he showed up in work shoes, ran without any strategy or gear, and ended up winning.
His prize for winning was a wristwatch and a recycled trophy. On September 13, 2020, for the marathon’s 50th anniversary, Muhrcke returned to Central Park and ran a lap of the original course to commemorate the race’s beginnings.
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