Good Morning, New York!
Did you know? On today’s date, November 7, 1929, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened in New York City.
In today’s NYC Newsletter:
Knicks vs. Nets Game
Best NYC events this week
Local News Stories: Housing Reform, Budgets, New Data Center.
Let’s get to it.
– Sofia Kurd.
New York Question Of The Day
The answer from last week’s trivia question was D - New Amsterdam!
Knicks vs. Nets — Sunday, Nov 9
This week’s prediction: Will the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets win in the game on Sunday, Nov 9th?
To enter:
Reply to this email with KNICKS or NETS.
Include your guess for the winning team’s final score (example: 108).
We’ll reveal the real score and the most accurate reader predictions in next week’s issue. The closest guess will be featured in the next newsletter and win a $10 Amazon gift card!
Click reply, send me your answer, and the correct answer will be revealed in the next newsletter.
Top 10 Best Events
Sun Nov 9: New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets, Madison Square Garden.
Sat Nov 8: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders — home game for Rangers.
Fri thru Nov 16: New York Comedy Festival — kicks off Friday Nov 7.
Sun Nov 9: 19th Annual Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair, Prospect Heights.
Mon thru Dec 24: Grand Central Holiday Fair: Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall
Thru Nov 16: Queens World Film Festival – 124 films from 17 countries. Museum of the Moving Image & Kaufman Astoria Studios.
Sat Thru Nov 21: Sotheby’s opens at The Breuer Building with an exhibition of modern and contemporary art. Free admission.
Fri Nov 7: Lower East Stories - Storytelling Salon.
Thru Jan 29: 4th Annual Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off at MCNY Exhibition. Free admission on Wednesdays.
Sat Nov 8: Diwali Celebration at Times Square: live cultural performance + Diya-lighting ceremony.
Top 5 Links
Fall Foliage Tracker for NY State — Check out this map of fall foliage conditions across the state.
Old-Fashioned Soda Fountains — Here are nine old-fashioned soda fountains you can find in NYC. View here.
Holiday Under The Stars — Go to The Shops at Columbus Circle to see their 300,000 twinkling lights and illuminated, color-changing start with light shows.
Best Quiet Spots in NYC — A list of the city’s most aesthetic and quiet places to read, write, or work.
$20 Off-Broadway Tickets — Through Nov 9, Snag $20 walk up tickets to 40 participating off-broadway shows.
Local News
NYC Ranks #2 in World’s Best Cities Report
According to the latest “World’s Best Cities” study by Resonance Consultancy, New York City has secured the #2 spot globally, praised for cultural investment, infrastructure upgrades (including JFK’s new Terminal One) and major nightlife/office conversions. Link.Housing Reform Ballot Measures Pass With Strong Margin
New York City voters approved four major ballot initiatives aimed at speeding development approvals and empowering a new Housing Acceleration Office. The reforms signal a shift in how land-use decisions will be made. Link.Transit Authority Announces Major Redesign of Bus Network
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) revealed plans to rework several core bus routes across Brooklyn and Queens beginning in 2026, targeting faster service after congestion pricing cut auto traffic. Link.State Auditor Flags NYC Overtime Spending--$1.2 B Over Budget
A new audit found that city agencies overspent on employee overtime by about $1.2 billion in fiscal 2025, with the fire department and sanitation leading the overages. Officials say reforms are coming. Link.Landmark $4 B JPMorgan Chase Tower Completes Midtown East
The new 1,388-foot skyscraper at 270 Park Ave is formally complete and opens this week, after 6 years. The tower may shift thousands of jobs back to Manhattan at a time many companies still work remote. Link.Rally at City Hall For Fare-Free Transit
New Yorkers gathered to back the incoming mayor’s platform for free city buses and expanded subway access. Transit officials say the financial model “is being studied.” Link.NYPD Reports Record Drop in Shootings & Major Crime
Crime data show shootings, major felonies and transit-related offenses are down more than 20% year-over-year. City officials see this as evidence that years of investment in community policing may be paying off. Link.Tech Firms Announce $3 B Data-Center Cluster to Anchor Brooklyn
A consortium of cloud-computing companies committed to building a new data-centre hub in East New York, promising 2,000 jobs and $300 million in upgrades to public-education infrastructure. Link.
NYC Fact Of The Day
Columbia University
From 1966 to 2017, Columbia University had a working nuclear reactor buried under its campus on West 120th Street. It was used for research, to study nuclear physics and train engineers. For half a century, it ran safely with barely anyone outside the lab knowing it existed. Only in 2017 was it dismantled and quietly removed, leaving behind one of the stranger footnotes in New York’s scientific history.
Famous New Yorkers
John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
Born in 1839, John D. Rockefeller built Standard Oil into the most powerful company of its time, controlling over 90% of the U.S. oil industry. By the early 20th century, he was the richest man in the world and one of the first billionaires.
After moving to New York, Rockefeller shifted from business to philanthropy. He founded the Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller University, and financed major public works like Rockefeller Center. His methods made him controversial. He was praised for efficiency, criticized for monopoly tactics, but his influence on modern capitalism, philanthropy, and New York’s skyline remains.
Sweepstakes Poll
Participate in this week’s poll for a chance to win a $75 Amazon Gift Card:(must be submitted before Nov 8, 2025 for entry).
How would you rate today's newsletter 1-5?
Do you want more from this newsletter? We are looking for business partners.
If you want your business to be featured in an issue to reach 10k+ New Yorkers…
Sponsor this newsletter (link)
As always, reply to this email with any questions you have.