Good morning and happy Wednesday. A gray start to the day, but temperatures are already inching their way above freezing — a small win. The sun should break through by noon, pushing us up to a balmy 45 by late afternoon. The breeze is sticking around, though, so don’t ditch the layers just yet.
Steven Croman — a landlord long reviled by Hell’s Kitchen tenants — is now fighting to save his own home. After defaulting on a $31 million loan, the Upper East Side mansion he built by evicting rent-stabilized tenants nearly went to auction, before a judge stepped in at the last minute. Read more…
SPONSORED POST
Skip the generic candles. A new DIY spot on W46th Street lets Hell’s Kitchen locals melt the wax, mix the scents, and take home something they actually made. Read more…
What We’ve Been Reading
* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a 💰
Flu cases in NYC are soaring so far this winter. (Eyewitness News)
Central Park e-bikes and race trainers will have to slow down next year when a new 15mph speed limit starts. (NY1)
The arrest in Pennsylvania is creating problems for NYC prosecutors in Luigi Mangione’s case. (Gothamist)
New York Public Library’s most borrowed list for 2025 is out. (6sqft)
Congestion pricing could give subway riders a lift with new escalators and elevators planned. (Curbed 💰)
Freeze Frame
Before the barricades go up and a million people flood Midtown, W42ST got an early look inside One Times Square — including a preview of the New Year’s Eve Ball dropping. The building has quietly opened a limited-time preview ahead of its full 2026 reopening, with a new wraparound viewing deck and a rare chance to see the iconic ball before it drops.
Belated happy birthday to Alex Shaurette.
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