Your Friday Breakfast
Friday, November 7th
Good morning, New York.
Downtown Brooklyn’s got a new grocery option, and it’s already packed. Aldi officially opened its first borough store in Brooklyn today, drawing lines that wrapped around the block. Shoppers queued early for the German grocer’s signature discounts and fresh produce. Truly goes to show how far a New Yorker will go for some cheap coffee and eggs, around the block apparently.
Today in the City: Clear skies will stretch across the city with a crisp start near 46°F, feeling closer to 42°F in the morning chill. A light northwest breeze at 7–13 mph keeps the air fresh and humidity moderate around 50%. The cool edge lingers through the afternoon, with no rain in sight; a bright, brisk November day. Light jacket weather on your way out, sunshine by lunch.
Here’s what else is happening around the city:
Chrome Flwrs expands in Greenpoint: The cannabis brand opens its second Brooklyn shop this month, with ribbon-cutting events planned through early November.
City Hall launches hiring portal: Assembly member, and new mayoral elect Zohran Mamdani unveiled a new system to streamline recruitment for city jobs. Already, things are shaking up on the political scene, with questions from both sides as to what early changes will arrive alongside the new Zohran era for NYC.
Holiday Nostalgia Train to return in 2025: The MTA confirmed the fan-favorite vintage subway cars will run on select weekends next December. So grab a hot chocolate from the deli, and put that $2.90 to use.
Fires overnight: A multi-floor blaze hit Putnam Ave, and a trash fire sparked by a tossed cigarette on West 26th Street spread to two parked cars, engulfing them in a huge blaze.
Subway Brawls: A 17 year old has been arrested, with two other suspects at large following a man being punched onto the tracks during a brawl, a seemingly eventful day in the spiral of chaos following marathon & halloween weekend.
The city’s never short on openings, or smoke.
The City Beat
Bushwick woke up to a traffic nightmare this morning when an Amazon 18-wheeler wedged itself at Hart Street and Irving Avenue, blocking the intersection for over an hour. Delivery vans stacked behind it like dominoes, cyclists cursed their way through gaps, and neighbors stood on stoops with coffee, filming the chaos. Another day, another algorithm meets Brooklyn reality.
Midtown’s gridlock might be quieter, but definitely not calmer. Apollo Global Management told roughly a thousand employees to stay home Friday, bracing for a protest at its 9 West 57th Street HQ. The demonstration targets CEO Marc Rowan’s public backing of anti-“woke” campus policies; a clash that’s spilling off Ivy League quads and onto Manhattan pavement.
It’s a reminder: this city’s story is always told twice, once in the headlines, and again in the lives that move around them.
If you only see one thing today, make it this
For all its noise, New York is still a city trying to work things out in public; messy, loud, alive. And maybe that’s the point. Progress here never arrives quietly; it shows up in the friction first. Keep your head up & happy Friday!
We do this every morning, just like you. Grab your breakfast, catch the headlines, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
— The NYC Breakfast, by RTN.