Good morning on this fickle Friday.
Computer screens gone dark. Unanswered emails. Co-workers hauling luggage to meetings so they can head straight to Grandma’s. And for some of us, the unglamorous response to the question, “Where are you going for the holidays?”
Nowhere.
At first, we feel a pang — the kind that sets in as we hug loved ones goodbye at airport security or watch their taxi pull away, only to remember we’re going home alone.
But then we become the lucky ones.
We get to watch the city boil down to its barest form. And, like a candle burning brighter as it melts away the wax, this empty New York becomes more radiant than ever.
The small pleasures of life here — the delicate details often swallowed by the city’s fast and unforgiving pace — find their way back into focus.
It’s the quiet F train ride to Jamaica. At peak commute time, you share the car with just one other person as though it’s the middle of the night. You play tag with your eyes, exchange a smile and part ways.
Continue reading the main storyIt’s the man playing a bamboo flute in the Bryant Park subway station. His melodies are usually nearly impossible to hear above the din of commuters, but now you pause to listen. And as you do, for a moment, you forget where you are.
It’s the neighborhood diner that always makes you wait. But at 9 a.m., with the place mostly vacant, you nestle alone into a booth for six, the condiments staring back at you, and get lost in the sound of a spatula swirling around a pan.
It’s a full fleet of Citi Bikes that, all in a row, take on a swanlike symmetry.
It’s the stairs of the Met that, mostly naked, seem to rival the steps of the older, wiser Colosseum or Acropolis.
It’s the nuances in the holiday windows that you notice only with the crowds gone, when you can press your nose and forehead against the glass. At Bergdorf Goodman, look for the small charm bracelet — the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and other city treasures dangling from a mannequin’s wrist.
It’s sitting on the cold floor of the Rose Main Reading Room, looking up at the ceiling and feeling like a student of the city.
It’s a rake and a shovel left in a pile of leaves in Central Park, like a wordless out-of-office message, and the liberty to march carelessly down the middle of the park’s streets as though they were closed just for you.
And it’s the lonely green benches that you stop to sit on, only to notice the names on the little plaques that adorn them: Helen Turner and Herbert “Tom” Reiner; Cecily Elizabeth Moore; Charles Mauser; Steve Holland. Between their names and the names of the families that put them there, there are, you realize, thousands of New Yorkers in the park.
And suddenly, you don’t feel so alone.
Here’s what else is happening:
Weather
The short of it: cloudy Friday, rainy Saturday, sunny Sunday, and a small chance of a white Christmas on Monday.
It won’t be unbearably chilly — temperatures should stay in the 40s and high 30s — but Christmas Eve will be the clear weather winner, with blue skies and sunshine.
Snow flurries are expected Sunday night, but they should taper off by Monday morning, making way for a golden holiday glow.
In the News
• The de Blasio administration began a search for a successor to the retiring schools chancellor months ago, but her replacement remains unknown. [The New York Times]
• In “About New York,” the columnist Jim Dwyer tells us about a class where homeless New Yorkers can share their stories with others who understand. [The New York Times]
• Janet Elder, who rose from reporter to deputy managing editor in a three-decade career at The Times, died at 61. [New York Times]
• Every December, the Esperanto Society of New York celebrates the birthday of the creator of the language they study and speak — this year with more young members than ever. [The New York Times]
• A woman who pleaded guilty to sabotaging her fiancé’s kayak before he drowned in 2015 has been released from New York State prison after serving a five-month sentence. [The New York Times]
• Kava, a Polynesian drink known for its mind-calming effects, has become a popular alternative to alcohol for New Yorkers. [The New York Times]
• Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is aiming to add disclosure to online political ads that would require companies to reveal who is paying and where content comes from. [The New York Times]
• New York Public Radio has fired longtime hosts Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz, after investigating allegations of inappropriate behavior. [The New York Times]
• The Justice Department is investigating an Albany-based “self-help” group in which women were branded with a symbol containing the leader’s initials. [The New York Times]
• A New Jersey man who worked as a prison chef for 24 years of a drug trafficking sentence has opened his own restaurant in Jersey City, after President Obama granted him clemency last year. [The New York Times]
• A 5-year-old Syrian boy continues to suffer from a rare skin disease after a rocket hit his family’s home when he was 1, perplexing doctors. [New York Times]
• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Pillow Talk With Saks Fifth Avenue”
• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.
Coming Up Today
• Check out the Holiday Train Show, a display of model locomotives zipping through famous city landmarks, at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Prices vary]
• See “The Little Match Girl Passion, Observed,” the holiday classic by David Lang, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side. 7 p.m. [$65 for adults, $1 for children]
• Children can enjoy “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” a family-friendly holiday musical, at the Secret Theater in Long Island City, Queens. 7 p.m. [Prices vary, tickets here]
• A production of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “a radical, joyful, uproarious family extravaganza” at Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side. 7:30 p.m., through Saturday. [$45, tickets here]
• Knicks at Pistons, 7 p.m. (MSG). Nets host Wizards, 7:30 p.m. (YES).
• Watch “The New York Times Close Up,” featuring The Times’s “This Land” columnist Dan Barry and other guests. Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on CUNY-TV.
• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until Monday.
• Weekend travel hassles: Check subway disruptions and a list of street closings.
The Weekend
Saturday
• The Harlem gospel holiday celebration brings soulful, uplifting music to Mount Olivet Baptist Church on Lenox Avenue. 11 a.m. [$20]
• Bundle up for a holiday walking tour with NYC Discovery that explores the New York origins of Christmas traditions. 2 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Monday. To register, call 212-465-3331. [$25]
• Join Urban Park Rangers to watch and learn about the Ursid meteor shower, originating near the Little Dipper, in Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island. 6 p.m. [Free]
• “We Bring Mistletoe,” a “night of improv that’s all about spreading some holiday cheer,” at the Peoples Improv Theater Loft in Chelsea. 9:30 p.m. [$7]
• Islanders host Jets, 1 p.m. (MSG+). Devils host Blackhawks, 7 p.m. (MSG+). Rangers host Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (MSG). Nets at Pacers, 7 p.m. (YES).
Sunday
• Make room for Christmas (or Christmas Eve) dinner with a guided New York Road Runners jog through Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens or the Bronx. Times vary. [Free]
• Strike 10 during a Christmas Eve family bowl — with brunch food and drinks — at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. [Free]
• Enjoy Christmas Eve caroling under the arch at Washington Square Park in downtown Manhattan. 5 p.m. [Free]
• See “A Very Jewish Christmas,” a stand-up comedy show at Q.E.D. in Astoria, Queens. 7 p.m. [$7]
• Jets host Chargers, 1 p.m. (CBS). Giants at Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (FOX).
• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.
And Finally...
Who knew New Yorkers could call the North Pole from a sidewalk kiosk? Technology these days.
Children can use LinkNYC stations, which offer free Wi-Fi connections and web browsing at thousands of city street corners, to dial Santa directly at his workshop for free. Kiosks across the five boroughs are displaying countdown-to-Christmas clocks and a special button: “Tap to call Santa.”
Give him a ring and, after hearing a hearty hello from the red-suited man himself, you can leave a voice mail message at his workshop with last-minute gift requests.
Now that’s a way to use LinkNYC for something nice, and not something naughty.
There will be no New York Today on Monday in observance of Christmas. Happy holidays! We’ll be back on Tuesday.
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