Finally, after almost a year and a half, there is reason for optimism. Our streets and sidewalks are busy, schools are open, and there is energy and a buzz in the air. Our daily pedestrian counts are beginning to increase and every table and chair in our parks is filled with people eating, laughing and enjoying being together. Most importantly, the beating heart of our neighborhood - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts - is alive, well, and open for business once again offering in-person performances. 

Last Tuesday, September 14, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation celebrated the centennial rededication of the Dante Alighieri statue at Dante Park. The statue...

WHAT'S HAPPENING

The Upper West Side Coalition has organized a virtual traffic safety forum on Wednesday, September 22 at 7:00pm. The roundtable discussion will feature NYPD, DOT, Community Board 7, Transportation Alternatives and Los Deliveristas Unidos.

The forum live stream can be watched on YouTube here.

On Thursday, September 23 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm, there will be an MTA public meeting for Manhattan CBD (60th Street and below), and on Wednesday, October 6 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm, there will be one for Manhattan Outside CBD (61st Street and above). Click here for more information.

This Saturday, September 25 from 11:30am - 2:30pm, NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson's office is partnering with the NYC Department of Transportation to offer free bike helmets and fittings at the Dewitt Clinton Park Ballfield (West 54th Street and 11th Avenue). RSVP here.

This Saturday, September 25, Global Citizen is hosting their annual Global Citizen Festival on the Great Lawn of Central Park. Click here to learn more.

There may be a single block street fair on the east side of Broadway from West 60th to West 61st Street this Sunday, September 26. Call 311 for more information.

Learn how to secure outside funding and move beyond bootstrapping your business at WE NYC's Master Money Conference on Tuesday, September 28. This free virtual conference includes interactive workshops, an expert panel of funders from NYC institutions, and fireside chats with women entrepreneurs who have successfully secured funding for their small businesses. Learn more and register here.

Mayor de Blasio has announced some revised testing and quarantine protocols for the city’s public schools, which will go into effect next Monday, September 27. Sample COVID-19 testing of unvaccinated students will now happen weekly, rather than twice-a-month at all elementary, middle, and high schools. Additionally, unvaccinated students will not have to quarantine when there is a positive case in the class unless they were unmasked and less than three feet apart. Learn more here.

The Citizens' Committee for Children of New York has compiled a list of fall opportunities for NYC youth. View the list here.

Jeffrey Zients, President Biden's COVID-19 response coordinator, has announced that starting early November, international air travelers will be allowed to enter this country if they can show proof that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 and that they have tested negatively for the virus within three days of their flight. Learn more here.

The IRS has announced that victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of New York and New Jersey now have until Monday, January 3, 2022 to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as qualifying for individual or public assistance. In New York, this currently includes Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Westchester counties. Learn more here.