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Weather: After a stormy Tuesday night, Wednesday should be calmer. Still, showers and thunderstorms could pop up in the afternoon and evening.
Alternate-side parking: In effect until Thursday (Solemnity of the Ascension).
A rare tornado warning startled the New York region on Tuesday night, sending people scurrying for shelter as thunderstorms descended.
As of 10:45 p.m., there were no confirmed reports of tornadoes landing, but the bad weather caused severe disruptions.
The performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeare in the Park was canceled midway through the first act. Flights were delayed at Kennedy International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country.
And in New Jersey, officials were trying to determine what caused damage at a high school in Stanhope, and whether it was the result of a tornado.
At about 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Northern New Jersey and Staten Island, urging residents to take shelter.
For parts of Long Island, the Weather Service warned of a thunderstorm with, possibly, hail the size of quarters.
If you have to be outside, be careful. The city’s Office of Emergency Management says tornadoes are “on a local scale, the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena.”
The strong winds can send debris flying, blow out windows and knock down power lines. Stay inside and stay protected.
More information about tornado preparedness is on O.E.M.’s website.
Manhattanhenge is coming
Wednesday is the first day of Manhattanhenge, the twice-a-year event when sunsets align with the east-west numbered streets in Manhattan, creating a stop-and-awe scene.
Remember that scene in “The Office,” when everybody was waiting for that DVD logo floating across the TV screen to land perfectly in the corner? Manhattanhenge is like that, except replace the logo with the sun, and the screen with the city landscape.
What is Manhattanhenge?
Many of Manhattan’s streets were laid out in straight lines. Later, people starting putting buildings on top of those streets. Voilà! That resulted in something humans are hard-wired to want to see: a giant glowing orb setting directly between those (now) very tall buildings lining those very straight streets.
An astrophysicist at the American Museum of the Natural History, Jackie Faherty, told The Times in 2016 that the city grid was like “a bull’s-eye for the sun to hit” and that “Manhattanhenge are the days of the year when the sun hits the bull’s-eye.”
When is Manhattanhenge?
According to Dr. Faherty, you can see the spectacle Wednesday and Thursday at 8:12 p.m.
You’ll get a second chance on July 12 at 8:20 p.m. and July 13 at 8:21 p.m.
Where can you see it?
The city Parks Department recommends watching from 57th, 42nd, 34th, 23rd or 14th Streets, the Tudor City Overpass or Hunter’s Point South Park in Queens.
How not to take boring photographs
Pick a subject. A pretty sky without a focal point may not make the best photo. Ask yourself: What are the colors highlighting?
Consider the shadows. The sky will be colorful; the foreground may not be. This could create powerful silhouettes.
Think about the big picture. Many people try to capture the whole sky or too many buildings. The magic may be in the details. Don’t forget to notice the small stuff.
And one more important point, from my colleague Derek Norman: Don’t forget the people!
Here is his dispatch, along with some of his favorite images from our archives:
As an avid street photographer, I like to keep an eye open for exceptional human moments in otherwise typical circumstances. Manhattanhenge provides just that.
Wide roads like 57th Street give pedestrians more space to observe and move about. Still, I highly suggest you abide by the crosswalk signals.
During the sunset, the excitement is palpable. Strangers smile at each other.
So, step out to catch a glimpse of everyone in the streets. Take a few photos of the revelry.
Oh, and be sure to check out the sunset, too. I heard it may be lovely.
From The Times
They donated to Mayor De Blasio. But here’s what they think about his run for president.
The trial of a Princeton graduate accused of killing his father began with a recording of a heart-wrenching 911 call.
Nxivm trial: The sex cult used spyware in an effort to monitor the billionaire former Seagram’s chairman, Edgar M. Bronfman Sr.
Under indictment, a defiant Michael Avenatti tried to turn the focus back on President Trump.
The New York Police Department held an unusual public hearing a couple of weeks ago. Its purpose was to make a Supreme Court case disappear.
[Want more news from New York and around the region? Check out our full coverage.]
The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.
What we’re reading
Joe Biden is preparing a fund-raising blitz in New York with the help of Governor Cuomo. [CNBC]
Mr. Cuomo, who was re-elected to a third term last year, said yesterday he plans to run for a fourth term. [Crain’s New York Business]
Six students in the Bronx received medical treatment after eating brownies that may have been laced with marijuana. [CBS New York]
BookCon is coming to the Javits Center this weekend. [amNew York]
Coming up Wednesday
Attend The Period Party at WeWork in Queens to celebrate the menstrual cycle and raise awareness of the lack of information and supplies faced by women around the world. 5:30 p.m. [$12]
Novelists, poets, musicians and actors come together at the Center for Fiction in Manhattan for a staged reading of Leanne Shapton’s short story collection “Guestbook.” Ms. Shapton will be in conversation with Sasha Weiss, the culture editor at The New York Times Magazine. 7 p.m. [$10]
The composer John Corigliano discusses L.G.B.T.Q. issues and art as activism with Deborah Borda, president of the New York Philharmonic, at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan. 7 p.m. [$10 suggested donation]
The Sunnyside Singers Club meets at Aubergine Cafe in Queens for group singing. 8 p.m. [Free]
— Vivian Ewing
Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.
And finally: An ode to underground oddities
It’s hot. It’s smelly. It’s odd. It’s lovely. It’s the only subway I’ve ever really known, and the only one that’s ever seen me in all my moods: caffeinated, tired, curious, drunk and delirious.
New York City subway: I love you madly because you are maddeningly beyond words.
We recently took a quick break from reminding you of how awful your subway commute is to remind you that yes, there can be joy in Mudville. Here is an assortment of riders’ OMG moments on the trains, collected by my colleague Emma G. Fitzsimmons:
Metropolitan Diary: Not alone
Dear Diary:
I was in Midtown, heading to my office on the East Side. It was summer, and I was in the back of a taxi with the windows down. We were idling in midday traffic, waiting for the light to turn.
The opening piano notes of “Alone” by Heart came on the radio. The cabdriver, a man in his 30s, nudged the volume knob ever so slightly. Not a lot, but enough that I took notice. Then he did it again, and the music got a little louder.
I leaned forward.
“I love this song, too,” I said. “Turn it up!”
He did. And then, with no prompting whatsoever — and to the apparent delight of many pedestrians nearby — we belted the chorus out in unison at the top of our lungs.
We were having so much fun that we carried that tune together straight to the end of the song. The final notes coincided with the end of the ride.
The cabby pulled over to let me out. He turned around and said that the song was his favorite of all time and that the ride would be a favorite memory.
“Me, too,” I said. “Me, too.”
— Christina Poletto
New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.
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