Behind the revelry, NYC’s West Indian Day parade is facing decline

Plus: Saturn is about to get real close. [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Behind the revelry, NYC’s West Indian Day parade is facing decline, band leaders say]( [top image]( Today's newsletter curated by [Brooks Brunson]( and [Veronica de Souza]( It's a cloudy Labor Day in New York City, where J'Ouvert is well underway in Brooklyn. Behind the feathers, jeweled bikinis and stilted walkers of New York’s West Indian American Day Parade, masquerade bands say interest is waning in one of the city’s best known cultural celebrations — and dwindling resources have made competition among the bands more fierce. Gothamist interviewed multiple bandleaders, representing hundreds if not thousands of participants, [who said the competition has become more intense in recent years as costs rise and interest fades.]( Here's what else is happening: - The free bus ride is over. Yesterday, the MTA [ended a yearslong pilot program]( providing one free bus route in every borough. - [And last week, NYPD officers and MTA enforcement agents began monitoring bus routes deemed to be “egregious” hot spots for fare evasion.]( - And here's a look at [why bus drivers don't always enforce the fare](. - A NoMad art dealer bid $1.7 million for a painting by renowned French Impressionist Camille Pissarro [but is ghosting Sotheby’s on the bill because he says the international auction house lied to him]( according to interviews and a lawsuit. - [Saturn is about to get as close as it ever gets to Earth](. - The National Park Service is [demolishing Fort Tilden’s building T-9 in Rockaway]( meaning this will be the final summer that the dilapidated structure, a familiar sight to many beachgoers, will stand. - Ever wondered how class-action lawsuits work? Reporter Samantha Max just wrote [a helpful guide tailored for New Yorkers](. [A city of 350 neighborhoods]( [second image]( Last March, after 20 years of photographing in and around the city, Rob Stephenson decided to document all 350 New York City neighborhoods, one week at a time. ​​​ He recently wrote a story for Gothamist about what he's learned so far. [Read it here](. [“People often ask me what my favorite neighborhood is, and the answer is always wherever I am concentrating on that week.”]( — Rob Stephenson More from Gothamist [first image]( [Why it’s unlikely you’ll catch NYC’s open gangway subway cars]( About those elusive new C trains... [Brooklyn recorded the fewest shootings ever between June and August, DA says]( The numbers are particularly significant for summer, when experts say violence spikes. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Here's why NYC sidewalks are (still) covered with 400 miles of scaffolding]( Everyone agrees some of the structures stay up for way too long. [11 simple etiquette rules for riding the New York City subway]( Remember: bags are not people. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.