A Subway Performance That Prince Would Appreciate

It could've been bad. But it was great. [View this email in your browser]( Sailing: It's One Way to Travel Across an Ocean Plus: A guy with a brick smashed $30,000 worth of digital display screens in a subway station. Google's new crowdsourcing-based app for commuters gets a mixed review. And two musicians on the train really did Prince justice with their rendition of "Kiss." By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) Craig Ruttle/AP She's here. After 15 days of sailing through choppy seas, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg [docked in Manhattan yesterday](. She's in town to address the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23rd. In the meantime, she'll be attending local climate protests with fellow teens. Having vowed not to fly because of inordinately high airplane emissions, Thunberg managed to hitch a ride on the Malizia II, a carbon-neutral racing yacht with solar panels and hydro-turbines. In addition to ferrying Thunberg (and [Grace Kelly's grandson]( the boat collected pH data for scientific use as it sailed from Plymouth, England, to New York City. Thunberg, who sparked a worldwide movement of students walking out of class for climate protests, has received criticism for being overly simplistic in her calls to ["pull the emergency brake"]( on carbon emissions. As the Times reported in its [Climate Fwd newsletter]( just easing the brakes a little could have a significant impact. If Americans drove 10 percent less this year, the carbon emission cuts would be the equivalent of shutting down 28 coal-fired power plants. While transatlantic sailing is a rareified option, though, she at least deserves credit for taking the subway once she got here. Which is more than can be said for some people. ['Man, I WISH I Could Have Witnessed That in Person']( Jay Smooth/Twitter If the exceptional talent and next-level equipment aren't a giveaway, these are professional musicians. Singer/guitarist [Jessica Betts]( and bassist [David Holder]( nailed this rendition of Prince's "Kiss" on the subway this week, and radio host Jay Smooth was there to capture it on video. Great work by everyone involved. Best of the Week From Gothamist and WNYC Stephen Nessen/Gothamist The second span of the Kosciuszko Bridge opened to traffic this morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has rejected the idea that [the new bridge could encourage more driving]( — and cause more congestion. "You’re not increasing the volume on the roads on the different sides of the bridges, you’re just ending the choke," he said. "[The old bridge] was a choke point." Two New York City pedestrians were killed by hit-and-run drivers in separate incidents today. The first came at 2:30 a.m., when a dump truck allegedly ran over a 21-year-old man on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Then, around 5:30 a.m., a 33-year-old woman was found dead on the FDR Drive near 116th Street. The driver in that second incident later turned herself in to the police. [There have been no arrests yet in either case](. The NYPD is looking for a suspect who allegedly destroyed $30,000 worth of digital display screens in 42nd Street-8th Avenue subway station. Police say the unidentified man [used a brick to smash 10 screens]( inside a station tunnel on Tuesday afternoon. An Upper West Side resident is trying to squash his condo board's lawsuit against a new bike lane. The board of the Century Condominium is claiming that the city's plan to install a protected bike lane on Central Park West (it's already underway) was made without the proper approval process. But renegade resident Kenneth Squire is arguing that the lawsuit hurts the condo's overall reputation, "as it [portrayed residents as caring more about parking spots than the safety of bikers]( and the community." What Else We're Reading The cost to repair five L train stations could be twice as much as the MTA's initial projection. Work on these stations in Manhattan — which includes fixing leaks and replacing old steel and concrete walls and columns — could've begun during the now-cancelled full L train shutdown. Since that didn't happen, the station repairs were put off, causing the projected price to balloon. ([The City]( A new Google app, called Pigeon Transit, uses crowdsourcing to give commuters the best public transit routes. A test run of Pigeon in New York City found that the map and list of transit options were solid, but the crowdsourced tips "weren't that helpful." (e.g. a subway rider named DeezNutz pointed out that a train in Union Square was "overfilled.") ([Streetsblog]( New Amtrak Acela trains are coming to the North East Corridor in 2021. In addition to fancier seats and other new amenities, the new cars will be longer, increasing capacity from 304 passengers to 378. The current fleet of Acelas has been in service for nearly 20 years. ([NJ.com]( Whether you're walking across town or traveling a few hours to get to your Labor Day destination, this week's playlist has 52 tracks, so it's basically guaranteed to keep your mind at ease for the entire journey. [Stream it now on Spotify](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of August 30th – Early Morning on September 3rd This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. On Monday, , , and trains will bypass the Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum station in both directions during the J'Ouvert Parade and West Indian-American Day Parade and Carnival. Saturday morning through Monday night, Brooklyn Bridge-bound trains will run express from Pelham Bay Park to Parkchester in the Bronx. trains will run local in both directions between 168 St and 59 St-Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Saturday through Monday, train service between 145 St and 168 St in Manhattan will be replaced by the . Coney Island-bound trains will run via the line from Roosevelt Av, Queens to 5 Av/53 St, Manhattan. Saturday and Sunday, trains will run via the line in both directions between DeKalb Av, Brooklyn and Canal St, Manhattan. Saturday morning through Sunday evening, train service between Broadway Junction, Brooklyn and Jamaica Center, Queens will be replaced by trains and free shuttle buses. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Sunday, September 8th Transportation Alternatives' 30th Anniversary New York City Century Family Bike Ride Central Park, Prospect Park — 6:00 a.m. [RSVP for details]( Monday, September 23rd Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 25th MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay is not DeezNutz, in case you were wondering. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2019 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](