Looking for an 'affordable' 2-bedroom? The odds are against you.

Plus: Winter break recommendations in NYC [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.]( [Looking for an 'affordable' 2-bedroom apartment for a family? The odds are against you.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Mostly sunny, highs in the upper 30s. It's Tuesday in New York City, where affordable apartments are available — if you're willing to cram everyone into one room. A Gothamist analysis of city data shows nearly 70% of the roughly 24,000 subsidized, affordable units built or financed since Mayor Eric Adams took office are studios and one-bedroom apartments. What can be done to balance the needs of struggling singles — some of whom are formerly homeless — and [families who want to afford to stay in New York City]( Here's what else is happening: - Saint Vitus, a beloved metal venue in Greenpoint, [was abruptly shut down during a concert]( last Friday after repeated complaints to the city. - Police said a [severed human leg was found]( on subway tracks in the Bronx on Saturday. - Elected officials said food stamp scammers are using card readers to [steal millions of dollars of New Yorkers’ nutrition benefits](. - Buildings with high rates of tenants with [asthma, heart issues and even mental illness]( could help identify dangerous housing conditions long before someone calls 311, according to a new NYU study. - Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said the upcoming redesign of parts of Chinatown in Manhattan will feature a ["new and unprecedented level of community engagement."]( - The city’s official evacuation plan for a massive tent shelter at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field [lacks details and clarity]( on what to do during intense weather, according to a copy obtained by Gothamist. - Gov. Kathy Hochul said [she used a bad analogy]( when defending Israel's right to fight back against Hamas, initially claiming that "if Canada someday ever attacked Buffalo, I’m sorry, my friends, there would be no Canada the next day." - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has [condemned the funeral]( for trans rights activist Cecilia Gentili held at St. Patrick's Cathedral last week. - The rent is [too damn high]( in Beacon. - With 8,500 new apartments planned for Gowanus, the city's Department of Environmental Protection is [racing to stop "poonamis" from breaking out]( every time rain overwhelms the sewage system. - Donald Trump's $399 gold sneaker [sold out](. - Once every other month, the staff at Florence’s Accademia Gallery has to get up on scaffolding and [clean the dust and spiderwebs]( out of David's hair. - Meet the Staten Island twin TikTokkers who [complain about inflation](. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“There's so many people that do all these smaller jobs that don't make a $100,000 a year. We're just regular people who just want to raise our family, live a regular life.”]( - Larry Lopes, a translator, on the challenge of finding an [AFFORDABLE APARTMENT AS A MIDDLE-INCOME FAMILY]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Kids on Winter Break? Here's where you can go.]( If you're staying local for New York City public schools' mid-winter break, here are several ideas for shows and activities to take in. [The best seats in the house: Where to sit in (almost) every NYC movie theater]( The city's theaters didn't just miraculously survive the pandemic — many of them have emerged with newer, better amenities, including options to pick your seats online before you go. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Released from the hospital with nowhere to go? NY has a budding alternative.]( The state now has several respite centers, designed to provide a place for people to stay when they’re no longer sick enough to be hospitalized, but still need follow-up care that they can’t get in shelters or on the street. [Tourists still throng Times Square, but 2 recent crimes leave some locals feeling stressed]( "The out-of-towners, the international folks are coming, they’re enjoying themselves and having a great time," said Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance. "We still struggle a little bit with the locals." [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.