Two Trees Management is opening Williamsburg’s first waterfront ice-skating rink in Domino Park, along with other holiday programming.

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NYC will become the first city in the nation to implement congestion pricing next year. Is it an impactful way to improve air quality in the city while funding critical transit upgrades? Or is it an unnecessary money-grabbing move that will put yet another major dent in the wallets of New Yorkers?

Opinions on the historic move run the gamut. And amNewYork Metro has launched a poll to hear yours. 

But first, the facts: The Big Apple will ring in 2025 with the start of the controversial tolling plan just after midnight on Jan. 5. Approved by the MTA board on Monday, Nov. 18, the program will charge cars and trucks $9 for driving into Manhattan below 60th Street — known as the Congestion Relief Zone — starting in the new year.

The toll will not apply to vehicles using the FDR Drive, West Side Highway and Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel connecting to West Street.

While some New Yorkers consider congestion pricing a wonderful holiday season gift for the Big Apple, others have expressed ongoing disdain that the government would charge residents to travel within their own city.

Environmental and transportation advocates have praised congestion pricing throughout its on-again, off-again ordeal on the New York city and state political table.

“Congestion pricing is a major win for all New Yorkers, setting a national example on how to reduce pollution, invest in mass transit, and improve human health,” said Bill Ulfelder, The Nature Conservancy’s New York executive director. “Congestion pricing improves air quality for all and invests in vital infrastructure that all New Yorkers depend on. We commend Governor Hochul for implementing congestion pricing in New York City.”

But on the flip side, many New Yorkers, especially those from Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, vehemently fought against the “cash grab,” which will start at $9 and continue with the originally approved $15 rate by 2031. Officials said that rates are expected to remain the same through 2027.

“Gov. Hochul’s cash-grabbing congestion pricing scheme has been ultimately revived in favor of her and the MTA rather than protecting the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers who commute to work daily,“ said Assembly Member Michael Tannousis, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island.

An outspoken opponent of congestion pricing, Tannousis had, throughout the 2024 election, called the traffic proposal a political move from NYS Gov. Kathy Hochul, who halted the plan in June.

Although Hochul justified the pause by saying congestion pricing was an unfair burden for New Yorkers, given the city’s high inflation and other affordability issues, Tannousis saw it as something different.

“Ironically, this final decision comes as a political move from Hochul and Albany Democrats before President Trump, a major opponent of the plan, takes office,” he said. “New York’s unaffordability crisis only gets worse while Hochul ignores the issues that damage our state the most. I call on the Trump Administration to audit the MTA and put a final halt on this unfeasible and senseless plan.” 

What do YOU think of congestion pricing in NYC?

Politics aside, amNewYork Metro wants to hear from you — the more than 8 million New Yorkers who rely on city streets and public transit to navigate our bustling city.

First, we want to know if you support the plan. Take our poll and tell us how you feel. We’ll report back next week with the results.

We’ll conduct more polls throughout the plan’s initial launch to give New Yorkers a chance to voice their opinions.

Learn more about congestion pricing on the MTA’s website at congestionreliefzone.mta.info.

Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday he would reinstate the last of five NYPD academy classes that he suspended last year due to budget strains related to the migrant crisis.

Hizzoner announced the restoration as part of his November update to the $112 billion Fiscal Year 2025 budget agreed upon by his budget team and the City Council. The reversal means that 1,600 more NYPD cadets will join the force in 2025, bringing the force’s total headcount to 34,000.

The update increased the total FY 2025 budget to $115 billion, though the Mayor’s office notes that the spending plan remains balanced.

The five suspended academy classes, four of which the mayor had already restored earlier this year, were part of a wave of dramatic spending reductions he enacted to balance the city budget amid massive projected spending on the migrant influx.

But Adams has since reversed many of those trims, declaring they were no longer necessary due to better-than-expected tax revenues and a plan to reduce spending on caring for new arrivals.

The budget that the council passed earlier this year restored funding to most of the vital areas that city lawmakers and advocates had pushed to make whole. Those include the city’s three public library systems, cultural institutions, parks, and early childhood education programs.

This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for updates.

Bay Ridge embraced Greek street fashion on Nov. 15, as Greek-American streetwear designer Despina Kotsis brought her urban wear collection to Third Avenue. The 24-year-old hosted a pop-up event titled “I’m Happier in Greece” outside Omonia Cafe, drawing Greeks and non-Greeks alike for an afternoon and evening of mingling and fun.

The Bay Ridge native told Brooklyn Paper that her passion for fashion began at an early age. In 2018, she launched her streetwear label, Minx New York, while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in childhood education to satisfy her parents’ wish for a fallback plan in case her design career didn’t work out.

The self-taught designer has embraced the motto “spread your wings” and uses the pigeon — New York City’s most iconic bird — as the symbol of her fashion line.

“I want people to realize in their lives [that] they all have their own set of wings, like the pigeon,” Kotsis said. “I want to really inspire people to follow their dreams, just like I am. I did this [fashion line] without a degree. And you don’t need a degree to follow your dreams to be successful.”

Minx New York blends Kotsis’s Greek heritage with Gotham streetwear. The collection includes hoodies, shirts, crewnecks, sweatpants, backpacks, and hats with a luxury edge and has been worn by celebrities such as actor Jake T. Austin.

“So that’s the route I’m following,” Kotsis said. “It’s stylish but definitely a New York vibe with a flare of Greece.”

Among her most popular designs is the “Dope Eye,” a playful twist on the traditional Greek evil eye, mati. The design replaces the usual blue hues with a rainbow of colors, while the eyelashes resemble the New York City skyline.

“[The evil eye] is really big in Greek culture. And this actually represents me because the lashes are the city skyline, New York City, and you get New York City in a Greek vibe,” Kotsis said. “So you know, Greek-American, Greek girl from New York—that’s how I got the Dope Eye.”

Other standout designs include “Greek Street,” which features a Spartan warrior, and slogans like “I’m Happier in Greece” and “AMERIKANÁKI,” the line’s latest addition.

Kotsis, whose streetwear has been featured in Teen Vogue and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” hosted the event to celebrate her fashion line and unite New York City’s Greek community. She also launched a project called “Greeks Supporting Greeks New York City,” where Greek businesses pledge to support each other and their community.

“We have all this love for our country. We need it for each other,” Kotsis said. “So that’s why I started [the pledge]. We’re here as a new movement, a new generation, and we’re just here to do big things and support each other.”

Kotsis’s mother, Maryann Kotsis, expressed pride in her daughter’s achievements.

“This is something that she started from a very young age, and the passion continues, even though she’s gotten her education from college,” Maryann Kotsis said. “But that passion lives on, and we’re here to support her and be by her side.”

Kotsis will host a second pop-up event on Nov. 30 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 22-78 35th St. in Astoria, Queens. For more information, visit her Instagram, @minxnewyork, or her website, minxnewyork.com.

New York City’s prolonged drought will finally get some relief tonight and tomorrow, as up to 2 inches of rain is expected to soak the Big Apple, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service indicates a storm system is moving toward the metropolitan area that will arrive at about 10 p.m. tonight, Nov. 20, and provide heavy rain well into Thursday. “The rain could be heavy at times,” the weather service indicated.

Thursday is expected to be a raw, rainy day in the Big Apple. There will be rain throughout, and temperatures will not rise above 51 degrees. By the time the storm clears out, the National Weather Service predicts the city will receive between 1 and 2 inches of rain, with localized higher totals possible.

The oncoming storm will provide much-needed relief to a city that hasn’t seen significant rainfall in more than two months, but it will not break the historic drought currently gripping the five boroughs and — more importantly — the upstate reservoirs that supply our water.

As of Nov. 19, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reported that the city’s water supply system is at 59.8% capacity — nearly 20% below the 79.2% normal capacity for the system at this point in time.

Between September and October 2024, just 2.23 inches of precipitation were recorded at the reservoirs — well below the historic September-October average total of 8.84 inches. So far this month, just 0.21 inches of rain has fallen in the city’s watershed.

The situation prompted Mayor Eric Adams to declare a drought emergency on Monday, enhancing previous City Hall efforts to conserve water citywide. The city uses about a billion gallons of water each day.

Moreover, the dry conditions have resulted in hundreds of brush fires at public parks and other wooded areas of the city this month alone. The most recent blaze occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Highbridge Park in upper Manhattan.

For the drought to finally break, the city and its reservoirs will need to see several more heavy rainstorms like the one expected to hit tonight and tomorrow in relatively rapid succession. 

The city provided additional steps New Yorkers can take to help preserve water:

• Report open fire hydrants and street leaks to 311.  
• Don’t flush the toilet unnecessarily. 
• Take shorter showers, which the city says can save five to seven gallons a minute. When taking a bath, fill the tub only halfway and save 10 to 15 gallons.  
• Don’t run the tap while shaving, washing hands, or brushing teeth. Faucets use two to three gallons per minute.   
• Fix leaks. A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year, according to the EPA.  
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. Use short cycles if available. Turn off the water while washing dishes.  
• Install water-saving fixtures, including low-flow toilets and showerheads, as well as faucet aerators.  
• Sweep driveways and sidewalks clean rather than washing them down with a hose.  

More information is available on the DEP’s website at nyc.gov/dep.