New York Today: Summer’s End

Clockwise from top right: Eric Thayer/Reuters; Carlo Allegri, via Reuters; Frank Gunn, via The Canadian Press, via Associated Press; Mario Tama, via Getty Images Summer’s somebodies: Eliot Spitzer, Alex Rodriguez, Anthony Weiner and Anthony Marshall.

It’s the last weekday of what is, unofficially, the last week of summer.

Except for a mini-heatwave near the start, it’s been distinctly mild, at least when it comes to weather.

The news, though, has had moments of verve.

Anthony D. Weiner, having apologized for sexting women who were not his wife, ran for mayor in a blaze of contrition, then admitted to previously unknown incidents of sexting women who were not his wife.

He was not the only one forced to issue reassurances about tamed sexual appetites. Eliot Spitzer, of course, also returned.

Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees was suspended in a doping investigation. Which caused a bodega to be renamed.

Minority groups in the city took on the police over the stop-and-frisk policy, and won.

There was a shark on the subway.

And a grand New York saga came to an end when Anthony D. Marshall, son of the socialite Brooke Astor, was jailed for stealing millions from her in her old age. He was then paroled.

What were the summer’s momentous events?

Offer your thoughts in the comments, by e-mail or on Twitter with the hashtag #NYToday.

Here’s what you need to know for Friday and for the long weekend.

WEATHER

Mostly sunny, with a high of 81. A perfect day to end the season. The weekend is more dicey.

TRANSIT & TRAFFIC

- Mass Transit Click for latest M.T.A. status.

- Roads Click for traffic map or radio report on the 1s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect.

COMING UP TODAY

- On the mayoral campaign trail, Christine C. Quinn is endorsed by the carpenters’ union. William C. Thompson Jr. is backed by the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III of the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

- Ever thought your bike had 50 percent too many wheels? The New York City Unicycle Festival begins on Friday and runs through Sunday. [Free]

- Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series brings Alicia Keys to Central Park between 7 a.m and 9 a.m. [Free]

- Witness the best joke ever about a dart gun, as Despicable Me is screened at Rockaway Beach at 7:30 p.m. [Free]

IN THE NEWS

- Bill de Blasio continues his surge in the mayoral race, according to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College. He has 32 percent, with 18 percent for Mr. Thompson and 17 percent for Ms. Quinn. [New York Times]

- The comptroller’s race is less clear. The Times poll shows Mr. Spitzer ahead of Scott M. Stringer. Another poll shows them even. [New York Times]

- A lawsuit claims the city’s Department of Homeless Services paid $3,700 a month for bare-bones rooms for the homeless, supplied by a nonprofit group run by a former commissioner of the agency. [New York Post]

- Two small cats got on to subway tracks, causing a service suspension. [New York Times]

- Not to be outdone, a squirrel disrupted the United States Open. [Gothamist]

- A new professional soccer team is considering a stadium in the Bronx. [Wall Street Journal]

THE WEEKEND

Saturday

- There’s an outdoor art exhibit in Washington Square. [Free]

- Hester Street Craft Fair is teaming up with the Web site Bedford and Bowery to bring craft beers, D.J.s and shopping to the Lower East Side. Free beer is promised. [Free]

- Admire the human form at a dance show at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City at 3 p.m. [Free]

- Last chance for Saturday kayaking â€" no experience necessary â€" at Brooklyn Bridge Park boathouse from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. [Free]

Sunday

- It’s the last Smorgasburg food market of the year, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Free]

- There’s a tugboat race and competition at 10 a.m. at Pier 84 in Manhattan. [Free]

- Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” is screened at 8 p.m. at Lincoln Center Plaza. [Free]

- Ballet Hispanico’s BHdos Company performs at the Harlem Meer at 2 p.m. [Free]

Monday

- It’s the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn at 11 a.m. [Free]

- There’s a different kind of festival â€" classical â€" on Governors Island at noon. [Free]

AND FINALLY…

Someone has taken the smell of the Lower East Side, and made it into a perfume.

NOVA, the company behind this idea, according to Gothamist, included the scents of “decaying rat, detergent, dog, sweet BBQ,” and “standard stink.”

Nicole Higgins DeSmet contributed reporting.

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