Demetrius Freeman/The New York Times William C. Thompson Jr., left, greets a potential voter in Washington Heights overnight.William C. Thompson Jr., a Democratic mayoral candidate, went on a 23-stop, 24-hour campaign tour of the city overnight.
At 5 a.m., we decided to check in with David W. Chen, a reporter for The New York Times, who was covering Mr. Thompson.
Ring. Ring. No answer.
“Sorry, I was in a meat locker,†Mr. Chen finally told us after several more unanswered calls.
There was no cell service in the Schuster Meat Corporation in Hunts Point, in the Bronx, he said, “and the temperature was like 34 degrees. It was freezing.â€
Since 3 p.m. on Thursday, Mr. Chen has joined Mr. Thompson who has been followed by a revolving cast of reporters in a blue van roving the city.
“I’m doing well,†Mr. Thompson said. “I’m energized by this.â€
There have been poignant stops. At a housing project in Harlem, there was a candle light vigil for a young woman who was recently killed.
Members of her family took Mr. Thompson to the spot where it happened.
There were also lighter moments.
The caravan stopped at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, at 2:30 a.m.
Out of donuts.
“It caused a near-riot among the reporters, and the staffers, too,†Mr. Chen said.
WEATHER
Great weather returns. Blue skies and 85 degrees. (Replace your umbrella with sunglasses.) Low 80s on both Saturday and Sunday, with rain. Possible thunderstorms at the end of the weekend. Click for current forecast.
TRANSIT & TRAFFIC
- Mass Transit Click for the latest status.
- Roads Click for the latest status.
- Alternate side parking is in effect.
COMING UP TODAY
- In the campaign for comptroller, Scott M. Stringer will receive the endorsement of Asian-American community leaders at noon.
- Joseph J. Lhota, a mayoral candidate, visits a day camp in Far Rockaway, Queens, while Bill de Blasio meets voters in Chelsea.
- The M.T.A. will shut the tunnel that carries the R train between Brooklyn and Manhattan tonight for the next 14 months to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy. Fear not! WNYC’s “Transportation Nation†has put together a survival guide.
- The Jamaica Arts and Music Summer Festival kicks off its first day with an outdoor concert in Rufus King Park in Queens at 6 p.m. On Saturday at 11 a.m. to 7 p.m, 10 blocks of Jamaica Avenue will host live entertainment and other attractions. [Free both days]
- Brooklyn Bike Patrol, which provides a free escort for women who call its hotline (718-744-7592) at night, reopens. It suspended service after its founder, Jay Ruiz, suffered a heart attack. Mr. Ruiz is O.K. [Free]
- Starting Friday and all weekend long, head to Paper Magazine’s pop-up market, showcasing artisanal food makers. [Free]
- Muggles can take in a screening of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,†on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum at sundown. [Free]
- Wind down at a drumming circle led by masters of improvisational beat-making. Instruments provided, or B.Y.O. to Wagner Park in Battery Park City at 6:30 p.m. [Free]
- While you’re down there, you could catch Shakespeare’s “The Tempest†by the New York Classical Theatre in Battery Park at 7 p.m. Last performance is Aug. 4. [Free]
- There’s also another “The Tempest†being performed in Sunnyside Gardens Park in Queens, at 8 p.m. [Free]
IN THE NEWS
- Taxi trade groups sue to stop a plan for new cars. [NY1]
- A woman fell to her death from a 17th-story balcony at her Manhattan apartment after the railing gave way. [New York Times]
- Gloria Steinem endorses Christine C. Quinn for mayor, saying Ms. Quinn “knows what it’s like to live as a regular New Yorker.†[New York Times]
- Police are searching for Cuca, a parrot stolen from a Bronx housing project during a robbery. [DNAinfo]
- Harlem residents want to install solar panels on rooftops to save energy and make money. [Daily News]
SATURDAY
- “Summer Streets,†an event that shuts down nearly seven miles of roads, starts. There will be art, performances and activities between Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.
- The “Voice Tunnel,†a light and sound installation in the tunnel under Park Avenue, is one of the most highly anticipated parts of Summer Streets. Pedestrians, usually barred from the tunnel, can view the exhibit.
- CitiBike making you feel left out? Take a bike lesson for adults. Click here to find a location. [Free]
- Tour Freshkills Park on Staten Island and take in the Arsenal Gallery exhibition of finalists in a design competition for artworks that “harness energy cleanly from nature and convert it into electricity for the utility grid.†[Free]
- Dance in the streets at the South Bronx Culture Trail’s block party at noon in front of 928 Simpson Street. [Free]
- Celebrate Plover Appreciation Day at Rockaway Beach in Queens at noon and fete the threatened Piping Plover. [Free]
SUNDAY
- Hear the sounds of Korea, including a Korean marching band, at 1 p.m. in Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center. [Free]
- The Brat Pack hangs out in Fort Greene at an outdoor screening of “Pretty in Pink†at the Habana Outpost restaurant. [Free]
- Eat the city at the Food Truck Rally at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. [Free]
- Salute patriotic pop music by the Queens Symphony Orchestra at the George Seuffert Bandshell in Forest Park in Queens, 5 p.m. [Free]
- Brazilian jazz at the Harlem Meer Performance Festival in Central Park, at 2 p.m. [Free]
AND FINALLY
Become a cat lady â€" or gent.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is looking for homes for scores of cats rescued from a small apartment.
There are so many, you’ll have to go to two locations â€" 317 Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill and 8209 Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn - to pet them all.
Mona El-Naggar, E.C. Gogolak and Nicole Higgins DeSmet contributed reporting.
We’re testing New York Today, which we put together just before dawn and update until around noon.
What information would you like to see here when you wake up to help you plan your day? Tell us in the comments, e-mail suggestions to Sarah Maslin Nir or send them via Twitter at @nytmetro using #NYToday. Thanks!
