New York City Council Gets a New Speaker

Karsten Moran for The New York Times Melissa Mark-Viverito was sworn in as New York City Council speaker on Wednesday at Hostos Community College in the Bronx.

Get Your Hot Chocolate Here!

Dear Diary:

Walking east along 82nd Street toward York Avenue with the weather well below 20 degrees, my thoughts were on the hot drink I would soon make for myself when I got home. Suddenly, as I neared a large apartment house at the corner, I heard a young girl’s voice cry out: “Get your hot chocolate here, hot chocolate here!”

As I got closer to the building entrance, ahead of me was a folding table with a large thermos dispenser, stacks of plastic cups, a can of whipped cream, miniature marshmallows and a hand-lettered sign announcing the offering. Behind the table stood a delightful little girl about 7 years old and her mother.

“How creative,” I thought. “A new take on the summer lemonade stand.” As I came up to the table, the little girl asked, “How do you like it, with whipped cream or marshmallows?”

Surprised by her question, I responded, “How much are you charging?” Laughing, she replied, “it’s free.”

In disbelief, I turned to the girl’s mother. “You’re giving it away?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s free,” she said with a smile. Then she explained, “My daughter got so many gifts for the holidays, we wanted her to learn to give back to the community, and we thought this might be a good way. So enjoy.”

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New York Today: Will Super Bowl Blvd. Clog Midtown?

Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times Traffic officers maintain control on 34th Street.

Good morning on this slightly warmer Wednesday.

Today is the opening of Super Bowl Boulevard, formerly known as Broadway.

Through Sunday, 13 blocks of Broadway - from 34th to 47th Streets â€" will be closed to traffic and converted into a so-called fan zone.

Will this affect your commute?

Do you dare venture into Midtown?

It turns out that the onslaught of pedestrians, rather than the closed street, might cause the biggest problems.

Many drivers already avoid Broadway, parts of which have been blocked to cars since 2009, when pedestrian plazas opened at Times Square and Herald Square.

But many thousands of people are expected to descend on the fan zone.

As Seventh Avenue clogs, taxis and other savvy drivers may head over to Fifth and Ninth Avenues, creating delays.

Today will also offer the usual Wednesday afternoon matinee shows the theater district, further complicating matters.

As for subways, everything should be fine, the transportation reporter for The Times, Matt Flegenheimer, told us.

But the Broadway Line (N,Q, R) and the Sixth Avenue Line (B, D, F, M) could get busier than usual.

“They all go to Herald Square, which is at the foot of the mayhem,” Mr. Flegenheimer said.

Here’s what else you need to know for Wednesday.

WEATHER

Fingers, rejoice. It will get up to 24 degrees today. It starts out cloudy, then clears.

Good weather for walking around, blocking traffic.

Tomorrow we may even hit 30. Slightly warmer, right?

COMMUTE

Subways: Check latest status.

Rails: Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect today.

COMING UP TODAY

- Jeh Johnson, the federal homeland security secretary, visits MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., to tour security operations for Sunday’s Super Bowl. Then he meets with the N.F.L.’s chief security officer at the Sheraton in Times Square for a news conference on safety. 12:30 p.m.

- The City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, holds her inauguration ceremony at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. 6 p.m.

- Assistant secretary for what? The U.S. Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for terrorist financing, Daniel L. Glaser, sits on a panel about the Role of Financial Power in National Security, hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations on the Upper East Side. 1 p.m. [Watch live]

- A PepsiCo pop-up park, #Pepcity, opens in Bryant Park at 2 p.m., complete with food, art and a 10,000-foot dome, which you can barely glimpse here. [Free].

- Transit Trivia Night returns to the New York Transit Museum. 6:30 p.m. [$15]

- The Islanders play the Rangers at Yankee Stadium, which has been converted into an outdoor rink for a series of pro hockey games. (See how, in 60 seconds). 7 p.m. [Tickets are still available.]

- Lottery number readers visit the C & C discount store in the Bronx, which sold a winning $1 million Powerball ticket that expires this Sunday and still hasn’t been claimed. 11 a.m.

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

AND FINALLY …

The Empire State Building is having a very busy day.

This morning, it dons red and gold in honor of the Chinese New Year.

China’s consul general in New York, Sun Guoxiang, flips the switch at 10 a.m.

Then, at night, it succumbs to an hourlong Super Bowl XLVIII Social Media-Driven Light Show.

Fans have been tweeting answers to Super Bowl-related questions to Verizon with #WhosGonnaWin.

If more Broncos fans tweeted answers, the lights shine orange and blue at 7 p.m.

If Seahawks fans triumphed, the lights will be blue and bright green.

Track their progress, live.

Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

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