Northeast
NYC bans Brooklyn Bridge vendors after mayor says holiday season 'turned dangerous'
- Vendors on the Brooklyn Bridge are set to be banned from selling souvenirs as of Wednesday to alleviate overcrowding on the pedestrian walkway.
- The decision, implemented by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, comes after holiday season crowds led to dangerous situations, he says.
- The ban will apply to all city bridges, but the Brooklyn Bridge in particular faces issues due to a high number of vendors.
Visitors to New York City hoping to take home a souvenir from the Brooklyn Bridge will now have to settle for a photograph, as vendors are about to be banned from the iconic span.
The new rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, aims to ease overcrowding on the bridge’s heavily trafficked pedestrian walkway, where dozens of trinket sellers currently compete for space with tourists and city commuters.
As crowds flocked to the bridge over the holiday season, the situation turned dangerous, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He pointed to videos that showed pedestrians leaping from the elevated walkway onto a bike lane several feet below in order to bypass a human traffic jam.
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“It’s not only a sanitary issue, it’s a public safety issue,” Adams said on Tuesday. “People would’ve trampled over each other. We need order in this city. That is one of our major landmarks.”
Vendors on the Brooklyn Bridge display their wares in New York, on Jan. 2, 2024. New York City will ban vendors from the Brooklyn Bridge starting on Jan. 3, 2024. The move is intended to ease overcrowding on the East River crossing, where dozens of souvenir sellers currently compete for space with tourists and city commuters. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The new rules will apply to all of the city’s bridges — though none have close to as many vendors as the 140-year-old Brooklyn Bridge, which is often lined with tables offering phone cases, knock-off Yankees caps, novelty license plates and more.
Those who sell items on the bridge acknowledge that vendors have proliferated in recent years, driven by relaxed enforcement during the coronavirus pandemic and the availability of low-priced merchandise. A decision two years ago to relocate cyclists to a lane of the roadway also freed up space for stalls.
In the middle span of the bridge, entrepreneurs have now set up nearly a dozen rotating selfie platforms where tourists can pay to take panoramic photos.
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MD Rahman, who has sold hot dogs and pretzels out of a cart on the bridge for 15 years, said he understands the need to crack down on the illicit vendors. But he criticized the city’s plan as overly broad, since it also applies to veteran sellers, like himself, who hold mobile vending licenses.
“The problem is the illegal and unlicensed people selling things up there,” Rahman said, pointing to the newer group of vendors in the middle of the bridge. “To punish everyone, it’s crazy. I don’t know what is going to happen to my family now.”
In recent days, police officers have posted flyers in multiple languages across the bridge, telling vendors they will have to leave. But some had doubts about whether the city would actually follow through on the plan.
“Maybe I come back in a few weeks,” said Qiu Lan Liu, a vendor selling hats and T-shirts, many of them featuring the New York Police Department’s insignia, NYPD. “I’ll see what other people do.”
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As news spread of the coming ban, some tourists said they were taking advantage of the low-priced souvenirs while they were still available. Ana Souza, an Oklahoma resident, proudly held an “I Love New York” tote she’d found for just $10, a fraction of the price she’d seen at brick-and-mortar shops.
Jenny Acuchi was visiting New York from Oakland, California. “It’s a little crowded, but not as much as I expected,” she said. “The thing that makes it crowded is that everyone is taking photos.”
Among the supporters of the new rules were some disability rights advocates, who said the ban would immediately improve access for wheelchair users. In a statement, the city’s transportation chief Ydanis Rodriguez celebrated the improvements to an attraction he dubbed “America’s Eiffel Tower.”
Rashawn Prince, who uses the bridge to sells copies of his self-published book, “How to Roll a Blunt for Dummies!” said he was unmoved by the comparison.
“I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower,” Prince said. “There’s vendors there, too.”
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Boston is among 16 U.S. cities hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
Courtesy of Meet Boston
Boston is among the 16 host cities across North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Beantown is full of activities catering to visiting ticket holders. While seven matches will happen at Boston Stadium—the temporary name change for Gillette Stadium being used during the tournament—the city itself will offer much to see and do.
A press conference announcing that Boston City Hall Plaza will host a fan event during the 2026 FIFA World Cup happened this past February.
Boston Globe via Getty Images As an alternative to trekking out to this stadium in Foxborough, Boston City Hall Plaza will become the location for Boston’s FIFA World Cup Fan Festival. This plaza will be equipped with large outdoor viewing screens, interactive games, live performances and many global food and beverage vendors. From June 12 through June 27, festival attendees can experience these happenings at this plaza located at 1 City Hall Square. A complete schedule can be found here.
Raffles Boston, which is offering a 2026 FIFA World Cup package, is the first North American property from the Raffles Hotels & Resorts brand.
Courtesy of Meet Boston Hotels in Boston are offering unique packages in timing with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In the Back Bay neighborhood, Raffles Boston is offering The Sky to Stadium Presidential Experience that helps overnight guests skip area traffic and arrive in style. At the cost of $75,000, this luxe package presents a three-night stay in the hotel’s Presidential Suite, with chef-curated welcome bites, and a 90-minute Equilibrium Ritual at Guerlain Spa.
This package also offers VIP access to game day via private helicopter transfer, a dedicated Match Day Butler, premium stadium seating and all-inclusive hospitality. While at Raffles Boston, get a reservation for their swank speakeasy, Blind Duck. The XV Beacon Hotel is among hotels in Boston offering FIFA World Cup related packages.
Courtesy of Meet Boston XV Beacon Hotel in Beacon Hill has launched the World Cup Hotel Package at XV Beacon. It includes an elevated multi-night stay for two guests, featuring curated experiences and starting at $12,000.
The Dagny in downtown Boston has a World Football Fan 2026 Savings offer. Enjoy on-property match screenings at Fin Point and Tradesman with elevated game-day food and drinks, and turn to the concierge expertise of the Les Clefs d’Or team for transportation timing, dining reservations and curated itineraries.
A designated Boston Stadium Express pickup location, The Dagny will offer direct scheduled service to and from Boston Stadium on match days.
The lobby of The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston will become a major FIFA World Cup watching spot. Courtesy of Meet Boston On Boston match days, the lobby of The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston will turn into a social viewing hub with large-scale projections, complimentary entry, and rotating country-inspired cocktails and bites.
Trillium Garden at Boston Harbor Hotel will be home to outdoor viewing parties, as well as feature live music Tuesdays through Fridays in June, July and August from 6 to 10 p.m.
Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport’s All Access Pass makes any local sporting event, concert, or activation to be booked for overnight guests by hotel staff possible.
The recently-opened Atlas Hotel Boston in Allston made news for having 311 Omakase, the only restaurant in Boston with a Michelin star.
Boston’s Chinatown is one of many neighborhoods offering dining options amid the FIFA World Cup. Courtesy of Meet Boston The MICHELIN Guide was introduced to Greater Boston in 2025 but Boston’s culinary landscape is quite stellar. Its richness is reflected in Boston’s minority- and immigrant-owned culinary institutions across its diverse neighborhoods.
Roxbury boasts African-influenced culinary roots and Cape Verdean specialties, anchored by local favorites such as Restaurante Cesaria. One of the city’s first Cape Verdean restaurants, this restaurant reflects Cape Verdean diet along with contemporary and American-influenced alternatives.
Jamaica Plain is the go-to neighborhood for authentic Caribbean and Latin American eateries. Among others, Santia’s Bakery is a beloved for their Dominican baked goods.
In Chinatown, find many restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. For dim sum, Hei La Moon is home to a bi-level, hall-style emporium while Winsor Dim Sum Café presents an expansive menu and outstanding congee. Taiwan Café offers delicious fish hot pots and soup dumplings, while Shabu-Zen is great for shabu-shabu (Japanese-style hot pot).
Boston’s North End neighborhood is also referred to as “Little Italy.” Boston Globe via Getty Images Boston’s North End is the city’s “Little Italy,” with Italian bakeries, restaurants and eateries. Modern Pastry Shop is for buying sfogliatella (lobster tails). Mike’s Pastry has customers lining up to buy their jumbo-sized cannoli and Bova’s Bakery is a city institution. Be sure to get Italian breads from Parziale’s Bakery, a longtime hole-in-the-wall.
With restaurants, Carmelina’s offers strong Sicilian flavors amid an open-kitchen format. For a romantic mood, the upscale Mamma Mia is set within a historic townhouse with popular choices such as osso buco. Galleria Umberto is a cash-only favorite for Sicilian-style pizza and arancini.
Irish heritage is also entwined with Boston’s history through pubs ranging from The Druid and Banshee, to Mr. Dooley’s, The Druid and Sly Fox.
In honoring America’s 250th, Boston will host Sail Boston 2026.
Courtesy of Meet Boaton Along with partly hosting the FIFA World Cup, Boston is among the U.S. cities linked historically to America’s 250th. As the birthplace of the American Revolution, Boston will become a centerpiece of this year’s semiquincentennial. Families can walk the Freedom Trail to 16 iconic sites, from the Paul Revere House to Bunker Hill Monument; the trail turns 75 this year. Follow along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, which pays tribute to Bostonians of Irish ancestry, as well.
The city will also host Sail Boston 2026, a global maritime spectacular filling Boston Harbor with historic and modern vessels. Dates are July 11-16.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of Boston’s must-visit attractions.
Courtesy of Meet Boson Cultural institutions are joining in the festivities, too. The Museum of Fine Arts reopens its 18th-century Art of the Americas galleries on June 19, spotlighting how artists shaped the Revolutionary era.
Year-round, the USS Constitution Museum and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Boston show many sides of the American Revolution. The JFK Library & Museum celebrates our 35th U.S. President and Boston native. Other Boston favorites include the New England Aquarium, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Boston Common.
View Boston provides overhead city views from this 360-degree observation deck.
While Boston is a walkable city, visitors can get around via the “T” subway system, bus, ferry, or bike rental.
Courtesy of Meet Boaton Boston has many options for getting around town.
As an alternative to driving, take Amtrak via their Northeast Regional route, stopping at South Station and Back Bay Station. Their Downeaster route also services North Station. Riding the “T” subway system involves using its tap-and-pay method or purchasing a reloadable Charlie Card at fare gates and bus validators.
Four color-coded lines (Red, Orange, Blue and Green) connect downtown Boston to surrounding neighborhoods. The Green Line operates more so as a streetcar with four branching routes (B, C, D and E).
The Silver Line (SL) is a bus rapid transit system operating in dedicated tunnels. It’s free for passengers traveling from Logan Airport into Boston.
Bluebikes, Boston’s regional bike-share system, has docking stations across the city, along with in Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.
Cruise around Boston Harbor via the MBTA ferry or flag down private water taxis, such as Rowes Wharf Water Transport, to travel between the Seaport District, Charlestown and Logan Airport.Where In Boston To Watch FIFA World Cup
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One person is dead after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood on Wednesday night.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said officers were called to the 1200 block of Pritchard Street around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday for reports of a shooting. At the scene, authorities said they found a man inside a home with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not identified as of Wednesday night.
Witnesses told investigators that the victim and another man were involved in an altercation before the shooting, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The other man was detained and taken to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police headquarters for questioning.
Police are investigating the deadly shooting. No other information was released on Wednesday, including whether the two men knew each other.
GRANBY, Conn. (WWLP) – A juvenile was brought to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon after a reported drowning at a campground pool in Granby, Connecticut.
According to the Granby, Conn., Police Department, the incident was reported around 2:30 p.m. at High Meadow Day Camp, located at 311 North Granby Road. A Simsbury officer working a private detail at the campground was called to the pool area and began providing medical care. The patient was identified as a juvenile, whose name has not been released.
The juvenile was treated at the scene before being brought to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Officials have not released information on the child’s condition.
Azell Cavaan, the Chief Communications Officer for Springfield Public Schools, confirmed with 22News that a SPS student was taken by ambulance from High Meadow on Wednesday. It is unclear if the two incidents are connected.
Police said numerous children who witnessed the incident later became emotionally distressed. Ambulance crews from Granby, Windsor Locks, Simsbury, and Suffield all assisted in response. In the aftermath of the incident, police encouraged anyone affected to seek support services.
“Witnessing traumatic incidents can be very unsettling. If you need to access support, the best way is by calling 211, which can connect individuals with crisis support services and other community resources,” the department said in its release.
Counseling and support services are also available through local municipalities, including the Granby Youth Service Bureau for residents.
This incident remains under investigation. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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