Evening Roundup: Daniel Penny Trial Update, Paid Prenatal Sick Leave, Gen X Nightlife, and Family Recipes

Jared Marcelle: Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jared Marcelle. A case that has sharply divided New Yorkers is now in the hands of a Manhattan jury. Former Marine Daniel Penny is accused of fatally choking fellow subway rider Jordan Neely on an F train last year. Penny faces charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Jurors are also considering whether Penny's actions were justified given the circumstances.

Witnesses say Neely was shouting about being hungry and thirsty and that he was willing to die or go to jail. Penny then wrapped his arms around Neely's neck and pulled him to the ground, holding him down for about six minutes. If convicted, Daniel Penny can spend up to 15 years in prison. This is a developing story. For the latest, visit our news website, Gothamist. Pregnant New Yorkers will soon be entitled to paid sick leave for prenatal care. Governor Kathy Hochul is launching a public awareness campaign touting the new policy.

Governor Kathy Hochul: I want to make sure that every single mom in New York has fully covered, fully paid prenatal leave time so she can make those important appointments.

Jared Marcelle: If you're pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you'll be allowed to take 20 hours paid time off for checkups, testing, and other prenatal appointments. This is in addition to normal paid leave and the state's family leave program. It applies to pregnant New Yorkers who work for private employers. The State estimates about 130,000 women per year will be eligible. The new policy takes effect January 1st. Up next, want to hit the clubs but still be in bed early? A new nightlife trend is catering to people just like you. That story after the break.

Speaker 1: You're listening to NYC Now.

Jared Marcelle: If you're looking to enjoy New York City's nightlife without staying out until sunrise, a new trend of early evening clubs might be for you. Reporter Lee Helland spoke with my colleague David Furst to share her experiences at one of these sensible nightlife spots.

David Furst: Tell us about this experience. Who is going to these clubs? Who is this designed for?

Lee Helland: It's a lot of Gen Xers and millennials like me who are interested in reclaiming that part of New York City culture, but have some limitations. We have to get up the next day and take our kids to soccer practice. It's really catering to people who want to enjoy that without the negative side effects.

David Furst: You've tried this. You went out and did one of these early late-night options.

Lee Helland: After hemming and hawing about it for a few months, I was like, I got to try this. There's an outfit called Matinee Social Club and they throw parties throughout the city from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM and so it's a dance party. It's like DJ spinning tunes just like my old days, but early. I went around Halloween. It was a costume party at a club called the Stranger in Midtown, which is a lot of buzz right now. I didn't really know what to expect, but I actually ended up having a blast. These parties sell out within hours. They're very popular right now.

David Furst: Wow. Let's hear more about your night out or your evening out. How did this compare to clubs that you remember from your youth?

Lee Helland: Well, there were some similarities and some differences. First of all, the DJ, his name is Vorster. He's pretty well-known in the city right now, and he played all the oldies, i.e., Madonna and electronica from around 2000, stuff that I was listening to at clubs back in the day.

David Furst: I had to ask. What era of music qualifies as oldies in your book?

Lee Helland: This event in particular was intended to be-- It was called the Time Traveler's Ball. He played stuff from '80s, '90s and 2000s. It was really a journey through my childhood and adolescence. On the plus side, it was a lot less crowded than the clubs back in those days. I think by design, they cap the number of people to 750 so that you don't feel that shoulder-to-shoulder element. People are still energetic and dancing and having a good time. I did get a vibe that a lot of people might have been taking their kids to Party City like me earlier that day for Halloween trappings and plenty of balding heads and expanded waistlines. What can I say? It's middle age.

David Furst: Did they pick up costumes for themselves at Party City for this event as well?

Lee Helland: Some people did. I ended up cobbling together a costume from my closet and my kids' dress-up bin and looked completely unhinged, but I found I just didn't care. I didn't care in the same way that I would have 20 years ago at the clubs.

David Furst: Well, the idea is to have fun. Right? Was it fun? Did it make you feel nostalgic?

Lee Helland: I had so much fun. It made me feel nostalgic for my young face and feet that will tolerate high heels. There are things that I was so not nostalgic about. Just the insecurities of youth. I walked into that club and just danced and had a blast with my friend and the difference was I just didn't care. I was just having a good time. It was a huge release.

David Furst: That's really-- I mean, it sounds like this was a bit of a personal journey.

Lee Helland: It was definitely a personal journey. I think when you're in your 20s, let's face it, New York nightlife is pretty much for people in their 20s. Once you're older and wiser, you don't have to be in your 20s again to enjoy this slice of it anymore because there's options for people like me who want to take the good and leave the not so desirable things about being young at the Velvet Rope.

Jared Marcelle: That's reporter Lee Helland in conversation with my colleague David Furst. It's the season of festive meals and family feasts. WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk is asking New Yorkers to share stories behind favorite family recipes and the memories they hold.

Zach Rothman-Hicks: My name is Zach Rothman-Hicks. I'm 40 years old. I can't believe I'm that old. I live in Queens, New York. I'm from Manhattan. It's funny. My parents cook a lot, and they cook a lot of different types of recipes. For me, if I think of the holidays, a recipe that really sticks out to me is sugar cookies. Even though they're relatively simple to make, my dad will always make them from scratch. He usually asks me, and I try each year to help out, at least with the cutting and the decoration part of it.

I always think of the different shapes and the colors and getting them all ready and then having them at some point around the holidays. It sticks out because there's just that level of thoughtfulness.

It's also really fun to be able to take the time with my dad and with my sister if she's helping out with it, and just be together and make something for everybody. We set aside a couple hours for the rolling, the dough, and all the shapes and all the decoration. My father learned about all of the baking from his mother, so my grandmother, I think, is really who I have to thank for the recipe, but also the tradition of it. She would make so many different cookies until she wasn't able to when she had dementia and couldn't cook anymore and my dad kind of took over as the cook.

I think for him, it's really important also because the recipes are passed down from her and they're handwritten on these index cards. I think it's an important part of passing down memories of her.

Jared Marcelle: Zach Rothman-Hicks lives in Queens. We talked with him as part of a collaboration with the Queen's Memory Project. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. I'm Jared Marcel. See you tomorrow.

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