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Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news, in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre. References to transgender and queer people have been removed from the Stonewall National Monument's website. Congressmember Dan Goldman represents the part of Manhattan where Stonewall is. He says the removal is despicable.

Congressmember Dan Goldman: It is attacking diversity. It is attacking the very groups that create the dynamism and fabric of this country.

Janae Pierre: The monument marks the spot of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, which elevated the modern queer rights movement. Trans activists like Sylvia Rivera gained notoriety for their involvement. President Trump issued an executive order stating the US will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and ordered other identifiers to be stripped from US government websites. Questions are swirling around Mayor Eric Adams and his federal corruption case after the US Department of Justice directed prosecutors in New York to drop the charges.

As the June primary looms, is the case changing the minds of New Yorkers who voted for Adams in 2020? WNYC's Brittany Kriegstein visited a few of the neighborhoods where Adams received his strongest support.

Brittany Kriegstein: When I ask people on the streets of central Brooklyn and southeast Queens about the mayor, many of them reply with a laugh or scoff and say it's too much to get into. But some, like Crown Heights resident Gary Barnes, stopped to share their thoughts. He says he voted for Adams but would not do so again. He cites the mayor's handling of the migrant influx, which he says has meant that New Yorkers aren't getting the care they need.

Gary Barnes: Adams on the most part, from a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give him a 4 right now.

Brittany Kriegstein: South Jamaica resident Lisa Green says she feels like the city is a mess, from immigration to safety on the subways. She says Adam's federal indictment doesn't factor much into how she's thinking about voting in this year's elections.

Lisa Green: There's a lot of corruption in this country, especially in this city, so the vote wouldn't go on based on the case that he has against him at all.

Brittany Kriegstein: Most of the more than dozen people I speak with say they're largely unhappy with Adam's performance at City Hall. This, not the charges against him, is what they say is fueling their discontent. Some, like Vanessa Robinson, say the case just cements those feelings.

Vanessa Robinson: You know, months and months of all of these things coming up in the news, and all of a sudden, we're just supposed to wipe the slate clean and forget.

Brittany Kriegstein: Polling and previous news reporting show they're not alone. New Yorkers have soured on Adams since the federal investigation blew into the open in the fall of 2023. The mayor has denied wrongdoing. He alleges the prosecution by the Southern District of New York was politically motivated by his criticism of former President Biden's immigration policies. Now, he says he's working to restore residents' faith in him. A spokesperson for Adams office says his administration has done a lot to tackle crime and homelessness and improve New Yorkers economic realities, but they also acknowledge officials have more work to do to make the city more livable for families.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Brittany Kriegstein. A representative of the mayor's reelection campaign did not comment for this story. A number of neighborhoods in Manhattan are reporting big boosts in pedestrian traffic since the start of congestion pricing. More on that after the break. Sunday marks six weeks since congestion pricing began, and since then, there's been a decrease in the number of vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street. While drivers may be staying away, people are not.

New data show a number of neighborhoods in the borough are having big boosts in pedestrian traffic. WNYC's Arun Venugopal spoke with my colleague Michael Hill about the findings and what they mean.

Michael Hill: Arun, how much has foot traffic changed overall since congestion pricing took effect in January?

Arun Venugopal: Well, Michael, the City's Economic Development Corporation, the EDC, says pedestrian traffic is up almost 5% over last year within the congestion zone. That's the area south of 60th Street where drivers have to pay $9 to enter. Around 36 million pedestrians entered the various business improvement districts in the congestion zone between the start of congestion pricing on January 5 and the end of January, so a little over about three weeks. That's about one and a half million people more than over the same period in 2024.

This data was compiled, as I said, from the various business improvement districts below 63, it's worth noting that the growth in foot traffic happened during a polar vortex. Really bad weather as well as the flu.

Michael Hill: Right, right. Where are pedestrians hitting the streets? Which neighborhoods?

Arun Venugopal: There are a bunch of neighborhoods that have seen pretty sharp increases in foot traffic. These include some of Manhattan's shopping and entertainment districts. Let's start with the Grand Central Partnership. That's an area in Midtown. It represents about 750 businesses. A representative there told me pedestrian traffic went up nearly 19% in the area after congestion pricing took effect. By contrast, the group says last year, it went up by just 5% over the previous year. Pretty big increase.

In SoHo, there was a 20% spike in foot traffic at the intersection of Broadway and Prince. Pretty busy area, much busier now. It went up 13% in the West Village and by 7% in the Times Square area, Michael.

Michael Hill: I'd bet this increase in foot traffic, Arun, is being seen as a validation of congestion pricing by groups who are pushing for it all along.

Arun Venugopal: Sure.

Michael Hill: What are they telling you?

Arun Venugopal: Yes, I mean, I heard from a number of them it's still fairly early, but this is very much what they're hoping to see. Kate Slevin is executive vice president of the Regional Plan Association.

Kate Slevin: There is a lot of controversy, a lot of concern about this program starting, but it's clear the sky has not fallen. In fact, the program is making the city more livable and possibly even boosting business. The findings, for long term, are out. The first month plus has been a total success, and it's really wonderful to see and feel on the streets of New York.

Arun Venugopal: I heard similar sentiments from other groups like the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. They see this as a big win for sustainability.

Michael Hill: Arun, surely not everyone is happy with congestion price. What criticism you're hearing?

Arun Venugopal: Yes, definitely some people who are really frustrated. Business owners say it's a hassle, it's just piling on costs. One business owner is Jeremy Merrin. He's the CEO of Havana Central Restaurant. It's on West 46th Street. This restaurant's been around for 20 years, but now, he's really worried.

Jeremy Merrin: For businesses that are struggling to bring people in, it just becomes more expensive and harder for people to commute, then that's a factor. The other thing that I mentioned is we are seeing that almost every supplier now is putting on a surcharge on every invoice that comes in for congestion pricing. In fact, that's hitting our bottom line as well since our costs are going up.

Arun Venugopal: Right. He says, he has customers who just don't want to come in as much, so that's a big issue for him. Others as well. Another group, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, they told me they surveyed around 50 businesses. The ones in Lower Manhattan, they say, appear to be better off, but ones in Midtown and Uptown are struggling more, they say, with sales dropping, parking getting a lot worse. Still, they did say it's winter, so it tends to be slow and they're just going to keep watching how this plays out, Michael.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Arun Venugopal talking with my colleague, Michael Hill. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone with a boo, but the truth is, for some, dating in New York City can be a nightmare. It doesn't have to be that way, though. At least that's what the dating coaches say. WNYC's Giulia Heyward has more.

Janae Pierre: Manhattan-based dating coach Niko Emanuilidis helps his clients up their dating game.

Niko Emanuilidis: Dating isn't about taking. It's about giving love and giving that expansive positive energy to other people.

Giulia Heyward: But many New Yorkers say it's hard to do that in a city of over 8 million people because there are too many options. There are dating apps, real-life meetups, and new apps that let AI do most of the work. For some New Yorkers, this means too many choices. Brooklyn-based dating coach Erika Ettin says blaming the city for dating struggles is a mistake.

Erika Ettin: The same issues that will crop up here will crop up anywhere else. You're going to find flaky people everywhere. You're going to find amazing people everywhere.

Giulia Heyward: Manhattan coach Liza Cooper says the trick to dating in New York is about staying open and hopeful.

Liza Cooper: If you start looking up like people used to do, that's how everyone used to meet was sort of on the subway or in the grocery store. You can do that as well and just sort of launch a conversation with someone.

Giulia Heyward: Brenda Andolina is one of her clients. She said the advice has helped her start looking for love again after her divorce.

Brenda Andolina: I'm not that person anymore that 100% is committed to going it alone for the rest of my life.

Giulia Heyward: It's not easy, but coaches agree, anything can happen in New York City, even true love.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Giulia Heyward. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. Hi, I'm Janae Pierre. Have a happy Valentine's Day and a lovely weekend. We'll be back with only one episode on Monday. That's President's Day.

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