Phil O'Brien

Pier 76 was packed with blues, barbecue and dancing on Saturday as thousands headed to the Hudson River for one of the West Side’s biggest free summer parties. Bobby Rush takes to the stage as the sun goes down over the Blues BBQ Festival at Pier 76. Photo: Phil O’Brien Hudson River Park’s 26th annual Blues BBQ Festival filled the former NYPD tow pound with music across two stages, food from some of the city’s best-known barbecue joints, hot sauces, games and dance lessons.

New York City is poised to bring back year-round roadway dining, after the City Council voted Thursday to scrap the winter shutdown that restaurant owners have blamed for making the permanent outdoor dining program too expensive and cumbersome. Customers outdoors on 9th Avenue in March 2024.

Chester “Chet” Mazur spent much of his New York life downtown — in East Village bars, at movie screenings, on stages and among the musicians and artists who had known him for decades. But for roughly the past 10 years, Hell’s Kitchen was home.