'Call it a comeback': Manhattan foot traffic finally tops pre-pandemic times

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ⛅ Partly cloudy, a chance of afternoon thunderstorms and highs in the upper 80s.

It's Thursday in New York City, where a potential-possibly-maybe comeback is underway.

According to Placer.ai, foot traffic in Manhattan has finally surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and visits to office buildings in the city’s commercial districts were up 1.3% last month compared to July 2019.

At the same time, President Donald Trump's tariffs — and threats to annex Canada — are keeping a number of international travelers out of the city.

Here's what the latest data tells us about who's walking around town these days.

And here's what else is happening:

• Mayor Eric Adams yesterday vetoed two bills that would’ve increased pay rates for grocery delivery workers, arguing that food prices would've gone up. 
• Former New York Gov. David Paterson, who endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, is now backing Mayor Adams' reelection bid.
• City health officials say they've pinpointed 11 buildings with active Legionella bacteria, but they're not publicly identifying them, instead calling out five ZIP codes where people are most at risk.
• The City Council is set to vote today on a pair of bills meant to strengthen protections for transgender patients in local hospitals.
• A Long Island business owner was sentenced to four years in federal prison yesterday for stealing more than $1.7 million in pandemic relief funds.
• Care for coincidences? Join the Association Association.
• The parks department has used a city-owned Bronx lot as an unofficial garbage dump for decades, and locals say the stench has grown so horrendous it’s made a nearby greenway all but unbearable to traverse.

• If we're talking unbearable garbage dump smells, New Jersey would like a word.
• A section of Rockaway Beach in Edgemere that's been closed for decades to protect piping plover nests is finally reopening to the public.
• The Trump administration's travel bans and policy changes on student visas pose a serious threat to hospitals like Brookdale in Brownsville, where most of the resident doctors come from overseas.
• Sunset Park is getting another public green space on an old pier.
• The MTA added more seating around the sparse LIRR waiting area in Grand Central Madison. Some passengers said it's still not enough.
• Cute lil' bodega ramps.
• Hot tip from Defector: If you're requesting a rideshare car, do it on three apps at once because the apps will track your activity, see you're shopping and might offer you an instantaneous discount.