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| New York Today: A Goodbye to Ringling Bros. | New York Today: A Goodbye to Ringling Bros. |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Updated, 11:30 a.m. | |
| Good morning on this clammy Thursday. | Good morning on this clammy Thursday. |
| It’s called “The Greatest Show on Earth” — until it folds its tent for good. | It’s called “The Greatest Show on Earth” — until it folds its tent for good. |
| The goodbye tour of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus rolls through Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight through March 23. Its final show is set for May 21 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. | The goodbye tour of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus rolls through Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight through March 23. Its final show is set for May 21 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. |
| Dwindling ticket sales, which dropped even more after the use of elephants was phased out last year, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus “an unsustainable business for the company,” Kenneth Feld, the chief executive of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling, wrote in a statement. | Dwindling ticket sales, which dropped even more after the use of elephants was phased out last year, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus “an unsustainable business for the company,” Kenneth Feld, the chief executive of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling, wrote in a statement. |
| In true fashion, readers of The New York Times responded to our coverage of Ringling with their own memories and thoughts. | In true fashion, readers of The New York Times responded to our coverage of Ringling with their own memories and thoughts. |
| Here’s a selection: | Here’s a selection: |
| A Joy for Children | A Joy for Children |
| “One of the highlights of my childhood was looking forward to going to the circus at the original Madison Square Garden and for many years afterward. The three rings of acts were magical. I loved watching three trapeze shows simultaneously. The excitement of the audience during the triple somersault was palpable. Clowning was also an art. I will always cherish these memories.” | “One of the highlights of my childhood was looking forward to going to the circus at the original Madison Square Garden and for many years afterward. The three rings of acts were magical. I loved watching three trapeze shows simultaneously. The excitement of the audience during the triple somersault was palpable. Clowning was also an art. I will always cherish these memories.” |
| — Melanie Sloan, 65, Los Angeles | — Melanie Sloan, 65, Los Angeles |
| “As a child, I enjoyed the wire walkers, trapeze artists, acrobats and clowns, as well as the overall spectacle — the colors, lights, costumes. I am 100 percent behind removing animal acts from circuses, but there is really something wonderful about a circus, even without animal acts, especially for children.” | “As a child, I enjoyed the wire walkers, trapeze artists, acrobats and clowns, as well as the overall spectacle — the colors, lights, costumes. I am 100 percent behind removing animal acts from circuses, but there is really something wonderful about a circus, even without animal acts, especially for children.” |
| — Jennifer Zogott Levy, 58, Brooklyn | — Jennifer Zogott Levy, 58, Brooklyn |
| “I went to the circus every year in the ’50s. It was at the old Madison Square Garden and what a treat it was. Yes, I loved going to the basement area to see the freak sideshow. The animals waiting in their cages. Even though the smell of animal feces was, well, disgusting, I still loved it.” | “I went to the circus every year in the ’50s. It was at the old Madison Square Garden and what a treat it was. Yes, I loved going to the basement area to see the freak sideshow. The animals waiting in their cages. Even though the smell of animal feces was, well, disgusting, I still loved it.” |
| — Joan Lorberbaum Moore, 69, Delray Beach, Fla. | — Joan Lorberbaum Moore, 69, Delray Beach, Fla. |
| It’s Time to Say Farewell | It’s Time to Say Farewell |
| “Like many people, I had nice experiences as a kid seeing the circus, but that was long before I knew what was ‘behind the scenes.’ I can’t imagine enjoying anything like that now. Who can take pleasure in a ‘spectacle’ based on many cases of animal cruelty?” | “Like many people, I had nice experiences as a kid seeing the circus, but that was long before I knew what was ‘behind the scenes.’ I can’t imagine enjoying anything like that now. Who can take pleasure in a ‘spectacle’ based on many cases of animal cruelty?” |
| — Jeff Barton, 55, Manhattan | — Jeff Barton, 55, Manhattan |
| “I took my son on his eighth birthday to Ringling Bros. at the Barclays Center a couple of years ago. What a boring, aggravating cash grab it was. Halfway through the horses running around the ring for the seventh straight minute, my son asked if we could leave. I said, ‘Sure.’ This after spending over $150 on tickets, toys, popcorn and junk.” | “I took my son on his eighth birthday to Ringling Bros. at the Barclays Center a couple of years ago. What a boring, aggravating cash grab it was. Halfway through the horses running around the ring for the seventh straight minute, my son asked if we could leave. I said, ‘Sure.’ This after spending over $150 on tickets, toys, popcorn and junk.” |
| — Bill McClane, 45, Astoria, N.Y. | — Bill McClane, 45, Astoria, N.Y. |
| Here’s what else is happening: | Here’s what else is happening: |
| The weather continues putting on quite the circus act, leaving us oohing and aahing. | The weather continues putting on quite the circus act, leaving us oohing and aahing. |
| We’re expecting highs in the 60s until Saturday — yes, in the middle of February — and we’ll be flip-flopping between sunshine, clouds and rain throughout. | We’re expecting highs in the 60s until Saturday — yes, in the middle of February — and we’ll be flip-flopping between sunshine, clouds and rain throughout. |
| You shouldn’t need a heavy jacket, but toss an umbrella into your bag. | You shouldn’t need a heavy jacket, but toss an umbrella into your bag. |
| • The police are concerned that President Trump’s immigration orders will make it harder to fight gangs and solve crimes in some communities. [New York Times] | • The police are concerned that President Trump’s immigration orders will make it harder to fight gangs and solve crimes in some communities. [New York Times] |
| • A Connecticut couple is being fined $100 a day for not removing a racist, anti-black slur that was spray-painted on their home. [New York Times] | • A Connecticut couple is being fined $100 a day for not removing a racist, anti-black slur that was spray-painted on their home. [New York Times] |
| • A 38-year-old man, already charged with murder in a Brooklyn cold case, is now accused in another. [New York Times] | • A 38-year-old man, already charged with murder in a Brooklyn cold case, is now accused in another. [New York Times] |
| • Lincoln Center turned away a patron wearing an anti-Trump sign. [New York Times] | • Lincoln Center turned away a patron wearing an anti-Trump sign. [New York Times] |
| • The Anti-Defamation League received a bomb threat at its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. [Gothamist] | • The Anti-Defamation League received a bomb threat at its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. [Gothamist] |
| • Some N.Y.U. students are up in arms over John Paulson, a Trump adviser who is on the school’s board of trustees. [DNAinfo] | • Some N.Y.U. students are up in arms over John Paulson, a Trump adviser who is on the school’s board of trustees. [DNAinfo] |
| • Say goodbye to the Kosciuszko Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Queens. [Brooklyn Paper] | • Say goodbye to the Kosciuszko Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Queens. [Brooklyn Paper] |
| • Mayor Bill de Blasio responds after the Cross Bronx Expressway “was again named the worst road in the country” by a transportation analytics company. [DNAinfo] | • Mayor Bill de Blasio responds after the Cross Bronx Expressway “was again named the worst road in the country” by a transportation analytics company. [DNAinfo] |
| • What’s with all the Cadillacs in the East Village? [E.V. Grieve] | • What’s with all the Cadillacs in the East Village? [E.V. Grieve] |
| • Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Watching a Box of Takeout Teeter on the Edge” | • Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Watching a Box of Takeout Teeter on the Edge” |
| • For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Thursday Briefing. | • For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Thursday Briefing. |
| • Join a hike, and explore areas where Native American settlements once existed, beginning at Pelham Bay Nature Center in the Bronx. 1 p.m. [Free] | • Join a hike, and explore areas where Native American settlements once existed, beginning at Pelham Bay Nature Center in the Bronx. 1 p.m. [Free] |
| • Adrian Miller, the author of “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet,” about black presidential chefs, gives a lecture at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. 6:30 p.m. [Free] | • Adrian Miller, the author of “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet,” about black presidential chefs, gives a lecture at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. 6:30 p.m. [Free] |
| • A performance of Johann Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus” at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in Flushing, Queens. 7:30 p.m. [$20] | • A performance of Johann Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus” at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in Flushing, Queens. 7:30 p.m. [$20] |
| • An opening-night performance of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical “Sunday in the Park With George” at the newly renovated Hudson Theater in Midtown. 8 p.m. [Tickets start at $59] | • An opening-night performance of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical “Sunday in the Park With George” at the newly renovated Hudson Theater in Midtown. 8 p.m. [Tickets start at $59] |
| • The American Human Beatbox Festival continues at La MaMa in the East Village. 10 p.m. [$15] | • The American Human Beatbox Festival continues at La MaMa in the East Village. 10 p.m. [$15] |
| • Islanders at Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. (NBCS). Rangers at Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m. (MSG). Knicks host Cavaliers, 8 p.m. (TNT). | • Islanders at Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. (NBCS). Rangers at Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m. (MSG). Knicks host Cavaliers, 8 p.m. (TNT). |
| • For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide. | • For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide. |
| • Subway and PATH | • Subway and PATH |
| • Railroads: L.I.R.R., Metro-North, N.J. Transit, Amtrak | • Railroads: L.I.R.R., Metro-North, N.J. Transit, Amtrak |
| • Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s. | • Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s. |
| • Alternate-side parking: in effect until March 1. | • Alternate-side parking: in effect until March 1. |
| • Ferries: Staten Island Ferry, New York Waterway, East River Ferry | • Ferries: Staten Island Ferry, New York Waterway, East River Ferry |
| • Airports: La Guardia, J.F.K., Newark | • Airports: La Guardia, J.F.K., Newark |
| On this week in 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened to the public. | On this week in 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened to the public. |
| Its collection included 174 paintings displayed in a brownstone at 681 Fifth Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets. | Its collection included 174 paintings displayed in a brownstone at 681 Fifth Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets. |
| After critiquing the paintings in the collection, The Times remarked how they were sloppily varnished: “In one or two cases the varnish has been laid on so thick that a person looking at the picture sees his own reflection therein.” | After critiquing the paintings in the collection, The Times remarked how they were sloppily varnished: “In one or two cases the varnish has been laid on so thick that a person looking at the picture sees his own reflection therein.” |
| When the museum moved to its current location on the eastern edge of Central Park in 1880, the area was mostly abandoned farmland and the roads were unpaved. | When the museum moved to its current location on the eastern edge of Central Park in 1880, the area was mostly abandoned farmland and the roads were unpaved. |
| The architects of Central Park initially opposed having buildings in the park, but eventually gave in to public pressure, allowing the museum’s current site because a structure there “would be seen from no other point in the park,” because of the surrounding geography. | The architects of Central Park initially opposed having buildings in the park, but eventually gave in to public pressure, allowing the museum’s current site because a structure there “would be seen from no other point in the park,” because of the surrounding geography. |
| You can see the original facade of the building (a granite arch) near the top of the museum’s Grand Staircase and two original staircases near the European Paintings and Medieval Art galleries. | You can see the original facade of the building (a granite arch) near the top of the museum’s Grand Staircase and two original staircases near the European Paintings and Medieval Art galleries. |
| New York Today is a weekday roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning. You can receive it via email. | New York Today is a weekday roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning. You can receive it via email. |
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| Follow the New York Today columnists, Alexandra Levine and Jonathan Wolfe, on Twitter. | Follow the New York Today columnists, Alexandra Levine and Jonathan Wolfe, on Twitter. |
| You can find the latest New York Today at nytoday.com. | You can find the latest New York Today at nytoday.com. |