Where in N.Y.C. to Watch the Democratic Debates

Weather: Less humid and plenty of sun, so grab the sunscreen. The high could reach 90 degrees, so grab some water.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until July 4.

There are more Democrats running for president (24) than there are movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (22, so far).

One night isn’t enough time for all of them (the movies or the candidates).

The first Democratic debate of the 2020 campaign season is tonight and includes Mayor de Blasio and nine other candidates. The second debate is tomorrow and includes Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and nine more candidates. (Four Democratic candidates will not participate in either debate.)

Whether debates make you want to drink, tweet or yell, it will probably be more fun to do any of those in a room full of people.

Here are several watch parties you can attend. Some were listed on candidates’ websites, but may be independently organized.

Tonight:

The Ridgewood Democratic Club (60-70 Putnam Avenue, Queens). Doors open at 8:30 p.m.; refreshments will be served.

The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club (304 West 231st Street, Bronx). After its regularly scheduled meeting, the club is staying open to watch the debate.

From Joe Biden’s site: The Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club will watch at Shades of Green (125 East 15th Street, Manhattan). Club members get free drinks. According to the club’s website, “New members get a free drink too!”

From Elizabeth Warren’s site: A gathering at The Hop Shop (121 Columbia Street, Brooklyn), which offers beer, wine, “hipster hot dogs” and free popcorn.

Also from her site: Viewings at Anyone Comics (1216 Union Street, Brooklyn) and at Soda Bar (629 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn), which will offer “nasty woman cocktails.”

From Beto O’Rourke’s site: A watch party at the event space Mist Harlem (46 West 116th Street, Manhattan).

From Tulsi Gabbard’s site: A viewing at the Craic (488 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn). Organizers are calling it a “Hawaiian-themed” event with leis and ukuleles.

Tonight and tomorrow:

Buunni Coffee (4961 Broadway, Manhattan). Vegetarian and vegan food is available for purchase.

The Chelsea Bell (316 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan) has 16 televisions.

An advocate dedicated to uncovering government secrets is fired for sex harassment.

Public library cardholders in New York City will no longer have access to tens of thousands of movies through Kanopy as of Monday.

[Want more news from New York and around the region? Check out our full coverage.]

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

A cyclist was struck and killed by a truck driver in Manhattan on Monday. Yesterday, the police were in the area, ticketing cyclists. [Gothamist]

Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, wants New York to spend $40 million on training new teachers. [Chalkbeat]

Would posting videos of fare evaders deter them? “I think when people are publicly embarrassed by this sort of behavior it helps address it,” said Sarah Feinberg, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Bus and Transit Committee. [Staten Island Advance]

Facebook is looking to rent a lot of space at Hudson Yards. [Crain’s New York Business]

Coming up today

Visit the New York Academy of Medicine’s rare book room in Manhattan with two guides. See early anatomical illustrations, the first book of microscopic images and a volvelle chart predicting celestial events. 6:30 p.m. [$45]

Six queer writers perform readings that celebrate Pride at “Shameless” at Housing Works Bookstore in Manhattan. 7 p.m. [Free]

The five-piece band Bombay Rickey, described as “the soundtrack to a Bollywood Noir from the 1960s or a Spaghetti Western that never existed,” plays at Wave Hill in the Bronx. 7 p.m. [$12]

Celebrate the first days of summer with a rooftop film screening of “My Days of Mercy,” live music and an after-party at the William Vale in Brooklyn. 7 p.m. [$16]

— Vivian Ewing

Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.

And finally: ‘What’s the deal with these stickers?’

There was sticker shock at the polls yesterday.

Gone were the familiar subway-themed “I Voted” stickers, with the lines converging on the “o” in “Voted.” Instead, voters received a red, white and blue sticker, with the city’s skyline above the words “I voted!” The “v” in “voted” is a check mark.

(There is also a version for children.)

It “feels like the sticker you give to a tourist voting in a Times Square Applebees vs. Olive Garden breadstick tasting contest,” a writer at Gothamist said of the new design.

The subway-themed stickers were paid for by NYC Votes, an arm of the New York City Campaign Finance Board. In a statement, the board said NYC Votes “mourns the demise” of the old stickers.

The new stickers are from the city’s Board of Elections (its name appears atop them).

A spokeswoman for the Board of Elections did not respond to a message about why the stickers were changed, or how much the new ones cost. The head of the board told Gothamist that he wanted “to have consistent branding” on all the board’s forms of communication with voters.

The old “I voted” stickers were the result of … voting.

In 2013, there was a public contest and an online vote to select a design. That sticker, designed by young Upper East Side siblings, showed the Statue of Liberty.

The subway theme came about after another contest, in 2017, which was won by the head of a biotechnology company and her design partner.

How important is this?

The redesign could, potentially, sway an election.

Hear me out.

Getting a sticker acts like a boost of positive reinforcement. Many people who vote post pictures of themselves with the “I voted” stickers on social media. Those posts can help spread the message that it’s time to vote to people who may not be avid news consumers.

Just think: How many messages did you get via newspapers, television and radio stations reminding you to vote yesterday? Now compare that with the number of times you checked Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

See what I mean?

If people aren’t excited about the stickers, there might be fewer “I voted” pictures, which could lead to fewer reminders on social media to vote.

And as Governor Cuomo said recently, “When there is a very low turnout, weird things happen.”

It’s Wednesday — you’re halfway there.

Dear Diary:

It was 1987. My boyfriend and I were on the outs and miserable. We met up at the Empire State Building after work one day and went for a long, meandering walk to talk things out.

Hours later, we found a bench near Second Avenue. We sat down, continued to talk and, ultimately, reconciled.

By then, it was late and we were exhausted. It didn’t feel right to go home together just then. Still, we didn’t want to leave one another. There was a movie theater across the street. “The Princess Bride” was playing. We bought two tickets.

Afterward, on the walk home, I discovered that I was missing one of my earrings — silver, dangly beauties. When had I lost it? Where? At the theater? At work? West Side? East Side? We had covered a wide swath.

I was resigned that it was gone. Nonetheless, I kept my eyes to the ground. After we had walked a few blocks, we were approaching a curb when something in the gutter caught my eye. It was silver. And shiny. My earring.

I still have the earrings. And the boyfriend. For the past 31 years I have called him my husband.

— Laura Ratto

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