5 Stories You Need to Pay Attention to This Week

NEW YORK, NY — The week starts off with a holiday and ends with an extra hour of sleep — that's a pretty good week in my book. We'll probably need that extra hour to decompress though, with it being the last week of the presidential election.

Next week, well, that's when this whole two-year odyssey ends. For now, here's what to look forward to this week ...

1. Oct. 31: Happy Halloween — A Monday Halloween meant the holiday was celebrated pretty much all weekend, but the main course (all candy, of course) comes on Oct. 31. The weather is supposed to be typical of the last day of October, and thankfully no rain. Put a sweatshirt on under that costume though, because it'll be in the upper-40s by trick-or-treating time. Some parties were already held, but the biggest Halloween celebration in the city held off until Monday. The Village Halloween Parade, which is open to anyone in costume, kicks off at 7 p.m. on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street. If you can't make it in person, it's always a fun watch on NY1 starting at 8 p.m. Remember, if you are going out, stay safe people.
2. Nov. 1: Bus strike — The start of the month of November could be a pain for parents in parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Thousands of kids, fresh off a sugar high the night before, could be looking at an issue getting to school if the city can't work out a deal with Brooklyn-based Jofaz Transportation and Y&M Transit. Negotiations were set to resume on Monday, and Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was "a very high likelihood" this could get settled before Tuesday morning. But the city has taken precautions already, saying they will provide MetroCards to kids along the suspended routes or reimburse parents for the gas money.
3. Nov. 1: St. John's Terminal talk — Residents of the West Village and Hudson Square area are intimately familiar with a proposed development at 550 Washington St., the building known as the St. John's Terminal. There's been an endless supply of controversy with the project, which is particularly odd considering no one actually wants the Terminal to be saved. But there's been plenty of argument over what the developers will be putting in its place. The Committee on Zoning and Franchises meets on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chambers to vote on LU 0500-2016 — the developers' proposal to modify a whole host of zoning regulations preventing them from building a massive residential, retail and hotel development. Preservationists, politicians and the developers have traded altered proposals for months. Now we see if the Committee on Land Use buys the changes the developers made.
4. Nov. 1: Just for laughs — After a completely mentally draining election couldn't we all just use some laughs? The New York Comedy Festival is here to help — though yes, you'll probably get plenty of election jokes too. There's almost literally no comedian who will not be performing in the week-long event. The laughs kick off on Tuesday with "Standup for Heroes" at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, which will feature Louis C.K., Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan. Some of the other bold-face names performing during the week include Bill Maher, Gilbert Gottfried, Patton Oswalt, Larry Wilmore, Bridget Everett, Judy Gold, Hasan Minhaj, Chris D'Elia, Mike Birbiglia, Eric Andre, Marc Maron, Fred Armisen, Hannibal Buress, Dane Cook, Trevor Noah, Tig Notaro, Jay Pharaoh, T.J. Miller, Tracy Morgan ... you get it, A LOT of people. There's even a tribute show to the late great Mitch Hedberg.
5. Nov. 6: Daylight saving time — It's never too early to remember we get an extra hour of sleep — or drinking, partying, twiddling your thumbs — next weekend. The clock falls back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, which is essentially Saturday night if you're still up. Here's all the information you need.

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