Welcome to today's edition of Navigator, CityLab's Saturday newsletter.

Here's a treat for your weekend: Some final gems from our CityLab photo challenge, where we asked you to send images as you rediscovered your cities after the isolation of the pandemic. We got dozens of submissions from all over the world. Here are five that reflect the diversity of your experiences.

From Neil Davey in Washington, D.C.: A "fascinating, slightly disorienting interplay" of walkways and their reflections.

"I came across the building by chance on a bike ride around the district during the pandemic. While DC is best known for its iconic, monumental architecture, many of its newer buildings add a contemporary beauty to the city."

From Natan Facchin in Amsterdam: Bikers holding hands on a sunny ride.

"A great reminder of the importance to hold and strengthen the important connections."

From Jerry Szatan in Chicago: One of Chicago's iconic ketchup and mustard-colored hot dog stands.

"Covid required living in various stages of isolation and calculating the potential pleasures and risks for activities that I once took for granted, including spontaneously stopping for a hot dog and eating it standing while watching people and cars go by."

From Nicole Ong in Singapore: An archway that frames the greenery beyond.

"It's like a garden within a city."

From Julia Michaels in Rio de Janerio: A group gathers to watch the sunset on the beach.

"I left Rio de Janeiro and experienced isolation in New York. As I'm a writer focused on Rio and the life of the city, it was wrenching to be away. Now that I'm back, I'm discovering (and joining) a cohort of people who learned to think outside of the box during the pandemic and are working on digital approaches to documenting and sharing Rio's key heritage spots and history."

Thank you everyone for your submissions! We'll be closing the challenge today. If your photo wasn't featured today or in our last photo-heavy Navigator issue, have no fear! We may feature it in future newsletters as part of our "views from the ground."

—Sarah Holder

Who you're following

For a forthcoming CityLab story, I've been interviewing some TikTokers who make videos about cities, architecture, public transportation and urban history to get a sense how they're using the platform to reach a new, younger, more diverse audience.

If you're on TikTok, tell me what city-loving, bike-riding, transit-explaining accounts you follow and love. What draws you to watch, or turns you off? And, a bonus: Does your city have a TikTok account?

Let me know

What we're writing

Josh Kramer/Bloomberg

Josh Kramer/Bloomberg

Once an affordable, makeshift choice for artists in need of space, New York's lofts have become some of the city's most luxurious homes. (Read more from our Iconic Home Design series.)
Berlin wants to close its parks after dark, but doing so would clash with a city culture that has long treated them as open-access living rooms. Good luck keeping people out of these public spaces.
No place for cheapskates: To protect hotspots from being overcrowded by tourists who don't contribute to the economy, Venice plans to charge day-trippers a fee for access to the city.
Gay bars in the US and around the world have been closing at a steady rate, including in New York City — the birthplace of Pride — which was bucking that trend until recently. Blame the decline on Covid, but also red tape, gentrification and other challenges.
The US is getting ready to launch the new national mental health hotline, 988, this month, but state and local agencies seem unprepared for its rollout.
As summer temperatures push into the triple digits in some places, US cities don't have enough lifeguards to keep community pools open. Some are shortening hours and canceling swimming programs, which disproportionately affect communities of color.
In wildfire country, it's time to lay off America's favorite explosive pastime: fireworks. (From the archive)

What we're taking in

Ghosts haunt cities, seeking revenge for the disappeared past (Aeon)
Big cats, big cities: how Los Angeles and Mumbai live cheek by jowl with feline locals (The Guardian)
Study shows sharks aren't deterred by urban beaches, upping risk of human encounters (The Hill)
Look out below! Anchovies are raining from the sky in the Bay Area. (SF Gate)
The case against working outside (Gawker)