Day: September 12, 2025

When Whitney Wolfe first dreamed up Last Place on Earth, she wasn’t planning to run a business. A musician and filmmaker by trade, she simply wanted a place to spend time with friends, play games and feel at home — without the pressure of alcohol-centered nightlife.

“I’m allergic to alcohol, so I was always looking for places where I could hang out and do something fun while my friends could still drink,” Wolfe told Brooklyn Paper. “When I came across board game shops, I realized, ‘This is something I can actively do.’ It’s interactive, personal and a way to make memories.”

That spark led her to open Last Place on Earth in Greenpoint in March 2020 — just one day before COVID-19 lockdowns began. Against the odds, the shop grew into a neighborhood staple, known for its eclectic collection of games, community-focused events and welcoming atmosphere.

Now, Wolfe is rolling the dice again. On Sept. 12, she opens her second location in Dumbo, called 3rd Place from the Sun.

“At its core, these spaces are board game hubs where we form community based on common interests — and honestly, just having a blast,” Wolfe said.

The name Last Place on Earth was inspired by one of her favorite TV shows, Will Forte’s “Last Man on Earth.” Like the show’s protagonist, who gathered everything he could find into one place, Wolfe started her shop with what she already had.

“The fairy lights were from my bedroom. The games were literally ones I had since I was a kid,” she said. “Those retired games are now on the top shelf where no one can reach them — they’re too close to my heart.”

Initially envisioned as an “entertainment café” with trivia nights, open mics and screenings alongside games, the shop evolved through customer feedback.

“You might think you know exactly what people want, but the community tells you,” Wolfe said. “That’s how we became a hub for Dungeons & Dragons.”

Ironically, she had never played D&D before opening Last Place on Earth. “I still consider myself a beginner, but the community has been incredible,” she said.

Today, Last Place on Earth hosts more than 30 D&D campaigns each week. Most nights carry their own themes: Ladies’ Night, Queer Night, BIPOC Night and even Introvert Night for shy players.

“We want to make sure people feel safe and included,” Wolfe said. “The gaming industry is still dominated by cisgender men, so it’s important to carve out spaces where everyone else can feel empowered.” 

She described the D&D community as “the most humble folks I’ve ever met,” adding that players often bring food, gifts and endless enthusiasm. 

“It’s escapism, but it’s also connection,” she said. “People are reminded they aren’t alone in the world — that they can create other worlds together.” 

The new Dumbo location builds on the Greenpoint model with some elevated touches. “I’ve opened over 100 fresh games, so everything feels new, like a library where the games are always complete and in good condition,” Wolfe said. 

What excites her most are the private rooms — including one dedicated entirely to Dungeons & Dragons. Outfitted with soundproof glass, themed décor and a high-end Wyrmwood table, the room will be “a true fantasy experience,” she said.

“We’re going to deck it out with lighting effects, sound systems and custom design,” she added. “It’ll feel like stepping into another world.”

For Wolfe, expansion is about more than adding tables. It’s about creating welcoming spaces where anyone — from seasoned gamers to total beginners — can feel at home.

“I always say, this isn’t just about games. It’s about community, imagination and giving people a space to connect.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer weathered backlash from Democrats earlier this year when he voted with Republicans.

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Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani will apologize for a 2020 social media post in which he called the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety,” his campaign confirmed to amNewYork.

Mamdani’s apparent shift on his past comments — he first revealed this in a Thursday interview with The New York Times — comes after he previously said those comments were “out of step” with his mayoral bid but stopped short of formally apologizing for them.

It demonstrates an apparent effort by Mamdani — a democratic socialist Queens Assembly member — to moderate his once much further-left views on policing as he vies against a crowded field of challengers in the Nov. 4 general election. Those opponents — particularly independents former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams — have made much hay out of Mamdani’s past criticisms of the NYPD to paint him as ill equipped to lead the department.

Mamdani’s campaign confirmed his comments to The Times.

The lawmaker told the outlet that he made the social media post “at the height of frustration” in the weeks following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. When asked twice by a reporter if he would apologize for those comments, he said “yes.”

However, it is unclear if Mamdani would make such an apology during his campaign or after, if he were to win the election.

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has also repeatedly said he no longer supports the “defund the police” movement he once embraced.

“To be very clear, as I have been over the course of this campaign, I’m not defunding the police, I’m not running to defund the police,” he said in July.

Tepid approval from police union

The Assembly member’s public safety plan calls for sustaining the NYPD’s current budget for a headcount of 35,000 — though the department was about 1,261 officers short of that number as of August. He also intends to create a separate Department of Community Safety that would have non-police personnel respond to a variety of mental health-related matters instead of cops.

Mamdani’s remarks did receive some tepid approval from Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD’s largest rank-and-file union. But the union boss also signaled that Mamdani must do more to demonstrate his commitment to improving NYPD officers’ working conditions.

“Words of support are important, but they need to be backed up with action,” Hendry said. “We need elected leaders who not only support cops on the campaign trail, but who will work with us every single day to improve our safety, quality of life, and compensation as we protect New York City.”

Cuomo, however, charged in a Friday statement that Mamdani’s moderation on policing is part of a flip-flopping pattern on past controversial positions.

“For weeks, Zohran Mamdani has been ducking, dodging, and rewriting his own record,” Cuomo said. “New Yorkers deserve straight answers. These are not ‘gotcha’ questions, nor are they — as Mamdani now says — ‘a mythical version’ of him — they are his own words, his own positions, and his own record. Until he gives clear, honest responses, voters are left with just one question of their own: Who is Zohran Mamdani, and what does he stand for?”

Cuomo is second to Mamdani in the polls, though he is trailing the Democratic nominee by double digits. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Adams are polling behind Cuomo. 

In addition to public safety, Cuomo dinged Mamdani for distancing himself from the platform that the national Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) released last month. The platform includes proposals many see as radical, such as eliminating all misdemeanor offenses and closing all local jails.

In response, Mamdani’s spokesperson Dora Pekec insisted that he has only changed his stance on policing and on the use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which he now discourages after initially declining to condemn it.

Mamdani maintains that he has never used the phrase — seen by many as an incitement to violence against Jewish people — himself.

Servin Maradiaga, 43, was charged with rape, burglary, aggravated sexual abuse and criminal obstruction of breathing in the pervy Aug. 30 home invasion, authorities said. 

ARTS NONPROFIT Kaiser’s Room and outdoor ad company Colossal Media have unveiled a large, hand-painted mural

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