Urbanite

Duly Noted: WFB for mayor, St. Saviour's tragedy

Thursday February 28, 2008 2:49 PM By Rolando Pujol

Who is that masked couple? It's William F. Buckley Jr., and his wife Patricia at Truman Capote's Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966. A year earlier, Buckley had run for mayor. (AP)

* Here's a look by City Room at a fact many of a certain age don't know: William F. Buckley ran for mayor in 1965.

* Good running coverage of a tragedy: the destruction of St. Saviours in Maspeth. Latest is that the city has halted the demolition work. [Queens Crap]

* The Times has a video examining the rejuvenated facade of the James A. Farley Post Office. We first told you back in September that the work was done.

* Inside Julian Schnabel's very pink and very tall Palazzo Chupi.[Vanity Fair via Curbed]

* Dylan's Candy Bar now has a just-as-colorful third floor. [Racked]

* Part of Richard Brodsky's congestion-pricing alternative: Paying $6.50 for just jumping into a cab. [City Room]

* A remnant of the World Trade Center's life, right across the street, will soon disappear into the protective hands of curators. [City Room]

* And Lost City writes about one our favorite surviving signs from the Devil's Playground era of Times Square. Here are recent photos we took of the Elk Hotel, at 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue:

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: duly noted, signs

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (again!)

Thursday February 28, 2008 12:13 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Did you know "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in believed to have been based on the hipster-infrested neighborhood we now call Wiliamsburg?

Well, anyway .. it was .. and a new tree is set to start growing in Brooklyn today.

In honor of author Betty Smith's beloved novel about a poor young Brooklyn girl who works hard and makes good, the city's parks department will today - in honor of the book's 65th anniversary - plant a serviceberry tree outside the Brooklyn Public Library branch believed to be the inspiration behind the 1943 story, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

Click here for directions to the Leonard Branch, located at 81 Devoe St. at Leonard St. near Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg.

Smith was a Brooklyn-born gal herself and her daughter is slated to speak at the tree-planting ceremony at the Leonard Branch. Smith died in 1972.

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: brooklyn, entertainment, arts

My name is (fill-in) ... and I am a Starbucks addict.

Thursday February 28, 2008 11:12 AM By Julie Gordon

If Tuesday’s three-hour Starbucks closing left you with symptoms of withdrawal, we’ve got news for you — You’ve got a problem.

Don’t believe us? Here are the top 10 (other) ways you know you’re a Starbucks addict:

10. Even when you’re not having coffee, you sit in Starbucks because the music’s just that good.

9. Green and black are your favorite colors.

8. That dude who made the film “171 Starbucks” is your idol.

7. You time your coffee breaks around the cute barista’s work schedule.

6. You’ve actually asked if you can purchase the art on the walls.

5. You use the word Starbucks like people use Kleenex or Xerox.

4. You use Starbucks-speak in the outside world. i.e., I’ll have a tall nonfat beer.

3. You know that if you order a drink “for here,” some Starbucks will give you a ceramic mug.

2. You bought the Starbucks Christmas ornaments … and you’re Jewish.

AND ... the No. 1 way you know you're a Sbux addict is:

1. You know why only some employees wear black aprons (They’ve completed the “Coffee Master” course).

— Julie Gordon

Getty photo

Tags: starbucks, coffee, new york, shopping, restaurants, quick bite, food

What the heck's a ‘sesquipedalian’ ?

Thursday February 28, 2008 9:54 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

We repeat: What the heck's a ‘sesquipedalian?' (ses-kwə-pə-ˈdāl-yən) Last night on the Web and in today’s print edition of the New York Times, William F. Buckley Jr. was eulogized as a “Sesquipedalian spark of right.” Huh?

The conservative author and commentator died yesterday at the age of 82. And in life, the prolific and often caustic writer was a man of many big words. (that's a hint!)

Katie Couric tried to mooch in on the big word game in last night’s CBS Evening News broadcast and predictably stumbled over the polysyllabic tongue twister.

The jig is up Katie – We thinks you’ve never heard the word either. [Watch the video]

Now we at Urbanite don’t want to presume anything regarding the linguistic expertise of our readers – but come on, isn’t it the first time you’ve heard this word too?

So – we’re doing you a favor for when it comes up at the water cooler later today. The long, word of many syllables means just that: “having many syllables, or given to or characterized by the use of long words.”

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: sesquipedalian, william f. buckley jr., zany

Urban Archaeology: The original site of Victor's Cafe

Wednesday February 27, 2008 2:03 PM By Rolando Pujol

These interesting murals long greeted us on visits to the West 71st Street outpost of Malaysian restaurant Penang. And we concluded that these decorations were made especially for that restaurant. But a resident of West 71st Street, who is a longtime Upper West Sider, told us recently that the murals date back to when this was the first New York home of Victor's Cafe, the famous Cuban restaurant. These are then clearly scenes of Cuban rural life, which, upon examination, makes a great deal more sense.

Victor's began at this site in 1963, founded by Victor de Corral, who was a restaurateur in the Havana area before emigrating with his family to the United States in 1957, two years before the revolution. The intersection of West 71st Street and Columbus Avenue back in 1963 was rough, but the restaurant, started with a $3,000 loan and family recipes, developed a following, both in the Latino community and among people who had their first real taste of Cuban, or for that matter, Latin food, at Victor's.

The tiny eatery (the joke was that cooking was done in the apartment upstairs) soon expanded, and eventually, the restaurant opened an outpost on West 52nd Street, which is still in business. According to the book Mambo Montage: The Latinization of New York, de Corral allowed former managers to keep running the West 71st Street restaurant under the Victor's name until the early 1990s. The book says the name was then changed to Havana for a time after a lawsuit over the Victor's name. The site became part of the Penang chain in 1996. The Malaysian mainstay decamped to a spot nearby after a rent increase.

Now that Penang is gone, we're curious about a few things: Will the new business at the site keep these murals? (We suspect not.) And what is the exact story behind the murals? We'll sleuth around, and if you have any light to shed, let us know in the comments.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: victor's cafe, upper west side, restaurants, penang, hispanics, urban archaeology, signs

Today's "Check it Out"

Wednesday February 27, 2008 9:21 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Today the city celebrates art, horticulture and healthy eating ... check it out:

10:30 a.m. to noon: Unveiling of a 35-foot light sculpture at Rockefeller Plaza,

between 49th and 50th streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues.

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: New York Botanical Garden celebrates African Heritage Month;

Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall, Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Bronx.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Celebration of Black History Month with Deion Sanders and Steve

Harvey; ESPN Zone, Screening Room, 1472 Broadway.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: National Park Service open house on management alternatives presented in Governors Island draft general management plan and

environmental impact statement; Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall St.

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Seminar on history of Brooklyn waterfront; College of

Technology, amphitheater, 300 Jay St.

4:30 p.m.: Mel Brooks signs copies of “Young Frankenstein” cast album;

Hilton Theatre, 214 W. 43rd St.

5:30 p.m.: Discussion with Broadway and film director Arthur Penn; City

College of New York, Great Hall in Shepard Hall, 138th Street and Convent Avenue, Bronx.

6:30 p.m.: Manhattan borough president hosts book signing for “Go Green

East Harlem Cookbook”; Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave.

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: check it out, today's check it out

Park Slope: Sweatin' at the Armory

Tuesday February 26, 2008 8:22 PM By Rolando Pujol

Park Slope residents no longer have any reason to be out of shape. The historic armory building at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street officially reopened Tuesday as a fitness and recreation center.

“No excuses!” Borough President Marty Markowitz joked at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Every family in Park Slope has to exercise.”

He also turned to the kindergarteners and first graders from P.S. 10 who were in attendance. “I want you all to live at least 100 years,” Markowitz told them.

During the ceremony, the children sat patiently on mats in the track-and-field area of the building, which is the size of a stadium. The light came through three large arched windows in the old brick wall, and through the narrow windows at the top of the ceiling arch. The rubber floors still smelled new.

“I’ve never seen a huge place like this,” said Jacob Cedar, 6, a first-grader from P.S. 10.

“We are here for an exercising opening,” said Roberta Silver, 7, also a first-grader. “Maybe we’ll exercise today.”

Sure enough, when the ceremony concluded, the children were allowed to race around under the direction of coaches from the Prospect Park YMCA, which will operate the new facility.

The garrison area of the armory, which opened in 1895 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been used as a 70-bed dormitory for homeless women since the 1980s. But another area of more than 50,000 square feet where drills once were held was underutilized for years.

The idea of converting the space into an athletic center was announced four years ago. Half the money for the $16 million project came from the mayor’s office; another $6 million came from City Council and $2 million came from the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office.

In addition to the fitness center, the newly renovated building will house a teen center, arena space for basketball, boxing and fencing, an after-school program, and a day camp. The center will be open year-round, seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

On the other side of the Armory, at the shelter operated by the Church Avenue Merchants Association, women were standing outside smoking as the ribbon-cutting went on inside.

Although the details haven’t yet been worked out, officials did say that shelter residents will be able to use the athletic center.

“I’ll be going to this gym, definitely,” said Tracy Havery, a shelter resident of six months. “I like this place, it’s safe, it’s a great location, and now we can use the gym.”

“That would be wonderful, that would be great,” said Tisha Shomas, a recreational coordinator for the shelter.

-- Katya Soldak

Photo via gmpicket on Flickr

Tags: park slope, armories, exercise, brooklyn

February 26, 1993

Tuesday February 26, 2008 6:19 PM By Rolando Pujol

Fifteen years ago today, the World Trade Center was attacked for the first time. Six people died, including a pregnant woman, and 1,000 were injured.

As New Yorkers paused to remember the attack downtown, we look back on the day through a guest column from the president of the memorial organization and a story on security in the city. Here is our World Trade Center page, as well as a moving tour of the relics of the trade center that are stored at Kennedy Airport.

After the jump, a look at how New York Newsday's Jimmy Breslin covered the story. The last line is chilling.

-- Rolando PujolThey Choked And Stumbled Down To Safety

By Jimmy Breslin

Through the smoke of the terrorist bombs this time came Joseph Gibney yesterday, his small, small feet dangling, his arms wrapped aroud the necks of the two people from his office who were carrying him in the darkness in the stairway, choking, stumbling and frightened.

They were three of the 80,000 who were at the World Trade Center yesterday when the bombs went off in the bowels of the building and threatened the tens of thousands who worked high in the sky.

There were five killed at the World Trade Center yesterday. Nobody knows the name of the cause that the bombs represented as it tore through the basement walls and filled 110-floor buildings with thick smoke.

Always the people who leave the bombs are far from its danger when it goes off. And always, too, the people who are threatened are like Joseph Gibney. Or those who die are like Police Officer Brian Murray, who until yesterday was the last American to die of a bomb left by a foreign cause. That was on September 11, 1976, and Murray helped pick a bomb out of a locker at Grand Central Terminal. It had been left by two Croatians who lived on West 76th Street in Manhattan.

The year before, a bomb had gone off in the baggage claim area at LaGuardia Airport and killed 11 and maimed 51. And now Murray and three other members of the bomb squad tried to set this one off at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx. The bomb did not detonate.

Murray walked up to the demolition pit to inspect the bomb. Which blew in Murray's face, killing him.

Yesterday when the bombs this time went off in the basement garage, up on the 37th floor, Joseph Gibney sat in his electric wheelchair in the legal department of the United States Commodities Futures Trading Commission. He is a trial attorney.

There was a noise and the building shook and the lights went out. People got up and headed for the hall. Gibney, as he does in fire drills, rode in his motorized wheelchair to the freight elevator area, out in the hall. The rest of his office was near the fire exit doors. But they went no further because no instructions from the fire marshals came over the loudspeaker system. After a couple of minutes, people walked back to their desks, and soon everybody did, Gibney included.

The smoke came into the office, silently and swiftly, and now the place emptied. In the hall, the smoke was thickest around the freight elevator. So Joseph Gibney rode his 200-pound wheelchair to the stairway door and simply started to get out. He is 28 and weighs 125 pounds. He is a clear-spoken, precise, pleasant guy and he has to go through a lot just to make it through a day's work. And right now, if he had to crawl for his life then he would crawl on his stomach down 37 flights of stairs.

But two people in the office who are assigned to help him in emergencies appeared at his side. One was Jack Litevsky, a legal investigator. He had the flu and all day people had been telling him to go home. The other's name was Andy.

Gibney put an arm around each of their necks and the two carried him, his feet dangling, down the dark staircase. At each floor, more people pushed in and more smoke, much more smoke, billowed through the doorways. Unseen and choking smoke. At the 26th floor, Litevsky and Andy carried Gibney to another stairwell. They sat on the floor until they could fit in. Then they went down more stairs. First Andy and then another man who replaced him tired. A third took over.

Jack Litevsky never left. Gibney could feel him sweating and sometimes swaying. But he always could feel him. The smoke was so thick by now that for the first time some people called out in fear. Now for the first time, Litevsky spoke.

"Keep going."

And then Gibney, dazed, found himself in the lobby and a cop grabbed him.

Now that Litevsky was through, he tottered and then sat down on the floor and began breathing too heavily.

Both were put in a medical bus and examined. Litevsky was taken to the hospital. Gibney was placed in a small portable wheelchair and an office aide from the governor's office, John Williams of Brooklyn, pushed him across the highway towards his home in Battery Park City. People ran up and helped lift the chair over the fire hoses.

Gibney, his nostrils black and his face smudged, was dazed. Williams and another volunteer got Gibney to his apartment.

There he sat down and tried to figure out what had happened. He worried about Litevsky. "I don't know what hospital they took him to. I have his home phone back in the office."

"You think of how many people could have been killed in there," John Williams said.

Now Gibney could no longer concentrate anymore. "Thank God it's over," he said. He closed his eyes.

The trouble with this was, it might have been over only for yesterday.

Tags: world trade center, 1993 wtc attack, terrorism, manhattan, history

The murder of Officer Edward Byrne: 20 years later

Tuesday February 26, 2008 4:47 PM By Rolando Pujol

Hundreds of police officers attend the 1 a.m. ceremony in Jamaica Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the murder of rookie Edward Byrne, below. (Photo by Adam Pincus)

Dana Delucia knows she could easily have been the one killed 20 years ago last night. She was usually assigned to the same detail, a rookie cop sitting alone in her squad car after midnight on the crack-ridden streets of Jamaica, Queens.

But that night it was Edward Byrne, another rookie, who sat at the intersection of 107th Avenue and Inwood Street. Delucia was safe at home, but she still felt the pain of it when she heard the news that an officer had been murdered, shot five times in the head in a drug-lord-ordered hit.

“I fell to my knees and I started to cry,” Delucia said. “I didn’t even know who it was, but I knew it was one of us.”

She wasn’t the only one who was deeply affected by Byrne’s death. Delucia, who retired in May after 21 years on the force, joined about 200 other people who gathered early yesterday morning to remember Byrne at the site of his murder. Delucia said that the brazenness of Byrne’s murder clarified her job and her role in the community for the rest of her career.

“I was stunned, and that defined everything from then on – that I would stand for this police department and we would clean up this neighborhood,” she said. “And we’re not going to let them run this neighborhood.”

Most of those gathered this morning were police officers, active and retired. They stood silent in rows, breathing steam into the freezing air. Delucia, now in her mid-40s, has returned to the scene every year since the murder. She wore a dark blue jacket she made a year after Byrne died. The back of it read, “In Memory of P.O. ED BYRNE.”

Delucia said that usually only a couple dozen people show up each year on Feb. 26. This year, however, the crowd was much larger because the ceremony marked the 20th anniversary of the slaying. One young officer attending for the first time said he stopped by after receiving a text message about the event from a colleague.

Some remembered Byrne and the brief time they worked together, but many were too young to have known him. They came because of what Byrne has come to signify -- a turning point for New York in the war against the crack epidemic that plagued the city.

Byrne was 22 when he was shot five times in the head by four men who had been hired by a drug kingpin as a message of defiance to New York police. Ernie Naspretto, a retired police officer, said that officers responded by forming tactical narcotics teams to fight against the drug dealers. He said that Byrne’s assassination was the turning point in the war against drugs.

“In order for this city to survive, something had to happen,” said Naspretto. “Unfortunately for this poor kid, it was him.”

Murder rates in New York have dropped more than 66 percent since Byrne’s murder. Naspretto challenged the active officers in the crowd to keep Byrne as a rallying point.

“There was terrorism in this city long before the first bombing of the World Trade Center,” Naspretto said to the gathered crowd. “That terrorism was in the form of the crack wars, and nowhere in America was that war fought more than in this corner right here.”

“You owe it to Eddie Byrne to make sure that this area never sees what it saw 20 years ago.”

Jamaica is very different place from 20 years ago. The house Byrne died protecting is now a new apartment complex. Delucia said that many of the residents who came to support the police after Byrne’s death have moved away from the neighborhood. Even though far more gathered at this year’s memorial than in years past, very few of the participants came from the community.

“That’s the difference between … 20 years ago and today,” said Delucia. “Now you’re prosecuting cops. We don’t go out there to hurt anybody, but when you have to make a life and death decision, you have to make it.”

-- Jed Kim

Tags: nypd, history, officer edward byrnes, jamaica, queens

Hell's Kitchen loses neighborhood legend

Tuesday February 26, 2008 11:58 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

The closing of the city's cool stuff is officially an epidemic.

Future Legend -- Hell's Kitchen's version of Nick Hornby's record-geek haven High Fidelity has closed.

The friendly glass door plastered with band flyers closed for good about two weeks ago, said co-owner Greta Perr, after a blow-out liquidation sale.

The narrow strip of a music store had an expansive collection of tunes in all genres and was a neighborhood favorite, frequented by local residents and celebrities alike.

Co-owners Paul Ruggiero and Perr were familiar faces on the block -- and both were human encyclopedias of music information.

This Urbanite writer lived above the shop for four years and the Sunday ritual was brunch at Georgio's Country Grill, then a trip to Future Legend.

It was a special place. If they didn't have the CD you wanted, they ordered it. When I got my dog Ben, Paul welcomed him to the 'hood by blasting (of course) Michael Jackson's "Ben" and serenading him, substituting the word "friend" for "dog" here and there.

I bought CDs there in lieu of digital files online just because it felt good to help keep a place like that open. Too bad it wasn't enough. Future Legend, we'll miss you.

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: real estate, stuff that's cool

Today's 'Check it Out'

Tuesday February 26, 2008 9:37 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Today its autograph's galore from sports, pop and Broadway stars: Check it out:

1 p.m.: New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck signs autographs in

support of the DVD release of “Super Bowl LXII Champions, The NY

Giants”; J&R Music and Computer World, 23 Park Row.

4 p.m.: Cast members of “The Little Mermaid” sign autographs to

celebrate CD release; World of Disney, 711 Fifth Ave.

6 p.m.: Janet Jackson autographs new album; Best Buy, 529 Fifth Ave.

8 p.m.: Discussion with Dee Dee Myers and Tina Brown; 92nd Street Y,

Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street.

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: check it out, today's check it out

Duly Noted: Starbucks, Fatburger, and Chow Mein

Tuesday February 26, 2008 1:27 AM By Rolando Pujol

Old-school Don't Walk/Walk signs, like the ones pulled in New York City several years ago, still gleam in parts of Jersey City.

Last night was a perfect opportunity to hop over to Jersey City and sample the Grove Street scene (and feast at Fatburger). We took advantage of free trips on the PATH to celebrate the system's 100th birthday. Gothamist looks at the Hudson Tubes' history.

The beloved "Chow Mein" sign at the defunct Jade Mountain restaurant on Second Avenue is mysteriously lit up anew, even though it's a different restaurant now. And whither the old Jade Mountain sign? The answer if you visit Vanishing New York.

"Closed for repair" sign at Day-O could spell trouble, Eater reports. That familiar gut feeling churns again.

Every neighborhood has 'em. Characters. If you know a few in Jackson Heights, here's your chance to tell the world.

Tonight at 5:30, across Gotham and beyond, Starbucks will close for three hours for employee retraining. Dunkin' Donuts is capitalizing on the event by pushing 99-cent coffee. We'll take this opportunity to put in a good word for your local coffee shop.

Mailer, Renfro, and Scheider. Where were their Oscar tributes? Vulture is asking.

Gowanus Lounge weighs in on the continuing sad saga of Admiral's Row.

Plaza update: Reopening set for Saturday. Rooms a mere $715. NewYorkology has pictures.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: duly noted, starbucks, fatburger, jersey city, new jersey, grove street, don't walk/walk signs, admiral's row, the plaza

God save Queens (or anyone really)

Monday February 25, 2008 6:08 PM By David Freedlander

A bunch of civic groups in Queens (which Lord knows, seems to have more civic groups than any other place on earth) is now gearing up to save their borough before its carted off in favor of new condos.

Already parts of St. Saviour's and the Hackett Building are gone,

and folks are trying to organize to the same kind of Landmarks Preservation love that Manhattan gets.

To wit, the island has 52 historic districts, compared to 7 in Queens, and 11,350 landmarked buildings, compared to 2,328 across the river.

"There are absolutely wonderful things in Queens that need to be designated," Kevin Wolfe, the vice-president of the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society told Urbanite. "We live in a Manhattan-centric universe but we've been working for many years to change that. There is plenty of great stuff here."

Tags: queens, landmarking, endangered nyc, development

Urban archaeology: Neon by the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

Monday February 25, 2008 3:58 PM By Rolando Pujol

It had been a few years since we'd been down this way, but we were pleased to discover this fantastic neon sign for this parking garage is still shining bright. The Battery Parking Garage was built by, you guessed it, Robert Moses, and is still run by the MTA Bridges and Tunnels, according to NYC Roads. Across the street, an old hardware store's signage makes for an intriguing relic. -- Rolando Pujol

Tags: architecture, signs

An ode to fish tacos

Monday February 25, 2008 3:03 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Williamsburg is bursting with new restaurants and as we all know (ahem, Endangered New York series) this can often mean the death of old favorites.

I had brunch at Bonita on Bedford Avenue at S. 3rd St. yesterday and though I wouldn't call it empty, it was not the usual packed house on a Sunday afternoon. So consider this post a petition for continued patronage at Urbanite's beloved Bonita, creator of the best fish tacos and guacamole in the city.

Yes. We said it. IN THE CITY. Viva Bonita!

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: quick bite

The pitter-patter of poquito pata ...

Monday February 25, 2008 2:15 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Pata Negra literally translates to "black hoof" or "black leg," but more importantly for city foodies -- it means the arrival a new spot that serves the coveted Jamón Ibérico -- a cured ham unique to Spain and only recently available on this side of the pond.

The cozy sliver of a wine/tapas bar is the new kid on the block on East 12th Street between First and Second avenues ... and what a yummy addition! Urbanite stumbled upon the cafe, which opened in early February, Friday night.

Here we have a brief history on the jamón from the Pata Negra Web site:

"Until recently, jamón ibérico was not available in the U.S. In 2005 the first producer in Spain, Embutidos y Jamones Fermin, was approved by the U.S.D.A. to export ibérico ham products to the U.S. The first jamóns ibéricos were released for sale in the United States in December, 2007, with the bellota hams due to follow in July 2008. "

Anyway - it's a sweet spot even for those not so keen on ham. There's a great selection of wines and cheese from Murray's cheese shop, and proprietor Raphael Mateo is on hand, padding from table to table with recommendations and friendly chat.

If you go: 345 East 12th St.; btwn 1st & 2nd Ave.; (212) 228-1696

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: quick bites, stuff that's cool

Today's "Check it Out!"

Monday February 25, 2008 10:51 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Stars of the literary, professional sports and hip-hop words all around the town - so cameras at the ready because the photo-ops abound today:

Noon: 1969 New York Mets World Series championship team members Ed

“The Glider” Charles, Ed Kranepool and Art Shamsky unveil official logo for upcoming Citi Field; Citi Bank, 399 Park Ave., at 53rd Street.

1 p.m.: Trinity Chamber Choir gives lunchtime recital as part of Wales

Week New York; St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway.

6 p.m.: Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and other members of

2008 New York Giants Super Bowl championship team arrive atthe AMC theater in Times Square for a screening of “2008 Super Bowl XLII Champions.” See them head in, if you can't see the film yourself.

6:30 p.m.: Maybe you can't attend, or even party crash, but you never know .. so head on down to Capitale as Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Doug E. Fresh and other music celebrities arrive for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network awards.

7 p.m.: Authors Tom Dolby and Tod Harrison Williams read from their

books exploring the experiences of boys growing up in elite schools; McNally Robinson Bookstore, 50 Prince St.

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: today's check it out

Duly Noted: Saving a lobster, revisiting 'Valley of Ashes'

Sunday February 24, 2008 2:38 PM By Rolando Pujol

Save the Lobster! Armando's in Brooklyn Heights may be poised to close, so the push is on to at least save the sign. The issue of saving endangered signs is gaining currency. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

Tony Manero's Bay Ridge isn't what it used to be. [Bay Ridge Rover]

Where the arrival of a Duane Reade elicits joy. [Bed-Stuy Blog]

The saga of 61 Fifth Avenue: From the Dutch days to "Gossip Girl." [Vanishing New York]

As NYSC's arrival in Harlem is heralded, a spunky lower-cost competitor is quietly making inroads. [Uptown Flavor]

Moving Alexander Hamilton's house? Not so easy. [Gothamist]

Old French standy Rene Pujol is felled. People often asked whether I was related to Rene. Alas, no, and a visit to the restaurant a few years ago produced no discount, either. [Eater]

A two-fer from Queens Crap: Photographic evidence of the "Valley of Ashes" in Corona, and bad news for those who want to save the Hotel Pennsylvania.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: Mersault999 on Flickr.

Tags: duly noted, signs, brooklyn

34th Street shuffle

Sunday February 24, 2008 11:10 AM By David Freedlander

We made our way back from an East Side presser on Thursday about the effort to create a new park over there and were shocked and delighted to discover a few remnants of Disappearing NYC tucked away in Midtown. First there was this, a great old deli on the corner of 2nd Ave that sent us hunkering after some matzo ball soup and which, according to the sign has been family owned for 60 years

Also, there was this SRO, a rarity on this otherwise chichi block

Of course, we also counted not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5 (!) Duane Reades on this same crosstown journey.

Just sayin'

by David Freedlander

Tags: midtown, endangered nyc, signs

Duly noted: Hello SoYo and goodbye Broadway Inn

Thursday February 21, 2008 10:32 PM By Rolando Pujol

So Who? No, it's not a new, gentrifying neighborhood in the five boroughs. Yes, it's a name for good old southwestern Yonkers, being trotted out in a campaign for a new development on the Yonkers waterfront, Hudson Park. We took a photo recently of this ad campaign being presented on Grand Central Terminal garbage cans. Here's more from Vanishing New York, which sent us to Frogma and Scenic Hudson.

Farewell, Broadway Inn. Another chunk torn out of authentic Times Square. (Yes, there are pockets left. And they're going fast.) [Lost City]

Twist for Tottenville treasure. A ray of hope for a mistreated Tottenville treasure. [Gothamist]

Happy 154th, McScorley's. And there are pictures documenting the fun. [Vanishing New York]

No more comp time. The long, slow death of CompUSA. Perhaps if they'd offered real discounts in the beginning, they'd be gone by now. [Shophound]

Sign of the times. We've long cringed at the disrespect for Coney's heritage. The destruction of the Carousell sign is a new low. [Gowanus Lounge]

A disaster figure. We need this Cloverfield doll. Statue of Liberty head included! [Gothamist]

Tags: duly noted

J. Crew's newest sidekick

Thursday February 21, 2008 4:20 PM By Julie Gordon

We fell in love with Madewell’s preppy yet urban-friendly styles when the J.Crew-owned brand hosted a pop-up shop over the holidays. So you can guess our mood now that Madewell opened a permanent boutique in SoHo this morning.

At a preview shindig last night, we got a better taste of the flavor of the brand — and picked out our must-have pieces for the spring.

They are:

Buffalo plaid bowery blouse ($62), cotton scarves in one of a variety of prints (prices vary), wellies in bright yellow or green ($98), striped hoodie sweater in navy blue and green ($65), short-sleeved cardigan in gray ($48) and a killer pair of tall boots (a splurge at $268).

Mm, that’s a pretty long list. Better start saving now.

Visit Madewell at 486 Broadway at Broome St., 212-226-6954.

— Julie Gordon

Getty photo

Tags: shopping, madewell, j. crew, manhattan

The desecration of a sacred place

Thursday February 21, 2008 3:10 PM By Rolando Pujol

The demolition of Glad Tidings Tabernacle Church on West 33rd Street, a Romanesque Revival building completed in 1868, has been happening quietly for a few months, under the cover of scaffolding. But today, we bore witness to what is left of this sacred space, which will in a blink of an eye become a hotel. As we took these photos, two young women reacted in horror and indignation at the destruction, asking me, "Wasn't this a church?" I was almost embarrassed to tell them it was. This is what we do to our churches in today's New York.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: churches, glad tidings tabernacle church, development, midtown, endangered nyc, real estate, manhattan, history, architecture

John Lennon's New York hangout Cafe La Fortuna to close

Thursday February 21, 2008 10:22 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

In another sad case of fading city icons, we've confirmed that Upper West Side mainstay (and John Lennon's favorite neighborhood hang-out) Cafe La Fortuna will close this Sunday, Feb. 24 The rumor was first posted on Eater earlier this week. Here's our updated story.

In part, it's the usual New York story. According to the restaurant's Web site designer Elizabeth Halliday, owner Mike Trapani said after rents on neighboring businesses skyrocketed, he knew his building would soon follow.

But the place had also lost its "heart & soul." This note below from original owner Vinny Urwand, known among cafe regulars as "Uncle Vinny," tells patrons his wife and co-owner Alice died in January - and that piece of him went with her.

We first heard about the sign earlier today from a heartbroken long-time patron of Café La Fortuna (located at 69 W. 71st St.) and here's the proof.

The Upper West Side cafe was a favorite hang-out of John Lennon and Yoko Ono – and until early last year when Trapani gave it to Yoko, the couple's table was featured in a front window. The interior is still decorated with Lennon photos and memorabilia.

Randy Smith, a 50-year-old legal word processor, who has lived above the restaurant for 17 years told Urbanite a waitress first told him last week the cafe was set to close and then last night he saw the notice confirming the sad rumor.

“I’ve been going there for the iced cappuccino and chocolate Italian ice for 17 years. I don’t know where I’m going to go now,” Smith lamented.

Confused patrons saw the sign this morning before the cafe opened, and knocked on the glass looking for explanations. The cafe has been a stalwart independent in a neighborhood increasingly eaten up by chains.

"It’s like a boutique coffee shop, it’s not a chain coffee shop. It’s an Old World Italian café where you can linger and talk and be surrounded by music and it’s comfortable, and when we lose places like that, the city loses a little bit of soul," Halliday said over the phone this morning.

She first heard rumors of the closing when a customer wrote a note to the cafe's Web site address, asking if the place was set to shut down - and then she called Trapani.

"He sounded very sad, like resignation," Halliday said. "He said, 'Things change and we have to change with them."

* Click here for photos from Cafe La Fortuna today

-- Lauren Johnston

Tags: restaurants, upper west side, john lennon, real estate, manhattan, history, food, entertainment, endangered nyc, signs

The skinny Starbucks debate

Wednesday February 20, 2008 6:03 PM By Julie Gordon

If you’re a Starbucks addict, you’ve probably noticed the chain’s new skinny latte. You may also have noticed that the tall drink boasts only 90 calories — while the regular old nonfat latte has 100 (FYI, it used to be listed as 120 calories until recently).

And that that seems to make no sense.

The skinny latte contains espresso, skim milk AND sugar-free flavored syrup. The plain nonfat latte just has espresso and skim milk.

So how does the skinny have fewer calories than the plain? Starbucks registered dietitian Katie Thomson offers this official explanation:

“Our tall nonfat latte (without syrup) contains 100 calories, but a tall skinny latte (with sugar-free syrup) contains only 90 calories because there is slightly less milk. The 0-calorie sugar free syrup displaces about 0.75 fluid ounces of milk.”

We’re not physicists over here at amNewYork, but this whole thing seems a little strange. How could a nonfat latte once have 120 calories and now it has 100, unless the cup size changed? And why make such a big deal about these new skinny lattes if they only have 10 calories fewer than the plain nonfat lattes?

Ah … the questions that run through our heads when we need coffee.

— Julie Gordon

Getty photo

Tags: starbucks, coffee, shopping, restaurants, quick bite, manhattan, food

Today's "Check it Out"

Wednesday February 20, 2008 8:59 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Today's cool stuff blotter: Toys, tap dancing and paper airplanes ...

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Last day of American International Toy Fair; Jacob K. Javits

Convention Center, 655 W. 34th St.

11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Tap dance performance with David Gilmore, of the Harlem Swing Dancers at the American Museum of Natural History, 77th Street between

Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.

11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Children learn to make paper airplanes and gliders during

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s Kids Week; New York Hall of

Science, Con Edison Gallery, 47-01 111th St., Queens.

12:30 p.m. Young chefs compete in “Iron Chef” after-school program; Vamos

Restaurant, 350 First Ave.

-Lauren

Tags: stuff that's cool, today's check it out

Toy fair journal: Catching a (street) wave

Tuesday February 19, 2008 6:47 PM By Rolando Pujol

Scott Smith glided along the linoleum floor on a board shaped like an elongated figure eight. But it had only two wheels, not four, and Smith, 36, was not skateboarding—he was street surfing, his board powered not by pushing with his foot, but by moving his body.

The board, a combination of a skateboard and a surfboard that is called The Wave, was just one of the so-called “hybrid action” sport products on exhibit at the 2008 American International Toy Fair, which is going on this week at the Javits Center. Other products married surfing and snowboarding; skateboarding and snowboarding; kiting and dirt biking and even kiting and snowboarding.

Tim Baxmeyer, the president of Virginia-based HQ Kites and Design, which makes a series of hybrid products incorporating kites, said such sports have gained popularity recently, thanks to marketing in adventure magazines and on the Internet.Among the other hybrids: landboarding, which involves riding a skateboard with off-road tires to go on dirt roads, kite buggying, which involves a three-wheel vehicle, and even snowkiting, which is just what it sounds like—snowing or skiing while being pulled by a large, powerful kite.

Baxmeyer said action sports, like other more traditional ones, typically attract boys and young men, as well as some young women, ages 9 to 34. They debuted on the East and West coasts, especially New Jersey and California, but now they are finding followers throughout the country.

According to Smith, who teaches street surfing on The Wave, that hybrid has grown in popularity to include sales people and instructors in 26 states and 13 countries. “This is such a new concept, a new sport,” he said. “Kids that I’ve seen take to it right away—especially those that have never skateboarded before.”

Another hybrid is the Flowboard, designed by two astrophysics students in 1999 and used for emulating snowboarding on the street. The board has multiple wheels on each end, arched to allow for movement back-and-forth at extreme angles.

Mike Kearn, president of Sport Technology, Inc., said sales of the Flowboard have increased 400 percent in the past year.

Sport Technology also distributes Snow Skates, a board with flat panels on the bottom to allow for users to get the feel of skateboarding on the snow.

“Because of the Internet, where most of our sales are, we have lots of customers even in Middle America,” said Kearn. “People don’t have to wait until something is popular on the coasts to hear about it.”

Nearly all the exhibitors interviewed said that these hybrid sports provide an adrenaline-rush alternative to couch surfing with a game console, as well as a twist to old-fashioned sports.

“When I was younger, before video games, going outside and being physical was the norm,” said Baxmeyer, 31. “These new innovations in sports are starting to bring people back to that.”

-- Vidya Rao

Tags: manhattan, toy fair, javits center, zany, shopping

He's here all week, folks

Tuesday February 19, 2008 6:41 PM By Rolando Pujol

Mike Bloomberg, president? Probably not. Mike Bloomberg, king of comedy? Perhaps.

Possibly preparing for life after politics, the mayor tested some new material today while helping unveil two fish tanks at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island.

“I just have to say, holy mackerel,” he began, to a mix of chuckles and groans. Undeterred, he continued, “We have an opportunity to use a boatload of bad fish puns.”

The mayor — known for years as a tropical fish enthusiast — was apparently giddy to introduce the tanks, home to about 400 fish of varying colors and sizes.

The 8-foot-4-inch tanks, which hold more than 10 tons of water apiece, feature species such as Powderblue Tang, Henochius Butterfly and Scribbled Angel. They cost a combined $750,000, paid for by the borough’s capital fund. The project included construction of a state-of-the-art filtration system below the terminal’s main waiting room. The Staten Island Zoo will maintain both the tanks and the filtration system.Borough President James Molinaro was recently inspired by fish tanks in the airport in Sarasota, Fla., and spearheaded the effort to install the Staten Island version.

“The tanks will exert a calming influence on harried commuters,” Molinaro said.

It was easy for Molinaro to attract Bloomberg — “the big kahuna” to Molinaro — to the ceremony. The mayor has long displayed fish at his Bloomberg LP offices. He recalled being mesmerized by his first fish tank, installed in his office decades ago.

“I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said.

Bloomberg addressed potential concerns over the city spending so much money on the fish.

“What is the porpoise, you might ask,” he said.

The “porpoise,” he went on to explain, was to bring additional tourism dollars to the borough. The Staten Island Ferry is already the city’s third most visited tourist destination, after the Stature of Liberty and Empire State Building, according to Molinaro.

The borough president hoped the new attraction would bring even more visitors, a plan that seemed to be working already.

Pam Hall, Di Blair and Kate Saksena, schoolteacher friends on vacation from London, were excited to see Bloomberg. They rode the ferry from Manhattan this morning to witness the unveiling.

“It is wonderful to hear your mayor speak,” said Blair, who insisted her age was 108, but appeared less than half that. “They’re pretty fishy jokes, though.”

Regular commuters were happy with the tanks, if somewhat less effusive.

“It’s good to have,” said Carmelo Adorno, 41, who passes through the terminal daily en route to his sales job in Lower Manhattan. “I guess my kids would like it.”

Meanwhile, the mayor decided it was almost time to leave.

“If I keep doing this,” he said, “someone is going to ask me to clam up.”

-- Andy Martino

Photo: Getty

Tags: bloomberg, fish, staten island, staten island ferry, politics

Roger Thornhill can get his drink on again at The Plaza

Tuesday February 19, 2008 10:17 AM By Rolando Pujol

The Plaza may reopen its gilded doors as early as March 1 after almost two years of renovations and a condo conversion, NewYorkology reports, but the Palm Court and its famed tea service will be back later that month, and the Oak Bar-Oak Room, where Cary Grant, playing Roger O. Thornhill, had drinks before getting kidnapped in "North by Northwest," opens later in the spring.

But it won't be the same place, with fewer hotel rooms and an abundance of high-priced condos, where, sniff, sniff, some of the residents will be lonely.

Indulge your Plaza curiosity with our special multimedia presentation, video, 100th anniversary story and photo gallery.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill and Jesse Royce Landis as his charmingly overbearing mother at The Plaza in "North by Northwest."

Tags: manhattan, real estate, history

Today's "Check it Out"

Tuesday February 19, 2008 8:53 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Today's round-up of cool autograph signings, unveilings and photo-ops:

10:30 a.m.: Pack a punch with boxers Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe at Planet Hollywood as they dish on an upcoming fight. 45th Street and Broadway.

11 a.m.: Swim with the fishes on Staten Island - in a good way. Borough President James Molinaro unveils new fish tanks at St. George Ferry Terminal; Main Waiting Area.

11:30 a.m.: Cameras ready - actress Leighton Meester introduces the Sunsilk “Life Can’t Wait” contest in Times Square at Broadway and Seventh Avenue, between 43rd and 44th streets.

12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.: And more boxing gloves - Boxers Wladimir Klitschko, Sultan Ibragimov, John Duddy and Peter Quillan hold public workouts at the Times Square Hard Rock Cafe, 1501 Broadway.

- Lauren

Tags: check it out, stuff that's cool, today's check it out

Total Lunar Eclipse alert!

Monday February 18, 2008 6:36 PM By Rolando Pujol

You don't want to miss this: This Wednesday night, a full lunar eclipse will take place, with totality happening between 10 p.m. and 10:52 p.m, when the shadow-covered moon should take on a reddish glow. Our fingers are crossed that the weather will not spoil the show. Right now, it's looking iffy. There is a 20 percent chance of snow showers Wednesday evening, with the latest National Weather Service forecast saying it will clear up after midnight.

The eclipse begins at 8:35 p.m. and ends at 12:09 am. There won't be another total lunar eclipse in New York City until December 2010.

If astronomy's your thing, you might want to join members of the Amateur Astronomers Association, who will be out in the cold watching the whole thing. Over the course of the night, this is what you’ll see. They’ll be out at several New York locations with telescopes and binoculars. Here’s where to go:

Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan, overlooking the East River at 86th Street (4,5,6 to 86th Street)

Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, the now out-of-service airport. (No. 2 train to the last stop, transfer to Q53 bus)

Park Slope at Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street (F to 7th Ave)

Northern Boulevard and 82nd St in Jackson Heights, Queens, in front of the firehouse. (E,F,V,R,7 to 82nd Street)

All these meetings are free and open to anyone, and the club members will have telescopes, binoculars and cameras on hand.

However, if you want to get your own telescope, Richard Rosenberg of the Amateur Astronomers Association, has some advice.

“You can get a usable telescope for a few hundred dollars, but you can also get junk for that price,” Rosenberg says. “Go to a knowledgeable retailer, generally a photographic supplies store like B&H or Adorama in NYC. Some quality name brands of telescopes are Orion, Celestron and Meade. I would advise reading some of the material on buying a telescope available on Sky & Telescope magazine's Web site."

-- Laura B. Berger

Photo: Phases of the March 3, 2007, lunar eclipse, as photographed in Manhattan. Via lobo solitaire's Flickr photostream.

Tags: astronomy, lunar eclipse, zany, manhattan, brooklyn, queens, stuff that's cool, weather

The election gets stylish

Monday February 18, 2008 5:55 PM By Julie Gordon

Show your political affiliation with your, um, choice of bedroom footwear. Hey, it’s cooler than having a candidate pin tacked onto your coat 24-7.

High-end slipper manufacturer Stubbs & Wootton has made black velvet slippers picturing Thomas Nast’s cartoon Republican elephant or Democratic donkey — depending on your party. The slippers are definitely pricey ($350), but true politico fashionistas will at least consider dropping three-and-a-half Benjamins in the name of style.

And, if your candidate doesn’t make it all the way, try the company’s “Broken Heart” model.

Available at Stubbs & Wootton, 1034 Lexington Ave. at 74th St., 212-249-5200

— Julie Gordon

Tags: shopping, shoes, manhattan, politics, election

Quick Bite: Zen Burger

Monday February 18, 2008 1:46 PM By Rolando Pujol

We enjoyed Daisy Carrington's review of the city's vegetarian-hamburger options, and will act on some of her recommendations. I, too, am a somewhat guilt-ridden hamburger fiend, so the idea of a delicious meatless burger is an elusive thing of beauty.

One place we checked out recently with great anticipation is Zen Burger, (465 Lexington Ave., between East 45th and 46th streets) which basked in an initial flurry of attention recently as a healthy, tasty alternative to McDonald's. And with good reason: It shares a corporate lineage with Zen Palate.

Now, we were predisposed to falling in love with Zen Burger and singing its praises to anybody who would listen. To be sure, we were lured by the funky logo, and the bold, 70ish Day-glow stripes running through the place. From a interior-design point of view, Zen Burger is already successful.

But simply put, the place let us down where it counts. The Zen Beef Burger is supposed to simulate the experience of enjoying a real fast-food burger. And the feel is certainly familiar. But the taste struck us as somewhat bland, and the fries lacked flavor, despite their ostensible similarity to the holy grail of fast-food fries -- McDonald's. Pressed to think of better meatless burgers, we immediately thought of the offerings at Houstons, which has a delicious vegeterian option.

Again, we want to like the place, and plan to swing by again, trying their signature dish and a few other items too. There's a lot of potential here. And it's worth noting that the burgers are touted as healthy -- containing protein-rich vegetables, whole grains, soy and lacking trans fats and gobs of cholesterol. So if you're craving junk food, this is definitely a healthier alternative (but let's just not call it health food) than giving into that Wendy's urge. But, right now, we need more convincing that it's worth the trip.

Online chatter has been mixed. Here's the buzz on Eater and Midtown Lunch. Let us know your thoughts on Zen or other meatless burger options in the comments section.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: hamburgers, manhattan, fast food, quick bite, stuff that's cool, restaurants

Jack Kerouac: Fantasy baseball junkie

Monday February 18, 2008 1:15 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

If you haven't seen it yet, you have another month to catch the fascinating Jack Kerouac exhibit at the New York Public Library.

I've never read On the Road, and assumed Kerouac was one of those self-absorbed ARTIST types (you know, like those all talk/no talent kids on Project Runway).

It turns out not only was he rigorously literate in a way none of today's hipster writers are--the NYPL says he devoured the works of "William Blake, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, and Thomas Wolfe"--but he was also profoundly interesting.

I say the latter mainly because of his devotion to fantasy baseball.No kidding--I couldn't believe my eyes when I hit the last section of the exhibit, and saw a giant sign with the words Fantasy Baseball emblazoned on it.

Turns out he spent most of his childhood waking hours, and a big chunk of his adulthood, playing a meticulous version of fantasy baseball he invented himself.

He did things like:

-Track every at-bat from every game in a simulated 8-team league over a 50+ game season;

-Write, layout and print entire newspapers filled with articles about his league;

-Gin up fake letters to the managers of real teams proposing purposefully ridiculous trades.

It's astonishing--and I'm not sure why every profile of Kerouac doesn't start with this startling biographical fact. After all, he did once say his life's greatest ambition was to be a sportswriter

Frankly, it increases my admiration for him... I never knew beatniks could have this type of discipline.

It does make you wonder how many books Kerouac could he have written if he wasn't so obsessed with his fake baseball league.

Photo of Kerouac sign from the exhibit's opening. Photo of NYPL employee just looked interesting.

Tags: faces of new york, zany, manhattan, arts

Laughter optional

Sunday February 17, 2008 5:28 PM By Julie Gordon

Usually, when comedy hawkers beckon for me to see their free and supposedly hilarious shows, I say I’m busy. Or running late. Or another one of a myriad of excuses. It’s not that I don’t enjoy comedy; there’s just something about those guys that provokes an automatic “no” (in a polite way, of course).

But this weekend, some pals and I took up a street promoter on his offer of free laughs (2 item – food/drink – minimum).

Down the steps of the Village Lantern (167 Bleecker St., 212-260-7993) we went. Though upstairs the Lantern is just a regular bar, the comedy lounge is pretty cool — a decent-sized performance space with cozy tables.

Five or six comedians performed throughout the hour, and unfortunately the talent varied greatly. The funniest performer was NYC’s Jonathan Randall — definitely someone to keep tabs on. Everyone else was pretty unmemorable (I won’t name names because I can’t remember them!).

But for $12 (salad and a glass of wine), I’d recommend swinging by one night. Some of the jokes were really funny — and a little laughter never hurt anyone.

Call for a schedule of shows.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: comedy, show, village, greenwich village, nightlife, entertainment, manhattan

You don't need a million to look like a million ...

Sunday February 17, 2008 3:23 PM By Rolando Pujol

.... Oh thank you!

If you get the reference, then you also remember the Ritz Thrift Shop, or more precisely, the long-running commercial for this merchant of gently used fur coats. The original shop at West 57th Street, which opened in 1934, was shuttered in 2005 and knocked down to make way for a large condo building. Doing research for this post recently, we were surprised to discover that the shop has re-emerged on Seventh Avenue and West 29th Street. It was an unexpected turn in a city where long-time shops, many of which are still thriving, are closing every day because of real-estate pressures. Our business columnist, Farnoosh Torabi, stopped by Ritz Furs. Read her story here. The shop has been doing well since its move, with old and new customers alike finding their way back to the business, which is now nine stories up a commercial building. Its new owners purchased the mailing list and stock from the original owners, managing to keep a New York institution alive.

Keith Tauber, the original shop’s longtime general manager and now the co-owner of Ritz Furs, tells Farnoosh: “[Before the move] we felt we were one of New York’s best-kept secrets, but now we are definitely one of New York’s best-kept secrets.”

But helping get the word out is, believe it or not, that old commercial, which hasn't run on television since 1988 but routinely comes up in nostalgic conversations about old New York television, sparks excited exchanges on video-sharing sites, and is regularly referenced by people who shop at the store today.

The ad is indeed a New York classic, with a clipped, distinctive announcer delivering sophisticated narration as a suave young woman gets off a city bus, saunters up to the Ritz Thrift Shop, is fitted for a fur, walks out resplendently clad, and then politely thanks the announcer after he says "you don't need a million to look like a million."

You'll be thanking us when you click here, where you can see the complete commercial, a black-and-white copy of what was a color ad. (It will play automatically in a little box above the text). This link also offers a fascinating essay on the commercial that's mandatory reading for longtime New Yorkers.

-- Rolando Pujol

Credits: Top image is from commercial via Ritz Web site; middle image: Co-owners Keith Tauber and Jeffrey Geters model furs, photo by Jonathan Scheff

Extra: Here are some photos of the Ritz Thrift Shop we snapped in July 2005, just as it was closing.

Tags: ritz furs, commercials, television, 1970s, nostalgia, old school, manhattan

In 1982, he became Rambo, the force of freedom ...

Sunday February 17, 2008 1:02 PM By Rolando Pujol

... but today, at age 61, he's got a bold new name: Grambo! Sly Stone falls victim to a pen bandit on West 25th Street near Eighth Avenue.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: manhattan, chelsea, graffiti, zany, signs, stuff that's cool

The Hamburgler's Dilemma

Thursday February 14, 2008 6:10 PM By Daisy Carrington

Those who know me will not be shocked by the following confession: I love burgers.

I can just hear the collective groan let out by my friends.

“We knew that,” they’ll whine, “in college you ate burgers every day of the week.” How much do I love burgers?

Let’s just say you should keep your patties under lock and key.

That said, I have lately gone off my favorite food. Why? Factory farming. After reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and Barbara Kingsoliver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” I just can’t consume beef with the same vigor I once did.

So, I’ve started to look for alternatives. And since the “best burger in the city debate” has been exhausted anyway, why not start a “best non-meat burger” debate? Here are some of my picks. What are yours?Those who know me will not be shocked by the following confession: I love burgers.

I can just hear the collective groan let out by my friends.

“We knew that,” they’ll whine, “in college you ate burgers every day of the week.” How much do I love burgers?

Let’s just say you should keep your patties under lock and key.

That said, I have lately gone off my favorite food. Why? Factory farming. After reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and Barbara Kingsoliver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” I just can’t consume beef with the same vigor I once did.

So, I’ve started to look for alternatives. And since the “best burger in the city debate” has been exhausted anyway, why not start a “best non-meat burger” debate? Here are some of my picks. What are yours?

Shake Shack

Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Ave. and E. 23rd St.

212-889-6600

There may not be consensus on the quality of the original shake shack burger (some love it, others don’t), but that doesn’t stop throngs of New Yorkers from waiting an hour plus in line for a taste of Danny Meyer’s goods (some brave polar bear types on line this very minute). While the shack is known for double and triple stacks of meat, they also serve a mean Portobello burger.

Doesn’t that look yummy? This baby is deep fried and stuffed in the middle with Muenster cheese.

Barrette

601 Vanderbilt Ave., corner of Bergen

718-320-5170

Want a healthier Portobello burger? Want is served with a side of breasts? Then definitely hit up Barrette in Prospect Heights. Their burgers are not deep fried and stuffed with cheese, rather they’re grilled. Plus they’re mini and cute. Also, burlesque dancers shake their pasties two nights a week. Burgers and breasts … is there a better combination?

Pop burger

58-60 Ninth Ave., bet. 14th and 15th sts.

212-414-8686

14 East 58th St.

212-991-6644

POP Burger has started serving what it terms the “invisible burger.” The name is an Andy Warhol reference (how pretentious), but also alludes to the burger’s meatless-ness. The burger in question is a deep fried Portobello slider, served on a brioche and covered in lettuce, tomato and “special sauce.”

Fanelli’s Café

94 Prince St., at Mercer St.

212-226-9412

For a veggie burger that actually tastes like it’s made of veggies (as opposed to cardboard), hit up this SoHo haunt. You can actually see the vegetables in the patty. Granted, it doesn’t taste anything like an actual burger, and it doesn’t pretend for an instance to be meat, but it does have a freshness all it’s own.

Tags: food, hamburgers, vegetarian, restaurants, entertainment

Restaurants: Here comes City Burger

Thursday February 14, 2008 4:14 PM By Rolando Pujol

Manhattan burger alert: City Burger is setting up

on West 39th Street near Broadway in the Garment District.

Get ready for the latest entrant in the city's burger wars. As we explored the Garment District this morning, looking for traces of the past, we stumbled onto City Burger at West 39th Street near Broadway, and were seized with visions of future meals. The windows are still papered

over, but we peeked through and saw a counter and other signs the place is coming along. Midtown Lunch just today reported on City Burger, and speaks of a joint that will have a Goodburger menu feel, and meat ordered from the same source as Danny Meyer's Shake Shack. It's run by the folks who bring you the solid pizza chain Abitino's, Midtown Lunch says. This suggests for a promising lunch option. Here's amNY's guide to burger joints around the city; fellow blogger Daisy Carrington has her nonmeatless faves, too.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: food, hamburgers, manhattan, city burger, fast food

Endangered NYC: Another slice of Times Square

Thursday February 14, 2008 1:02 PM By Rolando Pujol

When we took the above picture in March of 2006, this tiny slice joint near West 37th Street and Eighth Avenue was going gangbusters. It screamed Old Times Square, starting with that wonderful old sign that was perfectly matter of fact. No variation of Ray here. No reference to a city or valley somewhere in the mother land. Just pizza. And for years, that was good enough.

But at some point late last year, it served its last slice. A sign for an event in the window suggests December as the end of the road. It had survived in a pocket of midtown where traces of the Times Square of yore meet the western edges of the Garment District. Sprinkled in are a healthy serving of hardware and lighting stores, discount shoe stores and the like. In other words, it's all relatively untouched and very much Manhattan as it once was.

We never had a slice at Pizza, or sampled their 20-ounce serving of soda; its sugary goodness could be yours for only a buck. And now, even that great old sign has been carted away. We do hope that it found a caring home. Vintage signage used to be in generous supply in this part of town, and if we are destined to lose one small shop after another, it seems those signs should not meet the same fate. Lost City has written eloquently about this very issue. Where is the museum of New York signage? Even better than such a museum would be the existence of a real-estate market that didn't callously swallow up every small business whose time (and in the NYC of 2008, this usually means lease) was up.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: manhattan, times square, pizza, signs, garment district, endangered nyc, restaurants, food

Duly Noted: Valentine's Day edition

Thursday February 14, 2008 12:30 PM By Rolando Pujol

Trumped. So Larry Silverstein's condo tower will become the tallest residential building in New York City, dethroning Trump World Tower. Donald is not impressed. [Curbed]

Condomania. The evolution of the city's condom campaign. [City Room]

It's on. The Barney's Co-Op sale is under way. Expected madness ensues. [Racked]

Oscar dish. The Carlyle Hotel will offer Oscar-themed cuisine. [Grub Street]

Photo of Trump World Tower via andy in nyc on flickr

Tags: duly noted

Introducing: Today's "Check it Out"

Thursday February 14, 2008 9:10 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Cool stuff happens all over town every day. Stuff you'd want to see, then text a photo to a pal or video clip to your mom. Celebs are signing stuff, free concerts kick off on the hour, protests organize, etc., etc.

Urbanite's "Check it Out" series gives you a daily round-up on photo-ops and free-stuff. Enjoy!

7 a.m. - Noon, 2 - 3:30 p.m.: Wanna get hitched today? Valentine's Day wedding ceremonies, head for the Valentine's Day weddings atop the Empire State building.

Noon: MiniKiss performs a Valentine’s Day concert at Ripley’s Times

Square, 234 W. 42nd St.

1 - 10 p.m.: Get free stuff at the NIVEA Garden of Love at the military island in Times Square.

1 p.m.: Anti-carriage activists protest Valentine’s Day rides; Central

Park South and Fifth Ave.

2 p.m.: Celebrate your valentine Marty Markowitz style. The Brooklyn borough president and his wife celebrate cuddle with local couples married 50 years or more at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams St., Brooklyn.

6 - 8 p.m.: So you're not "wookin' pa nub"? Head to the Hawaiian Tropic Zone’s Un-Valentine’s Day party for singles; 729 Seventh Ave.

7 - 10 p.m.: You think love stinks? Head to the New York Helmsley Hotel’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Ball; 212 E. 42nd St.

8 p.m.: Oh so mysterious ... there's a surprise marriage proposal on ice at Rockefeller Center rink tonight ... who could it be? Go and see at Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets.

-- Lauren

Tags: stuff that's cool, check it out, today's check it out

Duly Noted: Feb. 13, 2008

Wednesday February 13, 2008 1:57 PM By Rolando Pujol

A miracle? Hope grows for salvation of St. Saviour's in Maspeth. [Queens Crap]

That's a wrap. Nostalgia for "The Gates"? For Christo's sake! [City Room]

Honoring a life. St. Mark's Church tomorrow will honor the memory of a friendly woman who used to panhandle outside the church. [Vanishing New York]

Hacks from hell. Stories continue to emerge of nightmarish clashes with cabbies over the simple request to pay by credit card. We don't even bother to try. [Gothamist]

Atlantic Yards reality check. The Ward Bakery is finally meeting the wrecking ball. [Curbed]

Just desserts for deli? Bruni makes his way to Second Avenue Deli, and gives it a big fat one star. [Eater]

Richmond Hill losing its soul. This is terrible news: Restaurant standby Salerno's may be closed for good. Just down the block, Jahn's Ice Cream parlor closed over Thanksgiving weekend. Such things shouldn't happen. [Queens Crap]

Photo by Victoria Schlesinger

Tags: duly noted

Cupid cabbie at your service ...

Wednesday February 13, 2008 9:57 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Just in time for Valentine's Day, New York City's own love connection cabbie Ahmed Ibrahim will be available all day today doling out advice on love and life -- and even better, the gems of romance wisdom come with coffee!

From 8a.m. to 6 p.m., Ahmed will be on hand at the Dunkin’ Donuts Toasty Tent in Herald Square located at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue.

By his own count, the matchmaking taxi driver has set up more than 70 dates, 19 of which led to relationships that lasted more than a year. So, if you're looking for love -- head to Dunkin' Donuts. Talk to Ahmed.

-- Lauren

Tags: cabbie, valentine's day, stuff that's cool

Silver Towers landmarking scheduled; Jane Jacobs grave turning also scheduled

Tuesday February 12, 2008 5:19 PM By David Freedlander

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to schedule a hearing on landmarking sometime this spring (and who says bureaucracy has to be slow-moving) I.M. Pei's Silver Towers, the monumental modernist residences in the Village. They were blasted at the time they were built for destroying a low-rise community on the site. We love the shelf-life of this city of hating something new, and wonder how long it takes for things reviled to finally gain acceptance.

A similar thing happened when the Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg was landmarked. For years it was considered a blight on the neighborhood, something that made the place smell sickly-sweetly bad and was a symbol for an area always getting dumped on by industry.

Then, one day, BOOM!

Anybody want to get a jump on the "Save Our Starbucks" movement?

-- David Freedlander

Tags: landmarking, modernism, endangered nyc

Third time the charm for Queens bank?

Tuesday February 12, 2008 2:06 PM By Rolando Pujol

UPDATE 5:39: The Landmarks Preservation Commission today has for the third time voted to landmark the Beaux Arts Jamaica Savings Bank in Jamaica, Queens. And the third time may indeed be the charm, with the new owners supporting landmarking and a key councilman vowing to make it stick.

The panel voted unanimously, 7-0, to grant landmark status to the former headquarters of Jamaica Savings Bank at 161-02 Jamaica Ave. The building's designation was previously rescinded by the now-defunct Board of Estimate in 1974 and the City Council in 1992.

Here's the key difference this time. The owners of the property back landmarking: “The Jamaica Savings Bank represents the prosperous past of Jamaica Avenue,” said Conway department store co-owner Ricky Cohen. “We hope that the restoration and plans for future use of the building will help spur economic growth and rightfully restore the pride associated with this magnificent building.”

And local Councilman Leroy Comrie wants to make it happen: “It is my hope that this landmarking will be a small but significant part of the economic and cultural renaissance of the Jamaica business community,” Comrie said in a statement.

This forlorn but noble structure shares more than just a name with its 1960s counterpart in Elmhurst. Both buildings were designated as landmarks by the commission, and both had those designations stripped after pressure from the owners, twice in the case of the older building. We wrote about this saga back in 2006.

The commission today has already landmarked the Congregation Tifereth Israel in Corona. And it also scheduled a hearing on landmarking the modernist Silver Towers complex in Greenwich Village.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photos of Jamaica Savings Bank by Lane Johnson

The full release is after the jump, as well as Newsday's story.The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission today voted unanimously to grant landmark status for a third time to the former headquarters of Jamaica Savings Bank, a 110-year-old Beaux-Arts style building whose prior designations were rescinded by the Board of Estimate in 1974, and by the City Council in 1992. The Commission also approved the designation of Congregation Tifereth Israel, a two-story wood-frame structure that was built in 1911 and is believed to be the oldest purpose-built synagogue in Queens. Both designations bring the total number of buildings with landmark status in Queens to 2,328, and affirm the Commission’s ongoing commitment towards protecting the borough’s distinct heritage.

“We are dedicated to protecting the architectural and historic heritage of Queens, and these two buildings, though different in style, represent two important chapters in the development of the borough,” said Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney. “One is an exuberant symbol of the borough’s economic growth at the turn of the 20th century, and the other is a modest reminder of a time shortly thereafter when Jewish communities first started to settle in the borough.”

Located mid-block at 161-02 Jamaica Avenue, the four-story, limestone-fronted Jamaica Savings Bank building was completed in 1898 and designed by the architecture firm Hough & Duell. Its construction coincided with the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of New York, and reflected the metropolitan spirit of the period. The building’s sumptuous façade, adorned with French Baroque ornament and wrought-iron balconies, features a carved stone beehive, a traditional image in bank architecture that denoted industry, thrift and prosperity. The building is currently owned by Conway Stores, a department store chain.

“I am very pleased that this outstanding building is finally going to be added to our City’s remarkable collection of landmarks,” said Commissioner Tierney. “It’s a great victory for the borough and the City, and it was well worth the wait. I commend the owners for their stewardship of this gem and for their understanding that preserving our City’s heritage and moving it forward are by no means mutually exclusive.”

“The Jamaica Savings Bank represents the prosperous past of Jamaica Avenue,” said Conway co-owner Ricky Cohen. “We hope that the restoration and plans for future use of the building will help spur economic growth and rightfully restore the pride associated with this magnificent building.”

“The landmark designation of the Jamaica Savings Bank signifies a new era for Jamaica Avenue,” said Kenneth Olson, Chief Executive Office of POKO Partners, LLC, which is redeveloping the site with Conway. “Our goal is to be able to create a new thriving commercial destination within the landmark structure.”

“I am extremely pleased by the efforts of the Landmarks Preservation Commission in working with the building owner, Conway Stores, and the local community to expedite this process,” said Council Member Leroy Comrie. “It is my hope that this landmarking will be a small part of the economic and cultural renaissance of the Jamaica business community.”

Jamaica Savings Bank opened in 1866 and was originally located in the basement of the former County Clerk’s Office, which stood at the site of the current Register/Jamaica Arts Center building now adjacent to the bank. One of the bank’s founders was former New York Governor and U.S. Congressman John Alsop King, the eldest son of federalist statesman Rufus King, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1999, the bank’s 11 branches were sold to North Fork Bancorp.

All designations approved by the Commission must be reviewed by the City Planning Commission and the New York City Council, which has the authority to affirm, deny, or modify landmark status for a building or historic district. Since the Commission was created in 1965, 20 individual designations have been turned back by the Board of Estimate or City Council, including the Jamaica Savings Bank. Of those, 8 were later redesignated and affirmed by those bodies.

About Congregation Tifereth Israel

Congregation Tifereth Israel is located at 109-18 54th Avenue between 108th and 111th streets, and is one of two synagogues remaining in the Corona section of Queens. Its original members were Eastern Europeans who had relocated to Corona from Manhattan’s Lower East Side and from other parts of New York City. The synagogue was originally named Congregation Independent Chevra Tyfers Israel Anshei Corona, but informally known as the Home Street Synagogue for the original name of the street where it was located. One of the synagogue’s earliest members was Estée Lauder (née Josephine Esther Mentzer), whose parents owned a hardware store two blocks away from the synagogue.

The congregation later constructed a mikveh on the same lot as the synagogue and opened a nearby yeshiva, which was used in the mid 1970s by a band called The Breakfast Club as a music studio, where the renowned singer and actress Madonna lived from 1979 to 1980. The synagogue’s current congregants are mostly comprised of Bukharian Jews from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other former republics of the Soviet Union.

Designed by Crescent L. Varrone, a little-known local architect, Congregation Tifereth Israel strongly resembles the synagogues that were shoehorned onto the narrow tenements lots of Manhattan’s crowded Lower East Side in the early 20th and late 19th centuries. Now clad in stucco, the synagogue was originally sided with horizontal clapboard siding and incorporated Moorish, Gothic and Judaic design and decorative elements. It has pointed-arched windows, a tripartite upper-story window with a roundel featuring a Star of David in colored stained glass and decorative ornament at its gabled parapet. The congregation is planning a restoration of the building.

***

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is responsible for protecting and preserving New York City’s architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites. Since its creation in 1965, LPC has granted landmark status to some 24,000 buildings, including 1,184 individual landmarks, 110 interior landmarks, nine scenic landmarks and 90 historic districts in all five boroughs.

**************************

By Karla Schuster

The Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday designated the former Jamaica Savings Bank building in Queens a landmark for the third and, very likely, last time.

Backed by the local councilman and the building’s new owners, the commission unanimously approved the designation, which also must be ratified by the City Council.

“It’s a great victory for the borough and the city, and it was well worth the wait,” said Commission Chairman Robert Tierney in a statement after the 7-0 vote.

The Beaux-Arts building on Jamica Avenue was constructed in 1898 and has been the subject of the longest landmarking disputes in city history. First designated in 1974, that decision was overturned by the Board of Estimate. When the commission acted again in 1990, the City Council rescinded the designation.

Both times, objections from the former owners led to the reversals.

City Councilman Leroy Comire, Jr., deputy majority leader, vowed to push the designation through the council.

“It is my hope that this landmarking will be a small but significant part of the economic and cultural renaissance of the Jamaica business community,” Comrie said in a statement.

Tags: architecture, real estate, queens, endangered nyc

Duly Noted: February 12, 2008

Tuesday February 12, 2008 11:43 AM By Rolando Pujol

A Connecticut Yankee, all right. With sweet incentives and an uncanny ability to simulate New York City, (a Norwich stadium stood in for Yankee Stadium) Connecticut and New England are stealing away more of our film business. [Gothamist]

No ink residue. The residential tower at the Superior Ink site finally soaring. [Curbed]

When love and leases collide. Real estate and how it affects relationships ... and vice versa. [NY Times via MetrobloggingNYC]

Election X factors. A closer look at the superdelegates. [Daily Intelligencer]

Gym cringe. Daily News uncovers unshocking evidence that many city gyms are dangerously lacking in the hygiene department. [Gothamist]

Roosevelt travesty. Preservationists are steaming mad about the decline of the Roosevelt Island small-pox hospital, especially after a recent partial collapse. We featured the ruin on our first Endangered NYC cover in December 2006. Lane Johnson's photo is above. [Curbed]

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: duly noted

Pelham One Two Three, do you read me?

Monday February 11, 2008 9:14 PM By Rolando Pujol

We're pumped about the remake of the 1974 classic, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." Our sister blog Tracker reports that film crews checked out the Hoyt Schermerhorn station on Monday, where some filming of the '74 version was done, and will be in the Bronx on Tuesday. That's an excellent sign. IMDB reports filming begins this month, so you'll be reading more about it here soon. We truly can't wait to see how this version holds up against the original, a masterpiece of acting, pacing and soundtrack that is one of the best time capsules of 1970s New York.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: transportation, old school, brooklyn

BlackBerry service outage

Monday February 11, 2008 5:28 PM By Rolando Pujol

[Updated: 7:25] Having promised that mass outages would not happen again, BlackBerry maker RIM found itself scrambling today as its signature email service went dark across North America. BlackBerry users in Manhattan are reporting restored service, at least on AT&T's network. The company said at 5:20 that the problem was fixed, but that it would take some time to clear the backlog. Other such blackouts have gone on for much longer. RIM had promised this would not happen again.

From AP:

A major service outage afflicted users of the popular, addictive BlackBerry smart phones across the United States and Canada on Monday, wireless carriers said.

Officials with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless said BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. told them customers of all wireless carriers were affected.

It was not immediately clear how many BlackBerry subscribers had problems, as some users reported being able to access their service normally Monday afternoon.

The BlackBerry service, which lets users check e-mail and access other data services on their handheld devices, has become a lifeline for many business executives and is increasingly popular

among consumers with models like the BlackBerry Pearl.

There was no word what caused the outage or when service would be restored.

RIM officials did not return phone calls.

Major disruptions have been rare but often provoke an angry backlash against the Canadian company because of its typically lengthy silences about the cause and because it eventually gives only

cryptic, jargon-laden explanations.

When the BlackBerry service suffered a major outage last April, the company remained silent about the cause for two days.

In a statement, AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said the company first learned about the problem from RIM at about 3:30 p.m. EST.

“This is not an issue with AT&T’s wireless network,” Cook said. “Customers could experience difficulties using their BlackBerry devices. RIM has not given us an estimated time of when this

problem would be fixed.”

RIM is based on Waterloo, Ontario, and has deals with scores of wireless carriers to offer the BlackBerry service around the world.

More: Here's coverage from Engadget. And talk about bad timing, images were rolled out today of the CDMA version of its Curve phone.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: technology

Duly Noted: February 11, 2008

Monday February 11, 2008 2:19 PM By Rolando Pujol

Market still looking down. It's not looking good for the Moore Street Market in Williamsburg, according to NY Times. amNewYork covered the drama in a Page One story last year. [Lost City]

And more bad news for the little guy. Shutterings are sweeping through the East Village. [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

Watch your step. More on that crumbling subway platform in Brooklyn. [Gothamist]

Snow! It's finally coming, but, surprise it's going to mix with sleet and rain. Can't we get a real snow storm around here anymore? Blasted La Nina. [Gothamist]

Congratulations Jackson Heights! You now have a Starbucks. [Curbed]

Take heart. It's not too late to score Valentine's Day ressies. [Eater]

But careful hearting New York. Gucci steps into an I Love NY/Milton Glaser litigation trap when it used the state tourism logo without permission. [NewYorkology]

Fedders alert! A new -- and familiar, ever familiar -- architectural treasure emerges in Brooklyn. [Queens Crap]

Photo by Sam Horine for amNewYork, September 2007

Tags: williamsburg, gentrification, moore street market, starbucks, duly noted

Book it!

Monday February 11, 2008 11:09 AM By Julie Gordon

The big Barnes & Noble around Astor Place closed back in December, but we were surprised to find this weekend that the Chelsea outpost (675 Sixth Ave.) is shutting its doors March 31.

The good part? Much of the inventory is 30 percent off. Also, it’s another excuse to head to indie bookstores and altera-solutions instead of the mega-chains. Here are a few shopping recommendations:

Biography Bookshop (400 Blecker St., at W. 11th St., 212-807-8655): Be sure to browse through the boxes of discounted books outside. There are often new titles.

St. Luke’s Thrift Shop (487 Hudson St., between Christopher and Grove streets, 212- 924-9364): Inventory’s always changing, but there’s usually a decent selection of cookbooks and kind of random fiction titles.

BookCourt (163 Court St., Brooklyn Heights, 718-875-3677): The wide selection is enhanced by cool readings and events.

Housing Works (Several locations; see www.housingworksauctions.com): Pick up a book and a cool piece of furniture while you’re there. Housing Works is a nonprofit AIDS service organization.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: shopping, bookstores, real estate, brooklyn, manhattan

The Whiteout: 2 years later

Monday February 11, 2008 1:10 AM By Rolando Pujol

The Blizzard of '06 socked Central Park with 26.9 inches of snow, the most ever at the park. The storm began late on the 11th and continued well into the 12th. The heaviest snow was in a tight band, and parts of the city saw far less. Still, it was one for the books, and despite today's cold, there's no sign of anywhere near that much snow on the horizon for us. Check out our blog Tracker's archives of posts from that day, including a plea for New York City Transit chief Larry Reuter to clear those subway station steps!

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo from mtkr's Flickr stream

Tags: weather, history, snow

The towering Euro

Sunday February 10, 2008 7:59 PM By Rolando Pujol

If you're looking for tangible proof of the potent role Europeans play in Manhattan's real-estate market, look no further than this ad outside a condo tower rising rapidly on an incredibly narrow lot on West 34th Street between Park and Madison avenues. Real-estate observers have long credited pied-a-terre-seeking Europeans with helping to keep the Manhattan market resilient. But we must say, we never thought we'd see this sentiment so clearly articulated on a promotional banner. Come and get your condos while the getting -- and dollar -- is still good!

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: architecture, manhattan, endangered nyc, economy, signs

Endangered NYC: Purveyors of skis, old-world spas, sports coats

Sunday February 10, 2008 2:49 PM By Rolando Pujol

A trip yesterday to the Scandinavian Ski & Sport Shop on West 55th Street was rudely interrupted by the fact that the longtime store had lost its lease. There was an everything-must-go sale, and not much in the way of ski equipment left. We'd never shopped at Scandinavian before, but were dispatched by friends who had enjoyed good experiences there.

Defeated in our quest to patronize a non-chain shop, we happened to notice right next door that the old clothing shop deLisi had vanished some time earlier, but its interesting sign survived.

From there, we headed down Madison Avenue, only to find that ladies-who-lunch spa mainstay Georgette Klinger was no more, having abruptly closed in December due to bankruptcy. We'd never been to Georgette Klinger, but we liked the old-world feel of the place, the distinctive door with the G and K handles, and the terrazzo floor outside with that cursive logo. Whenever we'd pass, we still imagined the woman with that imposing name lording over the place, making sure her high standards were met. (Klinger, in fact, died some years ago, and the chain of GK shops also vanished last year.) This was one of those places we were simply happy to know existed, and happy to know still had a clientele. (Among their fictional clientele? Carmela and Meadow Soprano, as mentioned in an episode of "The Sopranos.")

We shuddered at all the shutterings. It's depressing. And typical.

Update: The fiery fallout continues from the Georgette Klinger shuttering. Racked has more.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: endangered nyc, shopping, real estate, old school, manhattan, signs

Duly Noted: Weekend edition

Sunday February 10, 2008 2:29 PM By Rolando Pujol

A Grand experience. Check out the new documentary on Grand Central. [American Experience]

Astoria treasure. An historic, unique building is marketed in Astoria -- and not as a teardown! [Queens Crap]

That was quick. The Farnsworth Invention, Aaron Sorkin's play on the dawn of television, closes March 2. Tickets as low as $26.50. [NY1]

Lockers wanted. Want to leave a bag somewhere when visiting Manhattan? One of the last places you can do that has closed. (And you can't drop off your bag at Grand Central or the Port Authority anymore.) [NewYorkology]

The scoop on tanks. What's the deal with those nitrogen tanks in Manhattan? [Gothamist]

Duane Reade: Not everywhere you go. Shops closing up on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights have residents buzzing. Even a Duane Reade is bagging it. [Jackson Heights Life]

Coney relics. A look inside the ruins of Playland on Coney Island. [The Gowanus Lounge]

Tags: duly noted

That's one valuable post

Thursday February 7, 2008 3:09 PM By Rolando Pujol

One of those mysterious architectural street oddities just got a lot more valuable. This post (anyone know its long-ago function?) at 17th Street and Eighth Avenue in Chelsea is now a work of art worth an estimated $94,000. Good luck carting it away.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: stuff that's cool, zany, manhattan, arts, architecture

Off the bus

Thursday February 7, 2008 2:31 PM By David Freedlander

Another disadvantage to being poor in this town, besides longingly staring at folks dining on a $1,000 bagel is that it is more likely you have to spend time in a crowded New York City subway car or jammed city bus. According to a new study released by the Pratt Center Transportation Equity Project, income is tightly tied up with commute times. The study says,

Three-quarters of a million New Yorkers travel more than one hour each way to work. Two-thirds of them earn less than $35,000 a year. By contrast, just 6 percent of these extreme commuters earn more than $75,000 a year. Black New Yorkers have the longest commute times, 25 percent longer than white commuters; Hispanic commuters have rides 12 percent longer.

You can read more about it here: http://www.prattcenter.net/transportationequity.php

Tags: mta, outer boroughs, economy

We got issues

Monday February 4, 2008 6:30 PM By David Freedlander

Over the weekend we trekked out to the Gowanus to finally make our first visit to Issue Project Room, a recently relocated space in the Old American Can Factory to see the haunting James Blackshaw and the magnificently chill duo Mountains.

Great show, but equally as cool was finally making it out to Issue Project and seeing that the place has landed on its feet again after losing their old Grain Silo spot. As the Times reported last year:

Perhaps the biggest wow factor lately comes from seeing a show at a former oil silo on a stretch of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Occupied for the last two years by Issue Project Room, an experimental arts organization, the silo is hidden behind an imposing metal gate with a small sign just off the Carroll Street bridge. Between the lapping (if occasionally stinky) water, the courtyard filled with poplar trees and the warm glow emanating from the two-story performance space — the top floor is reached by an exterior metal ladder — it’s as far from mainstream clubland as you can get.

Rebecca Moore, a singer and violinist active in the protests over the closing of the Lower East Side club Tonic, performed at the silo last week. “I am very grateful for Issue Project Room,” she said from the stage: a rug at the front of the room. “We couldn’t get away with playing staplers at many other places.”

And that’s exactly the point, said Suzanne Fiol, the founder of Issue Project Room. “We are trying to be a breeding ground for experimental work, and we need spaces like this to nurture it,” she said.

And the old factory is a great spot, built over 100 years ago and with a courtyard and long spooky hallways and cool doors. We can't wait for the rooftop films this summer.

Photo courtesy of NY Times

by David Freedlander

Tags: brooklyn, arts

Why We Love Campaign Season...

Monday February 4, 2008 5:53 PM By David Freedlander

It's the true marketplace of ideas. To wit: this afternoon, on our way to grab some lunch, a Ron Paul supporter, a woman in late-middle age with gray hair, was walking up and down 34th Street holding a "Paul for President" sign over her head and saying, "Vote for Paul. He'll End the War. Vote for Paul" etc. etc.

She was soon tailed by Tough New Yorker Guy, who followed her every way she went saying things (with an accent straight out of the Sopranos) like "You wanna end the war? You wanna wave the white flag? Do youse? Do youse? You'll end up in a harem! Is that what you want? To end up in a harem?"

Ahh, the public square, how we love thee

Tags: street theater, politics, manhattan

He likes Mike

Monday February 4, 2008 4:39 PM By Rolando Pujol

Sure, he's not on the ballot, and whatever moment he might have enjoyed seems to have evaporated with the respective Obama and McCain juggernauts, but one Bloomberg supporter (this time, not the mayor himself) is keeping hope alive by driving a political billboard around town telling Gotham that Bloomberg is the only candidate who cannot be bought. We snapped this shot at East 39th Street and Third Avenue this morning, and before we could investigate, Newsday's Karla Schuster had the story. The man, Lenny Sobel, who owns Mobile Ads, began his day by driving the billboard in front of Bloomberg's townhouse but was asked to move along. Bloomberg says he's "flattered" but is, surprise, not a candidate. Reads the story after the jump.

-- Rolando PujolBy Karla Schuster

Special to amNewYork

A Westbury man’s efforts to stoke the Bloomberg for President buzz with a mobile billboard drew several smiles, a few tourist snapshots and a polite but pointed request request from police to find another place to park.

Lenny Sobel, owner of Mobile Ads, arrived in front of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Upper East Side townhouse about 6:30 a.m., yesterday, only to have members of the mayor’s security detail ask him to leave.

“I thought I could give him a ride to work,” Sobel quipped.

By 7 a.m., the mobile billboard — bearing a picture of the White House with the mayor’s face super-imposed upon it and the words “Support Mike Bloomberg for President” — was parked on Broadway near Times Square.

Most bleary-eyed commuters passing by barely looked up from their coffee. One man pointed and smiled. Two women snapped photos.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard, but this is New York,” Sobel said, shrugging. He covered the cost of the billboard himself - about $2,000 - and is planning to take the truck around Manhattan this week to promote a Bloomberg presidential run.

The mayor has denied any White House aspirations, but his aides have quietly been conducting national polls to gauge his chances.

“It’s very flattering,” Bloomberg said of Sobel’s efforts, “but I’m not a candidate.”

Karla Schuster is a Newsday staff writer.

Tags: politics