Urbanite

Whoa! No Halloween hijinx in Sleepy Hollow

Friday October 31, 2008 11:26 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. (AP) — Police are poised to prevent any monstrous Halloween behavior in the New York village that hatched the Headless Horseman.Authorities in suburban Sleepy Hollow say they’ll disperse large

groups of teenagers, if necessary, and confiscate eggs and shaving

cream.

The area served as the backdrop for Washington Irving’s 1819

“Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which depicts the Headless Horseman

charging after a terrified Ichabod Crane.

In both Sleepy Hollow and Mount Vernon, parents are being asked

to voluntarily have children under 17 at home by 8:30 p.m.

Elsewhere in Westchester County, Yonkers has a mandatory curfew.

It’s 10 p.m. for kids 11 and under; 10:30 p.m. ages 12 and 13; and

11 p.m. for ages 14 to 16.

Tags: halloween, headless horseman, sleepy hollow

Happy Halloween from Urbanite!

Friday October 31, 2008 6:47 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Meredith Vieira, co-host of the NBC "Today" program, dresses as Pinocchio for the annual Halloween show, in New York's Rockefeller Center. (AP Photo/ Richard Drew)

Forget about ghoulish and ghastly! When it comes to Halloween fun, we're here to tell you about the stuff that's FUN and FREE! The following, for your haunting pleasure and chocolate tendencies:

3:30 p.m. Children’s Halloween Parade; begins in Washington Square North,

near the Arch, and ends at LaGuardia between Washington Square South and West 3rd St.

FREE CHOCOLATE at La Maison du Chocolat: All kids up to age 12 get free Halloween treats from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations: 30 Rockefeller Center and 1018 Madison Avenue

Chelsea Mark Jam-BOO-Ree: For the fifth year, kids and parents are invited to trick-or-treat, and eat some artisanal goodies - and, it's FREE! Expect free candy, brownies and cookies, live music, face-painting and pumpkin-carving by master carver Hugh McMahon. (Chelsea Market, Oct. 31, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Ninth Ave. @ 15th St.)

Halloween Happening at Trinity Church: Head to Trinity Church for a FREE night of games, crafts, ghost stories and a night screening of the classic silent film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, accompanied by the church organist. (Trinity Church, Oct. 31, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., 89 Broadway @ Wall St., www.trinitywallstreet.org)

Village Halloween Parade

This year's Parade is dedicated to artist Rudie Berkhout. Come see the puppets, the ever-clever costumes and of course hit the offical Webster Hall after-party. (Parade starts at Spring St. and Sixth Ave. and travels to 21st St. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.)

More Halloween ideas from amNewYork:

Spooky spots for drinks along the Halloween Parade route: [here]

Boo! Take a tour of haunted New York: [here]

The Halloween of 'Joe the Plumber' [here]

Scenes from the Judge's panel at Tompkins Sq. Park Dog Halloween: [here]

- Lauren Johnston

CLICK THROUGH FOR MORE HALLOWEEN EVENTS:3:45 p.m. The Riverside Park Fund hosts annual Halloween Parade; from the

plaza at Soldiers’ & Sailors Monument, 89th Street and Riverside Drive, to the Hippo Playground on 91st Street.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Stuyvesant Town Halloween Party; Stuy Town Oval, between 16th and 18th streets and Avenues A and B.

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The American Museum of Natural History hosts annual

“Spooktacular” Halloween celebration; Central Park West at 79th Street.

Tags: halloween

Queens woman finds her subway heroes

Thursday October 30, 2008 3:26 PM By Rolando Pujol

Balwan Prashad, left, and Gregory Grajko (Photos: Jefferson Siegel, RJ Mickelson)

By Marlene Naanes

Imagine Prunella Manhertz’s surprise when she found out that not one, but two men came forward yesterday to say they saved her after she tumbled onto subway tracks.

The Queens woman was desperate to thank the man who plucked her off the downtown tracks of the 51st Street-Lexington subway station after she fainted and fell. The men came forward after amNewYork featured Manhertz’s story in an article Thursday

“They were good to me. They were very good,” said Manhertz, of Jamaica, when told that two men came forward. “I can’t find words to express my thanks. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.”Both men said yesterday that they were tormented by not knowing what happened to Manhertz. After she was safe in the arms of police officers, both men said they jumped onto a train and rushed to their respective jobs.

Transit officials said police did not have surveillance video of the incident, which happened last Thursday just before 8 a.m.

Balwan Prashad, 32, a Metro-North Railroad electrician from Long Island, was standing on the crowded No. 6 train platform when a packed train crawled out of the station. He saw Manhertz on the platform near the end of the train, where she stumbled while trying to board the car. When the train had pulled out, she fell onto the tracks.

“She was laying across one of the rails,” he said, adding that her head was close to the third rail. “The train was approaching — she would have been killed.”

So he jumped. Prashad said he alone picked up the woman and handed her to people on the platform above, before quickly going back to pick up her purse and bag. The next train was coming, so he briefly contemplated laying between the tracks to shield himself before he jumped up to the platform to safety.

Afterward, Prashad went to work dirty, greasy and a little shaken up, his supervisor said. He tried to find out how the woman fared later that afternoon and the next day, and finally spoke to Manhertz over the phone on Thursday.

“Metro-North is extremely proud of this particular employee who showed tremendous courage and heroism,” said Marjorie Anders, a railroad spokeswoman.

Another man, Gregory Grajko, 26, a secretary at New York University Hospital, said he also helped Manhertz to safety. Grajko said Manhertz fell, and another man jumped to the tracks just before he did.

“I seen her hitting the train tracks with her head,” he said. “She hit the train tracks so hard.”

Grajko said he and the other man, whom he only remembers as being dark-skinned, pushed the woman up to people on the platform. He then went to work, showing up with dirty pants from the ordeal, co-worker Maria Colon said.

“He even had her blood on his shoes,” she said. “He was shaken up, his hands were shaking.”

Grajko is happy to know that Manhertz is recovering from her fall, bruised with stitches above one eye.

“I wondered if she was even alive because she slammed the train tracks so hard,” he said. “I went to the police…the workers on train tracks. Nobody knew what happened.”

Manhertz said she is going to send each man a card and write something special. She and Prashad already made plans to meet soon.

“I said to him I cannot find words to express my thanks….you are phenomenal,” Manhertz said.

Tags: subway, heroes, mta, transportation, transit, queens, manhattan

Racing against the odds

Thursday October 30, 2008 3:25 PM By Pete Catapano

Hand cyclist Nadine McNeil will race in the marathon on Sunday. Her son, Tyler, will make his debut. (Tiffany L. Clark)

By Amanda Magnus

Special to amNewYork

When Nadine McNeil runs the New York City Marathon on Sunday, her biggest challenge won’t be her paralyzed right side, or the fact that she uses a hand cycle to complete the 26.2-mile course. Her biggest worry is her son.

“I’m more nervous for him than I am for myself,” said McNeil, a resident of the Bronx.

This will be McNeil’s fourth marathon in the past two years, but her 18-year-old son Tyler, who has autism will be running in his first marathon, with a guide.

“I’m hoping that I’m not too distracted when I get out there,” McNeil said. “Tyler will be out there and I won’t know where he is.”

Paralyzed on the right side from a childhood stroke, McNeil uses a hand cycle to compete in marathons, but she has upper body limitations. Because she has limited use of her right arm, she powers herself mostly with her left. She said she tapes her right arm to the handle to keep herself balanced.

McNeil is a member of the Achilles Track Club, an international nonprofit organization for disabled runners of all levels.McNeil started as a spectator mom while her son was a part of Achilles Kids. In 2006, Tyler was selected to compete in a 5k race in Los Angeles. McNeil went with him and also competed in the event, on foot. She couldn’t do any distances further than five miles, though, because of her weak right leg.

After the race, McNeil met with Dick Traum, the Achilles Track Club founder, and Karen Lewis, director of the children’s program, to thank them for giving her son the chance to compete in Los Angeles. Traum recommended that she try a marathon while using a hand cycle.

“Never in a million years, ever, would I have thought that I could compete in a 26.2-mile course,” McNeil said.

But in late August 2006, she climbed into a hand cycle for the first time. Three months later, McNeil was at the starting line of her first marathon.

“Sometimes other people have to believe in you before you believe in yourself,” McNeil said.

Tags: marathon, sports

Celebrating the revival of the Upper East Side's Bohemian National Hall

Thursday October 30, 2008 3:11 PM By Rolando Pujol

The restored Bohemian National Hall. (Photos: Czech Cultural Center)

By Amanda Magnus

Special to amNewYork

The Bohemian National Hall, an Upper East Side landmark and a center for Czech culture in the early 20th century, is celebrating the completion of a six-year renovation that has revived the building to its original splendor.

The Renaissance Revival building on East 73rd Street was also home to a milestone in Liza Minnelli’s career before falling into disrepair. Thursday at 7 p.m., the building’s new era was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Guests included Czech Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek, Czech Ambassador to the United States Petr Kolar, and members of the Czech Senate and Parliament. The evening’s host was Tomas Hanak, a famous Czech movie star and voted the most handsome man in the Czech Republic.

The Bohemian National Hall will contain offices of the Consulate General and the Czech Center to maintain ties with the Czech Republic. There will also be a Czech restaurant and the Czech Center exhibition space.

The five-story Bohemian National Hall was constructed between 1895 to 1897 to the designs of architect William Frohne. The German architect is known for his construction of other ethnic halls, notably the German Shooting Club on St. Marks Place.

The building served as an epicenter of Czech and Slovak culture in New York City as Central and Eastern Europeans immigrated in high numbers. The Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Society (BBLA) owned the building and oversaw all of the social and cultural events that took place there. The “Narodni budova” (Czech for Bohemian National Hall) also became an epicenter of political activity, particularly for the establishment of a Czech state during World War I.

After World War II, the Czech community moved from the Upper East Side to Astoria, Queens, and the National Hall began to fall into decline. As the younger generations of Czech-Americans lost touch with their roots, events became less frequent. Attendance and funds dwindled as the hall’s popularity declined.

The BBLA rented out some of the rooms to theater companies in order to keep the building in use and to bring in rent. As a result, the hall was the venue for Minnelli’s debut, in the musical “Best Foot Forward.”

In 1986 the building was declared unfit for occupancy. The hall was declared a New York City Landmark in 1994 with help from Jan Hird Pokorny, a Czech member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee.

In 2001, the BBLA sold the building to the Czech government for a ceremonial one dollar. The nation took over and funded renovations on the building under the condition that the BBLA can have the entire third floor free of rent for 396 years.

Tags: bohemian national hall, endangered nyc, history, architecture, upper east side, manhattan

Emotional return to New York for Olympian Kara Goucher

Thursday October 30, 2008 2:48 PM By Ryan Chatelain

Kara Goucher competes in her first marathon Sunday. (Photo by Getty)

By Ryan Chatelain

Kara Goucher fought back tears at a news conference this week when she talked about her connection with her native New York City.

“It’s just as a little girl, you want your family to be together,” said Goucher, 30. “And this is where my family was together.

Days before her 4th birthday, Goucher’s family was torn apart when her father, Mirko Grgas of Queens, was killed in a car accident by a drunken driver. Shortly after, Goucher’s family moved to Duluth, Minn., where she grew up.

Twenty-six years later, Goucher — a top-10 finisher in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in Beijing this summer — will make an emotional return to the Big Apple for her 26.2-mile debut in Sunday’s New York City Marathon.“I’m going to think of my dad when I’m running here. I don’t want it to be a distraction,“ Goucher said. “But I think that those moments during the race where I have those moments of weakness and doubt that I feel my dad is going to be there, and he’s going to help me fight through those moments.”

Goucher is attempting to become the first New Yorker, man or woman, since the marathon expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 to win the race. No American woman has won since Miki Gorman in 1977.

Coincidentally, the last American man to win in New York, Alberto Salazar in 1982, a three-time champ, is Goucher‘s coach. Because of her muscular frame and mental toughness, Salazar says he believes Goucher’s future is in marathons.

“I’m not lying when I say that the last five weeks has been the most I’ve ever enjoyed running,” said Goucher, who took a week off from training after the Olympics, but was soon running 110 miles per week.

“No matter what happens on Sunday, this will not be my last marathon.”

Tags: sports, new york city marathon

New Yorkers find themselves in a state of fear

Thursday October 30, 2008 1:59 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Jason Fink

Fear. It’s not just the stuff of horror movies. It’s real, every day life now for New Yorkers.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Morgan Rautzham, a bartender at Suspenders Bar in the Financial District. “People seem scared and confused. They’re more anxious and more disheveled.”

Undoubtedly, the anxiety is fueled by the Dow’s daily roller coaster ride, unemployment skyrocketing and news about the economic future looking grimmer by the day.

“Down here it’s pretty evident people are stressed out,” said Rautzham, 24, who added that her customers are coming in greater numbers and staying later into the night.

However, experts in the field say there is also something else at work, a kind of self-sustaining anxiety fed by the 24-hour news cycle and the almost paralyzing amount of information at people’s fingertips.

“Throughout history, there are always times when people have been in a state of fear,” said Gerilyn Ross, director of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. “What’s different now, ... because of the onslaught of information we get 24/7, is you can’t turn it off. People are tuned in, turned on, and there’s no escape.”Another difference today is that people can go out and get the information they want, which can often do little more than stir the fears they already have.

Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said the wealth of information that is now a mouse click away can be a blessing but is just as often a curse.

“If people have an issue they Google it,” she said. “And very often they find information that is correct but they don’t see the other side of it. You have a bump on your skin - that could be a pimple and it could be cancer.”

In fact, stress can actually make people sick even if they weren’t before, Saltz said.

Scientists believe the fear response begins in a small section of the brain. When people are afraid, their body releases a flood of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases the heart rate so blood pumps faster. Meanwhile, cortisol begins the process of breaking down non-essential tissue, leading to elevated blood fats and sugar.

“Chronic anxiety can take a toll on our bodies,” she said. “Cortisol and other hormones run through your body without relief, people develop anxiety disorders or they turn to drugs or alcohol.”

Joseph Bailey, a clinical psychologist and author said he had also noticed more people clinging to their fears.

“After 9/11, I witnessed that there was a growing addiction to fear, an obsession with fear,” he said. “Marketers use it, the news media use it. What keeps us awake at night is not necessarily what happened but what might happen.”

Indeed, several New Yorkers interviewed recently said they had noticed feeling a general sense of dread about the future.

“The fear is that this is the tip of the iceberg,” said Rich Commodore, 36, of Brooklyn, reflecting on the economic downturn.

Asked his thoughts about people in the city living in fear, Commodore pointed to a group of police cars and one officer holding an automatic weapon. “You mean like that?” he said.

Tags: economy

10 to watch at New York City Marathon

Thursday October 30, 2008 1:46 PM By Ryan Chatelain

Five women to watch at the New York City Marathon:

Paula Radcliffe, 34, Great Britain

The world marathon record holder, Radcliffe (pictured) is a two-time NYC Marathon champion (2004 and 2007). She has won seven of nine career marathons.

Dire Tune, 23, Ethiopia

Tune was an Olympian in Beijing this summer as well as the 2008 London Marathon champ.

Gete Wami, 33, Ethiopia

Wami won the Berlin Marathon last year, and then a month later, finished second to Radcliffe in New York.

Catherine Ndereba, 36, Kenya

A four-time winner in Boston and two-time champ in Chicago, Ndereba has finished on the podium in 16 of 17 career marathons.

Kara Goucher, 30, United States

A Queens native, Goucher is making her marathon debut. She finished in the top 10 in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in the Beijing games.Five men to watch at the New York City Marathon:

Paul Tergat, 39, Kenya

A two-time Olympic silver medalist, Tergat was the 2005 New York City Marathon champion and is a former marathon world record holder.

Abderrahim Goumri, 32, Morocco

Goumri finished second in the 2007 London Marathon, his marathon debut. He has followed up that performance with a second-place showing last year in New York and a third-place finish in London this year.

Henrick Ramaala, 36, South Africa

A four-time Olympian, Ramaala won the 2004 New York Marathon and finished second in 2005 after being edged out by Tergat.

Abdi Abdirahman, 36, United States

A three-time Olympian, Abdirahman is the only American ever to have run in three consecutive Olympic 10,000-meter finals (2000, 2004, and 2008).

Marilson Gomes dos Santos, 31, Brazil

The 2006 New York City Marathon champ, Gomes dos Santos holds the best time of any athlete from the Western Hemisphere in the half-marathon.

Photo of Paula Radcliffe by Getty

Tags: sports, new york city marathon

Throwback Thursday: "The New York Experience" at the McGraw-Hill Building

Thursday October 30, 2008 12:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Rolando Pujol

"The New York Experience" was a 55-minute multimedia, shock-and-awe extravaganza that showcased all the things that make Gotham great. It ran from the early 1970s to the late 1980s at the McGraw-Hill Building. Recently, a video on YouTube turned up featuring an ad for the spectacle, which is very much worth watching, along with the other ads that follow. (Remember the May's department store chain? "Every day's a sales day at May's," the jingle went.)

Back to "The New York Experience." Per a New York Times story on its closure:

Over the 15 years, 3 months and 4 days of the ''Experience,'' Mr. [Albert] Boyars did some updating. But he never got rid of the subway tokens with Y's in the middle, the nonelectronic taxi meters that clicked a dime at a time or the 10-cent cup of coffee, also at the Automat. ''It's a costly thing to reshoot,'' Mr. Boyars said, ''and I personally was in that scene.''

.... ''The New York Experience'' came to be like the Statue of Liberty: New Yorkers knew about it; they just did not go there very often. By the time it closed, it was a dinosaur of a show, faded film and slides lumbering through the video age.

At the last performance - No. 51,591 - the projection room was clicking and whirring like a lunatic pinball machine, switching on four 16-millimeter projectors and an arsenal of slide projectors, tape players, bubble machines, fog makers (''We've had ladies tell the manager, 'You ruined my bouffant,' '' Mr. Boyars said). In the beginning, there was a giant tuba under the theater with a 26-foot-long speaker. For that high-fidelity subway rumble.

Read the rest of the article on this forgotten NYC classic here. The YouTube video is below.

Tags: throwback thursday, television, manhattan, the new york experience

Water main from 1870 breaks on Chambers Street

Thursday October 30, 2008 11:07 AM By Rolando Pujol

By Amanda Magnus

A 138-year-old water main broke this morning on Chambers Street, sending water and silt down several lower Manhattan streets and leaving dozens of customers without water.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the cause of the break, which happened at 10:46 a.m. between Greenwich and Hudson streets. A DEP repair crew is working to repair the 12-inch main.

Two lanes of traffic are open on Chambers Street at the site of the break.

Photo: Crews work at the scene of this morning's water main break on Chambers Street. (Christopher Sabatini)

Tags: tribeca, con ed, chambers street, dep, water main, manhattan, neighborhoods

Viral video: YouTube circa 1985

Thursday October 30, 2008 8:51 AM By Sean Joseph

This video shows how YouTube users could have submitted videos, posted comments and subscribed to channels before the Internet.

Tags: viral video, television

What's going on in NYC today: Zombies, camels ...

Thursday October 30, 2008 7:09 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

From 10 a.m. on ... Michael Jackson “Thriller” fans attempt to break Guinness World Record for most people doing the “Thriller” dance at same time; Madame Tussauds New York, 234 West 42nd St. [See film here]

Until 8 p.m. ING New York City Marathon Health and Fitness Expo; Jacob Javits Convention Center, 11th Avenue at West 35th Street.

11 a.m. to Noon Arrival of camels, donkeys and sheep for Radio City Christmas Spectacular rehearsals; Radio City Music Hall, main entrance, Sixth Avenue between 50th and 51st streets.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pumpkin carving demonstration with Chef Andrew Rubin; Loews Regency Hotel, 540 Park Ave., at 61st Street.

5:15 p.m. Cast of the Broadway musical “13” handprint ceremony at Planet Hollywood Times Square; 1540 Broadway, at 45th Street.

7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Candlelight vigil commemorating sixth anniversary slaying of hip hop icon Jam Master Jay; 90-10 Merrick Blvd., Queens.

8 p.m. Russell Simmons and Spike Lee host “I Am C.H.A.N.G.E!” get out

the vote party; Home, 532 West 27th St., between 10th and 11th

avenues.

Tags: in nyc today, fun and free

Bloomberg proposes financial help plan

Thursday October 30, 2008 6:55 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Getty Images)

(AP) — To help New Yorkers weather the economic

downturn, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday he wants to relax

tax deadlines for some property owners and create a Web site for

laid-off financial workers to provide job listings and other

assistance.

At a news conference at City Hall, Bloomberg outlined a series

of immediate steps to ease the financial burden for New Yorkers

struggling to deal with the upheaval on Wall Street.

“There will be no magic bullet or easy fixes,” Bloomberg

warned. But, he added, “We will survive this crisis.”Citing the precarious financial situation, Bloomberg recently

declared that the city needs him to stick around for four more

years and announced that he plans to run for re-election.

The billionaire businessman convinced the City Council to change

the city’s term-limits law so that he could do so, sticking to his

argument that the financial emergency calls for his leadership and

expertise.

Bloomberg has ordered agencies to cut spending by 2.5 percent

this fiscal year and another 5 percent the following year to help

bridge growing budget gaps.

The projected deficit for next fiscal year, which begins in

July, is expected to be at least $3 billion when the city releases

its latest figures next week.

In addition to calling for spending cuts, the mayor had also

asked city departments to come up with ways to help individuals get

through upcoming tough times.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bloomberg said “the panic

is probably over” in the financial markets, but he said the next

wave is already being felt citywide as businesses feel the pain of

fewer customers.

One way his administration intends to soften the blow is to help

property owners with the payment schedules on their taxes.

Bloomberg wants to adjust the deadlines for properties valued at

$250,000 or less so that property owners would pay smaller amounts

once a quarter rather than large payments twice a year, as they do

now. It would require council action to do so.

And while New York City has not seen the same rates of

foreclosures as the rest of the nation, the administration is also

planning to use $24 million in federal funding to purchase

foreclosed properties and turn them into affordable housing.

The city is planning to launch a yearlong public awareness

campaign to inform New Yorkers about how to take control of their

finances, with a first phase focusing on dealing with debt.

Bloomberg also plans to create a Web site targeted for

entry-level and mid-career professionals who have recently lost

their jobs in financial services.

It would provide job listings, freelance consulting

opportunities, help with health insurance, plus continuing

education and training resources.

The city comptroller projected earlier this month that the city

could lose 165,000 jobs over the next two years, including as many

as 35,000 in the financial services industry.

Tags: mayor michael bloomberg, politics, economy

Grateful Queens woman asks: Who's the subway hero who saved my life?

Wednesday October 29, 2008 8:35 PM By Rolando Pujol

The downtown No. 6 subway platform from which a Queens woman fell last week. She was rescued from the tracks by an unknown man, whom she would like to thank personally. (Photo: Katya Pronin)

By Marlene Naanes

Who saved my life?

That’s what a Queens woman wants to know after an unidentified hero last Thursday jumped from a subway platform and lifted her to safety before vanishing into a crowd. Prunella Manhertz, bruised with stitches above her right eye, does not even know what her savior looks like, but she definitely wants to tell him thank you.

“I’m dying to show my gratitude,” she said in a phone interview yesterday. “I know he definitely saved my life because another train could be coming.”

Manhertz, of Jamaica, was heading to work just before 8 a.m. when she fell onto the downtown No. 6 train tracks at the 51st Street and Lexington Avenue station, transit officials said.

She does not completely remember what happened. Manhertz does recall stepping onto the last subway car, then stepping back onto the platform and possibly fainting after the train left the station.

“Everybody was shocked,” Manhertz said of bystanders she heard on the platform above her. “I heard people crying. I heard people screaming.”

But her hero kept a level head.“He was thinking so fast,” she said, adding that she does not remember him saying anything to her. “He just jumped on the track.”

The man plucked Manhertz off the tracks so quickly that service was not affected. It is unclear how close the next No. 6 train was.

“The Lexington line is really busy,” said transit spokesman James Anyansi. “I’m sure there might have been a train pretty close by.”

The Good Samaritan left Manhertz with three policemen, and then EMS arrived and took her to Bellevue Hospital. Neither the police nor fire departments know the identity of the bystanders.

After a brief stay in the hospital, Manhertz told family members she wanted to find her savior. She was in and out of consciousness during the rescue, she said, and does not remember what the man looked like.

“I really would like to say thank you,” she said.

Anyone with information about the man can e-mail mnaanes@am-ny.com

Tags: subway, hero, queens, no. 6 train, transportation

Introducing The Tangent

Wednesday October 29, 2008 6:27 PM By Emily Hulme

Today we launch The Tangent, amNewYork's new entertainment blog, where we'll cover movies, television, gossip and anything else of a pop cultural bent. Check it out!

Tags: the tangent

City Living: Turtle Bay

Wednesday October 29, 2008 5:03 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Lana Bortolot

Special to amNewYork

Photos: RJ Mickelson

As far as star quality goes, Turtle Bay has had a distinguished run. Katharine Hepburn, Kurt Vonnegut, Walter Cronkite, Stephen Sondheim, Irving Berlin and Efrem Zimbalist are among the many celebrity residents who have enjoyed the neighborhood’s quiet charms. But in recent years, Turtle Bay has emerged from its shell to become one of the city’s more desired enclaves for young professionals and families—an evolution that’s infused and challenged a neighborhood faced with fast development.

“The real story these days is how the neighborhood has changed—it’s really a generational shift,” says Michael Miscione, Manhattan’s borough historian and a longtime Turtle Bay resident. “This had been a mature, sleepy place to live, but a younger element has replaced the older demographic and made it a lot more active than it used to be.”Newcomers to Turtle Bay will find a neighborhood with fierce pride of place. Residents lay claim to one of the most sophisticated and diverse communities — due to the proximity of the United Nations, and historic tracts have been kept largely intact, thanks to a long history of local activism.

“There’s always been some action to keep the balance in Turtle Bay,” says Lou Sepersky, a member of Community Board 6, which serves the area. “It’s not an anti-development community, but there is an awareness that there’s a line between too much and not enough.”

Out-of-scale development is a growing concern for residents, as is the preservation of the local businesses that give the neighborhood its appeal.

“My concern is that more chains are moving in, and there are no new small businesses,” says Community Board 6 chairman Lyle Frank, adding he’d like to see “one less bank or Duane Reade and one more cupcake cafe.”

Turtle Bay native Steve Corvi has owned Turtle Bay Chemist for 27 years and says his business thrives on neighborhood stability. “There are a lot of long-time residents here, people I know on a first-name basis, who depend on our service.” He added, “We’ve been here a long time and there are no plans to change that.”

FIND IT

Turtle Bay is bounded by 43rd Street to the south, 51st Street to the north, Lexington Avenue to the west and the East River to the east.

THE FACT SHEET

Subway: Nos. 4 and 5 to Grand Central; No. 6 at 51st Street; and the E or V at 53rd Street.

Bus: M101, M102 and M103 on Lexington and Third avenues; M15 on First and Second avenues; M42 on 42nd Street; M27 and M50 on 49th and 50th streets.

Libraries: Turtle Bay does not have a branch of the New York Public Library, but residents are not far from mid-Manhattan Library 455 Fifth Ave. 212-340-0863

and the main library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street 917-275-6975.

Community Board: CB6, 212-319-3750; www.cb6mnyc.org

Police: 17th Precinct, 167 E. 51st St., 212-826-3211

Fire Dept.: Firehouse Engine 21, 238 E. 40th St.

Crime: For the year to date, the precinct reports one murder, seven rapes, 68 robberies, 61 felony assaults, 127 burglaries and 702 grand larcenies. For the same period in 2007: one murder, five rapes, 69 robberies, 59 felony assaults, 113 burglaries and 739 grand larcenies

Schools: Turtle Bay is served by two public schools: P.S. 59 Beekman Hill International elementary school (228 E. 57th St.), and the Art and Design High School (1075 Second Ave.). The Family School, a private K-6, is located at 323 E. 47th St.

The renowned Turtle Bay Music School (244 E. 52nd St.) has a tuition-based partnership with a limited number of public schools (K-6).

THE ONE THING YOU MUST DO

Take a tour of the United Nations. Ignore the throngs of tourists: Standing in the swooping lobby of the UN, a time capsule of 1950s architecture, still thrills. (Being among polyglots and speaking one language humbles.) Go for the guided weekday tours, conducted every 45 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and which include artworks and historic rooms such as the General Assembly (limited access on weekends).

41st Street and First Avenue. Tour info: 212-963-8687.

DID YOU KNOW?

1.) Turtle Bay most likely derives its name not from a proliferation of turtles, but from the Dutch word, deutal (“bent blade”), describing the curve of the bay.

2.) A masterwork in the International Modernist style, The Kaufman Conference Center at the United Nations is the only work in New York City designed by Finnish architect Aalto Alvar.

3.) The iron-wrought fence work outside the townhouses at 232-248 E. 49th St. features large turtles in its ornament. Stephen Sondheim lives behind the turtle-adorned fence, as did Katharine Hepburn.

4.) Amster Yard, an oasis on 49th Street between Second and Third avenues, was said to be the terminal stop for the Boston Stage Coach on the Eastern Post Road.

5.) It is long-rumored but not confirmed that Revolutionary hero Nathan Hale was hanged by the British in Turtle Bay.

6.) Since the early 1980s, residents have played a giant outdoor chess game at 767 Third Ave. The public art installation is a game in progress—one move away from checkmate. Every two weeks, people may submit their prediction for the move to checkmate and win the game.

TO DO

The United Nations may draw top billing, but Turtle Bay is blessed with cultural organizations that give this neighborhood a rich diversity on a smaller scale.

Kabbalah Centre

155 E. 48th St., 212-644-0025

Sure, it has a celebrity following — Madge and her now-estranged husband among the drop-ins — but long before Hollywood made the red string a fashion statement, New Yorkers came here for spiritual guidance, classes and transformative fellowship.

Instituto Cervantes, The Spanish Cultural Center of New York

211 E. 49th St., 212-308-7720

Tucked away in the historic Amster Yard, the institute offers a robust cultural program including language classes at all levels, films, art exhibitions, gastronomy and wine-tasting seminars.

The Japan Society

333 E. 47th St., 212-832-1155

The 101-year-old society presents the culture and arts of Japan through world-class exhibitions, symposia, film screenings, and traditional and cutting–edge performing arts. Indoor gardens transport visitors to the Far East.

Daj Hammarskjold Plaza

Second Avenue and 47th Street

This quiet plaza, an allay of leafy trees on one side, has all the civility of an intimate Parisian park. The Katharine Hepburn Garden winds down one side, occasionally interrupted by gazebos and fountains. On Wednesdays, a farmer’s market offers a peaceable solution to Union Square. The New York Milkshake Company operates a concession here with seasonal patio seating.

Greenacre Park

East 51st Street between Second and Third avenues

Leafy plantings among the terraced rocks make this vest-pocket park a local treasure. Fans of the much-loved and oft-crowded Paley Park can come here for the same mesmerizing waterfalls and Bertoia chairs, and escape the distractions of urban life for a while. Closed in winter.

TO EAT

Though the old guard steakhouses have been firmly planted in Turtle Bay for years, there’s plenty of room — and appetite — for a new crop of international cuisines that reflect the neighborhood’s diversity.

Ali Baba’s Terrace

862 Second Ave., 212-888-8622

The new outpost of the reliable 34th Street restaurant offers traditional Turkish kebabs, grills and stews. Grilled lamb is the specialty — choose from 10 preparations — but chicken and seafood eaters will be well-served here, too. Ideal for sharing: platters of cold and hot mezze, with olive oil as the star.

Montparnasse

230 E. 51st St., 212-758-6633

This classic French brasserie and neighborhood hangout has all the atmosphere of downtown bistros without the terminal hip factor. The coq au vin is the must-have dish here, but the steak frites is perfectly turned-out, too.

Oms/b Rice Ball Café

156 E. 45th St., 212-922-9788

This tiny cafe specializing in omusubi, rice balls stuffed with salmon, tuna, shrimp, crab and the like, is the first and only eatery of its kind. The pieces average $2.50, so you can stuff yourself with samples, even in a down economy.

Pampano

209 E. 49th St., 212-751-4545

Forget about the nachos and salsa and head here for modern, fresh coastal-Mexican food. The elegant dishes rely on fresh ingredients and side salads such as baby cactus and prickly pear. Order stand-alone ceviche dishes or create your own samplings from the tastings menu. Around the corner, 805 Third Ave., the same kitchen serves tasty tacos from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Smörgas chef

924 Second Ave., 212-486-1411

If you’ve ever wondered what the Swedish eat beside meatballs, step inside this three-year-old café and sample some Scandinavian fare. Expect the typical North Sea cod, gravlaks and other salmon dishes, but be surprised at hearty platters such as grilled rack of lamb and pan-seared duck. And the meatballs are better than Ikea’s.

Zarela

953 Second Ave., 212-644-6740

If you do crave the sauce and chips, settle down beneath the Mexican artifacts and paper garlands fluttering from the ceiling, with a platter of authentic Mexican regional cooking at this brightly colored cantina. Critics recommend the poblanos rellenos, snapper hash, or slow-cooked Oaxacan lamb—not to mention the power margaritas.

TO PARTY

You can’t go nary a block without finding an Irish-themed watering hole, but even in this pub-packed enclave, you can find a variety of friendly places to sidle up to the bar and take in the local color.

Pig ‘n’ Whistle on 2nd

951 Second Ave., 212-832-2021

This eastern outpost of the Times Square original has the usual Shepherd’s Pie (recommended) but also a surprisingly diverse tapas menu, Irish-style. You won’t find chorizo and grilled octopus, but if burger and pig sliders appeal, come chow down.

O’Neill’s

727 Third Ave., 212-661-3530

Recipient of the James Joyce Pub Award for its authenticity, O”Neill’s features better-than-average bar munchies, a traditional menu and live Irish music on Saturday and Sunday nights. It’s ranked high for its neighborhood appeal and friendly staff.

Turtle Bay Bar and Grill

987 Second Ave., 212-223-4224

You can come to this neighborhood mainstay for the contemporary American comfort food — but it’s the bar scene that makes you feel at home. Young professionals, frat boys and “It girls” with a few old-timers nestled in between make up the crowd — but not a tourist in site.

Top of the Tower

Three Mitchell Place, 212-224-0920

Sip a cocktail and enjoy the 360-degree view from the top of the landmarked Art Deco Beekman Tower. American favorites such as duckling and roasted chicken breast rule the rather traditional menu. but if you’re really only here for the view and a cocktail, try a thin-crust pizza. Service is available on the outside terrace while the weather holds.

Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in Turtle Bay is a popular place to relax in the midtown.

TO SHOP

National retail brands comprise most of the shopping along Second and Third avenues. The most inspired points of purchase are in unlikely places. Seek them out.

United Nations Gift Shops

UN Plaza, 41st Street and First Avenue

The basement level of the UN houses a number of shops, several of which support good causes across the globe such as UNICEF. There’s a serious bookstore for policy wonks, but also stores with UN-branded merchandise, socially conscious gifts and toys, indigenous crafts from specialty co-ops. You can also create personalized postage stamps (but only for mailing from the UN).

Catalyst Books

815 Second Ave., 212-716-6117

Operated by the Episcopal Diocese, the books here focus on spirituality, theology, peace and justice, and women’s studies. Gifts include sacred music, stationery, painted ornaments from Eastern Europe, free-trade crafts and ecumenical items. Cafe to open soon in the adjoining space.

Dailchi Arts

249 E. 48th St., 212-230-1680

Tucked under the trees is this jewel box of a gallery featuring museum-quality Japanese ceramics and sculptures. Sleek and simple objet for table tops, the modern curio shelf and larger display spaces. Open Tuesday-Saturday.

The Health Nuts

837 Second Ave., 212-490-2979

A well-stocked grocery and natural foods store with unusual homeopathic and health-care brands. Freshly prepared hot and cold foods for takeout includes soups, sandwiches, wraps and curry-infused stews.

Japan Society Gift Shop

333 E. 47th St., 212-715-1282

This tranquil boutique is an homage to traditional and contemporary design. You can find more than just sake sets here: The shop features furniture from the Nakashima workshop, vintage lacquer ware, Oribe pottery, prints and books on Japanese design, cooking and travel.

REAL ESTATE

Known for having some of the most expensive housing in the city, Turtle Bay, in recent years, has become more affordable for young professionals and families. But, if you want to live like a millionaire, there is plenty of opportunity to do so here.

To Buy

Brand-new four-bedroom, five-bath postwar condo in The Veneto. 2,882 square feet, luxury finishes. $5,999,000, 250 E. 53rd St. (Jacky Teplitzky, Prudential Douglas Elliman, 212-891-7743)

Two-bedroom, two-bath loft-like condo in renovated brownstone cluster. 1,713 square feet, plus private outdoor area. $2,125,000. 345 E. 50th St. (Jacky Teplitzky,Prudential Douglas Elliman, 212-891-7743)

Corner one-bedroom co-op in a prewar doorman building. 900-plus-square feet, wood-burning fireplace, $695,000. 414 E. 52nd St. (New York Private Realty Group, David J. Larijani, 646-502-8975)

For Rent

Two-bedroom, two-bath condo in full-service luxury building. Marble baths, rooftop deck. $4,700 a month. 236 E. 47th St. (Halstead Property, Antonio Hamimi, 646-526-8228).

Duplex apartment in townhouse. Three fireplaces, formal dining room, three-level private garden. 309 E. 52nd St. $5,000 (CitiHabitats, Gia Williams, 646-648 9340_

600-square-foot, newly renovated junior one-bedroom apartment with designer features in luxury doorman building. $2,500 a month. 321 E. 48th St. (JH Living, Daniel Kempler, 917.363.8192).

THE BUZZ

The Turtle Bay community was devastated earlier this year by the deadly collapse of a crane on 51st Street and Second Avenue, which renewed concerns about the pace and safety of high-rise construction in the neighborhood. There has been a stop work order on the site while the developer revises plans, but it will take more than a Department of Buildings permit to resume work. The developer has been meeting with elected officials and community leaders to address local concerns.

The developer “wants to try to get a resolution that gives respect to what the community desires,” said Assemb. Jonathan Bing (D-Manhattan), who represents Turtle Bay. “No plans have been filed, nothing is pending approval, he’s just talking at the community level.”

Bing, who with his wife and toddler lives three blocks from the site of the accident, said the developer is willing to build 10 fewer stories than originally planned.

“No matter what is built here there’s going to be trepidation among the community, but I think [that the] the developer [is] willing to build a smaller building is a positive step.”

Q&A WITH PAMELA HANLON

Pamela Hanlon is an author and Turtle Bay resident. She is the author of “Manhattan’s Turtle Bay: Story of a Midtown Neighborhood.”

What attracts people to Turtle Bay?

The convenience of living close to midtown’s business district, yet in a neighborhood that retains a special character, with its blocks of old 19th-century brownstones; its proximity to the United Nations and the international quality that brings with it; and its waterfront location on the East River.

What deters people from moving here?

Some may think the area is too close to the central hub of the city. Yet, once here, many are surprised to find that Turtle Bay retains a kind of “small town” feel despite being, literally, in the heart of Manhattan.

If I had a few hours to visit your neighborhood, what should I do?

I would start at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, and while there, visit Katharine Hepburn Garden—named for the actress who lived in Turtle Bay most of her life. Then walk along some of the brownstone-lined streets, including 49th Street, where you can visit Amster Yard’s lovely courtyard. Also, walk along Beekman Place, a quiet residential enclave that hugs the East River. And perhaps end up at Greenacre Park on 51st Street.

Where is the neighborhood going?

Many new high-rise apartment buildings are being built along the First and Second avenues, bringing new residents to the area—often young families with children. So Turtle Bay is becoming a younger neighborhood than in the past.

What are residents concerned about?

At the moment, many in the neighborhood worry about too much construction under way at the same time. Yet, when these buildings—virtually all are apartment buildings—are completed, we can look forward to new businesses, restaurants and other amenities that the new residents will undoubtedly attract.

What should remain the same?

Turtle Bay's charm and small-town character, preserved over the years by landmark status given to many sites, along with changes in zoning regulations so that high rises are prohibited on most of Turtle Bay's cross streets.

Tags: city living, real estate, turtle bay

Obama speaks to country — on seven stations

Wednesday October 29, 2008 3:50 PM By Emily Ngo

Barack Obama appeals to Americans for their vote via primetime television. (AP)

By Emily Ngo

Barack Obama held off normal programming Wednesday night to share the tales of five everyday Americans and summarize his plans for the country.

In a half-hour block of documentary-style television reminiscent of an Oprah Winfrey special, Obama — already ahead among early voters in several key polls — stated specifics of how he would rectify those Americans’ situations. The story of his late mother’s life and testimonies from several politicians helped to fortify Obama’s case.

“Boy, life sure is short and you better live in the moment,” he had said upon learning of the death of his mother, Stanley Ann Durham.

As Obama outlined his economic, energy, education, health care and national defense plans for the United States, he doubtlessly looked presidential. But on-screen reminders to text the campaign and visit its Web site for voting information allowed him to look like a modern president.

“I’m not a perfect man, and I won’t be a perfect president,” the Democratic nominee said. “But I can promise you this — I will always tell you what I think and where I stand.”

The ad blast, which is estimated to have cost the Obama campaign $4 million, won’t likely hurt his presidential chances, but it remains to be seen whether it will help him.

Tags: barack obama, campaign ads, television, politics

Madonna's sex contract

Wednesday October 29, 2008 2:21 PM By Pete Catapano

By Julie Gordon

And the Madonna/Guy Ritchie rumor mill continues to churn. The latest outlandish allegation to surface, courtesy of UK’s Sun, claims that Madonna created a marriage contract that her husband was forced to follow, down to how often they were to have sex.

According to the newspaper, Ritchie was obligated to enrich his wife’s spiritual and emotional wellbeing. During fights, Ritchie, 40, reportedly was forced to swap arguing for the following line: “I understand that my actions have upset you, please work with me to resolve this.”When it came to sex, the partners were supposed to “devote time to our sexual expressiveness” and “not use sex as a stick to beat one another.”

The contract also contained orders for Ritchie to study Kabbalah for several hours a week with his wife. Madge, 50, has been a devotee of the Jewish practice since 1998. A rumor floated around this week that Ritchie canceled an order to fill the couple’s pool with healing Kabbalah water. The drink is sold at the Kabbalah Centre in New York.

After almost eight years of marriage, the couple publicly announced their plans to divorce on Oct. 15.

Tags: madonna, guy ritchie, sex, entertainment

Relief if disaster strikes

Wednesday October 29, 2008 2:15 PM By Pete Catapano

By Jason Fink

If disaster strikes the city again, New Yorkers can rest assured: You will be able to find a toilet.

According to the city’s Office of Emergency Management, the city’s disaster plan provides for the needs of, say, the up to 3 million people who would flee a Category 5 hurricane.

A report this week by Japan’s disaster prevention panel found that if a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit on a weekday, hundreds of thousands of people in Tokyo would be unable to find an appropriate place to relieve themselves.

Not so in Gotham, says Kelly McKinney, deputy commissioner of the OEM.

“Based on what we know, and based on our scenarios, yes” people will be able to get to a bathroom, he said. “That’s precisely what we plan for.”

Besides shelters that have cots and other longer-term necessities for people displaced by a disaster, the city has what it calls “ready receiving centers,” which are primarily churches, schools, libraries and similar non-profits.

“We noticed on 9/11 and (during the blackout) in 2003, that people walking long distances need certain services,” McKinney said.

And those facilities, meant for just a quick drop-in, are set up as receiving centers because of their . . . well, facilities.

Tags: toilets, hurricane, bathroom, godzilla, zany

Wall Street outrage gets very public airing

Wednesday October 29, 2008 2:05 PM By Rolando Pujol

An ice sculpture that literally depicts the melting economy. AP photo by Kathy Willens

By Jason Fink and Garett Sloane

If any New Yorker has missed the headline news of the last few months, there it was yesterday, staring them in the face in lower Manhattan: A 1,500-pound ice sculpture that spelled out the word “economy” melting in the sun.

Such public art displays, with their sharp take on the financial woes of the country and city, have become something of a trend near Wall Street this fall.

From the woman who distributed thousands of “zero dollars” - mock bills that had zeroes instead of ones on them - to the group “Billionaires for Bailout,” which last month invited people to literally toss their junk next to the bull sculpture in the Financial District, artists have taken recently to very public social commentary.

“The symbolism kind of hits you over the head,” said John Peterson, who lives in Manhattan and works on Wall Street.The Smithsonian Museum of American Finance, which opened on Broad Street in January, owns one of the zero dollars and has been documenting some of these displays since they started in mid-September, when banks were collapsing, stocks were crashing and a government bailout package awakened a mass backlash.

The museum is living and recording history and won’t be able to retell the story until events settle, perhaps years from now, said Leena Akhtar, manager of exhibits and archives at the museum.

“Part of it (the history being made) is how people respond here at the financial ground zero to what’s going on,” she said.

The recent protests aimed at Wall Street provide a contrast to what has happened in previous financial panics, where people actually descended on the stock exchange in throngs to sell their stocks and lined up outside banks to withdraw their money, Akhtar said.

However, today, in an age of YouTube and Facebook, when people are encouraged to transmit their thoughts about anything to virtually anyone at any time, such unabashed public participation in the social and political debates of the day seem inevitable.

“People want to do something about it rather than let things happen to you,” said Andrew Boyd, who led the junk dump at the bull statue and who was a founding member of “Billionaire’s for Bush,” the group that morphed into “Billionaires for the Bailout.”

Nora Ligorano, who created the “economy” ice sculpture, agreed, adding that not only was the display meant to mark the anniversary of the 1929 stock market crash, but the art is meant to engage people.

“This is a work that is targeted for mass opinion and appeal,” Ligorano said. “We really want to reach out to everyone.”

And taking the message to Wall Street seems like a no-brainer.

“That’s where the story is,” said Laura Gilbert, who printed the zero dollars. “People were swarming down there.”

Rob Jantz, 32, is one spectator who hopes to see more than wry commentary.

“I like it, but until they really protest, until they take a radical stance on the economy, it’s lukewarm, it doesn’t do anything,” said Jantz, who works for the city sanitation department.

Tags: wall street, public art, bailout, economy

What's scarier: Transit service cuts, a fare hike or both?

Wednesday October 29, 2008 1:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

Trick or treat, MTA! Gene Russianoff and his merry band of straphangers continue their annual tradition at the MTA headquarters on Wednesday. Below, one of the treats; click to enlarge and learn your fortune.(Photo: Marlene Naanes)

The Straphangers Campaign members, holding plastic orange pumpkins, handed out fortune cookies to the MTA board on Wednesday in their yearly trick-or-treat gag.

With possible fare hikes and service cuts looming, the transit advocates tried to scare some reason into board members who will be voting on both prospects by the end of the year with clever fortunes inside the cookies.

A sampling of the fortunes:

-If you cut transit service, this cookie will give you heartburn.

-In a tough economy, it's wise to invest in transit.

-Good luck in the new year. More aid from the state and the city.

-In hard times, it's unfair to balance the budget on the backs of riders

-Raising transit fares will wreak havoc on your love life.

-There's a fortune cookie right behind this one.

Queens subway and bus delays

Wednesday October 29, 2008 12:29 PM By Marlene Naanes

Straphangers and bus riders will have a tough time getting to and from Queens tonight.

From New York City Transit:

The aftermath of a building fire in Downtown Flushing will continue to cause transit problems on area buses through this evening’s rush period. Subway service on the 7 Flushing Line will also be subject to delays due to Fire Department of New York activity in the area.

Q44 (Northbound)-regular route via Main Street, left on Sandford, right on College Point Boulevard, right on Roosevelt Avenue, left on Prince, left on 38th Avenue, left on Main Street, right on Northern Boulevard, left on Union then regular.

Q44 (Southbound)-regular route via Union Street, right on Sandford, left on Main Street then regular.

Q12, Q15 and Q26 (Eastbound)- regular route, right on Union, left Roosevelt Avenue then regular.

Q12, Q15 and Q26 (Westbound)- regular route via Roosevelt Avenue, right on Union, left on 37th Avenue, left on 138th Street, left on 39th Avenue then regular.

Q17 and Q27 (Northbound)- regular route via Kissena Boulevard, left on Sandford, right on College Point, left on Prince, right on 38th Avenue, right on Main Street then regular.

Q17 and Q27 (Southbound)- regular route on Main Street, right on 39th Avenue, left on Prince Street, left on 40th Road, right on Main Street then regular.

Customers may call our Travel Information Center at 718-330-1234 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or log onto www.mta.info to use Trip Planner to plan their trips.

Sarah Palin noose prank crosses the line?

Wednesday October 29, 2008 11:07 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

So this is a bit more extreme than your average display of grisly Halloween decorations: the owners of a house in West Hollywood have

A mannequin dressed to look

Republican vice-presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hangs

from a rope in a Halloween yard display at a private residence on

October 28, 2008 in West Hollywood, California. Above the Palin prop,

an image in the likeness of Republican presidential candidate U.S.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) appear to stick out of the top of the house

chimney.

Fact: No shortage of Obama shirts in Union Square

Wednesday October 29, 2008 10:58 AM By Rolando Pujol

Decisions, decisions: Sampling the Obama options in Union Square Park.

By Linnea Covington

Special to amNewYork

“Obama for yo mama.” “Barack’s How I Roll.” “Obaaaama for president.” “Bark for Obama.”

Even the dogs have gotten in on the Barack Obama frenzy that has swept through the T-shirt business catering to a new generation of voters that likes to wear its politics on its sleeve rather than on traditional pins or banners.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Union Square, where about a quarter of the merchandise stalls sell political T-shirts – all of them pro-Obama. From the simple heart shape with the letter O to the mass-produced image of Obama’s face, found in all sizes and colors, there has never been a political figure so wearable.

“I see lots of people who are taking it upon themselves to do something this time around,” said Helen Walters, who’s written three books about the T-shirt business. “And if you can put it on the T-shirt, you feel like you are making a difference.”

At Union Square, Ellen Weiss wanted to make a political statement. Holding up a pink “Blondes for Obama” tee, Weiss demanded $20 from her husband. “Haven’t I given him enough already?” he said, referring to Obama.

Weiss took the money and bought her first political T-shirt. “ I love him and I love this and I’m a blonde,” she said and walked away with her prize.

For the T-shirt sellers, of course, their efforts aren’t just pure Obama loyalty.

“I came out with a Giuliani, Hillary and Obama shirt,” said Larry Kleinstein, who runs a T-shirt stand in Union Square. “Obama worked the best.”

Now, Kleinstein’s stand sells only Obama tees – including one for dogs.

“Excuse me, do you have Red Heads for Obama?” a woman asked Kleinstein.

“Not yet, check back next week,” he replied. “It’s an Obama frenzy in New York!”

Tags: barack obama, union square, politics, t-shirts, holiday traditions, zany

Jane Krakowski dishes on new season of '30 Rock'

Wednesday October 29, 2008 10:09 AM By Julie Gordon

From left to right, "30 Rock" cast members Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski and Kenneth Parcell (NBC)

By Kara Warner and Julie Gordon

Will Jane Krakowski’s character on “30 Rock” be getting any action on the man front this season? Sadly, the answer is no.

“I don’t think Jenna’s going to see any love intrests this year,” Krakowski told us at Tuesday’s Audi A4 sedan launch at Frank Gehry's new IAC Building in Chelsea.

However, she added, “I’ve got some great storylines coing up. Very actressy storylines, which I like, where I’m trying to get parts in feature films.”

Krakowski also got to interact with guest star Jennifer Aniston, who plays an old pal of her character and Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon.

“[Jennifer is] stunningly beautiful, you kind of just keep staring at her,” Krakowski said. “She brought an energy every time she was on set that was really super.”

Also making a cameo this season is Salma Hayek, who Krakowsi called “an aboslute beauty and amazing.”

Hayek plays a love interest for Alec Baldwin’s character.

“Alec has got it good this year,” Krakowski said.

Tags: entertainment, "30 rock, " tina fey, jane krakowski, alec baldwin, salma hayek, jennifer aniston

Like the 'Gossip Girl' gang, NYC students doll up uniforms

Wednesday October 29, 2008 9:23 AM By Julie Gordon

Interviews and photos by Alana Abel

Wearing school uniforms doesn’t inhibit the characters on the TV show “Gossip Girl” from showing off their personal styles. It doesn’t stop real New York prep school students either. With jackets, headbands, bags and legwear, these gals have found a way to make required clothing all their own.

Erica's school has no restrictions when it comes to students’ hair — except for dye. So this high school freshman spices up her look by experimenting daily with her locks. Today’s choice: A thick headband atop a modern beehive.

Lucky Star, a sophomore, carries her books in a large handbag that coordinates with her uniform’s blue motif.

Kristen gives her outfit a punky twist with a colorful scarf. On days this 15-year-old doesn’t don a stand-out scarf, she usually wears a bright jacket.

Kelley, 14, keeps it simple with small accessories, such as these gold rings bearing a small stone, her name and a cross.

Tags: entertainment, shopping, fashion, gossip girl

Viral video: It's called a treadmill, not a trampoline

Wednesday October 29, 2008 9:21 AM By Sean Joseph

There is a reason why treadmills come with so many safety features and instructions. This guy just didn't use common sense.

Tags: viral video, television

Going on today in NYC ...

Wednesday October 29, 2008 8:31 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Jamaica Bay

All Day: Symposium on the Future of Jamaica Bay, where NYC's Department of Environmental Protection has gathered environmental experts to talk about issues impacting the ecology of Jamaica Bay. More info at: www.nyc.gov/dep

3 p.m. Community Food Pantry @ Highbridge and those it serves protest

eviction order; Highbridge Community Housing Development Corp., 1465 Nelson Ave., Bronx

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Author Craig Wilder participates in discussion on the connection between African Americans and the downtown Brooklyn environment, including the waterfront; NYC College of Technology; 300 Jay St.

6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Outstanding community members are recognized at a kick-off for Puerto Rican Heritage Month; Con Edison Headquarters, 4 Irving Pl., 19th fl. auditorium.

Tags: jamaica bay, dep, cuny, stuff that's cool, today's check it out

Put these Halloween events on your calendar

Wednesday October 29, 2008 6:07 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Two Halloween pumpkins with the faces of Democratic presidential

candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama (L) and Republican

presidential candidate Arizona Senator John McCain (R), carved by Hugh

McMahon.(Getty Images)

Today: From 4 to 6 p.m., costumed kids attend haunted house and other festivities; PAL Miccio Center, 110 West 9th St., between Clinton and Henry streets, Brooklyn.

On Halloween:

FREE CHOCOLATE at La Maison du Chocolat: All kids up to age 12 get free Halloween treats from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations: 30 Rockefeller Center and 1018 Madison Avenue

Chelsea Mark Jam-BOO-Ree: For the fifth year, kids and parents are invited to trick-or-treat, and eat some artisanal goodies - and, it's FREE! Expect free candy, brownies and cookies, live music, face-painting and pumpkin-carving by master carver Hugh McMahon. (Chelsea Market, Oct. 31, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Ninth Ave. @ 15th St.)

Halloween Happening at Trinity Church: Head to Trinity Church for a FREE night of games, crafts, ghost stories and a night screening of the classic silent film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, accompanied by the church organist. (Trinity Church, Oct. 31, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., 89 Broadway @ Wall St., www.trinitywallstreet.org)

More Halloween ideas from amNewYork:

Spooky spots for drinks along the Halloween Parade route: [here]

Boo! Take a tour of haunted New York: [here]

The Halloween of 'Joe the Plumber' [here]

Scenes from the Judge's panel at Tompkins Sq. Park Dog Halloween: [here]

- Lauren Johnston

Tags: halloween

New book traces Green-Wood's ghostly past

Wednesday October 29, 2008 5:53 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

This eerie Angel of Death keeps watch over the grave of former Brooklyn mayor Charles Schieren.

By Lauren Johnston

When it comes to ghostly haunts, Green-Wood Cemetery has an esteemed list of resident spirits. The gravesites of notable New Yorkers cover its 478 acres, including the likes of Peter Cooper, Charles Pfizer, “Boss” Tweed and artist Jean Michel Basquiat.

We talked to author Alexandra Kathryn Mosca, who is also a funeral director, about her new pictorial book, “Green-Wood Cemetery,” to learn more about its haunted history.

Q: What was your most surprising discovery while researching?

A: One of the people I found was Dr. August Renouard. When I was coming up as a funeral director, the old-timers would talk about him. He was considered the father of modern day embalming. To a funeral director, that was significant.

Q: Which gravesite is the spookiest?

A: There is a really strange gravestone. It belonged to [former mayor of Brooklyn] Charles Schieren. The mayor and his wife died a few days apart, they both had pneumonia. The monument is the angel of death. I think it’s one of the eeriest.Q: You’ve written about many cemeteries, what makes Green-Wood special?

A: It’s almost a history – certainly of New York, but also of America as well. The people [buried there] are nationally known, names like Steinway, FAO Schwarz. Everybody knows these names.

Q: What new things will New Yorkers learn about Green-Wood from your book?

A: These names like [Horace] Greeley, Peter Cooper, we learn these as children and over the years, the accomplishments of these people become vague. I think this reacquaints them with the history of New York.

Q: How much time did you spend exploring the cemetery while writing?

A: I went there several days a week and walked the grounds and it was so amazing, even in the winter. You would just turn a corner and discover something.

Mosca will lead a cemetery trolley tour based on her book on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m., followed by an author Q & A, $20 for the tour, $30 for the tour and a copy of the book. “Green-Wood Cemetery,” Arcadia Publishing, $19.99.

Tags: green-wood cemetery, alexandra mosca, entertainment, brooklyn, books, arts

Eat well during hard times

Tuesday October 28, 2008 3:41 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Roxanne Anderson

Special to amNewYork

The current state of our economy hasn’t made things easy. Most of us are trying to be smart with our money and make the most of every dollar.

This has lead to unhealthy eating habits for many Americans, despite the fact that nutrition is crucial. Luckily, there are things you can do to make eating well affordable.Organic vs. Conventional

Organic produce is unquestionably better for your health. It’s free from pesticides and irradiation and is never genetically modified. The downside is that it’s more expensive. Research done by the Environmental Working Group shows that pesticide exposure can be lowered by almost 90% by swapping the 12 most contaminated conventional fruits and vegetables with the 12 least contaminated. This means that we can select the vegetables we buy from the organic section to help reduce our grocery bills.

There are 12 fruits and vegetables that you can get away with buying nonorganic: onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mango, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, banana, cabbage, broccoli and eggplant. All other vegetables should be organic as often as possible to reduce exposure to these harmful chemicals.

Bulk Up

Most grocery stores have a bulk food section where you can buy staples for a healthy diet at much lower prices. If you’ve never explored this section of the store, it is well worth it. They have huge bins filled with rice, beans, nuts, grains and even some healthy snack foods.

You can buy as much or as little as you like, so it’s also a great way to try new things. It is inexpensive and environmentally friendly because there is little to no packaging involved, because you scoop out what you want into a plastic bag.

For example, a pre-packaged one-pound bag of organic brown rice costs anywhere from $3.50 – $4.50 in most grocery stores; in the bulk food section it’s usually $1.99 per pound.

Smart Home Cookin'

Preparing meals at home cuts costs significantly and increases the nutritional value of the food.

The key to making it work is leftovers; cook once, eat three or four times. Cook a meal you love and make enough for three or four portions so you don’t have to spend a lot of time cooking. Bring your home-cooked meals for lunch at work as well.

These three ideas will significantly cut the amount of money you spend on food. It is common for our diets to suffer when money is tight but we cannot let this happen. Eating poorly will lead to long term problems and huge medical expenses.

So, put a little more thought into your meals and you’ll be able to afford a delicious and healthy diet.

These are the foods highest and lowest in pesticides:

Highest

Peaches

Apples

Sweet bell peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Lettuce

Grapes (imported)

Pears

Spinach

Potatoes

Lowest

Onions

Avocado

Sweet corn (frozen)

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas (frozen)

Asparagus

Kiwi

Bananas

Cabbage

Broccoli

Tags: cooking, economy, diet, food, fruits, grocery shopping, health, organic produce, vegetables, grocery stores

Broadway, Third Avenue deadliest streets in NYC

Tuesday October 28, 2008 3:35 PM By Pete Catapano

Pedestrians at Herald Square Tuesday. (Jefferson Siegel)

By Marlene Naanes

mnaanes@am-ny.com

Third Avenue and Broadway are the deadliest streets in the city, with 10 pedestrians killed on each roadway in the past three years, a new report says.

In fact, New York City is home to five of the top 10 most dangerous streets in the tri-state area, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s report.

“The most dangerous roads are either extremely busy urban roads, such as Third Avenue in Manhattan, that handle many pedestrians and cars,” said Michelle Ernst, a staff analyst with the group. “Or … they are major suburban roadways dotted with retail destinations but designed exclusively for fast moving traffic.”Third Avenue and Broadway tied for third place in the tri-state area with two Long Island roadways, Hempstead Turnpike in Nassau County and Sunrise Highway in Suffolk County, taking the top two spots. Overall, pedestrian deaths in the city are down with 136 fatalities last year compared to 187 in 2000.

Other dangerous roadways in the city that made the list were Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island and Grand Central Parkway in Queens.

Third Avenue and Broadway’s fatalities are partially due to the fact that both are incredibly busy streets with heavy car and pedestrian traffic, the group’s spokeswoman Kate Slevin said. Broadway is a particularly long road with hotspots where it converges with other main arteries, such as Amsterdam Avenue, she added. New Yorkers yesterday said such intersections are why they believe Broadway is one of the city’s deadliest thoroughfares.

“You don’t know which way to look,” said Gina McNally, 53, a bookkeeper from Flushing who travels to Broadway frequently. “They’ve got a bike lane in there now, too, and the bikes don’t always obey the traffic signals.”

Pamela Cooper, who works around Third Avenue, was not surprised that it was named one of the most dangerous streets.

“They need to have more traffic agents out,” said Cooper, of the Bronx. “When they don’t have them here it’s like the cars are going to hit you if you don’t get out of the way really fast. It’s very, very dangerous, especially by the [Queensboro] bridge.”

However,. the city’s most dangerous streets, Broadway and Third Avenue, saw a decline in pedestrian fatalities from 2005 to 2007, according to the report. The Tri-state transportation campaign said the city’s transportation department has done a lot for pedestrians by implementing programs that reduce injuries and fatalities, including one underway that replaces two lanes of traffic on Broadway with areas where pedestrians can walk and sit.

"Pedestrian fatalities in the city have been on the decline as DOT continues to make our streets safer with initiatives such as Safe Routes to Schools and Safe Streets for Seniors, as referenced in today’s report," transportation department spokesman Scott Gastel said in a statement.

Some New Yorkers on Third Avenue agreed and said, and said as long as pedestrians can avoid traffic hazards as long as they are nimble and aware.

“It’s just a lot of common sense — you should know what to do,” said Teresa Corbett, 20, of Murray Hill.

Tags: pedestrians, broadway, traffic

Spooky sustenance

Tuesday October 28, 2008 3:11 PM By Perrie Samotin

Grab a cold beer at Blind Tiger, off the parade route. (Phil S. Kropoth)

By Emily Ranager

Special to amNewYork

Carousing with ghosts and goblins at the 35th annual Village Halloween Parade on Friday can make even the most spirited revelers seek some refreshments. Here are a few restaurants and bars on or near the parade route.Obivia’s Parade

Midnight Bash

201 Lafayette St.

212-226-4904

Buy a cocktail to spin the wheel of prizes and win $25 gift certificates, free drinks or adult treats. From 12 to 4 a.m., specials include $5 “Smashing Pumpkin” beer and $3 “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” chili burgers.

Porky’s NYC

55 W. 21st St.

212-675-8007

Porky’s invites partiers to come “chug a beer and dance like an idiot” at their annual Nightmare on 21st Street parade after-party. Enjoy an open bar from 9 to 11 p.m. and compete in a $1,000 costume contest. $15 admission.

Blind Tiger Ale House

281 Bleecker St.

212-462-4682

Swing by this Village favorite and refuel with more than 50 bottled beers and 28 on tap, as well as grilled cheese, quesadillas and Murray’s cheese plates until 2 a.m.

Town Tavern

134 W. Third St.

212-253-6955

Wait for the parade to start here and enjoy a $10 open bar from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by $4 “creepy crawler” Jell-O shots and “after dark” drafts. Come in costume and compete to win $500 in cash and prizes.

The Half Pint

76 W. Third St.

212-260-1088

It’ll get spooky at this ale house, where you can gulp $4 pumpkin ales and spooky shots, or pony up $20 for a “dead guy” growler — a half-gallon jug of beer. The best costumes will take home prizes.

Vintage Irving

118A E. 15th St.

212-677-6300

If you prefer your Halloween a bit tamer, try the $40 Ode to the Pumpkin tasting dinner. Enjoy pumpkin-seed-crusted fried green tomatoes and pumpkin soufflé paired with three harvest beers. Seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m.

vintageirvingny.com.

Sushi Samba 7

87 Seventh Ave. South

212-691-7885

The kabuki-themed revelry will include a costumed staff and a Dracula dessert with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry foam. Come in costume for a chance to win a weekend in Las Vegas and dinner at the restaurant’s recently opened branch on the Strip.

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

1 Fifth Ave.

212-995-9559

This Mario Batali joint is serving its regular menu, including pizza ($7 to $14), pasta ($9) and gelato ($7). Otto gets busy on Halloween, so reservations are strongly recommended.

Chat ‘n’ Chew

10 E. 16th St.

212-243-1616

Warm up with down-home staples such as mac and cheese, meatloaf and sweet pumpkin cheesecake. Arrive by 7 p.m. for happy hour drink specials.

PARADE ESSENTIALS:

Route: The parade runs along Sixth Ave., from Spring St. to 21st St.

Time: Friday, 7 to 10 p.m., though participants are encouraged to line up at 6 p.m. on Sixth Ave. between Spring and Broome sts.

Trains: 1, 2,3 to 14th St., A, B, C, D, E, F, Q to West 4th St.

At home: The parade will be telecast live on NY1 from 8 - 9:30 p.m.

Tags: halloween, new york city, things to do, restaurants, bars, drinking, parade, route, entertainment, beer, food, holiday traditions, neighborhoods, manhattan

Haunt your own house

Tuesday October 28, 2008 2:05 PM By Perrie Samotin

An Upper East Side residence decorated for Halloween. (Photo: Phil S. Kropoth)

By Amanda Magnus

Special to amNewYork

New Yorkers may be feeling the fear of the economic pinch, but that hasn’t stopped some from decking their homes with ghouls, goblins and everything in between this Halloween season.

“We really embrace the horror,” said T.J. O’Shea, an assistant to Manhattanite Richard Medly, who owns a gruesomely decorated townhouse on 63rd Street between Park and Madison avenues.The Medlys — whose house is covered in such seasonal emphemera as skulls, vultures, a barbecue roasting (faux) human flesh and a gutted pig — compete every year with friends a few blocks north. “We definitely won this year,” O’Shea said.

The family and its neighbors are hardly alone in the impulse to decorate, as total Halloween spending is expected to reach about $5.77 billion nationwide this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer survey. That means the average person will spend $66.54 — up from $64.82 last year.

William Freeman, an attorney, said he enjoys the scary sights.

“I’d love to see more places like this,” he said, in reference to a decorated Upper East Side home.

But not every haunted house gets that kind of love.

In Greenpoint, Barbara Galeotafiore’s neighbors have complained about her home’s get-up, and recently the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation told her to remove the lights she’d strung through her trees to illuminate flying ghouls. Galeotafiore said the agency told her the lights dry up the leaves and officials threatened her with a summons if she didn’t eighty-six them.

In addition to the ghouls, Galeotafiore’s decorations include a glowing organ, gravestones, illuminated pumpkins and spooks inside her front gate.

“We used to have music, but the neighbors complained about that, too,” she said.

Her decorations are part of a 40-year family tradition — flamboyant decorating for all major holidays. Though neighbors and the city aren’t shy about making their objections known, Galeotafiore said she gets the seal of approval from an audience for whom the display is intended: children.

“I usually get about a hundred kids who stop by,” she said.

Try three scarily simple tips:

1. Brown paper bags can be creepy luminaria.

Draw pumpkins, witches or ghosts on the bags, weigh them down with sand and insert votive candles in glass holders. Use the bags to line stoops and counters, or to throw a little light on tabletops.

2. Black pumpkins are scarier than orange ones.

Fully scoop out a pumpkin, spray it with black paint, then carve a Jack-o-lantern. Add candles to up the fright factor.

3. Themed candles set a mood.

Pottery Barn (117 E. 59th St.) carries a selection of skull-shaped candles and votives decorated with a skull and crossbones. Pier 1 (71 Fifth Ave.) has black pumpkin candles. And at Crate and Barrel (611 Broadway), pick up a few spider-shaped tea candles.

Tags: halloween, manhattan, brooklyn, greenpoint, upper east side, haunted house, spooky, decorations, new york city, holiday, holiday traditions, stuff that's cool, architecture

Macy's: A part of America's life for 150 years

Tuesday October 28, 2008 2:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

The Empire State Building was red in honor of Macy's 150th anniversary, as seen from the department store's 35th Street entrance in Herald Square Tuesday night. (Photo: Rolando Pujol)

Macy's turned 150 Tuesday, and in the evening, the Empire State Building blazed in red until midnight to mark the occasion. Read about Macy's history here. And a fun fact: The Macy's star was inspired by a tattoo on R.H. Macy's arm. The tattoo was a tribute to "the star that guided him when lost at sea." Read more Macy's history here.

Tags: macy's, empire state building, herald square, history, retail, architecture, manhattan, shopping

City may be in for even tougher fiscal times

Tuesday October 28, 2008 1:45 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

With the state facing its largest budget deficit ever and Wall Street still hurting, New Yorkers may be forced to accept even deeper city spending cuts than originally proposed by the mayor.

“It may be turning out even worse than what the city was saying,” said Charles Brecher, research director of the Citizens Budget Commission, a non-profit group that monitors the city’s finances. “In times like this there’s going to be shared burdens, people are going to pay more taxes and have reduced services.”

In June, Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked all city departments to reduce their spending by 2.5 percent this year and 5 percent next year. But since then, the city’s financial sector has suffered heavy losses and tax revenues are expected to decline into next year.“There’s no question there’s going to be major cuts to services,” said Councilman David Weprin, chairman of the council’s Finance Committee.

Weprin said he expects the mayor’s office to give his committee its quarterly budget projections next week.

At a news conference yesterday, Bloomberg said he expects tax revenue to be down 10 to 12 percent. That’s twice the drop anticipated in the June budget, according to Doug Turetsky, chief of staff for the city’s Independent Budget Office.

“We prepared for a downturn; we didn’t prepare for a meltdown,” Bloomberg said.

Making matters worse, Gov. David Paterson announced toay that the state is looking at a $12.5 billion deficit, its largest ever.

A spokesman for Bloomberg declined to discuss what specific cuts or new taxes might come, but he noted the mayor’s budgets this year and next already anticipated about $4 billion in cuts. A recent 7 percent reduction in property taxes is also likely to be canceled.

The spokesman, Marc LaVorgna, said spending aimed at keeping streets clean, police protection and cultural institutions would not be on the chopping block.

“The quality of life in the city has to be maintained,” he said.

Tags: budget, michael bloomberg, david paterson, wall street, economy, city hall dispatch

New Kids on the Block: Still got it? Or kinda gross

Tuesday October 28, 2008 12:42 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

(L-R) Danny Wood, Donnie Whalberg, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight and Jonathan Knight of New Kids On The Block at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2008 in New York City. (Getty Images)

By Lauren Johnston

In the realm of boy bands, it has to be said, the New Kids on the Block are geezers, and a reunion tour could easily equal a pathetic disaster. Donnie Wahlberg and Jon Knight are both pushing 40, and it’s been nearly 20 years since the group’s concert heyday.

But apparently, no one told the fans – still swooning after all these years. Or lead crooner Jordan Knight, whose wailing falsetto at last night’s MSG show was circa 1987. I saw New Kids on the Block in concert for the first time at the York County Fair (read, rural Pennsylvania) when I was 10. I had the crazed strain of NKOTB fever, like every other girl I knew. My parents bought my sister and me concert t-shirts, which we put on immediately and decorated with pancake-sized fan buttons.

Then we continued the debate we’d raged over for weeks: Who was cutest? “Duh, Joey!” (her) “No WAY! Jordan.” (me)

We were so psyched to hear “The Right Stuff” live that we barely noticed our seats were in the next-to-last-row. When the lights blinked out, the thousands of pre-teen girls in the crowd launched into a shrill, unified scream that lasted until the final number, and we barely heard a word as the toothpick-sized band members bounced in and out of choreographed poses on the distant stage.

And that was pretty much my experience last night at the New Kids reunion tour show – 20 years later – again with my sister, though minus the shirts. And we had a new debate: “It might be lame and sad.” (me) “No WAY! It’ll be awesome!” (her)

The crowd sided with her. (see video below):

When the lights blinked out, tens of thousands of grown women broke into deafening screams that lasted until the encore numbers, “Step-by-Step” and “Hangin’ Tough.” And we barely heard the boys (nee men) singing the words to “I’ll be Loving You Forever,” and “Please Don’t Go Girl” (a few octaves lower) over the chorus bursting from the bleacher seats.

When the Kids reprised their old hits, it was like revisiting a sweet time when nothing mattered more than jelly bracelets and pink boomboxes.

But when they sang songs from their new album, “The Block,” the Beantown boys were more like a gang of pervy sleazebags than ex-teen idols – fist-pumping in unison as they shouted out leering lyrics like “I’mma give you some grown man,” delivered along with a hip-thrust and if that wasn’t obvious enough – finger-pointing toward their crotches.

So NKOTB, I was happy to see you. You didn’t suck. It was good trip down memory lane, and yes, I did shoot out of my seat involuntarily to sing every word to “Step-By-Step.” But, the appeal is more for the little girl left inside your grown-up fans. And the idea of some “grown man” is just kinda gross.

Tags: nkotb, new kids on the block, madison square garden, jordan knight, jon knight, donnie wahlberg, arts, entertainment, manhattan, music, old school

Landmarks commission gives go-ahead to demolish St. Vincent's building

Tuesday October 28, 2008 11:04 AM By Mae Cheng

The O'Toole building on Seventh Avenue. Photo by masnyc via flickr

By Jason Fink

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted narrowly today to allow St. Vincent's Hospital to demolish the O'Toole building on Seventh Avenue, the center of a pitched battle between the hospital and preservationists seeking to save the 45-year-old structure.

The commission voted 6-4 to approve knocking down the four-story O'Toole building, on 12th Street, and replace it with a 20-story tower.

The commission in May rejected the hospital's $1.6 billion development proposal, which would have knocked down nine buildings on both sides of Seventh Avenue, and the hospital came back with a "hardship application" to tear down the O'Toole building.It was that application that the commission approved this morning.

“We are very pleased that the Landmarks Preservation Commission today approved St. Vincent’s hardship application, allowing us to take another step forward to building a 21st century, technologically advanced hospital for Manhattan’s West Side and Downtown," said a statement released today by the hospital. "St. Vincent’s is in a unique position as the only hospital in New York City located entirely within an historic district. Moreover, the lack of alternatives facing the hospital and the complications of constructing a new facility in a dense urban area made the case before the Commission challenging."

The chairman of Community Board 2 in Greenwich Village said today he was disappointed that the O'Toole building may be knocked down.

“There’s widespread disappointment,” said the chairman, Brad Hoylman. “We did believe the building was unique for its modernist architecture. It certainly stood apart from other structures in the village and it is within the Greenwich Village Historic District so many our members are upset by the precedent this sets.”

The hospital sought permission to demolish the structure - sometimes referred to as the "overbite building" because of the serrated overhangs on its facade - in order to consolidate all its operations in the new tower. It has sold its eight buildings on the other side of the street to a developer, which will put up residential buildings.

Of those eight, four are slated to be knocked down and four will be renovated.

The hospital had argued in its hardship application that the O'Toole building was outmoded and that it was impeding the Catholic hospital's charitable mission by hampering its ability to serve the area.

It is the only Level 1 trauma center on the West Side of Manhattan below 59th Street.

The plan now goes to the city planning commission and then the city council, where Speaker Christine Quinn, in whose district the O'Toole building lies, has already expressed support for the demolition.

Tags: st. vincent's hospital, landmark preservation commission, o'toole building, architecture, neighborhoods, history, endangered nyc, development

Presidential pumpkin-carving and other stuff around town today ....

Tuesday October 28, 2008 9:50 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Knicks players and David Stern appear at tip-off to 2008-09 season; southern end, Union Square Park.

5 p.m. Pumpkin carving artist Hugh McMahon carves images of

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama; in front of Spicy Pickle restaurant, 143 Montague St., Brooklyn Heights.

6:30 p.m. Final night of the South Asian International Film Festival;

AMC/Loews Theater, 890 Broadway, at 19th Street.

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

Viral video: Wasssssuuuuup!

Tuesday October 28, 2008 9:36 AM By Sean Joseph

Eight years after the Budweiser commercials, this guy is still asking his friends “wassup.” But life has not been kind to he and his friends.

Tags: viral video, television

This Statue of Liberty is about to get exiled

Monday October 27, 2008 4:17 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Laura Silver

Special to amNewYork

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated 122 years ago Tuesday, but a few miles north, a much smaller version of the city’s great symbol of welcome is about to get exiled.

For 32 years, a human-scale Statue of Liberty has lifted her halogen lamp atop the two-story American Pipe & Tank Lining Co., on West 35th Street. Now, the small-scale Mother of Exiles is observing its final autumn in Manhattan, a half-block from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The 102-year-old family firm will relocate — under duress — to make way for the Hudson Yards real-estate development.

"The city seized our property under eminent domain," said company president Richard Silver, from an office crammed with fishing-trip photos, golf clubs and industry citations.

George Shea, a spokesman for the Hudson Yards Development Corp., said the building will ultimately be demolished. American Pipe has been there for 38 years.

But Lady Liberty will be salvaged.Silver, 69, intends to bring his "favorite lady" to his company's new Long Island City headquarters.

"You can't leave her behind," said his son Steven, the fifth generation in the business.

“We’ll just unbolt it and rebolt it to the new building," said the elder Silver, who purchased the cast cement-fiberglass-epoxy reproduction in 1976 as a decoration for a building-industry Bicentennial celebration.

"I saw it somewhere and I just bought it," said Silver. "It wasn’t a major expense, about $50."

That wasn't his only foray into the realm of public art. The mechanical engineer and licensed plumber used his technical know-how to help British artist Rachel Whiteread. Her 12-foot resin cast of a wooden water tank is now installed on the roof of the Museum of Modern Art.

"Water Tower" was originally commissioned by the Public Art Fund in 1998. The organization's then-director, Tom Eccles, said Silver provided essential technical advice and pinpointed the location where it was first displayed, high above Grand Street in lower Manhattan.

Chris Vilardi, president of Long Island City Artists, is not convinced Silver's tempest-tost statue qualifies as public art. He would rather see new work made specifically for the western Queens neighborhood. "I'm sure someone's going to pass by and enjoy it," he said. "I'm almost certain it won't be me."

Others see the small-scale statue as emblematic of the same ideals of the real lady in the harbor.

"One of the great things about New York is idiosyncratic individuals are still able to make some impact on the landscape," said Eccles, now executive director of Bard College's Center for Curatorial Studies. "It's not just about big developers."

Photo: Richard Silver, owner of American Pipe and Tank Lining at 538 W. 35th St. in Manhattan, has a replica of the Statue of Liberty on his roof and memorabilia like promotional T-shirts and masks in his office. (Dave Sanders)

Tags: manhattan, hell's kitchen, hudson yards, long island city, statue of liberty, neighborhoods, real estate, queens, architecture

Suze Orman, Jim Cramer, Warren Buffett? Plenty of money advice around

Monday October 27, 2008 4:00 PM By Garett Sloane

Jim Cramer and Suze Orman (amNY illustration/Christopher Sabatini)

By Garett Sloane

Whom do you trust with your money?

At a time when the economy and stock market have been turned upside down, everybody is looking for direction, and there are plenty of celebrity financial experts on TV and the Web willing to tell you what to do.

“When there is a period of marked stress, ... your everyday consumer and investor is looking for advice and is seeking advice more than they ever have in the past,” said Dan Simon, managing director of Cognito, a communications consulting firm on Wall Street. “There is no shortage of pundits willing to stick their oar in.”He’s right. The pundits have exploded from niche cable financial networks - CNBC and Fox Business - and they are now regulars on shows like Oprah and Martha Stewart. Every market move made by super rich investor Warren Buffett is front-page news. And who could forget Jim Cramer’s “dump stocks now” rant on the “Today” show earlier this month?

In the clamor, the message comes through muddied for some New Yorkers.

“It seems like one week, they’re saying one thing and the next week they say another,” said Vincent Madonia, 28, of Queens.

While Cramer of CNBC’s “Mad Money” might be the most outspoken prognosticator, he’s just one in a crowded field doling out advice.

Suze Orman

One guru credited for consistency has been Suze Orman, whose celebrity star has risen with at least three appearances on Oprah since the sky started falling.

On her self-titled CNBC show, Orman has drawn a following by dishing out get-out-of debt advice and counseling individuals on what they can and cannot afford. She is often parodied on “Saturday Night Live,” a true sign of cultural relevance.

One New Yorker spoken to, who wanted to remain anonymous while discussing personal finance issues, said Orman’s advice helped her get out of debt.

Steve Forbes

Steve Forbes, a giant in the financial world and former presidential candidate, appeared on the cover of his magazine for the first time, joining the national discussion. The issue hit stands Friday.

“At a time like this, credible high-level information is more prized than ever by serious investors,” said Carl Lavin, editor in chief of Forbes.com.

Warren Buffet

Buffett is one expert who is almost universally respected, and when he pored about $8 billion of his own money into the stock market, it was noticed.

The recent investment into storied companies Goldman Sachs and General Electric was like a battle cry by an old warrior amid a retreating army, though the result was not enough to turn the markets around.

Perhaps Buffet’s most noted talent, however, is his easy-to-understand wisdom.

Asked if he would take Buffett’s advice, Edward Burman of the Upper West Side gave an emphatic yes: “He’s an American icon.”

Jim Cramer

Then there’s Cramer, who was criticized for fanning fear when he appeared on the “Today” show screaming “sell” at the height of the panic. That rant had followed a period when Cramer was saying that financial stocks were good buys.

How do casual observers gauge what information is credible or not? The answer is dicey with the unpredictability of the stock market.

“All the so-called experts have been demonized or lost a lot of credibility over the last six months,” according to Charles Payne, a stock analyst who contributes to Fox Business.

Alan Greenspan

When even a financial wizard like Alan Greenspan comes out and admits his entire economic worldview has been wrong - as he did last week - “it’s time to turn off the TV and do your own homework,” Simon said.

That’s what Burman, a lawyer, said he would do now that “my 401(k) is shot. My E-Trade account is shot.”

Tags: suze orman, jim cramer, mad money, warren buffett, steve forbes, charles payne, fox business, cnbc, alan greenspan, wall street, personal finance, oprah winfrey, dan simon, carl lavin, media, manhattan, economy

Hikind, a Clinton supporter, endorses McCain for president

Monday October 27, 2008 3:52 PM By Emily Ngo

(AP)

By Emily Ngo

Legions of Hillary Clinton supporters vowed they would not vote for her rival Barack Obama following the Democratic primary, promising to back John McCain or stay away from the polls all together. While the vast majority have gravitated toward Obama in the subsequent months, some politicians are staying true to their word.

Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), a staunch supporter of Clinton, Monday endorsed Sen. John McCain for president, citing Sen. Barack Obama's connections to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as the reason he crossed party lines.

"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright repeatedly lauded Louis Farrakhan,

conferring upon him honorific titles, often sounding like a devoted disciple of Farrakhan's. Farrakhan called Judaism the 'synagogue of Satan.' ... Obama did nothing. He said nothing. Not for one year. Not for five years ... not even after 10 years. For 20 years, Obama did not protest his pastor's racist tantrums."

"Barack Obama has not done anything to deserve my vote,” concluded Hikind, who has served his district for more than 20 years.

Tags: john mccain, brooklyn, dov hikind, politics

Economy could sink subway, bus ridership

Monday October 27, 2008 2:10 PM By Pete Catapano

By Marlene Naanes

The economy might bring down transit ridership in 2009 even though the number of subway and bus riders hit 40-year record highs this year.

An MTA official indicated yesterday that rising unemployment rates could affect ridership since fewer people will be commuting to work.

Next year’s MTA budget, first proposed in July, based ridership projections on better employment forecasts, said MTA Chief Financial Officer Gary Dellaverson.Transit ridership is at a 40-year high, continuing a steady increase since 1996. However, this month City Comptroller Bill Thompson predicted more than 150,000 job losses in the next two years, which could affect the number of people taking trains and buses or being able to afford fares.

An MTA spokesman, however, said that it is unclear if the number of straphangers will decrease.

“There will be some reduction in the pace of growth, not necessarily a drop in ridership,” MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

Details on ridership projections will be discussed at a special finance meeting next month that will discuss changes in overall estimates in next year’s budget.

Tags: economy, subway, bill thompson, mta, transit

Bloomberg says a call from the White House is unlikely

Monday October 27, 2008 2:03 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Will it be Mr. Bloomberg goes to Washington?

Fresh off a big victory in the contentious term limits battle, in which he won the right to run for a third four-year term, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked today if he would take a cabinet position in either a Barack Obama or John McCain administration.

“Never say never,” Bloomberg said with a grin, before noting that he wanted to keep his current job by running for re-election in November 2009.Bloomberg wrote an essay in the current issue of Newsweek, in which he offered advice to the next president on dealing with the economic crisis, prompting speculation – not for the first time – that he was hoping for a cabinet position, presumably Treasury Secretary.

“It is very unlikely that whoever gets elected, they will call me and say, ‘the country needs you,’” Bloomberg said during a press conference at City Hall Park. “If he were to do so I think I would try to dissuade him.”

Bloomberg, a billionaire who switched his party registration from Democrat to Republican to run for mayor seven years ago and is now an independent, said he hoped the next president would pick someone with Washington experience to run the Treasury Department, preferably one who had done the job before.

Bloomberg also addressed a report that he would seek to run for re-election on the Democratic Party line on next year’s ballot, calling such a possibility “unlikely.”

Three Democrats are already in the race and will presumably face off in the 2009 primary: City Comptroller William Thompson, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) and City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens).

Bloomberg twice won election on the Republican ticket.

Tags: john mccain, barack obama, presidential election, michael bloomberg, city hall dispatch

City residents get 105 new chances to recycle

Monday October 27, 2008 1:43 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

New Yorkers will now have more chances to recycle, thanks to a city program that will put an additional 105 recycling bins in 33 new public places throughout the five boroughs.

The bins – green for newspapers and magazines and blue for bottles and cans – will be placed mostly in parks and at busy intersections. The Sanitation Department will pick them up during its regular routes."All new locations are in areas heavily trafficked by pedestrians," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference this morning.

The city paid about $50,000 for the bins.

Tags: michael bloomberg, recycling, neighborhoods

Third-term-enamored Bloomberg runs afoul of Alec Baldwin

Monday October 27, 2008 12:39 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Jason Fink

Add movie star (and outspoken Democrat) Alec Baldwin to the list of New Yorkers who object to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's successful push to overturn the city's term limits law.

In an online column for the Huffington Post, the famously mercurial leading man decries the notion that the economic crisis presents a special circumstance that justifies reversing two public referendums on the issue.

"This [City Council] vote leaves me wondering a few things. One is that supporters of Bloomberg's move argue that New York is in crisis and only Bloomberg, with his business acumen and experience in office, can serve effectively as mayor now. Do they suggest that Bloomberg would withhold his insights and assistance on behalf of New Yorkers unless the law is changed? Negate the will of the voters or Bloomberg won't play ball? What kind of public servant says that?"

Baldwin has never been shy about expressing his political opinions, routinely coming down on the opposite side of the spectrum from his conservative brother, Stephen.

He appeared on "Saturday Night Live recently" in a skit denouncing Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who made a guest a appearance.

Photo: AP

Tags: michael bloomberg, alec baldwin, politics, term limits, television

I was a judge at the Tompkins Square Park Dog Halloween Parade

Monday October 27, 2008 12:01 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Tricked-out dogs compete for treats at the 18th annual Tompkins Square Park dog Halloween Parade. (Photos/ AP, Getty Images)

By Lauren Johnston

How do you choose a winner from the wriggling, barking sea of super-cute costumed canines that show up each year for the premier East Village event of the year?

I’m talking, of course, about the Tompkins Square Park Dog Halloween Parade, which attracted more than 400 pups to its 18th annual contest on Sunday. And after participating as a judge for the first time, I can attest that picking the prize-winning pooches is tough work. [Parade PHOTOS here]

There are some unwritten rules that govern the choices and help narrow down the field of four-legged bugs, bats, hot dogs and princesses. Crafty (better yet, clever!) homemade costumes always take top honors.

Your pug might make the cutest honey bee this side of Avenue A, but if the costume is store-bought, Fuggedaboutit! Your dog ain't taking home a title.I mean - it’s the Village, birthplace of many an artistic movement, so creativity is a requirement. And anything of the zeitgeist goes over well too – for instance the “Joe the Plumber” dog, whose owner hand-sewed a prosthetic butt crack from a nylon stocking.

Kudos too to these costumes: Ahab and his yellow Lab Moby Dick, Elliot with his Boston Terrier E.T. in a bike basket, Oscar the Grouch (we hope that green hairspray was dog-safe!), Sandy and her Danny Zucco dog, the living scene from the “Dogs Playing Poker” painting and the Dachshund damsel in distress playing the part of Rapunzel.

If you couldn’t be there to see the dogs, that’s a shame, but you can see their photos [HERE].

Tags: pets, petropolis, halloween, tompkins square park, dogs, parks, manhattan, holiday traditions

OK, so your commute could be worse ...

Monday October 27, 2008 10:06 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Photo from The Flashlight

We all participate in what's practically an official sport in NYC: grousing about the subways and buses. The Lexington Ave. lines and the L train can be pretty packed during rush hours, but I've never had my face actually smushed against the glass like this. So ... I guess it could be worse, is what I'm saying.

- Lauren Johnston

Tags: subway, transportation, transit

Mad Men's creator surprises fans at Manhattan season finale bash

Monday October 27, 2008 10:00 AM By Rolando Pujol

"Mad Men" creator Matt Weiner chats with Roberta Lipp, left, and her sister Deborah, who run the popular blog on the show, "Basket of Kisses." (Photo: Elisabeth Stuveras)

By Rolando Pujol

Matt Weiner, the screenwriter who brought Don Draper to life, showed up at an Upper East Side "Mad Men" fan bash Sunday night, stunning partygoers who has just watched the season finale.

The gregarious Weiner was surrounded by fans eager to get his signature on "Mad Men" party favors and Zippo-lighter-shaped DVD boxes and chat him up about the AMC show that recently took the Emmy for top drama.

"I love how much it's come into the culture, that it seems to be well-timed, and that you don't have to be embarrassed about being smart. It makes you feel smart watching the show. Nothing is given to you." said Weiner during his appearance at Phoenix Park, where the party was thrown by Deborah and Roberta Lipp, who run the popular "Mad Men" blog "Basket of Kisses." (You're not a fan if you can't appreciate its name.)

Weiner, a former executive producer and writer for "The Sopranos," nursed the idea for years before AMC gave him the platform last summer. He lived every TV writer's dream this weekend -- capping a successful second season and seeing his show's star, Jon Hamm, host "Saturday Night Live."

"I didn't think I'd do that many episodes. I certainly didn't know if it would go beyond a season. I was thrilled that the pilot got shot. Literally, you can go back and make a list of what you hoped to happen."

So what's up with season three? Better wait.

"Guys, it just aired. I just finished it last Tuesday. I'm here in the city to soak it in and start over."

More: Check out our columns, "Mad Men and the City," which Weiner told us he enjoys! Visit Urbanite tonight for our take on the season finale.

Tags: mad men, television, basket of kisses, matthew weiner, lipp sisters

Why you can't adopt a black cat for Halloween ...

Monday October 27, 2008 9:30 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

By Jessica Firger

A sleek black cat rested in his cage at the front room of Hope Veterinary Clinic in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. His yellow eyes beckoned potential parents.

“My name is Poe,” read the sign on the front of his temporary home. “I am a 7-month-old, neutered male, and I am the Purr-fect Halloween cat.”

But the weeks leading up to Halloween can mean bad luck for black cats.

Some city pet shelters and adoption agencies ban black-cat adoptions this time of year – fearful the felines could be used for religious or sacrificial purposes by groups engaged in witchcraft and paranormal communication.

“We don’t adopt any black cats for most of October,” said Kiri Blakeley, a volunteer at Kitty Kind, a weekend adoption service located in the back of the PetCo store at Union Square. “We have a black out.”The lore surrounding black cats goes back perhaps further than the traditions of dressing up, carving jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating.

Black cats became associated with evil in the Middle Ages when it was believed the animals were witches reincarnated. Black cats maintain their Halloween mystique, but most people who work or volunteer in animal adoption agencies couldn’t tell you what a witch might actually do with a kitty.

Still, Antonia Kwalick at Hope Veterinary Clinic recently used her feline instincts to thwart a potentially scary situation. A woman came into the clinic, hoping to swap her two tabbies for two black kittens.

Kwalick turned her away.

“She was a little too freaky, a little too out there,” Kwalick said, adding the clinic maintains a rigid screening process.

“I don’t know what they would do with the cats, and I don’t want to know,” said Kwalick, who has two black kitties herself.

According to the ASPCA, which files thousands of animal cruelty cases annually, there has yet to be a case involving a black cat on Halloween.

Gail Buchwald, senior vice president of adoption services at the agency, said prospective owners are finicky when it comes to adopting black cats. They’re usually the last to be given homes, while their grey, black and white, orange, and tabby brothers and sisters get adopted first – in that order, according to one study.

“There’s a lot of crazy taboo about black cats crossing over,” said Buchwald.

Linda Hanley, the executive director of the Northeast Council of W.I.C.C.A, said witches have no interest in harming cats of any color.

“When a cat gets hurt on Halloween, it’s not the witches, wiccans, or pagans,” she said. “It’s the kids.”

“For pagans, Halloween is a celebration of the new year. We have private ceremonies to honor our ancestors who have crossed over,” explained Hanley, adding that wicca honors all life, including the lives of animals.

“Really, black cats are the same as any other cats,” she added.

Tags: pets, petropolis, halloween, aspca, holiday traditions

Marathon ads make me feel marathon guilt

Monday October 27, 2008 9:26 AM By Emily Ngo

Marathon ads that make me feel guilty about not being a marathoner. Via ATHLETE Director Dave on Flickr.

Is the wealth of Asics/New York City Marathon ads making anyone else realize they're simply not working out enough?

With an ad featuring a handsome, glistening marathoner plastered on every wall of Union Square station and many a city bus, I've become suddenly aware I cannot run a 30-second mile. I am an athletic failure.

Thanks a lot Asics/New York Marathon ads. You don't make me want to attend the marathon. You don't make me want to buy Asics. You make me want to eat my feelings.

— Emily Ngo

Tags: advertising, new york city marathon, union square

Viral video: British guard cracks a smile

Monday October 27, 2008 9:09 AM By Sean Joseph

It turns out some British guards do have a sense of humor, and all it took was a complimentary tune from a couple of tourists.

Tags: viral video, television

Sample sales: Kooba, MaxMara, EOS watches

Monday October 27, 2008 7:37 AM By Julie Gordon

Bags from Kooba are on sale this week.

Every Monday, amNewYork brings you sample sale listings for the week:

European Designers collection

Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 30 W. 57th St., fourth floor, between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Pieces from European designers Alessandro Dell Acqua, Finamore, Attolini and McLeod are up to 75 percent off. Men’s and women’s clothing, handbags, sunglasses, belts and fragrances are available. A percentage of proceeds benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

MaxMara

Oct. 27, 1 to 8 p.m.; Oct. 28 to 30, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 145 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

Trendy pieces from MaxMara’s collections (including Max & Co and ‘SMaxMara) are 70 percent off. A winter cape that was $385 is now $115. A printed long-sleeved dress that was $228 is now $69.Kooba

Oct. 28 to 30, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed 2 to 3 p.m.). 141 W. 36th St., between Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

Leather bags from celebrity favorite Kooba are 50 to 80 percent off. The brand is known for its bright colors, detailed hardware and interesting shapes..

EOS

Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 1140 Broadway, loft 804, at 26th Street.

Retro-inspired digital watches are between $5 and $50. Regular prices ranged from $80 to $300.

Tags: sample sales, kooba, eos, maxmara, shopping

Cops: B'klyn mom admits to girl's death

Monday October 27, 2008 7:27 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

From Newsday.com

A Brooklyn mother has confessed she fatally beat her 11-year-old daughter with a mop handle and left her to die in bed, police said. Florenzia Vazquez, 36, allegedly told detectives she hit the girl so hard on the head that the handle shattered. [MORE ...]

Tags: brooklyn, crime

amNewYork print edition headlines ...

Monday October 27, 2008 7:19 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Here are the top stories from today's print edition of amNewYork:

* Discount buses pose an idle threat: By Marlene Naanes

* Mayoral race still going strong after term limits vote: By Jason Fink

* Bloomberg lends economic advice for next president: By Jason Fink

Stuff that's fun and/or free in NYC today ...

Monday October 27, 2008 6:43 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Noon to 3 p.m. Bravo’s “Top Chef” and NYC & Company present “Taste of the Five Boroughs”; Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall, entrance on 42nd Street.

3:45 p.m. High school students who participated in city environmental and

energy projects display samples of their green design houses, solar ovens and model streets to demonstrate alternative energy and conservation practices; Greenmarket, Union Square

6:30 p.m. Debate on fairness in election coverage; Fordham University,

McNally Auditorium, 140 W. 62nd St.

7 p.m. Closing symposium of the Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts

sponsored by the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, with Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, Phylicia Rashad, Anna Deavere Smith and others, mode.rated by Leonard Lopate; Cooper Union’s Great Hall, 7 E. Seventh St., Manhattan.

7 p.m. Animal Fair Magazine’s Halloween Pet Costume Party benefiting

the Humane Society of New York, with dogs judged in 10 categories including “most offensive”; judges include Beth Ostrosky and Jeanine Pirro; the Mansion, 530 West 28th Street

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

Blue Marble Ice Cream has 'dream' of store in Rwanda

Sunday October 26, 2008 4:17 PM By Garett Sloane

Jennie Dundas, left, and Alexis Miesen, own Blue Marble Ice Cream. (Alana Abel)

By Jessica Troiano

Most New York storeowners with dreams of going global envision new shops in, say, London, Paris, Tokyo, maybe Dubai. Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream is set on Rwanda.

A year ago, owners Alexis Miesen and Jennie Dundas created a business that matched their values: The store uses dairy from organic-grass-fed cows and biodegradable cups and spoons. A location in Kigali, Rwanda, would fit with the shops social mission that is as essential a component of the business as the cream.

“We really want to make a bridge between our community and the community over there,” said Dundas.Dairy farming is widespread in the East African nation, but ice cream is nonexistent.

“There is this abundant natural resource in Rwanda,” Miesen said. “Dairy is one of the chief pathways for growing the economy.”

A Rwandan artist and activist, Odile Gakire Katese, inspired the idea of bringing Blue Marble to her homeland. Katese met Dundas, who is also an actor, at a theater workshop in Utah, where they discussed their mutual interests of ice cream and dairy farming.

For Katese, ice cream served as a symbolic sweet gesture in a country that only 14 years ago suffered from civil war and genocide, Dundas said. E-mails to Katese, who is in Rwanda, were not returned in time for this article.

“She said that things in our country are so hard for so many people, and that we are never going to solve all of our problems in our lifetime,” said Dundas. “But she believes in the power of the positive in peoples’ lives. For her, ice cream is a symbol of a moment of joy.”

Miesen and Dundas launched Blue Marble Dreams, a nonprofit to support the overseas venture. They are one-third of the way toward their fundraising goal of $100,000, they said. The owners and Matt White, Blue Marble’s ice cream maker, said they would travel to Rwanda in February for a three-week fact-finding mission.

“Small businesses don’t have to have only a small local impact,” Miesen said. “They can make a difference in a community very far from their own.”

Tags: blue marble dreams, nonprofit, rwanda, small business, ice cream, jennie dundas, alexis miesen, blue marble ice cream, restaurants, neighborhoods, environment, economy, brooklyn

Discount buses pose an idle threat

Sunday October 26, 2008 3:36 PM By Rolando Pujol

A private bus idles near a MTA bus stop on the corner of Allen and Canal streets last Thursday. (Alana Abel for amNY)

By Marlene Naanes

Discount bus companies are doing more than offering a cheap ride out of town—they are also clogging already congested streets, blocking city bus stops and idling too long, an amNewYork survey found.

More than a dozen buses were found parked in city bus stops, in front of fire hydrants or in the middle of traffic during less than a day’s time. Two buses were found idling longer than the legal three-minute limit, with one empty bus running its engine for about 30 minutes.

On a recent afternoon, one private bus in Chinatown blocked three M15 city buses from pulling into a city bus stop at Division Street and caused a man who uses a wheelchair to enter the street to reach the bus ramp. The bus received two traffic tickets.

“They park all over, all the time,” said Lenny Urban, 53, an M15 bus passenger, of the discount bus lines that sometimes exacerbate his breathing problems with long idling. “Sometimes they interfere with the city buses. They do that all the time.”

Intercity bus travel is growing at the fastest rate in more than 40 years, especially with recent growth in the discount bus lines, according to a recent DePaul University study. In the city, that growth is apparent on already congested city streets in Chinatown and midtown, leaving officials struggling for solutions. There are at least 15 companies offering discount bus service in the city.“It’s totally out of control and it’s only gong to get worse,” said City Councilman Alan Gerson (D-Manhattan), who represents Chinatown and whose office is continually contacted about bus issues. “It not only detracts from the quality of life it’s hazardous. We have more long-distance bus passengers in the Chinatown area than in midtown at the Port Authority.”

Gerson said there isn’t a management plan for buses in lower Manhattan, adding to the problem. He will be meeting with the city transportation department soon to discuss the problem in Chinatown.

Recently, police kicked a few companies out of an area near the Manhattan Bridge that the transportation department for a decade had designated for 30-minute layovers. Gerson’s office was told the companies were parking more buses than police allowed.

Buses from the three companies that used to park there were observed loading, unloading and parking in city bus stops.

“It’s terrible,” said David Wang, owner of Eastern Travel, who said his company received 40 traffic violations in just two weeks. “We try talk to [the local police inspector] several times, and he don’t let us meet with him to talk. If he needs us to do something, we do it.”

The other two companies did not respond to requests for comment. Police did not comment on the recent removal of buses from the layover area, but said that residents have been upset about the buses there for a long time.

Two community boards that represent the Chinatown area said there needs to be more enforcement of traffic and idling laws, and a centralized area where buses could layover would make such efforts easier. Community Board 3 held a hearing on designating one permanent area to control and regulate the buses, but two suggested locations couldn’t pass public scrutiny.

But even with designated areas, the private buses sometimes park in places they are not supposed to. A Bolt bus was recently found blocking a city bus stop on 34th Street while another one unloaded passengers while double-parked in a traffic lane next to the company’s designated spot further down the block.

A representative for the company, a division of Greyhound, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Despite causing some congestion problems, the companies’ popularity is hailed by some New Yorkers.

“For the poor people, their prices are very reasonable,” said Phil Stapleton, who works at Bondy Camera and Appliances in Chinatown, which is next to a private bus company. “In these times, everyone wants to save a penny.”

Alex Clark, 34, who’s lived in Chinatown for seven years, agreed, despite more buses whose passengers clog sidewalks outside his home.

“It’s a little bit worse, but whatever, people have to get to places,” Clark said. “It’s the price you pay in New York City.”

***

Idle threats

amNewYork found the following problems with discount buses. Attempts to reach these companies for comment were unsuccessful.

An Apex bus parked in front of a hydrant on Allen Street for at least 10 minutes on Wednesday.

One New Century bus idled in front of an East Broadway post office for nine minutes without loading passengers.

An unmarked white bus parked for about 10 minutes on Wednesday at an M9 bus stop on East Broadway, blocking one city bus.

Two New Century buses parked at an M9 bus stop on East Broadway on Wednesday, blocking one bus from the curb. One bus idled for more than 30 minutes without loading passengers.

-- Marlene Naanes

Tags: discount buses, chinatown, manhattan, traffic, congestion, environment, midtown, transportation, transit, development

amNewYork letters to the editor

Sunday October 26, 2008 3:14 PM By Rolando Pujol

Bailout was a mistake

President Bush and his henchmen lied again. Before signing the bill bailing out the fat cats of Wall Street, Bush and the treasury said if the bill is not signed, people will lose jobs. Why are they now slashing thousands of the jobs in the companies? Why are those billions of dollars injected into the companies not saving them? They say it will take months and years to see the impact and the situation will get worse. One day, like Alan Greenspan did, this country will realize that pouring hundreds of billions into Wall Street on the pretext of saving the common man is the biggest mistake ever committed by people in the highest office.

Srinivas Guduru, Queens

Term limit vote should have been people's choice

I am against term limits on anything. I voted against them twice. Mayor Bloomberg is most likely the best qualified to handle difficult financial problems for our city, but the fact that the city council overturned the will of the people by taking down the term limit barrier was not the right thing constitutionally, ethically or morally. Get that term limit issue back on the ballot for the next mayoral election.

Robert Yuknavech, Manhattan

Bloomberg only helping the rich get richer

Mayor Mike wants to save NYC from the financial crisis? So far he’s given the Yanks and Mets new stadiums at the taxpayers’ expense, allowed rich landlords to build much-needed apartments with tax incentives and gave away more park land for private restaurants only he can afford. He must have a long list of friends to help out if he needs four more years in office.

Mike Perez, Manhattan

Tags: letters to the editor

Mayoral race still going strong after term limits vote

Sunday October 26, 2008 2:33 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Two top contenders for mayor next year confirmed today that they will push ahead despite the radically altered political landscape created by Mayor Michael Bloomberg winning the right to run for a third term.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) and city Comptroller William Thompson both said they plan to stay in the race. The two would face off in a Democratic primary.

A potential third Democratic candidate, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Flushing), could not be reached for comment today.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who once considered running for Bloomberg’s job, will instead seek re-election to her council seat, her office said.Quinn, a Bloomberg ally, led the fight to change the term limits for citywide office holders to three four-year terms from two, a move that overturned two public referendums.

Meanwhile, the fight over term limits is moving to its newest battleground: The courts.

Two lawsuits were filed last week - one in federal court and one in state court - seeking to force a referendum. Another suit will likely be filed this week, said Norman Siegel, a civil rights attorney who is running for public advocate. He said he believes that it was unconstitutional for the City Council to agree to extend term limits.

“It’s an open legal question,” Siegel said today. “You can’t let what happened go unchallenged.”

That suit would likely be merged with one filed Wednesday by 10 public school teachers who charge that overturning the law without a referendum violates voters’ civil rights. Two council members filed a separate suit last week claiming the council had a conflict of interest in voting for something that so directly affects them.

A Bloomberg spokesman, Stu Loeser, said the mayor has not begun a re-election campaign but that it is his “intention” to run for a third term.

“We obviously believe the council had a right to pass this bill and the lawsuits will work their way through the courts,” Loeser said.

Bloomberg, a billionaire who changed his political affiliation to Republican from Democrat seven years ago and is now an independent, will not participate in the public financing system, according to his office.

Tags: michael bloomberg, anthony weiner, william thompson, term limits, mayoral race, city hall dispatch

Bryant Park ice rink opens -- and promptly begins to melt

Sunday October 26, 2008 1:38 PM By Rolando Pujol

Emily Ertz, 6, of Oceanside, Long Island, skates Sunday at The Pond at Bryant Park Ice Rink, which officially opened its winter season on Saturday.

With the mild weather on Sunday, The Pond was forced to close early (around 1 pm) as the ice began to melt and became unsafe for the skaters.

-- Photo by RJ Mickelson/amNY

Tags: the pond at bryant park, ice skating, manhattan, winter, holiday traditions, weather

Mike's economic advice for the next president

Sunday October 26, 2008 11:24 AM By Rolando Pujol

By Jason Fink

He's gearing up for a run at a third term following his victory on a controversial term limits extension law but Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also playing economic adviser to the next president - whoever that may be.

In an essay to be published in Newsweek magazine and posted online yesterday, Bloomberg gives some free advice about how to handle the current financial crisis.

Bloomberg, who has often spoken of the difficult choices New York will have to make as the economy sours, suggests long-term investment in infrastructure as way to create jobs and, well, because we need it.

"Americans recognize the need for greater infrastructure investment, and from my experience in New York, they are willing to pay for it, if — and this is a big if — they can be sure their money will be spent improving their ... communities, not improving some legislator's re-election chances," the mayor writes.

He also suggests pursuing alternative forms of energy, reforming immigration laws to encourage foreign students to study here and spending more on math and science education.Of course, all that will cost money and the billionaire mayor says that may mean taxes, specifically the estate tax, a topic that may one day be near and dear to the hearts of members of his own family.

"If we have any hope of balancing the budget, the alternative minimum tax cannot be entirely eliminated. In addition, demand for revenue will necessitate bringing back the estate tax — because it makes too much sense. It will both raise revenue and encourage more wealthy Americans to donate to charity."

Bloomberg is one of several public figures the magazine has asked to write essays -- in the form of email memos -- to whoever is the next resident of the White House. His topic was the economy.

Tags: michael bloomberg, politics, presidency, economy, john mccain, barack obama, city hall dispatch

9 injured when SUV crashes into Upper West Side restaurant

Sunday October 26, 2008 11:22 AM By Emily Ngo

The SUV is removed from the scene of the accident at the Indus Valley restaurant on the Upper West Side. (Amanda Magnus)

By Emily Ngo and Amanda Magnus

Pedestrians on the Upper West Side were fortunate to avoid harm Sunday when an SUV struck a taxicab then plowed into the outdoor dining area of a popular Indian restaurant.

However, nine people from the two vehicles involved in the accident were hurt from the collision at West 100th Street and Broadway, according to the FDNY. Two of the people who suffered serious injuries were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital. The rest sustained minor injuries.Phuman Singh, the owner of Indus Valley Indian restaurant that the SUV careened into, said a couple dining had barely escaped the collision minutes earlier.

“Nothing happened to the building,” Singh said. “We are very lucky.”

Authorities shut off the building’s electricity and shored its façade to prevent collapse, said fire Battalion Chief Robert Holzmaier.

“I heard the bang. ... I didn’t know what to do when it hit,” said Ahamed Mohammed, who owns nearby business Ruby Fragrances. “Thank God nobody died here.”

Onlookers said they were impressed by the authorities’ rescue effort.

“These are days that make you proud,” said Heather Schindler, who was working at a nearby street fair. “Everybody ran to everybody’s rescue.”

Well, Bully for Teddy! It's a block party for Roosevelt's birthday

Sunday October 26, 2008 10:34 AM By Rolando Pujol

From the AP:

Happy birthday, Teddy!

A block party was held Sunday to celebrate Theodore Roosevelt’s 150th birthday at his childhood home in Manhattan.

The four-story brownstone where Roosevelt was born is usually closed Sundays, but it was open to visitors in honor of the occasion.

Outside on East 20th Street there were pony rides and a Gatling gun that saw action in the Spanish-American war.

Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. His actual birthday is Monday.

Tags: neighborhoods, history, manhattan, theodore roosevelt

Viral video: Cart cleanup on aisle nine

Sunday October 26, 2008 9:31 AM By Sean Joseph

This semi truck lost its load of carts when it pulled away a little too soon.

Tags: viral video, television

Wine shop-less Trader Joe's in Brooklyn boosting local liquor stores?

Saturday October 25, 2008 2:18 PM By Emily Ngo

Food megastore Trader Joe's at Court Street and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Via Flickr.

The new Trader Joe's in downtown Brooklyn is far superior to the chain's first NYC store in Manhattan. It's more spacious, the lines seem shorter and it's much more aesthetically pleasing. On the downside, though, TJ's Brooklyn doesn't -- and won't -- have a wine shop. That's right. No three-buck Chuck in Brooklyn.

The city allots only one liquor license per chain, a Trader Joe's employee tells me.

But the absence of a TJ's Wine Shop is starting to benefit nearby wine stores. Zap Wines & Spirits on Court Street say they have noticed a boost in business, in the form of Trader Joe's bag-carrying customers. The true test will come closer to the holiday season, Zap says.

-- Emily Ngo

Tags: shopping, brooklyn, trader joe's, food

Halloween stuff for you this weekend

Friday October 24, 2008 10:03 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

1966 United Feature Syndicate Inc.

Of course the official calendar date for Halloween is next Friday, but the tricks and treats will be in full effect starting tonight and going on through the weekend. See amNY's picks here:

Today: Pumpkin Festival haunted house preview from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bethesda Arcade in Central Park, enter at 72nd Street.

Ghost Tours around town

The believers say there’s ghosts lurking in all corners of Manhattan. Now’s your chance to spend a spirited evening in the city and discover some on your own But you don’t need to go ghost-hunting alone. Here are some tours to lead you through the landscapes of the dead. [Listings HERE]

Boo Wow! Halloween goes to the dogs!

Tricks and treats are something your pet knows well. Fido sit! Get a treat. So it's no wonder that come Halloween, the city is creepy crawling with spooktacular events designed especially for the four-legged set. Here we've rounded up a ghoulish selection of costume contests and parties for you and your favorite little monster, ahem, pet. [Listings HERE] (NOTE: Tompkins Sq. Park Dog Halloween to be held on rain date; Sunday, Oct. 26 @ Noon.)

Tags: halloween, ghost tours, central park, staten island, queens, manhattan, brooklyn, bronx

Top headlines from amNewYork print edition

Friday October 24, 2008 8:29 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Here are the top headlines from today's print edition of amNewYork:

* City Council hands Bloomberg term limits victory

* Status Update: You're rude! - Too much text-messaging?

* Halloween's near, take a tour of haunted New York!

* Movie reviews: 'Changeling,' 'High School Musical'

Tags: news

City Council hands Mayor Michael Bloomberg a term limits victory

Thursday October 23, 2008 3:26 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Mike reigns again.

In a 29-22 vote, the City Council on Thursday handed Mayor Michael Bloomberg a victory when it passed a bill to extend term limits, clearing the way for the billionaire to seek another four years in office.

Council members were interrupted several times by jeers and boos from the second-floor public gallery as they cast their votes to allow all citywide office holders to have three terms in office instead of the current two. The vote overturns two public referendums held in the 1990s.

“The majority of the city council decided to give the people of New York a fuller choice in the November 2009 election. I believe that was the right choice,” Bloomberg said in a statement.About a half-an-hour after the vote ended, there was a brief commotion outside City Hall as Bloomberg walked out to a waiting car and a throng of people ran after him, shouting, “sell out” and “Bloomberg hates New York.”

“Get in your limousine and get the hell out of town!” shouted David Galarza, president of the Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors in Brooklyn.

Passions ran high on both sides throughout the afternoon, though opponents of the mayor’s bill were the more vocal.

“You will all be voted out of office for this,” thundered Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), a mayoral candidate, before casting his vote no.

Councilman Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn), a vociferous critic of the bill who led an unsuccessful court challenge seeking to have the vote killed, said the council was “stealing like a thief in the night their (constituents) right to democracy.”

The measure will now go to Bloomberg, who is not currently affiliated with any political party, for his signature.

Bloomberg and dozens of other elected officials who would have been forced out of office next year due to term limits will now be eligible to run again, changing the political landscape for a number of candidates.

Before voting on the legislation, the council rejected an amendment that would have forced a public referendum to decide the matter. That vote was 28 against and 22 in favor, with one abstention.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn told members she believes extending term limits will “increase voter choice” and offered that if voters are unhappy with the new law they can vote their elected officials out of office next year.

Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), who voted against the bill, injected some humor into the discussions, invoking his barber, Jimmy, whom he likened to Joe the Plumber, the Ohio man made famous by Sen. John McCain in the last presidential debate.

“Jimmy the barber asked me, ‘what are you guys doing down there?’” Gioia said.

Not to be outdone, Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) said his mother called him last week and begged him to allow her to vote for Bloomberg again.

Tags: michael bloomberg, term limits, city council, christine quinn, eric gioia, tony avella, city hall, bill deblasio, james vacca, banks

Boo! Take a tour of haunted New York

Thursday October 23, 2008 2:20 PM By Julie Gordon

By Seanan Forbes

New York City has a long history and countless stories – some of them featuring the uneasy dead. The believers say there’s ghosts lurking in all corners of Manhattan. And with Halloween just a week away, now’s your chance to spend a spirited evening in the city and discover some on your own But you don’t need to go ghost-hunting alone. Here are some tours to lead you through the landscapes of the dead.

Ghosts of New York

Ghosts of New York offers five walking tours and a family-friendly program of ghost stories. One of the most popular walks starts in front of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery. The winding Village streets lend themselves to ghostly tales, so the city becomes a player in the stories.

The guides of the tour take on period garb and names, beginning the tour in a cemetery at nightfall, talking about changes and resentments of long-past times.

92nd Street Y Greenwich Village Ghost Tours

212-415-5500.

The 92nd Street Y’s ghost tour includes the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where 146 workers were killed in a 1911 fire; Washington Square Park, where criminals used to be hanged; a house haunted by the sprirt of Mark Twain; an execution ground, and a former potter’s field. This tour adds another Poe connection: The Northern Dispensary. On a plaque, the 1831 building bears its original mandate: Heal the Sick. Local lore holds that ghosts linger here, perhaps seeking cures they did not find in life. Questions and photography are encouraged, so the two-hour tour often runs long.

The Merchant’s House Museum

29 East 4th St, 212-777-1089

In addition to ghost tours of “Manhattan’s most haunted house,” the Merchant’s House Museum offers lectures on ghost-hunting, ghost stories, and the reenactment of a 19th century funeral, complete with following the casket to the cemetery (the wearing of appropriate mourning attire is encouraged; black armbands are provided). Eva Ulz, the museum’s education coordinator, describes the funeral as “eerie and spooky, with a fake corpse and a weeping widow.” Ulz regards the resident ghosts as colleagues. “They bring people to the house, and we tell their story. It’s a symbiotic relationship. I think that was their plan all along.”Vampire Tours

Reservations can be made at glinzner@hotmail.com or 917-379-8914.

If you fancy something more toothsome than spirits, consider an alternate reality tour: a New York inhabited by vampires. Dr. John Seward steps out of the pages of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and leads a walking seminar on the vampire history of New York City. Those who think that the subway is a human-built commutation system are in for a darkly educational experience. Instead of asking for tour fees, the good doctor requests a donation of $25 “to help cover resurrection costs”.

Whichever tour you choose, one thing is certain. You’ll never feel the same way about walking the streets at night.

Do you want to take in some spirits on your own?

• Ghostbusters’ “Spook Central” is at 55 Central Park West. Be warned: You’re expecting something taller. The filmmakers used a model of the building and made it look substantially taller than it is.

• Rumor has it that Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Cask of Amontillado” while living at 47 Bond Street. Between Bowery and Lafayette, the building now house Il Buco, an Italian restaurant. If you want to eat in Poe’s place, then you can make a reservation at 212.533.1932. Don’t be surprised if your sealed bottle of wine turns out to be empty. Poe has a habit of draining the contents of unopened bottles.

• A more obstreperous ghost is Aaron Burr, who resides in One if By Land, Two if By Sea. The restaurant was once Burr’s carriage house. Burr is known to whip chairs out from under patrons. His daughter, Theodosia (who disappeared off the coast of North Carolina) “borrows” earrings. 17 Barrow Street, 212.255.8649

• New York’s a theatre town and there are theatre ghosts to go with the shows. Olive Thomas, a Ziegfield Follies chorus girl, appears on stage, wearing full Follies regalia and holding the bottle that contained the pills she used to end her life. To date, Olive has appeared only to people working in the theatre, but you never know . •

The Belasco Theatre is haunted by a woman in blue, the late girlfriend of the equally late David Belasco. Belasco had an apartment above the stage, but his girlfriend roams every level of the theatre and the alley leading backstage.

• If you need a glass of spirits to end your ghost-chasing, then go to the White Horse Tavern. Just don’t sit at Dylan Thomas’ corner table. He still rotates it, as he did when he was alive – and don’t try to outdrink the poet. He collapsed and died in the tavern after downing 18 shots of whisky. 567 Hudson Street at West 11th Street.

Photo: Merchant House (RJ Mickelson/amNY)

Tags: ghosts, history, entertainment

Movie reviews: 'Changeling,' 'High School Musical'

Thursday October 23, 2008 2:01 PM By Julie Gordon

Angelina Jolie stars in "Changeling."

Changeling

2.5 stars

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan

By Mina Hochberg

The biggest thing “Changeling,” Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial undertaking, has going for it is a gut-wrenching story based on true events. When the film isn’t moving you, it’s angering you with its blood-boiling accounts of injustice, corruption and chauvinism. Which brings us to the biggest strike against the film: The story is so intrinsically affecting and horrifying that any dramatic embellishments could send it into overkill — which is sadly what happens.

Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a single mother raising her 9-year-old son, Walter, in a modest rambler in Los Angeles. The year is 1928, when it was still more or less alright to call women “little ladies.” When Collins returns home from work one day to discover her son is missing, she alerts the police, instigating a nationwide, high-profile search.

The LAPD, under much scrutiny for its internal corruption at the time, is desperate for some good PR. So, months later, when they come across a young boy who says he’s Walter, and who bears a mild resemblance to Walter, they pat themselves on the back and send him to L.A. to reunite with “his mother.” The minute Collins sets eyes on him, she’s on to the posing runt. But the LAPD, under the direction of a particularly galling chauvinist named Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), insists she’s wrong and deems her insane when she claims otherwise. Too bad for them, she has a high-profile reverend-with-a-radio-show (John Malkovich) in her corner.Jolie, in distractingly gaunt form, is convincing enough as a distraught mother and quietly empowered woman, even if her performance does practically have “For Your Consideration” written all over it. Unfortunately, Jolie is starring in a very good movie, but not a very great movie. It’s wrought with undeniable heart and the piano score, composed by Eastwood himself, is keenly touching. But the march of dramatic beats — the telegraphed indignation, the brimming righteousness, the injustice written blatantly into the script — cheapen the story’s natural potency. Overt strokes are unnecessary for a powerful story like this, and it’s surprising that they come from Eastwood, who is usually a master of understatement.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens star in "HSM."

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

2.5 stars

Directed by Kenny Ortega

Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale

By Mina Hochberg

As a childless 30-year-old adult who didn’t know a thing about “High School Musical” until this week, after perusing Wikipedia, I admit: “HSM3: Senior Year” was fun, if for no other reason than to hear the gaggles of girls, ranging from grade schoolers to high schoolers, collectively scream when Zac Efron’s face appeared on screen. “HSM3” is not quite a guilty pleasure — it’s too G-rated and kiddie-centric to appeal that widely to adults. But if you do happen to have a child or niece or nephew who needs a chaperone to this movie, it’s at least as good as the schlockier animated films out there.

This is all assuming, of course, that you can tolerate musicals, fairy tale endings and high school scenes full of chastity and optimism. If any of this makes you want to recoil, you’d best stay away. But if there’s a part of you that laps this stuff up, you’ll be treated to some colorful eye candy and truly charming, energetic dance numbers — my favorite is “The Boys Are Back,” in which the main character Troy (Efron) and his best friend leap and boogie all over a junkyard as they reminisce to when they were tykes.

The plot, in a nutshell, revolves around the lovebird stars: Troy, the popular basketball team captain who moonlights as a theater geek, and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), his intensely sweet, constantly giggling girlfriend who also has thespian blood. The story follows the sweethearts as they grapple with senior-year decisions, and the pinnacle of the year is the titular high school musical — you know it’s a Disney movie when the climax of senior year is a musical, not prom. And yes, this is Disney material through and through, so don’t expect a shred of “Freaks and Geeks” realism to find its way into the story.

The Disney treatment does make you pause — sure, a 10-year-old girl knows people don’t break out in song during basketball games, but does she know that boys like Troy, who brings picnic baskets to Gabriella’s window and serenades her on rooftops, are more fairy tale than reality? Not to get too cynical. I guess every generation needs their Prince Charmings.

ALSO OPENING:

Pride and Glory, starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell

Synecdoche, New York, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman

Tags: entertainment, changeling, angelina jolie, high school musical 3: senior year, zac efron

Addicted to text messaging: Is it ever taboo?

Thursday October 23, 2008 1:47 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

By Lauren Johnston

The lighting in the snug bistro was perfectly dimmed. The table was piled with food and wine. A French guitarist played furiously. After taking in the scene from her seat, Heesun Wee felt she had to Twitter it and fished her cell phone out of her purse.

Wee, 36, paused to beg the pardon of her companions and then, with thumbs flying, tapped out a message about the cool Williamsburg find to a group of online "followers" with whom she regularly shares discoveries via Twitter, a personal news ticker that allows users to type only 140 characters per “tweet.”

Not long ago, merely answering a cell phone at the table was considered over-the-top rude. Now the devices are practically part of the place setting.Kymberli McKanna, an actress and server in an upscale Midtown restaurant, said more guests than not keep their BlackBerrys within easy reach. And McKanna, 26, and her friends are no different. "If we're all at the bar or having dinner, nine times out of 10 everyone has their phone on the table. ... We're always wanting to be connected to the world and whatever is out there."

That need for “connection” has led millions to use some form of text-messaging. So, what are the rules? Is it taboo to text? Impolite to IM? Is it OK to fire off a quick OMG?

Absolutely not, says etiquette expert Samantha von Sperling. For her, the rules are clear: "The person in front of you should always take precedence over the person who is not in front of you. … When you start texting someone in the company of other people, it's extremely offensive….You're basically saying, My cyber, social network is more important to me than you are.'"

Fernando Arrue, a junior at St. John's University in Queens, isn't sure the implications are quite so serious. He sends up to 20 text messages per day, sometimes during class and in restaurants. A fast zap, he figures, is better than an extended verbal chat. "I only think it's rude when overused," he said.

Toye Honeyman, a clinical psychologist in Manhattan sees and pros and cons to the boom in cell phone communing. "People are finding ways to meet their deeper needs for community and contact and attachment. The problem is when it becomes overdone or interferes with real interpersonal relationships."

That interference is what dismays the "Vanishing New York" blogger who goes by the fictional name, Jeremiah Moss. “When I walk down the street I get bombarded with these people who aren't paying attention. ... It makes me feel very disconnected from a city I used to feel very in tune with," he said. He has a name for these cell phone people: Yunnies, which stands for "Young Urban Narcissists."

Indeed, according to an article in ‘Psychology Today,’ at the first hint of boredom, sadness or uncertainty more people are pulling out their phones, or "pacifiers for adults," as one professor called them, in lieu of experiencing and working through their feelings.

So what comes next? A world where typed shorthand permanently replaces conversation? von Sperling hopes the novelty will wear off and that users will self-regulate. Moss sees a more alienated society.

"If you're having a relationship with an electronic device, you kind of start thinking electronically," he said. "I'm not so much into sci-fi, but I think of the (part human, part machine) Borg."

Tags: williamsburg, jeremiah's vanishing new york, twitter, st. john's university, manhattan, yunnie, cell phone, text message, technology

For 2 minutes on Tuesday, analog TV signals will go dark in New York City

Thursday October 23, 2008 1:20 PM By Garett Sloane

By Garett Sloane

This is only a test.

Analog television signals are being cut for two minutes on Tuesday, and screens will go blank in New York City homes that are not equipped for digital television.

The test is a coordinated effort among broadcasters who will shut down their analog signals at different moments beginning at 5:58 p.m. and ending at 6:01 p.m. that evening. The trial in the city is the largest one so far to gauge how ready Americans are for the total transition to digital television coming Feb. 19. TV viewers who are not digital-ready will see a message during the interruption, informing them of the coming transition and what they need to do to prepare.A small population has already gone fully digital in Wilmington, N.C., but New York is a far bigger testing ground. Officials at ION Media, the organizer of the test, expect to field a number of calls from New Yorkers who are confused about losing their television signals.

Most New Yorkers, however, probably won’t notice. Nielsen has named New York the most-digital ready city with only about 3 percent of households unprepared.

Most new televisions are digital and all televisions hooked up to cable or satellite won’t be affected. However, if you are still using rabbit ears on an old set, you won’t even be picking up static. In that case you’ll need a digital converter.

Tags: digital transition, television, tv, broadcasters, ion media, analog signal, digital converter, rabbit ears, technology, economy

Autumnal splendor breaks out in the middle of Broadway

Thursday October 23, 2008 1:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Rolando Pujol

Those islands of calm carved into Broadway are an admirable civic touch, although sipping coffee seated in the middle of the street with cabs zipping by just feet away from us does not exactly instill a sense of peace. We know there are bulky planters protecting us from the unthinkable, but we'd rather not try our luck.

The sight of these islands is somewhat surreal, at least to native New Yorkers. So when you add festive autumnal decorations around a traffic signal pole, complete with pumpkins and Indian corn, it truly gets bizarre.

See it at 36th and Broadway.

Tags: department of transportation, broadway, autumn, traffic, manhattan

Update: Bloomberg wins fight to extend term limits

Thursday October 23, 2008 12:40 PM By Lauren Johnston

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City Council has approved Mayor

Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to change term-limits law, clearing

the way for the billionaire independent to run for a third term.

By a vote of 29-22, the council passed the bill that gives

officeholders the option of three consecutive four-year terms.

Existing law limits them to two terms, and Bloomberg’s concludes at

the end of next year.

Bloomberg announced his plans to seek re-election just three

weeks ago.

Tags: michael bloomberg, politics, term limits, city hall, city hall dispatch

You're invited to the Union Square anniversary party

Thursday October 23, 2008 12:35 PM By Lauren Johnston

Photo courtesy of Victoria Belanger/flickr

Who needs "happy hour" when you can go to this party marking the tenth anniversary of Union Square Park's commemoration as a National Historic Landmark. The entire town's invited, so head to the south end of Union Square Park near the George Washington statue at 14th Street and Broadway. Festivities kick off at 5:45 p.m. See you there.

Tags: union square, parks, union square park, manhattan, national landmark, urban archaeology, history

Throwback Thursday: Chiller Theatre is back!

Thursday October 23, 2008 10:48 AM By Rolando Pujol

Click here to be terrified by the Six-Fingered Hand!

By Rolando Pujol

WPIX-TV Channel 11 may be home to the CW network and "Gossip Girl," but it has not lost sight of its roots as an independent station born in television's golden days. We love that a major market station devoted a full day of programming earlier this year to celebrating its 60th anniversary, trotting out old favorites like "Abbott and Costello" and "The Little Rascals." We love that they've promoting DVDs of "The Magic Garden" on their Web site. We love that they've brought back "The Yule Log" on Christmas Day, and that late at night, we can still catch up with the adventures of Oscar and Felix and George and Weezie.

But now, PIX has really done fans of classic TV proud. This Saturday, they will bring back for a single night one of the greatest horror movie shows in local TV history, "Chiller Theatre." And the great Zacherle, the "Cool Ghoul" who hosted Chiller Theatre in the 1960s, will be back!

Chiller has not been seen on PIX since the early 1980s, and its original run spanned 1961 to 1978. For one night, New Yorkers will be able to relive how generations of Americans came to know about horror movies, both the classic and the campy. In the era of rabbit-eared TVs, local TV hosts would dress up as monsters and introduce horror movies, provide schtick during commercial breaks, and otherwise keep audiences terrified (well, certainly amused).

That era pretty much faded by the 1980s, but this Saturday at 8 p.m., with Zach coming back to host "Tarantula," you'll be transported to another time. And, in case you're wondering, Chiller's 1970s "Six-Fingered Hand" will emerge from the swamp once more. This will be the best Halloween in years.

Read more at PIX's Web site. And thanks again, 11 Alive!

Tags: wpix, 11 alive, halloween, television, throwback thursday, old school, zacherle, chiller theatre, holiday traditions

Viral video: 'Final Countdown' KazooKeylele style

Thursday October 23, 2008 9:51 AM By Sean Joseph

This song will stay in your head all day, even after it’s played on a contraption called a “KazooKeylele.”

Tags: viral video, television, music

Term limits may not be decided until late Thursday

Thursday October 23, 2008 9:31 AM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

The City Council may be in for a long day – and night – as word circulates that there might be as many as eight amendments offered to the bill to extend term limits.

The bill, which would extend term limits for city office holders to three from the current two, is scheduled to be voted on starting around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. On Wednesday, three council members said they would introduce an amendment to put the matter to a public referendum.

But Thursday afternoon, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr (D-Queens), said he heard there might be as many as seven additional amendments, and all 51 council members would be given the opportunity to address each one.Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a supporter of the bill along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, held a news conference Thursday afternoon and expressed confidence the measure would pass in its original form.

“We have enough votes to pass it,” she said.

During the news conference, Quinn restated her position that because of the current financial crisis, the current crop of elected officials in City Hall should be given a chance to run for a third term.

“At a time like this what you need is New Yorkers to have the opportunity to have consistent government,” she said.

Tags: term limits, mayor michael bloomberg, christine quinn, peter vallone jr., city hall, city hall dispatch

amNY morning news round-up ...

Thursday October 23, 2008 6:59 AM By Lauren Johnston

Check out these stories from today's print edition of amNewYork:

* NYers OK with legalized prostitution?

* City Living: Jackson Heights, Queens

* Sophia among NYC's most popular baby names

* Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen back in the spotlight

Tags: jackson heights, mary-kate olsen, ashley olsen

Breaking: Committee passes term-limit bill; full Council votes this afternoon

Thursday October 23, 2008 6:38 AM By Lauren Johnston

The City Council Committee on Goverment Operation headed by Councilman Simcha Felder. (Dave Sanders)

By Jason Fink

The New York City Council governmental operations committee this morning unanimously passed a bill that would extend term limits for the mayor and other city officials. There are six members on the committee. The full 51-member City Council is scheduled to vote on the bill this afternoon.

"This is one of the toughest decisinos I have ever made in my entire life," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. before casting his vote. " A two-term limit hurts this city," he said.

Committee Chairman Simcha Felder said he did not believe the vote was a move designed specifically to bolster Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose office put the bill on the agenda.

"Many have tried to make this issue about one man," Felder said. "I think the mayor has been very effective in office, but that has nothing to do with the matter before us," he said.

Tags: michael bloomberg, peter vallone, simcha felder, new york city council, term limits, politics, manhattan, city hall dispatch

City Living: Jackson Heights

Wednesday October 22, 2008 5:23 PM By Rolando Pujol

Jackson Heights is known for its excellent transportation options. (Photos: RJ Mickelson/amNY)

By Craig Raphael and Miranda Siegel

Special to amNewYork

Located in northwest Queens, vibrant Jackson Heights offers an elaborate treasure hunt with treats to track down and loot to discover. You can go on the prowl for the plumpest and most delectable samosas, haunt the Latin bakeries in search of glistening, eggy flan, peer into freezers full of fragrant, milky kulfi popsicles, and try arepa after arepa until you've found the tastiest meat.A flurry of activity, along with significant populations from Bangladesh, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Pakistan, among other countries, makes Jackson Heights one of Queens' most popular destinations. Manhattanites who scarcely venture off their island will often daytrip here, and visitors of South Asian descent flock to the area from every corner of the city and beyond.

“This is where you can get the most authentic Bangladeshi and Indian food in the city; people come here for that,” noted Ajit Bardhan.

Jackson Heights was mainly farmland until 1908, when the Queensboro Realty Company bought and began developing the land. The new neighborhood was designed in the style of 19th century English "garden cities": rows of spacious houses with front lawns, access to interior gardens, large windows and lush foliage.

The garden apartments were followed by lovely co-ops —the country's first — which were given fancy names like Hampton Court and Chateau. Together with the garden houses, they make up the Jackson Heights Historic District.

The idyll was disrupted in the 70s and 80s, when Jackson Heights, like most of Queens at the time, became riddled with drug trafficking and criminal activity.

It wasn't until residents banded together and made efforts to beautify and improve the quality of life in the area that things started looking up.

Today, Jackson Heights is a neighborhood that embraces all kinds of culture, with many community centers, clubs devoted to visual arts, and a flourishing gay, lesbian and transgender community that celebrates with The Queens Pride Parade each June.

So it is surprising that the neighborhood remains somewhat overlooked given all it has to offer, including a major subway junction between the 7, F, E, R and V trains that provides convenient and fast access to Manhattan.

“It’s a very quirky community — there’s a variety of different groups and constituents, as well as a growing number of families with children,” said Elena Madison. “And they all co-exist pretty peacefully.”

FIND IT

Jackson Heights is bordered on the west by the BQE, on the east by Junction Boulevard, on the north by Northern Boulevard, and the south by Roosevelt Avenue.

The Dunolly Owners Flea Market on 35th Ave in Jackson Heights.

TO EAT

Jackson Heights offers a veritable smorgasbord of food. The bulk of the South Asian restaurants are located on 73rd and 74th streets between Roosevelt and 37th avenues, also known as “Little India.” Vendors and shops selling Latin treats such as tacos, empanadas and rich, gooey pastries are concentrated on Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard. There’s Thai and Afghan, too!

Rajbhog Sweets and Snacks

The title of this shop, which is the main supplier of kulfi and other goodies to stores throughout Queens, says it all: There are sweets (gulab jamun, jalebi and mango burfi) and there are snacks (chole poori, samosa and kachori). Hang around with your food to enjoy the Indian music videos.

72-27 37th Ave. 718-458-8512

Arunee Thai Cuisine

This Thai restaurant is known for its impressive array of appetizers and salads, as well as its solid flavor combinations and clean execution. You’ll swoon for the deep-fried quail with garlic sauce and spicy papaya salad.

37-68 79th St, 718-205-5559

Afghan Kebab House #4

One of only a few Afghan restaurants in New York City, #4 offers awesome kebab combos, scallion-stuffed bolanee (fried turnovers) and delicious naringe paulau (lamb topped with orange rind and pistachios).

74-16 37th Ave., 718 565-0471

Jackson Diner

Arguably the most well-known restaurant in Queens, this airy eatery is often crowded with families and bargain-seekers piling their plates high with rich and spicy chow from the $9.95 all-you-can-eat buffet.

34-47 74th St, 718-672-1232

Pio Pio

The Jackson Heights branch of this Peruvian chain cooks up its signature plump, succulent chicken, a soft and greasy masterpiece that slides right off the bone. Sides include plantains, yucca and rice and beans.

84-15 Northern Blvd. 718-426-1010

Cositas Ricas

Cositas Ricas is a lively Colombian restaurant that features a bar, a bakery and some unusually attractive waitresses. It’s hard to go wrong with any of the shellfish or chicken dishes, but the Pollo Sebastian is especially tender.

79-19 Roosevelt Ave. 718-478-1500

TO PARTY

Jackson Heights has a lot going on when it comes to nightlife: Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard are lined with clubs, and there’s a happenin’ gay scene, too. Some restaurants are open late to cater to the night owls.

Natives

A bold marquee attracts visitors to this sprawling restaurant, where you can get cozy in a plush booth and watch the comedians, musicians and the occasional theater performance on the large stage.

82-22 Northern Blvd., 718-335-0780

Terraza 7 Train Cafe

Terraza 7 Train Café is a great coffee shop and bar that hosts a mix of independent films, art exhibitions, live music and creative workshops.

40-19 Gleane St., 718-803-9602

Club Atlantis 2010

Queens’s largest gay club attracts people from throughout the city, who come to gyrate to Latin and club beats. Stiff drinks and a lively crowd compensate for the steep cover.

76-19 Roosevelt Ave., 718-457-3939

Chibcha Restaurant and Nightclub

A Colombian nightclub pounding out meringue and salsa favorites to eager partygoers, Chibcha has been a neighborhood favorite for years. They also serve food.

79-05 Roosevelt Ave, 718-429-9033

Village Moon Tattoo shop at 78-01 Roosevelt Ave.

TO SHOP

Jackson Heights is a very popular shopping destination, not only for New Yorkers but also for people from all over the greater metropolitan area. Stock up on aromatic spices, salwar kameez, gold jewelry, baked goods, Latin music and Indian books.

Rudy Volcano II

This purveyor of Guatemalan goods offers an eclectic mix of textiles, incense, peculiar carved stones (owl or phallus, anyone?), baby booties, decorative pipes, jewelry and housewares.

79-07 37th Ave., 718-651-7100

Newman Jewelers

A dizzying array of religious figurines, decorative china and oh-so-precious statuettes, including porcelain renderings of trout, brown bears and playful kittens. Prices are truly steep, but the owner promises “a discount on anything you buy.”

78-03 37th Ave., 718-429-3413

Patel Bros.

Want to admire numerous rows of tangy chutneys, pick up a bag of frozen samosas, or attempt to haul a 25-pound bag of jasmine rice home on the subway? Patel Bros. offers these enticing options and more, including pulses, bingeworthy sweets and snacks and a variety of unusual and inexpensive spices.

37-07 64th St., 718-898-3445

Maharaja Sweets

Enter this small, glowing shop and find yourself facing a glass case filled with small piles of mysterious pink, brown, and white sweetmeats. Come here for ladu, burfi and pure vegetarian food.

73-10 37th Ave., 718-505-2680

La Nueva Bakery

There are many Latin bakeries in Jackson Heights, but La Nueva is among the most popular. The dulce de leche-filled cake roll is out of this world, as is the syrupy, custardy flan. They also have mate gourds made out of hooves.

86-10 37th Ave., 718-507-2339

Travers Park is at 34th Ave between 77th and 78th Street.

TO SEE

The best way to experience Jackson Heights is to wander around soaking up the atmosphere, popping into shops to sample treats or check out Indian or Latin DVDs. The area is also home to a movie theater.

Sunday Play Street and Greenmarket

In a neighborhood lacking much green space, the Sunday Play Street, which occupies a closed-off portion of 78th Street on Sundays until mid-November, is an absolute joy for youngsters and adults alike. Around the corner on 34th Avenue, the local Greenmarket sells farm fresh produce, dairy and meat.

78th Street between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard

Eagle Theater

In a previous life, Eagle Theater was known as “The Earle” and showcased racy entertainment to eager patrons. Today, the renovated Art Deco theater draws in crowds with the latest Bollywood hits.

73-07 37th Road, 718-565-8783

Jackson Heights Historic District

Jackson Heights was America’s first “Garden City” based on the writings of Ebenezer Howard. Though the coveted private gardens are hidden behind the co-ops, some are visible from the street. There are also minor attractions like “the birthplace of Scrabble,” which was originally played at the Community United Methodist Church on 35th Avenue at 81st Street.

76st to 88th streets between Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard

Beautiful real estate along 35th Avenue and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights.

REAL ESTATE

Jackson Heights is home to some lovely housing options, including historic low-rise co-op apartment buildings, the famous “Garden Houses,” and one- and two-family houses.

“The co-ops are prewar and have beautiful nine-foot ceilings, original crown moldings, transoms, dumbwaiters, and are surrounded by gardens,” said Marlene Flores, sales associate at Century 21 Best, Inc. “I also like to focus on selling the beautiful old garden apartments; people really love them.”

TO RENT

$1,200 for a prewar studio apartment (37th Avenue and 73rd Street)

$1,399 for a one-bedroom brand new apartment (84th Street and 35th Avenue)

$1,500 for a three-bedroom apartment (82nd Street at 34th Avenue)

$1,650 for a rent-stabilized two-bedroom apartment (35-34 95th St.)

$1,750 for a brand-new two-bedroom apartment (75th Street at 30th Avenue)

$2,100 for a four-bedroom apartment (85th Street at 32nd Avenue)

$2,550 for a three-bedroom duplex with garage (30-31 78th St.)

TO BUY

$179,000 for a renovated one-bedroom co-op (Roosevelt Terrace)

$269,000 for a one-bedroom co-op with private gardens (The Dunolly)

$310,000 for a two-bedroom co-op (The Greystones)

$315,000 for a two-bedroom co-op with balcony and garage (Pelham Manor)

$390,000 for a 1,033-square-foot one-bedroom condo with eat-in kitchen (The Colton Condominium)

$459,000 for a three-bedroom co-op with private gardens (Hampton Court)

$469,000 for a 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom co-op (The Berkeley building)

$1,100,000 for a 2,700-square-foot five-bedroom, four-bathroom prewar two-family home (35th Ave.)

CONTACT: Marlene Flores, sales associate at CENTURY 21 Best, Inc. 718-446-1300

Q & A WITH ADAM GORFIN

Adam Gorfin, who works in a shop dealing in rare books and prints, has lived in Jackson Heights for four years.

What do you like best about the neighborhood?

The amount of space you get can’t be beat — it’s real living, not closet living. It’s also not pretentious in any way whatsoever; there’s no new-fangled youth trying to make it into some sort of bohemia.

What is something you don’t like about the neighborhood?

It can get extremely loud, especially late at night. At 4 a.m. these huge party buses roll by, and when they pull up at a stop light it’s a nightmare.

What are some of your favorite places to eat?

Deshi Biryani has really good south Indian food. I like the street food; there are some great taco carts. I’m also a fan of Legends Bar and Grill, which is a bizarre southern BBQ place smack in the middle of Little India.

How has the neighborhood changed since you’ve lived there?

It really hasn’t changed much at all. For example, this big supermarket was renovated about a year ago, and people wondered if it would become more upscale. They did put in a cheese island with your typical fancy cheeses, but a week later it had returned to the usual mishmash of strange generic cheese.

What is something people don’t know about the neighborhood?

It’s really overlooked as a whole. The amount of space you get for the price is really reasonable. There are buildings that are meant to be lived in, and I appreciate that.

THE BASICS

Library

Queens Library, Jackson Heights Branch

35-51 81 St.

Police Station

115th Precinct

92-15 Northern Blvd. 718-533-2002

Transportation

Subway: 7 to 74th, 82nd St; E,V,R to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Av.

Bus: Q32, Q33, Q47, Q49, Q66

Crime Stats

The 115th Precinct, which covers East Elmhurst, North Corona and Jackson Heights, reported three homicides, 32 rapes, 287 robberies, 229 felonious assaults, 283 burglaries and 199 motor vehicle thefts thus far in 2008. In 2007, there were four homicides, 30 rapes, 268 robberies, 229 felonious assaults, 324 burglaries and 209 motor vehicle thefts.

Schools

PUBLIC

ELEMENTARY:

P.S. 2 Alfred Zimberg School, 75-10 21st Ave

P.S. 149 Chrsta Mcauliffe School, 93-11 34th Ave

P.S. 212, 34-25 82nd St

P.S. 69, 77-02 37th Ave

P.S. 222 Christopher A. Santora School, 86-15 37th Ave

MIDDLE:

I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer, 33-34 80th St

I.S. 230, 73-10 34th Ave

HIGH:

Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81th St

PRIVATE

Blessed Sacrament School, 3420 94th St

Lexington School for the Deaf, 30th Ave and 75th St

St Joan of Arch Elementary School, 3527 82nd St

Garden School, 33-16 79th St

MORE CITY LIVING HERE

Tags: jackson heights, city living, real estate, shopping, restaurants, queens, neighborhoods, food

Legalize prostitution in New York City, some suggest

Wednesday October 22, 2008 4:34 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink and Marlene Naanes

Ban indoor smoking. Cut trans fat. But to some New Yorkers, sex for sale may be OK.

As San Franciscans prepare to head to the polls next month to decide whether prostitution should be decriminalized, some in New York said Wednesday that a similar idea in Gotham may make the trade safer and free police to crack down on other crimes.

“Sex is in this country is really taboo,” said Julia Rich, 21, or Park Slope. “If it’s more out in the open then we could find ways to organize that business. It would help the women and it would help police.”Advocates for the ballot measure in San Francisco say the police will free up $11 million a year they would have otherwise spent arresting prostitutes. However, one local criminal justice expert said legalization would not have the same impact here. In New York the NYPD often targets sex workers only in response to specific complaints from citizens, according to Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of law and police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.

“It’s almost always that there’s a clamor, there’s people screaming, ‘Get this off the streets, it’s near the schools,’” O’Donnell said. “There is no war on prostitution the way there is a war on drugs.”

NYPD officials yesterday failed to provide details on its efforts targeting prostitution. A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to comment on the issue.

While no major U.S. city has legalized prostitution, more than two dozen foreign countries and two states - Nevada and Rhode Island - permit it in some form.

Sienna Baskin, an attorney for the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, said there’s no doubt prostitutes would see an immediate improvement in their lives if the sale of sex was legalized in New York.

“People are cycling through the system and getting a longer and longer criminal record and that makes it tougher to leave the sex trade business,” Baskin said.

Trinia James, 39, of the Lower East Side, agreed that the pros may outweigh the cons.

“If they’re already doing it, why not make it legal and not just keep locking them up all the time,” James said. “That way they \[the police\] can spend more time on other crimes.”

However, some New Yorkers were strongly opposed to promoting the world’s oldest profession, fearing the greater impact it may have.

“Children would look at that and they would see it’s legal and they would think they could make a lot of money doing that,” said Denelle Walton, 25, Crown Heights.

“I have a little boy and a lot of nieces and nephews,” said Raj Madho, 35, of Queens Village, “so that helps shape my opinion.”

Asked if legalization could potentially lead to increased tax revenue, Madho said she would prefer City Hall to find money somewhere else.

“Coming from a religious background, using that kind of money, they say it has a curse on it,” she said.

Tags: nypd, michael bloomberg, prostitution, san francisco, crime, sex workers project, urban justice center

Sophia among NYC's most popular baby names

Wednesday October 22, 2008 2:17 PM By Pete Catapano

Michael Bloomberg seems to have lost popularity in one department: His first name isn’t the most popular one for male babies in the city for the first time in more than 50 years.

Isabella, Sophia and Daniel are the most popular names for New York City's babies, according to the Health Department's annual list from birth certificates issued in 2007. Michael, the top name for boy babies since 1956, slipped to third.

Officials say Isabella and Sophia tied as the top girl's name among Hispanic, white and Asian families. Kayla reigns with black and Hispanic parents and Fiona is a new favorite for Asian girls.

Jayden was the top choice of boy's names among black and Hispanic parents. Daniel is the favorite for whites, Hispanics and Asian families. And William has joined the list as a top choice for Asian families.

And there are always some parents who enjoy being different and named their daughters Unique and Miracle. For boys, the list of unusual names included Achilles, Phoenix, Orion and Wolf.

-- amNewYork

"Sophia" is one of the top names for baby girls.

Tags: baby, bloomberg, zany

Mary-Kate and Ashley back in the spotlight

Wednesday October 22, 2008 2:10 PM By Julie Gordon

By Julie Gordon

For a while, it seemed as though Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were trying to distance themselves from the twin thing. Mary-Kate has been pursuing solo acting projects, with roles in Showtime’s “Weeds” and film “The Wackness.” Ashley has been focusing on fashion, founding the brand The Row in 2006.

Now the pair is heading back into the spotlight as a twosome, with a spot on “Oprah” and a book, “Influence,” coming out on Oct. 28.The moguls are on today’s “Oprah” as part of a segment on young multi-millionaires.

The 22-year-olds are worth $100 million, according to Forbes. Most of that dough comes from their company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, which sells videos, clothing and personal care products.

On “Oprah,” the businesswomen get personal, discussing their support for each other when it comes to guys.

“If she doesn’t like him, I won’t like him,” Mary-Kate told Oprah Winfrey. “If she likes him, I’ll like him.”

The sisters’ book is a collection of interviews they conducted with influential figures about their inspirations. There are also photos of the ladies and commentary from them. Karl Lagerfeld, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lauren Hutton and John Galliano are among the stars interviewed for the book.

Tags: mary-kate and ashley olsen, oprah winfrey, entertainment

Down to the wire on term limits bill

Wednesday October 22, 2008 1:53 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

It may be anyone’s victory tomorrow when the City Council votes on whether to extend term limits for elected officials.

After a judge today refused a last minute request by two Brooklyn council members to stop the vote, the stage is set for what some say may be one of the closest votes taken inside City Hall.

“These are shifting sands,” said Councilman James Oddo (R-Staten Island), an opponent of the bill. “You could have 32 votes before lunch, 26 after lunch and 22 by the end of the day.”While there was much speculation that Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s decision to schedule a vote tomorrow is evidence that she and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been able to line up enough supporters, some political insiders said they weren’t so sure.

“Part of this is a poker game,” said one city official who asked not to be identified. “They’re putting on a tough face . . . You put it on as if you have the votes and then you hope that you have them because of that.”

Quinn’s office released a statement today saying the speaker is “very optimistic that the mayor’s bill will pass.”

Meanwhile, the mayor, who three weeks ago declared he wanted to change the city charter so he could run for a third four-year term, has said that he would not seek to change the law through a voter referendum if the bill is voted down.

Passage would require 26 votes.

The vote could also take another turn, as three council members who say they are undecided on Bloomberg’s bill announced today that they will introduce an amendment seeking to have the term-limits issue decided by voter referendum.

Voters twice approved term limits in the 1990s.

Councilman Lewis Fiddler (D-Brooklyn), who supports extending term limits, said that while he was “cautiously optimistic” that term limits will be extended, he interpreted Quinn’s action more as an attempt to put the matter to rest.

“As passionately as people feel about this issue, there’s a lot of business we’re not doing that we should be doing,” Fiddler said. “Let’s rip the Band-aid off and do it. One way or the other, let’s get this vote done.”

Tags: term limits, city council, city hall dispatch, politics

Taylor Momsen recovers after hospital stay

Wednesday October 22, 2008 1:03 PM By Julie Gordon

By Julie Gordon

“Gossip Girl” actress Taylor Momsen is recovering from a potentially life-threatening throat infection after being released from Los Angeles hospital yesterday.

The 15-year-old Momsen, who plays Jenny Humphrey on the CW11 show, was admitted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Sunday.

“She has been an excellent patient, and after aggressive antibiotics and medications, she is expected to make a full recovery in the next three to five days,” said Shawn S. Nasseri, Momsen's doctor.

Momsen was in L.A. for a school exam, and plans to return to New York, where “Gossip Girl” is shot, with her mother this week, according to Us magazine, which first reported the news.

“She’s in unbelievable spirits,” a source told Us.

Tags: entertainment, taylor momsen, gossip girl

Trace of an old pet shop surfaces where Duane Reade once held court

Wednesday October 22, 2008 12:03 PM By Rolando Pujol

With the Duane Reade signage stripped, a sign for an old pet shop has resurfaced on Broadway in the mid 70s. (Photos by Rolando Pujol)

By Rolando Pujol

It's an unusual sight for a couple of reasons. For one, we're used to Duane Reades spreading and consuming every old drug store in their path, not closing.

But with this vast lot now cleared on 2150 Broadway between 75th and 76th streets on the Upper West Side, a couple of curious artifacts have surfaced. For one, you can see what looks like an old fireplace way in the back of the store. And right outside, an old sign has surfaced for a pet shop. These dog owners might see an irony in the site's long-ago occupant.

Anyone out there know more about this block's past?

What appears to be an old fireplace can be clearly seen inside the former Duane Reade.

Tags: duane reade, upper west side, urban archaeology, history, development, manhattan

Don Rickles: Funny man (and Jackson Heights native) is still quick with the insults

Wednesday October 22, 2008 11:21 AM By Rolando Pujol

By Ed Condran

Special to amNewYork

Don Rickles is so politically incorrect, he makes Bill Maher look like Barack Obama. The king of insult humor returns to his native New York for and his first target is old neighborhood in Queens.

“I grew up in Jackson Heights,” Rickles says while calling from his Los Angeles home. “Jackson Heights has changed a lot. It’s changed so much I call it Haiti.”

Rickles, 82, doesn’t care who he offends and that’s part of his appeal. “I do what I do,” he says. “People know what to expect of me.”

But that wasn’t so when Rickles initially showcased his insult humor during the ’50s. Back then, he was the anomaly on the circuit.

“To my knowledge I was the only person doing what I was doing,” Rickles says. “It was a big struggle in the beginning. Anytime you do anything different, well, that’s how it goes.”

By the ’60s, his star began to rise. Johnny Carson became a huge fan and Rickles became a regular on “The Tonight Show.”

“Johnny had a great feeling for people and talent just like David Letterman does today,” Rickles says.

Frank Sinatra enjoyed the comic so much that the charismatic curmudgeon didn’t just land steady work in Las Vegas, he became a close friend of the Chairman of the Board.

“Frank was the best,” Rickles says. “He was one of a kind. He had a great sense of humor.”

Rickles has appeared in the film “Casino,” and lent his voice to Mr. Potatohead in “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.”

“Those are such great movies,” Rickles says. “To work with (director Martin) Scorcese was a treat and the ‘Toy Story’ movies are fabulous. My grandchildren love them.”

Rickles will reprise the cranky spud for “Toy Story 3,” which is slated to hit theaters in 2010.

“I’ll work on something if its fun,” Rickles says. “But I don’t work as much as I used to.”

The schedule Rickles keeps - 30 stand-up dates a year - suggests he is close to calling it a career.

“It might seem that way, but I’m still going to go out there,” he says. “I still have my health. I love performing and getting up in front of a crowd and hearing them laugh. In some ways I can’t imagine life without the laughs. The only way for someone to understand what I do is to actually do it [stand-up]. It’s like therapy. But I don’t push it too far. My dance card is pretty full.”

Would the cranky performer consider playing a crotchety character in a sitcom ala Jerry Stiller? Rickles, who has appeared in a plethora of TV shows since the ’60s, would be perfect for such a part.

“I think that time came and went,” Rickles says. “I don’t have to do anything like that right now. I’m a pretty happy man. I like playing out. That’s enough for me.”

Don Rickles appears Thursday and Friday at Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., Tickets are $49, $79 and $129. Show time is 8 p.m. For more information, call 212-840-2824

Tags: don rickles, jackson heights, comedy, town hall, entertainment

Viral video: Not a good idea...

Wednesday October 22, 2008 10:02 AM By Sean Joseph

Whoever told this guy surfing off a roof would not hurt clearly had an ulterior motive.

Tags: viral video, television

Bloomberg term limits turmoil continues

Wednesday October 22, 2008 9:10 AM By Lauren Johnston

(Dave Sanders)

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn council members Bill de Blasio and Letitia James went to

court Wednesday to block Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to change the city’s term-limits law so that he can run for a third four-year term.

The pair filed a petition asking the court to stop a scheduled council vote to

increase the number of terms the mayor and current council members may serve.The two lawmakers want the court to declare that the vote to

allow a third term in office for its own members, as well as

Bloomberg, would violate the city’s conflict of interest law.

The vote is scheduled for Thursday. A hearing on the issue was

scheduled for later Wednesday before state Supreme Court Justice

Jacquelyn Silbermann.

Randy Mastro, lawyer for the two petitioners, said his clients

oppose the proposed term-limits vote “as a matter of deeply held

principle.”

The petition names the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board and

the council as defendants.

The board wrote an opinion last week concluding that it was not

a conflict for council members to vote on term limits changes for

themselves and the mayor.

Jamie McShane, a spokesman for council Speaker Christine Quinn,

who supports Bloomberg’s proposal, noted Wednesday that the panel

issued a “strong and decisive opinion.”

“We are confident the court will agree that this lawsuit is

entirely without merit,” McShane said.

Two-thirds of the council members will be forced out of office

next year under the existing law, which restricts the mayor,

council members and other city officeholders to two consecutive

four-year terms. The mayor’s proposal would add the option for a

third term.

Bloomberg announced his intentions late last month after several

weeks of turmoil on Wall Street, arguing that he is uniquely

qualified to lead the city through the financial crisis because of

his business background. The founder of the multibillion-dollar

financial data firm Bloomberg LP, the mayor is reported to be worth

an estimated $20 billion.

The petitioners’ court papers note that Bloomberg had previously

expressed his support for term limits.

“Then, when the recent crisis in New York and worldwide

financial markets unfolded, Mayor Bloomberg seized on the

opportunity to make public his private desire to amend the term

limits laws” so he and some council members could stay in office,

court papers say.

Bloomberg’s first-ever veto when he took office in 2002 was to

reject a council bill that sought to extend terms for some

lawmakers. At the time, he said the proposed law was wrong because

it amounted to changing the rules for personal political gain.

Tags: politics, michael bloomberg, term limits, city hall dispatch

Sarah Palin: Before the $150K makeover

Wednesday October 22, 2008 6:12 AM By Lauren Johnston

Sarah Palin, then Sarah Heath, left, with classmate Stacia Crocker at a dorm party at the University of Idaho. (Stacia Hagerty)

News broke last night [Politico] of the RNC's big spending spree on smart fashions for Sarah Palin and family: A reported $49,425.74 spent at Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York and a $75,062.63 blowout at a Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis among the receipts.

We wonder what her "real Americans" might have to say about that. But we're also checking out this story today, on her college-hopping years. According to this LA Times story, none of her professors remember her.

Tags: sarah palin, politics

Morning news round-up ...

Wednesday October 22, 2008 5:52 AM By Lauren Johnston

Here are the hard news, "talkers" and bizarre stories we've been reading today from local, to politics, to celebs to business:

* Update: 2 NYPD cops shot in Queens subway station: [DailyNews]

* Lonely being a McCain supporter in Park Slope: [NYTimes]

* RNC shells out $150K for Sarah Palin fashion: [Politico]

* San Fran may decriminalize prostitution: [AP]

* Fox to pay Bill O'Reilly more than $10M a year: [WashingonPost]

Phony reporters crashing parties in city

Tuesday October 21, 2008 3:16 PM By Pete Catapano

Phony reporters squirming into parties in the city are more conniving than the guys in "Wedding Crashers"

By Marlene Naanes

Party crashers posing as reporters are apparently trying harder to get into swanky events to get a taste of free food and drinks and hobnob with influential New Yorkers.

About 24 fake journalists tried to get into a recent gala to raise money for poor children this year, compared to the usual five or so, said Claudia Stepke, head of Claudia Stepke Associates, a public-relations firm. She figures the boom of posers partially could be due to the economy.

“I was answering phones every 10 minutes,” she said.

The phenomenon can be fairly common at events that offer free refreshments, interesting guests or unique venues, publicists said. One woman in public relations who did not want to give her name or the title of her firm said it’s often the same people who try to get into the same event every year, most of whom falsely say they work for real publications.Another woman in public relations said that about 15 people showed up at the door of a recent large fundraising event that served refreshments, some handing over business cards for made-up publications.

The fakers also pretend to work for any of the city’s real newspapers or national magazines. One person, who goes by the name of Robert Miller, has persistently made the rounds with at least five public relations firms recently, saying he works for amNewYork. Miller, described only as a man in his mid-50s, has been trying to trick event organizers for years. The fake reporter has created a phony amNewYork email address and has a partner he calls Alex Page. Miller also claims to work for other publications to sneak into other events.

The man, who did not return requests for comment, possibly called one firm as many as three times recently, trying to get himself and an assistant into two galas and another event, said Susanna Mesa with the Saxton Group. Stepke has also fielded a call from the man.

The public-relations execs said the consequences of letting a faker in could mean anything from embarrassment to losing a client. It also means that a worthy cause loses money.

“The reason I found it so difficult with people that are imposters is that I’m working with children at risk academically, and every cent should go to the children,” Stepke said. “With the economy as it is…I can’t afford any one to attend these events that is not legitimate.”

Beyond free food and wine, people who pose as journalists could be seeking a boost to their self worth, said Kristin Sommer, a Baruch College associate professor in psychology.

“[That] behavior might be dominant in people who don’t have a particularly strong self worth,” she said. “Their own worth is defined in terms of the kind of connections that they have.”

Tags: robert miller, journalism, wedding crashers, zany, media

Fossella's defense: It was the hand sanitizer

Tuesday October 21, 2008 3:16 PM By Rolando Pujol

Rep. Vito Fossella, R-NY, center, exits court with his defense team after his trial on drunken driving charges in Alexandria, Va. on Friday. (AP)

By Jason Fink

Call it the clean hands defense.

Though Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island) was recently convicted on drunk driving charges in Virginia, he faces another hearing in December to determine whether his blood alcohol level (BAC) was high enough to land him in jail.

At the heart of his case as to why his BAC was 0.17, more than twice the legal limit: Hand sanitizer.“Hand sanitizers contain either very high concentrations of ethanol,

which is in liquor, ... or it contains rubbing alcohol,” said Thomas Workman, a lawyer and engineer who has already testified in Fossella’s trial. “When you put alcohol on the skin, one thing is it evaporates but the other thing is it is absorbed into the body.”

Fossella’s legal team is not alone in coming up with creative

defenses.

- In 1976, an attorney for Dan White, a former San Francisco

supervisor who assassinated Mayor George Moscone, argued that having

consumed Twinkies and soda before the shooting, his client, already

prone to depression, experienced serious mood swings. White was

convicted of manslaughter because of his “diminished capacity.”

- In 1991, the lawyer for Kathy Willets of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,

argued that Willets was driven to prostitution by nymphomania brought on

by side-effects of an antidepressant. This forced her to need sex with

as many as eight men daily. Willets and her husband were convicted of

prostitution charges.

Fossella’s lawyers may also have another novel defense. They have argued that a field sobriety test, in which the congressman was asked to recite the alphabet from D through T, was flawed because it should, in fact, have started with A.

A spokesman for Fossella, who is not running for re-election, did not return a phone call yesterday seeking comment.

In Alexandria, Va., where Fossella was arrested, anything over 0.15 triggers a mandatory minimum of five days in jail.

Workman said the hand sanitizer could account for the difference between 0.17 and, perhaps, a reading below 0.15 - which could be the difference between jail or simply a fine.

“In 20 years and 4,000 cases I’ve never heard of this as an approach to defend a drunk driving case,” said Howard Greenberg, a New York City defense lawyer who was not involved in Fossella’s case.

Still, another New York defense lawyer, Brian Griffin, suggested one more possibility.

Perhaps, Griffin said, the alcohol “was on his hands and he wiped his lips or wiped his mouth.”

“Even if it’s a drop, that’s all it takes,” he said.

Tags: vito fossella, drunk driving, staten island

Saigon Grill workers served up $4.6 million judgment

Tuesday October 21, 2008 2:30 PM By Marlene Naanes

From the Associated Press:

A group of immigrant restaurant workers who sued their bosses over years of substandard wages have won a major victory in New York.

A U.S. magistrate on Tuesday ordered the owner of several Vietnamese cafes to pay more than $4.6 million to a group of 36 delivery men who claimed they made less than minimum wage.

The court says the Saigon Grill restaurant paid its delivery workers no more than $600 per month.

All the workers were Chinese immigrants. Many were in the United States illegally.

Some of the delivery workers were able to bring in a few thousand dollars a month in tips, but only by putting in long hours six or seven days a week.

A lawyer for the Saigon Grill hasn't returned a phone call seeking comment.

Tags: restaurants

Developing: 2 police officers shot in Queens

Tuesday October 21, 2008 2:15 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Peter Catapano

Two undercover police officers were shot by a fare beater who used one of their own guns after it came loose in a struggle with the man at a Queens train station yesterday, police said.

Shane Farina, 38, and Jason Maass, 29, were taken to Elmhurst Hospital after the altercation with Raul Nunez, 32, who was apparently using a student’s MetroCard to get onto the F train at the 21st Street near the Queensbridge Houses.

According to police, the suspect fired on the officers about 5:15 p.m. before running up an escalator, where he was shot four times by a police lieutenant.

The mayor said last night that both officers were expected to recover. Maass was shot in the lower back and Farina was shot in the lower sternum and also sustained a fractured rib. Farina was undergoing surgery at press time.

Nunez was struck in the leg and made statements at the hospital implicating himself, police said.

After an alert went off about an unauthorized MetroCard use at a turnstile, Farina and Maass identified themselves as officers and got one handcuff on Nunez, but then the scuffle began and one of the officer's guns came loose.

Nunez grabbed the gun, stood up and fired at both officers while they were still on the ground, police said.

Prosecutors say the man will be charged with attempted murder and could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Tags: nypd, police shootings

Boo Wow! It's dog Halloween!

Tuesday October 21, 2008 2:05 PM By Lauren Johnston

(Photos: KarenNgo.com

By Lauren Johnston

Tricks and treats are something your pet knows well. Fido sit! Get a treat. So it's no wonder that come Halloween, the city is creepy crawling with spooktacular events designed especially for the four-legged set. Here we've rounded up a ghoulish selection of costume contests and parties for you and your favorite little monster, ahem, pet.

Click through for listings from all five boroughs, and pet Halloween safety tips, spots to get pet-safe Halloween goodies, and links for online costume photo contests!

MANHATTAN

(UPDATE: Parade will be held on RAIN DATE)

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade: Now in its 18th year, this is the oldest and biggest dog Halloween event in town. Last year it drew more than 250 dogs and 2,000 people. There are six iPod prizes this year, plus goodie bags and gift certificates from local businesses. The big question: Will anyone top last year's iDog costume? (Oct. 25, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Admission $5, Raindate Oct. 26; Ave. A at 9th St.; www.firstrunfriends.org)

Animal Fair Magazine Halloween: This event combines comedy acts and pet costumes and will feature star costume judges Beth Ostrosky and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Proceeds benefit the Humane Society of New York. (Oct. 27, 7 p.m. to 9 pm. at Mansion, 530 West 38th St., Tickets $50-$2500. For more information or to reserve your tickets, contact Anne Marie at (212) 752-4842 or e-mail yappy@animalfair

Riverside Park Doggie Halloween: Uptown dogs get their boo on at this costume party. Owners and ups alike can hit the "Flea-less" market, and pick up yummy treats. (Oct. 25, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., 72nd St. Dog Run at Riverside Park, Admission $10, Raindate Oct. 26, www.rspfloral.org)

PetCo Howl-O-Ween: Take your pet to a PetCo near you for a "Spook-tacular" photo-op and costume contest. All species welcome, but they must arrive in costume on a leash or in a carrier. (Oct. 25, Photos at 1 p.m., costume contest at 2 p.m. Go to www.petco.com for a store locator)

BROOKLYN

Brooklyn Heights Howl-o-ween Parade: Costumed pups parade along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a good cause at this event. Proceeds go to animal charities for dogs, cats and horses. (Oct. 26, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Admission $25, Pre-register by Oct. 25 at Perfect Paws, 102 Hicks St.; Parade begins at Remsen St. Promenade entrance)

Great PUPkin Dog Costume Contest: The top six dogs take home prizes at the Fort Greene costume parade. Afterwards, families enjoy sack races, hayrides and more at the Fort Greene Park Halloween festival. (Oct. 25, registration at 11:30 a.m., Raindate Oct. 26., suggested donation $5, Directions, details at www.fortgreenepups.org)

QUEENS

Bobbi and the Strays Halloween Masquerade Ball Fundraiser: This annual bash partners with PetFinder.org to have some Halloween costume fun and help homeless animals in the process. (Oct. 30, 6 p.m., Russo's on the Bay, 162-45 Crossbay Blvd., Howard Beach, For tickets call: 718-845-0779)

Far Rockaway Canine Costume Carnival: Treat bags, costumes, tricks and freebies at the dog costume festival. (Oct. 25, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, Freeway Park, Rockaway Freeway between Beach 81st St. and Beach 83rd St.)

BRONX

Van Cortlandt Park Howl-o-Ween: Give a Bronx cheer for these costumed dogs who will strut through the park's Canine Court. (Oct. 26, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Admission $10, pre-registration required, call 718-796-4541, Enter park at Broadway and Lakeview Place, www.nycgovparks.org)

STATEN ISLAND

7th Annual Pooch Parade: This action-packed event features silly pet tricks, a fetching contest a doggie obstacle course, and awards for everything from best costume to best owner-look-alike. (Oct. 25, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Wolfe's Pond Park, Free)

PET-SAFE HALLOWEEN GOODIES!:

Healthy Hound Bakery: A former New York City chef moved upstate and became a dog baker. Order delectable dog-safe treats in time for Halloween including "Frosted Apple Oatmeal ghosts" and "Very Veggie Pumpkin Cakes." (www.healthyhoundbakery.com)

Robbie Dawg: This Brooklyn local dog baker has created special Halloween Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie biscuits for your favorite pooch, and even handcrafts each one. Available at local retailers and online at www.robbiedawg.com, (718) 855-1552

Online photo costume contests: Your pet can be a winner beyond the local costume contest!

* Bow-Wow-Ween: Submit photos of your dog in costume Disney Family.com and you could win one year's worth of dog food, training, pet insurance and $2,000 (www.family.com/dog-costume-contest)

* Howl-o-ween: This contest from PetSource.org will award the winning pet (cat, dog, whatever) a slew of pet products and will donate $1,000 to your local Human Society or animal shelter of your choice. (www.petsource.org)

* Doggyspace.com: The winner of this social-networking site's photo costume contest gets prize package and $6,000 donated to your local SPCA or animal shelter. Enter at www.doggyspace.com/halloween)

Halloween scares up pet health hazards

By Lauren Johnston

Maybe your dog is set on dressing up as Jack Sparrow and your cat wants to be the Dark Knight, but before you put them in costume, listen up. Animal experts warn that this howl-a-day can scare up some nasty health hazards for your furry friend. Follow these tips to keep your pet safe:

Choose costumes wisely: Excess fabric can get snagged on household items and possibly constrict a leg - or worse - the neck. A pet may also chew on an uncomfortable outfit and could choke or swallow something harmful.

Keep candy out of reach: It’s not an urban myth, chocolate really is toxic to pets. The caffeine-like chemical it contains called theobromine can cause increased heart rates, anxiety, panting, vomiting and even death. Call the vet asap if your pet ingests chocolate.

Watch your wrappers: The candy may be gone, but the enticing aroma remains. Wrappers like tin foil can get stuck in your pet’s digestive tract and cause illness and could be fatal if ingested.

Keep them contained: If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters, keep your pet away from the front door. Your pet might dart outside, or become anxious over seeing so many strangers. Best bet is to keep them in a separate room.

Beware dangerous decorations: Don’t leave lighted candles or Jack-O-Lanterns where they could be toppled by a swinging tail or curious cat. If could ignite a fire or cause your pet to suffer serious burns.

(Tips from the World Wide Pet Industry Association)

Ask the Vet: Dr. Babette Gladstein

Q: Can cats be nervous, or extremely high strung? My Allae seems to jump out of her skin if you touch her when she’s not looking or asleep. She seems to be always in a state of high alert like she can't calm down except when she’s at play or eating. Are cats supposed to be so jumpy and if not what can I do to calm her down? - Cassandra Murray, Jamaica, Queens

A: Dr. Gladstein, a holistic veterinarian, has six tips for Allae:

* Put a few drops of natural lavender oil on a piece of paper and put several pieces of paper around the room.

* Start your cat on vitamin B.

* Get a white sound machine and keep it on low, or try playing some soothing classical music.

* There is an amino acid, Theanine, that seems to work very well. It is in a product called Calm-stress, a palatable liquid form from Vetri-science.

* Pet your cat often, especially when they are acting “normal.” Never reward your cat- or even reassure them when they are acting weird. You only reinforce and reward that behavior.

* Cats are by nature sensitive to sounds and you may want to make a place in your apartment - a carpeted box or a covered bed - where your cat can feel safe and protected.

Tags: petropolis, pets, halloween, richard belzer, brooklyn heights promenade, tompkins square park, riverside park, staten island, queens, parks, manhattan, holiday traditions, entertainment, bronx, arts

MTA needs improvements for disabled riders, group finds

Tuesday October 21, 2008 1:42 PM By Mae Cheng

By Marlene Naanes

The MTA needs to improve its communication with disabled riders, an advisory group to the agency said yesterday, recommending that the Authority make better use of its Web site and upgrade its announcement systems.

“While much has been accomplished, more remains to be done, and the MTA is legally and morally obligated to improve accessibility for all riders on its buses, commuter rail services, and subways,” William Guild, chairman of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement Tuesday.All buses and 82 subway stations are wheelchair accessible, with 34 additional accessible stations expected by 2020. And while the MTA has or is testing other technologies to help disabled riders, more needs to be done, the citizens group said in a report issued Tuesday.

“When it comes to improving service to our customers with disabilities - from the efforts underway to install tactile warning strips at railroad and subway stations, to our exploration of ways to add more elevator and escalator information on our Web site - we are pleased that the MTA and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee are thinking alike,” said an MTA Aaron Donovan spokesman.

The report’s recommendations include:

- Create Web site pages for all subway stations and post any information related to accessibility, including the location of elevators and escalators within the station.

- Install tactile strips along the floor of newly constructed or significantly renovated stations that lead visually impaired customers to Braille signs, ticket booths and other important locations.

- Post floor plans in all key stations with the location of the elevators at that station. They should be placed at the entrance to the station near other maps or passenger information centers and on platforms.

- Accelerate implementation of technology that provides automated audible and visible stop announcements on buses to reduce the impact of operators failing to make announcements. All new buses should have this feature.

Tags: mta, metropolitan transportation authority, disabled riders, wall street

MTA pushes EZ pay-per-ride plan

Tuesday October 21, 2008 12:17 PM By Lauren Johnston

Lance Bass works to stay injury-free

Tuesday October 21, 2008 12:12 PM By Julie Gordon

Lance Bass and partner Lacey Schwimmer (ABC)

By Julie Gordon

“Dancing with the Stars” has sadly seen several spills and injuries this season — Brooke Burke’s foot contusion, Jeffrey Ross’ scratched cornea, Misty May-Treanor’s torn Achilles tendon that forced her out of the competition.

On Monday night, contestant Lance Bass fell while dancing a swing, but quickly regained his footing with partner Lacey Schwimmer’s help.

“It’s so crazy this season,” Bass told us. “We definitely stretch out before every rehearsal and performance and overall just watch my health and what I eat. And I’m in the gym.”

Bass, 29, said ’NSync routines were a breeze compared to those on “Dancing,” and he plans to keep exercising after he leaves the show.

“I’m going to have to because I’m going to gain about 100 pounds if I stop for a week,” he said. “It’s part of my life.”

Somehow we doubt that.

Tags: entertainment, "dancing with the stars, " lance bass, brooke burke, misty-may treanor, lacey schwimmer, jeffrey ross

Storage solution and political commentary? You betcha!

Tuesday October 21, 2008 12:05 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Rolando Pujol

Manhattan Mini Storage never fails to deliver with its cheeky ads. A new batch popping up around town skewers Sarah Palin, knocking both her experience and the size of your closet. In case the message is lost on you, an "anti-choice" pin adorns her red power suit.

While this ad, shown here on an Upper West Side phone booth, will not be controversial among most New Yorkers, here's a recent Manhattan Mini Storage ad that was.

Tags: sarah palin, abortion, manhattan mini storage, advertising, media, politics

Randall's Island Kids gettin' down to get healthy

Tuesday October 21, 2008 11:02 AM By Lauren Johnston

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (Lois Greenfield)

By Lauren Johnston

Now why don't they have after-work programs like this? The Randall's Island Kids program partners with more than 120 public schools and community groups in Harlem and the South Bronx to offer young New Yorkers free sports, nature and dance programs. And NOW they get to take dance lessons with the Harlem dance troupe the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

They truck out to the Icahn Stadium each week for modern dance lessons - and part of the point is to have fun while being active and fighting common diseases like childhood diabetes, asthma and obesity. Appropriately, the project is called Kids in Motion.

We want to know why more employers don't put together stuff like this! Hopefully it's next after the trans fat and smoking bans and calorie counts. Free dance for "Office drones in motion?"

Tags: randall's island, stuff that's cool, health, education, arts

A lower Manhattan firehouse goes residential -- how very "Spencer: For Hire"

Tuesday October 21, 2008 10:16 AM By Rolando Pujol

By Jefferson Siegel

In the 1980s detective TV drama "Spencer: For Hire," the title character, played by Robert Urich, moves into an abandoned Boston firehouse.

In lower Manhattan, an old firehouse has been converted to residential use and now has a ground-floor space available for rent. The Engine 29 building, at 160 Chambers St., still has original exterior detailing.

Engine 29 was organized in 1865 and first located on Washington Street. It moved to the Chambers Street building in 1897, and was disbanded on Jan. 1, 1947.

On July 24, 1885, Engine 29 was one of the units that responded to an explosion and fire in a tobacco factory at Washington and Barclay streets. Eight firefighters suffered injuries, including two from Engine 29.

Tags: fdny, firehouse, lower manhattan, history, endangered nyc, robert urich, architecture, development, neighborhoods

Viral video: Ref's forearm shiver

Tuesday October 21, 2008 9:32 AM By Sean Joseph

It looks like LSU got an extra block from the official in their win against South Carolina last weekend.

Tags: viral video, television, sports

Whitney Port: Sex (?) and 'The City'

Tuesday October 21, 2008 7:23 AM By Julie Gordon

By Julie Gordon

Attention "Hills" fans! The "The City" is here! The show follows the bubbly blonde as she works for fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg in Manhattan.

And in the promo, the former "Hills" co-star certainly looks like she's enjoying all New York City has to offer -- especially the guys.

Port is seen dating two different (very cute) guys, and in one scene the two even get into a fight over her at a club. But, during the live "Hills" after-show Monday night, Port said that neither is her "boyfriend."

In the past, Port hasn't revealed much of her private life on camera, but now she said things have changed. "If I'm going to do something like this, then I may as well go all out," she said.

Other bits from the trailer: Annoying socialite Olivia Palermo is buddy-buddy with Port; mean-queen Kelly Cutrone, of People's Revolution, gives Port love advice; Lauren Conrad and Port have a teary goodbye.

Conrad may be having her own teary reality TV goodbye. She recently said that after five years on reality TV, she is ready to kind of walk away.

Tags: entertainment, whitney port, lauren conrad, the hills, the city

Stuff going down around town today ...

Tuesday October 21, 2008 6:13 AM By Lauren Johnston

Getty Images

From panel discussions, to protests, go learn something today:

11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Panel on “Covering the Campaign of a Lifetime” with journalists from The New York Times, The AP, Al Jazeera and BBC; NYU Stern School of Business, Schimmel Auditorium, Tisch Hall, UC-50, 40 W. Fourth St., at Greene Street.

Noon Frank Gifford attends “Toots Shor Day” event celebrating the

legendary 1950s restaurant; Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant, 18 W. 33rd St., near Fifth Avenue.

1 p.m. South Korean workers protest labor violations by Korean company

that builds SIRIUS Satellite radios; in front of McGraw-Hill building, 49th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

2 p.m. The Municipal Arts Society joins preservation groups to urge the

Landmarks Preservation Commission to reject the South Street Seaport redevelopment plan; The Plaza south of the Municipal Building, One Centre St., Manhattan.

2 p.m. Friends and advocates of Brad Will, an American journalist

killed in Mexico, begin four-day vigil to protest Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s support for U.S. funding for Mexico’s military; in front of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s office, 780 Third Ave.,

between 48th and 49th streets.

Tags: today's freebies, john mccain, barack obama, today's check it out, stuff that's cool

Redevelopment of South Street Seaport may threaten historic district, group says

Monday October 20, 2008 4:00 PM By Mae Cheng

The Tin Building at the South Street Seaport (Photo by Jefferson Siegel)

By Ryan Chatelain

ryan.chatelain@am-ny.com

The historic character of the South Street Seaport is threatened by redevelopment, a preservationist group argues.

As developer General Growth Properties presents its plan for the Seaport Tuesday to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Historic Districts Council believes the project will compromise some of the city’s most precious buildings and adversely alter the area’s appearance.

“I’d say it probably is the most historic neighborhood in Manhattan,” said Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council. “It’s definitely the oldest intact neighborhood.”

General Growth, a shopping mall giant and owner of Pier 17 mall at the Seaport, must seek approval from Landmarks because the bulk of the redevelopment would take place within a designated historic district. Barring any delays, the developer, which also needs to obtain rezoning approval, plans to begin construction in 2010 and the project would be completed by 2014.The plan would require relocating the Tin Building - built in 1907 and once used for the now-departed Fulton Fish Market - to the edge of the pier.

The proposal would also call for the demolition of the 1939 New Market Building to make way for a 42-story residential/hotel tower and a 12-story boutique hotel. The New Market Building site falls just outside the boundaries of the Seaport historic district, so it is not protected from being torn down.

Bankoff contends that moving the Tin Building would divorce it from its historic context, that most of the new buildings’ designs would be too modern for a historic district and even that the 24-year-old Pier 17, which would also be bulldozed, should be preserved.

General Growth’s plan, which has the backing of the Bloomberg administration, also includes nearly 5 acres of open space, a community center/school, specialty stores, restaurants and outdoor markets.

Michael McNaughton, a vice president at General Growth, said the company is working to create a waterfront site that New Yorkers can enjoy but that also recognizes and preserves the Seaport’s history.

“We want to be true to what the Seaport has meant to the city of New York for hundreds of years,” McNaughton said.

McNaughton argues that the Tin Building’s historical context has already been removed because it has been entombed over the years by several buildings and the FDR Drive overpass. McNaughton added that the New Market Building was never deemed historically significant, and that there are many examples of malls throughout the country more worthy of preservation than Pier 17.

Tags: south street seaport, landmarks preservation commission, tin building, new market building, development

Billionaire is latest to oppose Mayor Mike Bloomberg's term limits bill

Monday October 20, 2008 3:39 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

jason.fink@am-ny.com

It may just take a fellow billionaire to stop Mayor Michael Bloomberg from claiming a third term in office.

Businessman and Buffalo Sabres owner Thomas Golisano announced Monday he doesn’t believe the law limiting officeholders to two terms should be changed without voter approval.

Golisano, who has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, will even go as far as to finance an opposition campaign that will include newspaper advertisements and likely radio and television spots.

“The people have the right and deserve the opportunity to make this decision,” Golisano said.Bloomberg said he welcomes Golisano’s voice in the debate, but even his staunchest allies admitted Monday that the latest opposition would make for a tough battle.

“It’s going to be harder,” said former Mayor Ed Koch, who was among the first to support Bloomberg’s decision to run again.

City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), an opponent of a council bill extending term limits to three terms, said Golisano’s support “helps level the playing field.”

“The discourse has been heavily stacked in favor of the haves - the billionaires and the magnates,” Liu said.

Bloomberg declared earlier this month that he wanted another four years in office and would seek to change the term-limits law so that he could run again.

Golisano praised Bloomberg’s reign but said voters must have the chance to consider any change to term-limits law. The public twice approved term-limits in the 1990s.

The City Council has fast-tracked the mayor’s bill and could vote as early as Thursday, although that was looking unlikely yesterday. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who backs the

Bloomberg plan, told some council members that the vote was not on the agenda yet for Thursday, a possible indication that there was not enough support currently for the bill’s passage.

Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at the Baruch School of Public Affairs, said as long as the law remains in the hands of the council he doubts Golisano’s efforts will matter.

“He would have to directly be able to influence the council members,” said Muzzio. “He doesn’t have enough reach or enough time or enough money compared to Michael Bloomberg to make a difference.”

If the council were to pass the bill, Golisano said it was possible he would help finance legal challenges.

The AP contributed to this report.

Tags: michael bloomberg, term limits, thomas golisano, ed koch, city hall dispatch

International heroes honored in NYC

Monday October 20, 2008 3:34 PM By Emily Ngo

Mayor Bloomberg, New York Times columnist David Brooks and NBC's Ann Curry are among the big names slated to attend tomorrow's Courage in Journalism awards at the Waldorf Astoria.

The event, hosted by the International Women's Media Foundation, this year honors three women fighting for something New Yorkers take for granted — free press.

Farida Nekzad edits at an Afghan newspaper despite daily threats to her life. Sevgul Uludag has brought international attention to ethnic killings in Cyrus. And Aye Aye Win works battling repression by Myanmar's military junta, a group highlighted recently when news on the hurricane and the monk protests was nearly impossible to get.

— Emily Ngo

Tags: media

Rockers to candidates: Stop using our music

Monday October 20, 2008 3:32 PM By Pete Catapano

Bon Jovi wants John McCain's to stop using his songs at campaign stops. (Getty)

By Julie Gordon

jgordon@am-ny.com

John McCain has hit a sour note with a lot of rockers for using their songs on the campaign trail. But it turns out, there’s not much they can do to make him stop the music.

A growing number of musicians have demanded the senator to stop playing their songs at campaign events, but they probably won’t be taking their case to the courtroom.

It would be difficult for Van Halen, Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, Heart, Survivor, the Rolling Stones and other upset artists — most of whom are Democrats — to prove that McCain’s camp crossed legal lines by using their music without approval.

Van Halen, for example, wasn’t hot for McCain for using their hit “Right Now” at Ohio rally."Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given,” the band said..

Bon Jovi, meanwhile, which hosted a $30,000 a person fund-raiser for Democrat Barack Obama recently, objected to McCain using their song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” at a campaign stop.Jon Bon Jovi recently hosted a $30,000 fund-raiser for Democrat Barack Obama.

While McCain seems to have little public support from rockers, Obama has many performers on his bandwagon. Just last week, Bruce Springsteen teamed up with Billy Joel at a concert for Obama in Manhattan.

All public places that broadcast music, such as a venue for a rally, need a license from a performing rights organization, like ASCAP. Venues buy a “license for the right to play all works by an organization’s artists, like the 330,000 ASCAP has. If the music the candidate is using falls under that license, there’s almost nothing an artist can do to stop it, said Stephen Masur, managing director of MasurLaw, and entertainment law firm in Manhattan.

”Then the artists are out of luck; they can’t prevent the use,” he said.

McCain’s campaign did not return requests for comment, but recently said all licenses were on the up-and-up. A few artists have also spoken out against Obama using their tunes, including Sam Moore, whose “Hold On I’m Comin’” was used by the senator’s camp. Moore said he was not publicly endorsing any candidate.

The only way for a musician to win such a suit would be to prove there was a false impression that they were backing the candidate, which experts say would be difficult.

“I’m not sure if someone hearing a Bon Jovi song would think Bon Jovi was sponsoring McCain,” said June Besek, executive director of Columbia Law School’s Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts.

Justin Hughes, a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, said winning such a suit is a “real stretch.”

Most likely, the artists aren’t looking to sue, but just trying to distance themselves from the McCain camp. For example, the Foo Fighters said the saddest thing about the use of “My Hero” is that it was “written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."

“These cases are not designed to go to trial,” Besek said. “They’re designed to make a statement.”

But, at a campaign rally last week in North Carolina, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said it’s tough to get famous musicians to perform on her team’s behalf.

"In fact, we … were making a list of who are some celebrity singers who could come out and help us and gosh, for the life of us, the pickings were slim there," Palin said. "Who's quasi-conservative out there in the celebrity land?"

Tags: obama, mccain, bon jovi, van halen, bruce springsteen, billy joel, the rolling stones, election, politics, music

Better get in line: Shake Shack branches out to Upper West Side

Monday October 20, 2008 3:04 PM By Rolando Pujol

Design elements from the original Shake Shack have been employed at the hamburger joint's second location on Columbus Avenue and West 77th Street. (Photos: Amanda Magnus)

By Amanda Magnus

Danny Meyer brought his famous burgers to a new outpost on the Upper West Side Monday, and so far, the equally famous hour-long lines haven’t followed him from the Shake Shack’s flagship home in Madison Square Park.

Jonathan Zarn, a neighborhood resident who waited in line a mere 10 minutes, said it was “less than I expected.” He still believes, though, that the shortish lines won’t last.

“Wait until Saturday, I’m sure,” he said. “I think this will be jammed on weekends.”

Randy Garutti , one of the Shake Shack’s managing partners, said that the line has been has been manageable so far —usually 15 to 20 people at a time, but with busier moments.

“We had three hours today when the line was out the door the whole time,” said Garutti. “I expect that’ll happen again tonight.”

The second location, at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, has a different feel. Hardly a stylist shack in a park, the restaurant has two levels of seating and plenty of indoor room to wait in line. Also, Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group had a chance to design their own space, instead of using the artistic, sculpture-like building designed by Sculpture in the Environment fore the Madison Square Park location.

“Here we got to build it from scratch, knowing what we know, and we got to build it right,” said Garutti. He also said that the new location has a bigger kitchen and much more room for customers.

Because of the larger kitchen, which has more time-efficient machines, the wait for your ShackBurger is shorter.

“The line moves a lot faster, and after you order you get your food a lot faster too,” said Garutti.

Besides a faster line, the biggest goal at the new Shake Shack is to become a part of the Upper West Side community.

“We want to be the community,” sad Garutti.

“I think it’s a good change for the neighborhood,” said Paul Thomas, who lives about three blocks away from the new Shake Shack. “This is such a good corner, and since Museum Café, which was years and years and years ago, nothing’s really taken off here.”

Behold, the new Shake Shack line.

Tags: shake shack, danny meyer, hamburgers, upper west side, food, restaurants, neighborhoods, manhattan, architecture

Lindsay, Paris, Britney: Bad girls gone good?

Monday October 20, 2008 1:32 PM By Julie Gordon

Lindsay Lohan this month at the launch of her leggings line, 6126, at Henri Bendel (Getty)

Getting behind the old adage that no news is good news, we've noticed that

our favorite (possibly former) bad girls, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and

Britney Spears may have moved past their hard-partying, camera-flashing

ways for greener, mild-mannered pastures.

Hilton, whose last big boo-boo was an insanely publicized stint in jail for a

DUI, is busy with actual work, instead of making headlines for being a professional partygoer. She's promoting her clothing line in Europe, has an MTV show "Paris Hilton's my new BFF" and another in the works and is in the upcoming movie "Repo! the Genetic Opera."

Lohan, who also racked up a DUI followed by a stint in rehab, seems to have

settled down considerably, thanks in part to her romance with DJ Samantha Ronson. Lohan has appeared on TV's "Ugly Betty," and according to IMDb, has two movies in the works.

We're most excited about Ms. Spears, however. Our No. 1 favorite pop star

from the late '90s-early-2000s, has been on the upswing of late. Her guest

appearance on "How I Met Your Mother" was well-received, she took home her

first of three VMAs last month and her new single "Womanizer" made it to

No. 1 on Billboard's music chart last week. Not to mention the fact that she

and ex-hubby Kevin Federline appear to have worked out an amicable

relationship with regard to their two young children.

— Kara Warner

Tags: entertainment

With Gray's deal getting pricier, maybe it's time to call it the 'Depression Special'

Monday October 20, 2008 1:11 PM By Rolando Pujol

The Recession Special is available even at the height of a bull market.(Photos by Amanda Magnus)

With the price of Gray Papaya’s famous “Recession Special” rising, you have to wonder whether it’s time to rechristen the deal the “Depression Special.”

The offer has been on the menu for years, and is available even during the best of times.

“The price is good,” said Adam, 28, who declined to give his last name as he enjoyed two hot dogs and a drink for $3.50. “It seems like a pretty reasonable deal for $3.50.”

But that deal is getting less sweet, with “The Recession Special” jumping to $4.45, because of the rising costs associated with, well, the recession.

But customers of the Gray’s on Eighth Avenue near Times Square said they would get the deal even if the economy weren’t in the dumps. Some were even confused by the special.

“Are we officially in a recession?” asked Summer Le, a 25-year-old visiting from California.

The original special cost $1.95 and stayed that price through most of the 1990s. In 2002, Gray had to raise the price to $2.45, and in 2004 it went up again to $2.75. Today’s special price, $3.50, was established in 2006.

Some munching on the famous hot dogs were amused by the “Recession Special.”

“I didn’t notice the name until after we got it, and then I thought it was funny,” said Joey Rodriguez, 21, who’s visiting the city from the University of Maryland. “I think it’s pretty clever.”

-- Amanda Magnus

Joey Rodriguez, 21, a senior at the University of Maryland, digs into the first of his two "Recession Special" hot dogs on Sunday, when it was still going for $3.50 at the Times Square location.

Tags: gray's papaya, recession special, economy, wall street, manhattan, food

Vesuvio Bakery in SoHo: Owner hopes to reopen before Christmas

Monday October 20, 2008 12:48 PM By Rolando Pujol

Vesuvio remains closed, worrying residents that the SoHo standby won't come back. Below, a sign in the window with a question from a fan. (Photos by Rolando Pujol)

By Amanda Magnus

Vesuvio Bakery, the historic landmark in SoHo that’s been closed four months, will reopen hopefully before Christmas, owner Andrew Veniopoulos told Urbanite.

“Hopefully we’ll open soon and hopefully we’ll have a better product,” Veniopoulos said.

The bakery has been closed for renovations, according to Veniopoulos, who said the coal ovens need to be cleaned and repaired, and the building's landlord is fixing the plumbing downstairs.

Veniopoulos explained why the renovations at the bakery, at 160 Prince St., are taking so long: “There’s only one guy in the whole city who can do it, so we’re kind of at his mercy,” he said.

Veniopoulos also said that he’s waiting for the landlord to start the plumbing work that needs to be done in the basement.

Community members are confused and mystified by the renovations sign on the door at Vesuvio.

“No one seems to know what’s going on,” said Sean Sweeney, director of the SoHo Alliance.

“There has never been any kind of activity in the store,” said Lew Todd, who lives next to the bakery. “It’s just sitting there.”

Vesuvio Bakery was opened in 1920 by Nunzio and Jennie Dapolito, both Neapolitan immigrants. Their son, Tony Dapolito, later inherited the bakery and became known as the “mayor of Greenwich Village” for work on the community board. Dapolito fought for parks and other improvements for the area.

According to Sweeney, Dapolito allowed his bakery to be a central meeting place in the neighborhood, and community members were allowed to put up signs about upcoming community events.

In April of 2003, Dapolito sold his business, due to poor health, to Veniopoulos. A couple of months after selling the bakery, Dapolito passed away from pneumonia.

A sign on Vesuvio’s door bore evidence of disappointed tourists and New Yorkers expressing their sadness at the bakery’s closure. Many people have written phrases like “We miss you!” and “Glad you’ll be back!”

Perhaps they’ll get their wish in time for Christmas.

Tags: vesuvio bakery, soho, endangered nyc, history, architecture, neighborhoods, manhattan, food

Mad Men and the City: The Mountain King

Monday October 20, 2008 11:34 AM By Rolando Pujol

Roger Sterling, Greg Harris, Joan Holloway and Peggy Olson in an incredibly awkward scene from "The Mountain King."

By Rolando Pujol

We might as well title this post, "Mad Men and Southern California," because two of the juiciest references were to SoCal institutions. Before we get into the breakdown, it's worth noting that there are dramatic developments on both coasts, with the curtain raising significantly on Don Draper's past during a visit to San Pedro, and, back in New York, Peter Campbell's personal life (and career) is in turmoil because of his resistance to adopting a child. Joan is the victim of what should be a dealbreaking sexual attack committed by her fiance, Greg, in Don Draper's office, and Peggy asks for (and gets) her own office, after a humiliating upbraiding by the Xerox repairman in her workspace/closet puts her over the edge. And as the the Sterling Cooper sale to Putnam Powell and Lowe nears, (and "marmalade" is about to be spread on Sterling Cooper's toast, to paraphrase Roger Sterling) we are introduced to Bertram Cooper's endearingly patrician sister, Alice, whose rapier wit and sparring with Roger cannot be missed. Well, off to the races:

Spence-Chapin: The Campbells are fast-tracked to the top of the adoption list at the agency. Trudy is joyful, but Peter explodes at her. "Hell's bells," he says, he is not going to adopt a child. Soon, a phone call follows from his father-in-law, and after a hot-headed conversation, in which Pete essentially says he no longer loves his wife, the Clearasil account his father-in-law sends his way vanishes. The Clearasil account, you'll recall, helped make Pete at Sterling Cooper. As for Spence-Chapin, the adoption agency remains a city institution, and traces its roots to the early 1900s. From its Web site: "In 1943, the nurseries joined to form Spence-Chapin. As Spence-Chapin, the agency became known as a leader in providing adoption services of the highest quality."

Million Dollar Movie: After Pete's fit ends (and after he's tossed the plate of chicken from the balcony), we get a quick view of the Campbells' black-and-white TV set. We know they're watching WOR-TV Channel 9, because we see a slide for "Million Dollar Movie." The MDM was a WOR institution. In its heyday, "Million Dollar Movie" featured a single movie during primetime, repeated multiple times a week. WOR often showed monster and fantasy movies, and the "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which the announcer tells us is tonight's feature, sounds like a typical offering. In the 1970s and 1980s, the opening featured iconic shots of New York City, set to "Tara's Theme," which "Gone to the Wind" fans know as the movie's theme. "The Million Dollar Movie" was phased out in the late 1980s, but who can forget it? Above, check out the 1970s version of the opening.

Le Cote Basque: Joan Holloway introduces her fiance Greg to Roger Sterling, who tells him that he's a lucky guy. When Joan announces she and her beloved will be dining at Le Cote Basque, Roger reminds her that she doesn't like French food. She plays off the unmistakable hint that Roger and Joan share a past by saying that the restaurant has a new cook. Shortly thereafter, Joan and her fiance retire to Don Draper's office for a drink, but he proceeds to sexually attack her, and she is powerless to do anything about it, staring at the office furniture while it happens. Before leaving for dinner, she leaves behind the flowers she had so proudly been holding moments earlier. As for Le Cote Basque, it was one of the city's standout high-end French restaurants, which finally closed for the last time in 2004. Truman Capote wrote about it, and it was the a favorite of movers and shakers, including, in 1962, a thoracic surgeon and the chief of the secretarial pool at Sterling Cooper.The Broadway:One of the joys of watching this show is looking for the smart period details that are inserted here and there. One thing we've learned it to look at all shopping bags. In an earlier episode, we find out that Jane Siegel has purchased a bunch of dress shirts for the dispossessed Don Draper at -- shudder -- Menkens. In this episode, the "original" Mrs. Don Draper, Anna, in San Pedro buys clothes for Draper at a department store called The Broadway, which we discover by looking at the bag. We'd never heard of The Broadway before -- as New Yorkers, our defunct brands include A&S, Gimbels, and Bambergers. But for Southern Californians, the mere mention of The Broadway is bound to evoke memories. The chain is no more. Most Broadways became Macy's, the name that has replaced dozen of cherished regional brands. (We feel your pain, Marshall Field's-deprive Chicagoans.)

Western Electric office-phone "key" sets:You see these on most of the desks in the Sterling and Cooper offices. These are the classic office phones, based on the standard rotary Western Electric 500, that were seen in most American offices from the mid 1950s through the 1970s, when touch-tone models slowly gained the upper hand. (Our eye doctor still uses a rotary key set!) These seem legit -- the row of lamps for the different lines even light up -- but we have a nit to pick with the color combination of phone and speaker set. In general, Western Electric, the equipment and research arm of the Bell System, provided color-matching sets. So the desks at Sterling Cooper should have a black phone and a black speaker. But if we are not mistaken, you have black phone and white speaker sets throughout the office. Perhaps an artistic choice for an advertising firm? Maybe the phone company back in the day allowed customers to mix and match? Still, we believe it was nontraditional set-up for that era. Read more about the evolution of the dial phone here.

Harlem Hospital Center: Speaking of our insecure thoracic surgeon, he's worked at Harlem Hospital Center, Joan tells us. It's been a "bedrock of the Harlem community" since 1887. Interestingly, the hospital became affiliated with Columbia University's medical school in the year this episode is set, 1962.

Rockland County Day:

That's where Betty says she plans to send her daughter, who is becoming difficult to handle amid her marriage's meltdown. The matter comes up in a phone conversation with her friend (well, former friend) from the stables, who sends her own daughter there. It's a long drive to the school, it is acknowledged. The school is now up in Congers, but back then was in South Nyack, which would have indeed been quite a hike from Ossining, requiring crossing the dreaded Tappan Zee Bridge, but we can't imagine traffic over that span was as bad then as it is now.

Ralphs:

We now return to Southern California, where we see Don Draper carrying around a Ralphs brown paper bag. Nice touch, guys! Ralphs, for the uninitiated, is a dominant supermarket chain in Southern California, which traces its roots to downtown Los Angeles. It's now owned by Krogers. Check out the Wikipedia entry ... we invite you to add "Mad Men" to the pop-culture references involving the chain.

Meditations in an Emergency:

The Frank O'Hara book makes its second appearance on "Mad Men." The "original" Mrs. Draper owns the book, and she tells Don that it reminds her of New York. And it will make its third appearance next week, as the title to the season finale. See you then!

More:

* Mad Men and the City archives

-Click for Mad Men photos from Season 2

-Click for photos of 'The Women of Mad Men'

-Click for a look at the style of Mad Men

Must-read "Mad Men" blogs:

Basket of Kisses

Television Without Pity forum

AMC's blog

Tags: mad men, television, history, new york, manhattan

Viral Video: Proposal on live TV gets rejected

Monday October 20, 2008 9:18 AM By Sean Joseph

Let this be a lesson to viewers: When proposing in a live studio audience, make sure you know what the answer will be.

Tags: viral video, television

Sample sales: Tahari, Cynthia Steffe, Robert Marc

Monday October 20, 2008 7:04 AM By Julie Gordon

Cynthia Steffe

Oct. 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 550 Seventh Ave., between 39th and 40th streets, 10th floor. 212-403-6200

Girly frocks, pants, skirts and tops from designer Cynthia Steffe are all under $100. Pieces from the spring, summer, fall and holiday collections are available.

FORM

Oct. 22, 6 to 9 p.m. 402 West Broadway, second floor, at Spring Street.

Go glam at a discount. A cashmere jacket that was $1,200 is now $650. A cashmere cardigan that was $600 is now $375.

Elie Tahari

Oct. 21 to 24, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 510 Fifth Ave. at 43rd Street, ground floor. 212-398-2622.

Men and women’s clothing, shoes and handbags are 70 to 80 percent off. A women’s brown silk cocktail dress that was $448 is now $159. A men’s cashmere sweater that was $398 is now $79. Knee-high flat leathers boot that were $625 are now $199.

Marchesa and notte by Marchesa

Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Warwick Hotel, 65 W. 54th St. at Sixth Avenue, second floor. 212-274-2700

Gowns, cocktail dresses and evening separates from celebrity favorite Marchesa are 50 to 80 percent off. Star fans include Jennifer Lopez, Katie Holmes and Sienna Miller.

Skagen

Oct. 23, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 339 Fifth Ave., between 33rd and 34th streets, fifth floor.

Known for its modern timepieces, Danish brand Skagen is holding its first sample sale. Prices will be slashed on titanium, stainless steel and leather watches; plastic and metal sunglasses; bags and jewelry. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which supports breast cancer research.Robert Marc

Oct. 23 to 25, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, fourth floor. 212-675-5200

Sophisticated plastic and metal frames from Robert Marc’s namesake line and other brands sold in his eight NYC stores are 50 to 90 percent off. Robert Marc glasses that were $395 to $695 start at just $49. Titanium eyewear from Gimme Glasses that were $325 to $395 start at $59. As an added bonus, all buyers will recent a 20 percent discount coupon to use on their next purchase at a Robert Marc boutique.

GANT

Oct. 22 to 23, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 20 W. 55th St., 11th floor, at Fifth Avenue.

Check out discounted men’s and women’s sportswear and accessories from GANT’s fall collection.

Tags: sample sales, shopping

Bloomberg accused of threatening pols to overturn term limits bill

Sunday October 19, 2008 3:23 PM By Pete Catapano

By Jason Fink

jfink@am-ny.com

Opponents of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s push to extend term limits accused him yesterday of using threats and intimidation to win support from City Council members and non-profit groups that receive city funds.

“I am disgusted by what I have seen these last few days in City Hall,” said Councilman Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn), following a news conference yesterday on the steps of City Hall. “Something very untoward is going on here.”

De Blasio, who plans to run for Brooklyn borough president, as well as City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who plans to run for mayor next year, both said they had heard from council members that Bloomberg administration officials had threatened them with the loss of their positions on council committees if they did not support legislation that would extend the term limits to three from the current two.Changing the law would allow Bloomberg to run again when his term is up next year.

They also cited a report over the weekend in The New York Times that said non-profit groups that receive money through Bloomberg’s private charitable donations as well as city contracts had gotten calls from the mayor and top aides asking them to testify on behalf of the term limits bill at two public hearings last week.

Neither de Blasio nor Thompson would give the names of council members they said were threatened, though de Blasio said he’d spoken to “at least a dozen members about things they’ve been offered and the threats they’ve received.”

Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn) said she had been “locked out” by the mayor’s office because of her opposition.

“Already I have received a cold shoulder,” she said.

Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post called allegations of threats “untrue” and said the administration had done nothing improper in pushing for the bill.

“This is our bill and, like all bills we introduce, we’re encouraging people to support it, but we are doing it appropriately,” said Post.

Bloomberg’s asking the council to pass a law that would allow three four-year terms for mayor, borough presidents and city council members. Voters have twice approved referendums – in 1993 and 1997 – limiting officeholders to two four-year terms. In the past, Bloomberg has said he was against changing the law.

No date has been set for a hearing on the bill, but city officials said yesterday that a vote could come as early as Thursday.

Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) is sponsoring a bill that would prevent any change to term limits except through a public referendum.

The deadline has passed to get a referendum on the ballot this November and if Weprin’s bill is approved it would likely mean a special election before the November 2009 mayoral vote.

The Bloomberg administration has argued that a special election would have too low a voter turnout and would violate the federal Voting Rights Act.

Weprin yesterday dismissed that notion.

“I have no doubt that you will get millions of people for a special election,” he said.

Violations of city's smoking ban rise by a third

Sunday October 19, 2008 3:12 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Marlene Naanes

That haze hanging over the bar late at night isn’t just a beer fog.

Violations for smoking inside bars and restaurants jumped by a third in the past year, which comes as no surprise to nonsmokers, who complain that bartenders are increasingly blowing off the five-year-old smoking ban.

The health department said the bump follows a jump in inspectors conducting late-night checks. But some bargoers say the numbers reflect what they can smell on their clothes each night.

“I go out a lot, and I definitely notice it…all over the place,” said Susan Siegel, a Manhattan resident who says bars and clubs on the Lower East Side and in the Meatpacking District are the worst offenders. “I hate smoking in bars.”

And nonsmokers say it’s about to get worse: As winter approaches, the prime season for illegal indoor smoking is set to begin.

The number of smoking violations doled out to bars and restaurants increased to 917 infractions in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, compared to 694 in the same period the year before. Health department inspectors started going out later at night when places are more likely to allow patrons, or even employees, to light up, a spokeswoman said.

“The last thing a restaurant owner is going to think is an inspector is going to be there,” said Celina De Leon, a health department spokeswoman, who added that inspectors can be out as late as 4 a.m.

She would not speculate if people’s behavior changed.

“There’s no way to know if this happens at all bars at night,” she said. “We’re not there 24-7.”

While smoky bars still exist, some smokers insist they are by no means easy to find.

Mark Benkes was smoking outside a bar on the Lower East Side on a recent night, and he perhaps put it best: "You'll find people doing blow more openly than smoking."

Still, smokers say plenty of renegade bars exist, especially on the Lower East Side, but people treat them like a secret stash of joy. Gavin Motnyk, 28, said he knew of several places where people smoke, and he even offered to take a reporter and photographer to one, but then backtracked.

s

Motnyk said he does not mind the ban because smoking less saves him money, but he complained about how the regulation is making bar owners treat their smoking customers.

"When you smoke outside, there's more noise outside," he said. "They make smokers go 100 feet, 50 feet down the block."

While drinking holes still flout the anti-smoking regulation, the height of violations occurred during the first two years of the ban. In 2003 and 2004, smoking violations made up about 11 percent of restaurant inspections, while now it represents only 6 percent.

Still, Siegel says indoor smoking is rampant, and has even felt the urge to demand that a SoHo bar pay her dry cleaning bill. Sometimes she cannot get staff — who sometimes smoke themselves — to stop smokers, despite fines ranging from $200 to $2,000.

“I go up to people,” she said. “It’s the law and I feel like I have a right to say something.”

Jed Kim contributed to this report.Top smoking ban violators

Establishment: Number of violations

Florio's Restaurant & Pizzeria 21

192 Grand St.

Manhattan

World Cup Night Club 20

13431 35th Ave.

Queens

Cafe Korza 20

652 E. 187th Street

Bronx

18 Club 19

131-66 40th Road

Queens

Portofino Café 18

2008 Williamsbridge Road

Bronx

Kalymnos Society 18

2403 31st St.

Queens

Havana Dreams Cigar Lounge 18

6310 Woodhaven Blvd

Queens

Queens Village 18

220-27 Jamaica Ave.

Queens

Home 16

542 W. 27th St.

Manhattan

Coco Bar 16

131-37 A 41st Ave.

Queens

Source: New York City Department of Health

* For the year through August 2008

Violations are largely for smoking indoors, but some reflect the presence of ashtrays and the absence of no-smoking signs.

**********

The number of smoking violations by fiscal year*:

Number of Number of Violation rate

Violations Inspections

2008 917 14,399 6.4 percent

2007 694 20,006 3.5 percent

2006 481 23,429 2.1 percent

2005 437 25,471 1.7 percent

2004 3,091 26,765 11.5 percent

2003 2,268 21,781 10.4 percent

Source: New York City Department of Health

The period covers July 1 through June 30

**********

Smokeless tobacco offers an increasingly popular and legal way to get a nicotine fix at bars and restaurants.

Sales of chew, dip and other forms of smokeless tobacco soared nationally by about 26 percent as cigarette sales dropped by almost 14 percent, according to a recent Harvard School of Public Health study that surveyed its use from 2000-06. The study partially attributed the growth to clean indoor-air policies.

Less messier types of smokeless tobacco, such as teabag-like Snus, as well as lower sales taxes compared to cigarettes, also contributed to the increase, particularly among young people, the study found.

-- Marlene Naanes

Tags: politics, bars, entertainment

Mad Men and the City: The Jet Set

Sunday October 19, 2008 1:03 PM By Rolando Pujol

Roger and Jane enjoy a roll in the sack at the Sherry Netherland, not exactly a hot-sheets motel.

By Rolando Pujol

Tonight's episode of "Mad Men" couldn't come fast enough. Who was Don Draper -- we mean Dick Whitman -- calling from that Euro trash-packed Palm Springs house? Will Peggy's makeover by her gay friend stick? (She undertook a self-makeover earlier in this season that survived for only one scene.) Will the bitter Duck succeed in getting Sterling and Cooper sold to a British concern? Will "Mad Men" return for a third season? (Yes, according the New York Times! I want to see this show through at least the first Nixon administration.) While we mull these possibilities over, let's review some of the New York and cultural references that peppered last week's episode, "The Jet Set."

* The Sherry Netherlander Hotel: This is the posh love shack where the smooth and silver-haired Roger Sterling and Jane Siegel, the Jane Street-living, 20-year-old secretary from Trenton, get away for a rendezvous that leads to Sterling popping the big question -- and Siegel, with minimal hesitation and con$iderable delight, accepting. (Well, perhaps we shouldn't be so cynical: She says "our souls are the same age.") Jane writes mushy prose on a fancy bed inside a hotel known as the standard bearer of "opulent interiors and elegant appointments," as the hotel is described in the "Encyclopedia of New York." Built in 1927, the hotel was the first skyscraper hotel in its Fifth Avenue environs, and to this day remains a distinguished getaway. Sterling knows how to sleep around in style. He hooks up with Joan Holloway in season one at the Waldorf-Astoria. For our money, Roger should have left Mona for Joan.

* Peter Dyckman Campbell: Pete Campbell hails from Manhattan's pioneering family, the Dyckmans. The Dutch name can still be found on Dyckman Street up in northern Manhattan, as well as the Dyckman House, Manhattan's oldest surviving farmhouse, shown at left. Campbell throws in the Dyckman name when he meets Draper's soon-to-be-buddy, the viscount who carries many prestigious-sounding names.*Newport:That's where the Rhode Island old-money hunt where Peter "thinks" he's met the viscount.

* George Nelson bubble lamps: The modernist Palm Springs dream house is tastefully decorated in "Eames era" mid-century style. One design that stands out are the George Nelson Bubble Lamps. Find originals on eBay and well-designed reissued lamps here.

*The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkner's book is on the coffee table when Don makes his mysterious phone call at the end of the episode. He jots down notes on a page in the book. Find discussions about the significance here and here.

*Southern California references: The viscount and his buddies dine on Mexican food, such a novelty outside of California that 36-year-old Don Draper has never indulged! The region's then burgeoning aerospace industry figures prominently in this episode.

* Right Guard: The deodorant is name dropped in the episode. At this point, Right Guard is a new deodorant, and quite the leader in contributing to global warming: it was reportedly the first aerosol antiperspirant.

*Loretta Young, Tony Curtis: Sal tells us the actress' show is "so bad it's awful." Campbell spots Curtis in the men's room at their posh Los Angeles hotel.

More:

* Mad Men and the City archives

-Click for Mad Men photos from Season 2

-Click for photos of 'The Women of Mad Men'

-Click for a look at the style of Mad Men

Must-read "Mad Men" blogs:

Basket of Kisses

Television Without Pity forum

AMC's blog

Tags: mad men, television, advertising, fashion, manhattan, history

Smoking ban victim?

Sunday October 19, 2008 10:37 AM By Marlene Naanes

(via flickr's *zzj)

The five-year old smoking ban may have taken a victim recently.

The Kalymnos Society, a community organization where Greek immigrant members gather and sometimes receive job search help, may close its doors after the sinking economy and the smoking ban.

A man who answered the phone at the society, who only gave the name Nick and who said he was a member and former officer, said "Business is slow. People can’t smoke, the economics" were the reasoning behind the 50-year-old club's possible demise.

The society, named after a Greek island, was one of the top violators so far this year with 18 smoking ban violations, according to the city health department.

An old liquor-store telephone exchange keeps Murray Hill well lit

Sunday October 19, 2008 9:28 AM By Rolando Pujol

Where Murray Hill meets Kips Bay, there is a corner where mid-century New York meets 2008.

For starters, the Clover Delicatessen, below, has been holding the fort on the southwestern corner of East 34th Street and Second Avenue since the late 1940s, and its neon sign is one of the finest you'll see on any street corner. But walk next door, and your travel through storefront time continues. This liquor shop offers a twofer. Sure, there's a great red liquor sign. But what really impresses us is the neon sign in the window. Notice the "LE" in the telephone number -- short, we imagine, for Lexington exchange -- happily preserved in neon. That means this sign must date, at the very latest, to the early and middle 1970s, by which time the use of exchange names was being phased out.

Interestingly, a few people to this day hang on tenaciously to their exchange name. It certainly adds poetry to the common phone number. You can join the club by figuring out what your exchange name might have been here. And then start giving out your cell number in this archaic format: KLondike5-5555.

People might think you've had one too many, but you'll know better.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: neon, murray hill, 34th street, clover deli, liquor stores, signs, urban archaeology, stuff that's cool, neighborhoods, manhattan, history

Politirazzi Hits the Streets: Debates

Friday October 17, 2008 2:17 PM By Lauren Johnston

By Lauren Johnston

In the fifth round of taking our politics blog Politirazzi out into the streets to talk to New Yorkers about campaign issues, they told us how Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain fared in the debates, how they feel about negative ads, and whether race will impact the election.

See videos of their responses [HERE] and our installments on the Economy, the Iraq War, the Environment & Energy and Healthcare.

Tags: politirazzi, politics. sen. barack obama, sen. john mccain

Fun stuff for your DOG this weekend

Friday October 17, 2008 1:52 PM By Lauren Johnston

Photo courtesy of Karen Ngo

The dogs in this city just can't wait until Halloween to show off their costumes, so they have dress-up events at two different locations this weekend. If your pooch has a killer costume, but sure to attend.

7th Annual My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair: OK, this one isn't exaclty a Halloween event, but it's still happening this weekend and it's especially for your dog! There's an agility course, microchipping, dog adoption information and more. The event is Sat., Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enter the park at 72nd St. and head for the bandshell. For details, click [HERE].

Times Square Dog Masquerade: Times Square goes to the dogs for a fun-filled afternoon of canine camaraderie to raise awareness for Animal Haven’s Adopt-a-Pet program. Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. More details [HERE].

Carl Schurz Park Halloween Party Head up to East End Ave. at 88th St. for the annual Halloween Howl Dog Costume competition. Sun., Oct. 19, 1 pm. to 3 p.m. More information [HERE].

And if you need some costume ideas, see this great dog photography blog by photographer Karen Ngo.

Tags: petropolis, halloween, times square, pets, arts

Lindsay Lohan and Sam still going strong

Friday October 17, 2008 11:51 AM By Julie Gordon

Here's some proof (?) that the Lindsay Lohan-Samantha Ronson rocky relationship rumors are just that.

The couple was canoodling in the back of Ronson's DJ booth in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, and Lohan blogged about it. Now, Lohan's blog post is a bit of a rambling mess (um, we're being nice), so to translate, Lohan is saying she is just trying to hang out and support Sam while she DJs -- not make some kind of statement.

Here's a bit:

"all grown up and .. an outsider for some nights..

How does it feel to be an outsider?....behind the scenes type of feeling.

Picture this in your head, if you're willing to focus for a second my friends ;)

Washington, D.C.- you're probably thinking that you are going to a monument of some sort... well, you're highly wrong loves....

Washington, D.C.-you're in a club, you are here for support for someone that you care for very much, VERY MUCH.. But, you're here just to chill and support, not to be seen and heard... Not to be on display in the dj booth...or to feel as if you are in a cage at the Bronx Zoo...

Do you see what i am getting at???"

Even better is what Lohan said about Sarah Palin:

"Sitting here makes me think about the fact that if Sarah Palin was in office, and living in Washington.. On a "slow" night, she would probably be dressing as one of the gossip girls or tina fey to try and "be cool" enough to get into this club."

— Julie Gordon

Tags: entertainment

Fun, free stuff in NYC today ..

Friday October 17, 2008 8:03 AM By Lauren Johnston

Until 6 p.m. AC/DC’s “Black Ice” truck promotes rock band’s latest album;

Times Square, Military Island, Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

Until 2 p.m. Bollywood dancers perform as part of the Fourth Annual Fashion

District Arts Festival; Golda Meier Plaza, 1411 Broadway, between 39th and 40th streets.

7 p.m. “Art and Social Activism: Spotlight on Africa” kicks off

Stella Adler Studio’s Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts; Cooper Union’s Great Hall, 7 E. 7th St., at Third Avenue.

Tags: ac/dc, today's freebie, stella adler

The Halloween of 'Joe the Plumber'

Friday October 17, 2008 7:10 AM By Lauren Johnston

So why do we get the feeling we're going to see a LOT of "Joe the Plumber" at this year's Village Halloween Parade? We went ahead and did some research that covers the entire family. Below, find plumber looks (crack included) for mom (yes, they even make a sexy plumber), dad and junior:

Get Dad's look online [here], for mom [here] and kids [here].

And to make the look really authentic, you may want to read up on "Joe the Plumber's" bio [here].

Tags: joe plumber, village halloween parade, politics, manhattan, entertainment

Comedic highlights: City Council term limits hearing

Friday October 17, 2008 6:18 AM By Lauren Johnston

Photo/ Dave Sanders

The City Council is at this very moment hearing testimony from current and former city officials on the issue of extending term limits - sparked of, course, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's push to extend his tenure at City Hall to a third term, on the grounds that the city needs his financial expertise to combat the Wall St. crisis.

And the proceedings have been heated so far. Some highlights:

Former Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. made clear his position with this notable quotation:

"Every politician is like a dirty diaper. They need to be changed. They stink."

Second: A group of rabble-rousers unfurled a banner that said, "Bloomberg to Democracy Drop Dead." At which point the presiding councilman (who forbids noise during the proceedings) asked that they be "taken to the Willets Point hearing. That's where they belong."

More highlights to come ...

Tags: city council, term limits, mayor michael bloomberg, politics

Waiting for Barack at the Hammerstein (and dissing Sarah and George)

Thursday October 16, 2008 3:25 PM By Rolando Pujol

Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel will rock out tonight at the Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The concert will be Obama’s last appearance in New York before the election. Rolling Stone says it’s the first time Bruce and Billy have shared the same concert bill.

Tickets for tonight’s concert, termed “donations” by the Obama campaign, range from $500 for balcony seats to $10,000 for lounge tickets.

Around 6:30, when Obama was at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner, people were just beginning to line up for the entrance. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8:50, according to the people waiting.

Carol and Harvey Rabinowitz flew in from Detroit for the day to celebrate their 30th anniversary at the benefit.

“We’ve never done anything as rash or impetuous as this,” said Mr. Rabinowitz.

“As long as Sarah Palin won’t be here, I’ll be happy,” said Mrs. Rabinowitz.

In line behind them were Gayla Brewer and Liz O’Boyle from Bergen County, New Jersey. The ladies came to the venue at 4pm to secure their balcony seats, went to get dinner and cocktails, and then came back to wait on line. The friends were huge Bruce and Obama fans.

“We’ve lived through the depression of Bush Round 2, and now we’re very optimistic,” Ms. Brewer said.

-- Amanda Magnus

Tags: politics, barack obama, george w. bush, sarah palin, hammerstein ballroom

amNewYork Letters to the Editor

Thursday October 16, 2008 2:31 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Ed Koch: I’ve always supported three terms

Re Vlado Haluska’s letter “Another reasonable voice lost Ed Koch supports third term?" Oct. 15: Haluska is so eager to criticize me for allegedly supporting a change in New York City’s term limits law he doesn’t bother to get his facts right.

I have always supported term limits and continue to do so. Right from the beginning, however, I have supported a limit of three terms, not two.

Therefore I support the effort now pending in the City Council to amend the current law so as to make it three terms.

Having been mayor, I knew then and I know now that it takes three terms to initiate and make permanent many of the changes and improvements we need in New York City.

I support the proposed amendment, no matter who the mayor is. I do believe Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a great mayor with many accomplishments whose experience would be very helpful in conducting the affairs of the city in the next mayoral term.

As Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, perhaps with Mr. Haluska in mind, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”

--Edward I. Koch, Former NYC Mayor

Nobody knows yet what will happen in vote booths

Having been a poll inspector for 22 years, I can tell you things aren’t always as they seem. Barack Obama ahead of John McCain by double digits in no way guarantees his victory.

Voters are enthusiastic when a different candidate comes along; many say it is time for change and convince people they are non-biased, non-prejudiced, etc.

But once the votes are counted: The incumbent party overwhelmingly wins. People will vote for whom they’re comfortable with.

--Donald Cannon, Manhattan

Drugs can help American economy bounce back

Both Republicrats were evasive in the debate when asked reasonable questions about our debt and how to balance the budget. Neither mentioned the War on Drugs, though it’s the longest, most-expensive, and most failed war in history.

Legalizing drugs will save us trillions. Taxing drugs will earn us trillions. This is why these bums promise a status quo that failed, just like every other politician.

--Remy Shapiro, Manhattan

Water fountains will attract homeless bathers

Re “Environmental Group Calls for City Water Fountains,” Oct. 15: Before Central Park was renovated a number of years ago there were water fountains near many foot paths.

I used to sun myself in the park and too often I saw homeless men use it as a place to wash themselves. No doubt this will happen again.

-- Bunny Abraham, Manhattan

Tags: letters to the editor

Alfred E. Smith Dinner remains a must-stop on the road to the White House

Thursday October 16, 2008 1:30 PM By Rolando Pujol

Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, mayoral candidate Mario Procaccino, Terence Cardinal Cooke, Mayor John V. Lindsay and candidate John Marchi attend the 1969 Alfred E. Smith Dinner. (Bob Lucky/Newsday)

The “who’s who” of American politics will gather at 6:30 tonight at the Waldorf-Astoria for the 63rd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. Tonight’s dinner features both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama as keynote speakers, one day after their most contentious presidential debate.

The dinner raises money for Catholic charities in New York City, and in 1960 it was hailed as “a ritual of American politics” by political reporter Theodore White.

Alfred E. Smith was a four-time governor of New York between 1918 and 1928. He unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for president in the 1928 election against Herbert Hoover. Smith is known as the first Roman Catholic and Irish-American major-party candidate for president in the United States.

As governor of New York, Smith advocated for labor needs and became nationally known for his progressive ways and attempts to make government more efficient and effective in meeting social needs. Under his leadership, the nation’s first state park system was constructed.

After his terms as governor, Smith became the president of the Empire State, Inc. He was a major player in getting the Empire State Building constructed during the Great Depression.

Cardinal John J. O'Connor, center, is joined in 1985 by an all-star cast during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Thursday night. Judge William Hughes Mulligan, second right, served as guest speaker during the dinner. From left to right, Sonny Werblin, New York Mayor Ed Koch, O' Connor, Mulligan and New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. (AP)

The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner began in 1945, the year after Smith’s death. The dinner is sponsored by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, which “aids the poor, sick, and underprivileged of the Archdiocese of New York, regardless of race, creed, or color,” according to the foundation’s Web site.

The dinner was originally started by then-Archbishop Francis Spellman of the Archdiocese of New York, who used the dinner to commemorate Smith’s extraordinary political career by using current political leaders as speakers. The dinner’s past keynote speakers include Winston Churchill (via trans-Atlantic telephone), Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and John F. Kennedy. Since 1960, the dinner has become a campaign stop every election year, with both presidential candidates attending.

Speeches made at later dinners have taken on a light, slightly humorous tone. These speeches became a way for candidates to express their talents as entertainers and gave them a chance to poke fun at political issues, opponents, or themselves. This outlet was especially important in the days before "Saturday Night Live."

-- Amanda Magnus

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore, left, shares a light moment with the audience during remarks by Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush during the 2000 Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2000, in New York. At center is Alfred E. Smith IV. (AP)

Tags: alfred e. smith dinner, manhattan, politics, history

Inside the Upper East Side's Townhouse of Horrors

Thursday October 16, 2008 1:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

New York magazine follows up on our terrifying collection of photos from a townhouse on East 63rd Street, daring to go inside and get the scoop. From the Daily Intel:

The townhouse belongs to independent financial adviser Richard Medley, his wife Dorinda, and their three kids, ages 13 to 18 ...The Medleys have been adorning their house for Halloween for about four years now, collecting more decorations as the years go by. “We get mixed reactions,” said TJ. “Some people come by and say, ‘Oh, this is great,’ and others are horrified.”

More at Daily Intel here, and check out our post.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: halloween, townhouse of horrors, upper east side, stuff that's cool, neighborhoods, manhattan, holiday traditions

Q+A with a cat show contender

Thursday October 16, 2008 12:31 PM By Lauren Johnston

Rustling Rapunzel, Photo/Robin Beckett

By Lauren Johnston

More than 600 cats from all over the world will pad into Madison Square Garden this weekend for the CFA-IAMS Cat Championship, only one will be crowned the purrrfect contender.

We talked to Staten Island cat breeder Robin Beckett to see how Rustling Rapunzel ("Rappi"), her 5-month-old British Shorthair, is prepping for the competition and how much pampering goes on at home.

Q: How did you know "Rappi" had potential to be a show cat?

A: You learn by watching litters over the years what to look for and then you cross your fingers. Every breed has a standard, something as specific as ear shape or eye set. She had the widest head, the best ear set. She has an exquisite profile and fabulous eye color.

Q: How do you prep her to compete?

A: With kittens, you want to get them used to the way the judges will handle them. They will take a kitten and hold them up in the air. Also you want them to get used to activity and crowds. Cat strollers are becoming very common, so we'll take her for a walk in the stroller in our neighborhood and into Pet Smart. Even with all of that, you could get a kitten who appears to love to show but you get it in there, it will hate it.

Q: How pampered is your cat?

A: Our cats are members of the family first. My girls are all loose in the house, they sleep with us. We built an extension on the house for the boys. But you need to balance the [show] goals with the needs of the cat. These are pets first and the needs of the cats are always more important than the goal.

Tags: cfa-iams cat championship, pets, petropolis, animals, manhattan

Throwback Thursday: The Haunted Mansion at Long Branch

Thursday October 16, 2008 10:56 AM By Rolando Pujol

The Haunted Mansion and the amusement park around it burned to the ground in 1987, but not before terrifying a generation of New York youngsters with incredibly creepy commercials. We never actually had a chance to visit, but whenever these ads came on, it was panic time. The ad above is the creepiest of the two we present today, but they're each a perfect way to get into the Halloween mood. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the mansion here.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: haunted mansion at long branch, halloween, throwback thursday, holiday traditions, television, history

Call heaven before riding the Roosevelt Island tram

Thursday October 16, 2008 10:51 AM By Rolando Pujol

The prayer booths are at the plaza at the entrance to the Roosevelt Island tram. (Photos: Elisabeth Stuveras)

Here's a phone booth that actually stands a prayer's chance of being used

These days, of course, phone booths are getting yanked left and right, but two new ones promise toll-free calls. You just have to believe the calls will get through.

Two "prayer booths" have been installed in the plaza outside the entrance to the Roosevelt Island tram in Manhattan. Instead of the word "phone," you see the word "prayer," and instead of the image of a receiver or a corporate logo, you see two hands in prayer.

The booths are a NYC Parks and Recreation Department public art installation by Dylan Mortimer. It is described as a project "meant to spark dialogue about how private faith functions within the public realm."

The booths come equipped with instructions (see them after the jump) and kneelers can be deployed for your comfort. You are warned to "avoid the booth if you are sensitive to or feel threatened by actions that are religious in nature."

Find out more at the artist's Web site. The project runs through November.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: prayer, phone booths, manhattan, arts, roosevelt island tram, stuff that's cool, neighborhoods

Leighton Meester roots for Blair and Chuck

Thursday October 16, 2008 9:49 AM By Julie Gordon

If "Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester had her way, her character — the scheming, manipulative Blair Waldorf — would end up with the scheming, manipulative Chuck Bass (played by the charming Ed Westwick). But it doesn't sound like that storyline will be playing out any time soon.

"They're so much alike with their pride that they'll never see eye-to-eye," Meester told us. "They'll never really have peace. Of course there's a lot of love and hate, constantly."

On Sunday, Meester will take a break from all that on-screen drama at the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation's Dream Halloween event. Meester, along with "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" cop Chris Meloni, will play host as kids trick-or-treat and play games at the Roseland Ballroom (239 W. 52nd St.) from 3 to 6 p.m. For tickets and information, call 347-835-1205.

So what will Meester be doing on Halloween?

"Probably working," she said.

That's a trick if we ever heard one.

Check out photos of the "Gossip" cast partying it up in NYC.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: leighton meester, gossip girl

Viral video: Religion, politics and culture in less than two minutes

Thursday October 16, 2008 9:49 AM By Sean Joseph

In one minute and 47 seconds, this guy names every book in the Bible, U.S. state, U.S. president and movie that won Best Picture.

Tags: viral video, television

Fun, free stuff around NYC today ...

Thursday October 16, 2008 8:38 AM By Lauren Johnston

6:10 p.m: Cunard’s QE2 makes final New York call in the morning Manhattan Cruise Terminal, Pier 90, Hudson River between West 47th and 53rd streets then QE2 and QM2 rendezvous at Statue of Liberty.

11 a.m. Theatre Communications Group launches “Free Night of Theater”

program; Union Square, 14th Street and Broadway.

Noon Ralph Nader rally protesting Wall Street bailout; Federal Hall,

next to the NYSE, 26 Wall St.

12:30 p.m. Ribbon cutting for the new Father Duffy Square and TKTS booth;

intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue at 46th Street. (3 p.m.: booth opens, 6:30 p.m. Inaugural lighting ceremony.)

6 p.m. Leukemia & Limphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk; South Street

Seaport, Fulton and South streets.

7 p.m. Opening night performance of the Off-Broadway show, “Rock of

Ages”; New World Stages, 340 West 50th St.

7 p.m. Top food experts discuss the global food crisis as part of World

Food Day; Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th St., at Third Avenue.

7:30 p.m. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama address the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner; Waldorf-Astoria, Grand Ballroom, Park Avenue and 50th Street.

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ASPCA hosts “The Shaggy Dog Gala” benefit; The IAC Building, 555 W. 18th St., between Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway.

Tags: aspca, shaggy dog gala, ralph nader, stuff that's cool, today's check it out, today's freebie

amNewYork Letters to the Editor

Wednesday October 15, 2008 2:35 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Mayor’s talents could be used elsewhere
I respect Mayor Bloomberg and what he did for the city, but I am wondering how long this hypocrisy about a third term may last. Both Mayor and Council Speaker Quinn say that with the economic crisis, there is a need for experienced leadership.

If our mayor is so good to solve economic problems, I would suggest that he not to keep silent, but make his proposals to Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain or to the current president. Maybe they will include him in an anti-crisis committee. We need fresh and genius thoughts and ideas, but what do those ideas have to do with a third term?

--Michael Perelmuter, Brooklyn

NYC shouldn’t trust city’s election process
The debate over term limits and Bloomberg violating them is moot. The mayor and Christine Quinn’s sleazy flip-flop on the issue is pure nonsense.

It’s outrageous that they can just fictionalize their “let the voters decide to elect us again” claims.

Because that was the only purpose of term limits: to not let powerful incumbents cheat elections, as is usually the case. The voters already chose automatic removal over their right to keep voting for a Bloomberg or a Quinn! Duh.

We don’t trust our election process, which is why we all voted for term limits in the first place!

--Milton Katsis, Manhattan

Term limit decision belongs to the people
Thanks to his money, Ronald Lauder, and not the “people,” bought himself a unique place in New York’s history as the father of term limits.

It’s the people through their vote who should determine term limits, not one man or one law. I do not favor overturning a law to give any one official an extra term nor do I favor a law taking that decision away from the people. Back to the drawing board.

--Suzy Sandor, Manhattan

Tags: letters to the editor

Political irony at the 'W.' premiere party

Wednesday October 15, 2008 1:01 PM By Julie Gordon

Josh Brolin plays George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's movie "W." (Getty)

The premiere party for the George W. Bush spoof movie “W.” was the center of some real-life political cross-fire.

While stars including Josh Brolin, Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks mingled at the premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater, a fundraiser for Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin was going on across the street at the Grand Hyatt.

That only fueld partygoers’ “politely political” conversation about the election and the accuracy of the film, which covers Bush’s eight years in office, a spy told us.

Tags: entertainment

City purchases Wonder Wheel land

Wednesday October 15, 2008 11:47 AM By Ryan Chatelain

The city now owns an acre of the land where Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park now sits, but the park still has a lease to operate there. (Photo by Lane Johnston)

The city’s Economic Development Corp. announced Wednesday that it bought an acre of property in the Coney Island amusement district, the first step toward developing a city-owned, year-round amusement park. The city purchased the land for $11 million from Ward Realty Corp.

Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park currently occupies the land, but the park will maintain its lease to operate on the property through 2020, the city said.

In an effort to protect amusements at Coney Island, the Bloomberg administration wants to designate 9 acres of waterfront property as parkland. The city hopes to receive its rezoning approval by next fall.

So far, the city owns 4 acres of the land needed. Thor Equities, which has plans for its own amusement park at Coney Island, owns most of the remaining 5 acres needed.

“The acquisition of the Ward property provides further evidence of the City’s commitment to preserve Coney Island’s unique heritage and protect the amusements in perpetuity,” said Seth W. Pinsky, EDC president. “This important deal brings us one step closer to our twin goals of maintaining what is best about Coney Island, while simultaneously building a vibrant, modern mixed-use community.”

Tags: coney island, deno's wonder wheel amusement park, development

Update: Back story on Buckley's

Wednesday October 15, 2008 10:37 AM By Lauren Johnston

Buckley's is at the corner of Nassau and Kingsland avenues in Greenpoint. (Photo/ Lauren Johnston)

A couple of days ago, we put up a post on this bit of signage treasure, discovered on Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. It's clear the sign predates the bodega currently residing below it, so we wondered what might have occupied the space before.

Well, ask and you shall receive. We got this bit of info from a member of the Buckley family:

The sign in this picture dates back to around 1956/57. My father, Raymond Buckley, owned the store from the late 1940's until he sold the store and retired around 1975. Prior to that, the store was owned by my grandfather, Robert Buckley, who opened it at that location in the late 1930's; before that, Buckley's Self-Service Market was located further down Nassau Avenue at #165; my grandfather originally sold produce off a horse & cart in Greenpoint/Williamsburg before opening a store. In 1956/57, there was a fire in the store at 251 Nassau Avenue, and my father redesigned the store . . . with this new sign. Hope that helps! It was a pleasure to see the sign again.

Bob Buckley

Thanks Bob!

Tags: greenpoint, brooklyn, signs, architecture

Viral video: Everything should come with a timeline

Wednesday October 15, 2008 10:19 AM By Sean Joseph

You know how long a download will take, so why not road trips, conversations, movies, etc.?

Tags: viral video, television

Manhattan old-school gem: Neil's Coffee Shop

Wednesday October 15, 2008 9:58 AM By Rolando Pujol

Neil's great neon sign; after the jump, a plastic sign from the diner, with different lettering. We stopped by on a perfect October afternoon.(Photos: Rolando Pujol)

It's the very picture of the perfect corner diner. Upper East Siders can count themselves lucky to have a place like Neil's in their midst. The neon sign, the brickwork, the amber Victorian-style lamps at the entrance, and the homey feel inside are irreplaceable. Once common, diners of this vintage are now a vanishing staple of city life worthy of your patronage and support.

This commenter on the Yelp review gets the spirit of the place right:

It's very surprising to find a real diner in this area. Feels like it is out of a Tarantino movie. I usually go in the evening before class, order a great warm blueberry pie with ice cream! It's great. Sometimes I'll get a burger if I'm super hungry which is meaty, tasty, and filling.

We'll have to try that combo. In the meantime, savor Neil's on our blog and be sure to stop in for some coffee the next time you're in the hood. And check out our photo gallery of hundreds of old-school signs.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: manhattan, upper east side, neil's coffee shop, signs, history, endangered nyc, architecture

Jamie-Lynn Sigler to release jewelry line

Wednesday October 15, 2008 9:26 AM By Julie Gordon

Jamie-Lynn Sigler is channeling her art class days with a new project: Designer of forthchoming jewelry line C.J. Free.

"I am artistic, I used to go to art school and sketch and draw and paint in middle school and high school," Sigler told us.

Flash forward eight or nine years (Sigler is 27) to Los Angeles. While Sigler was living recently with pal Holly Freeman, the pair started stringing beads and charms, and drawing and sketching ideas for a jewelry line, which is named after Holly's son.

The men's and women's customizable pieces, which will be available by the end of the year or beginning of '09, are yellow or rose gold and have beads and/or charms.

"My friend's husband loves gorillas, so we made him a bracelet with a gorilla charm," said Sigler, who was also promoting the MasterCard Savings program, which offers enrolled cardholders discounts and offers at 25,000 retailers. "My friend has a son, so we made one with a little boy."

Maybe she'll make us a bracelet with a mini newspaper.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: entertainment, shopping, fashion

Debate-watching parties around town ...

Wednesday October 15, 2008 9:12 AM By Lauren Johnston

The candidates square off tonight at Hofstra University in LI.

7 p.m. Presidential debate watch party with Iraq and Afghanistan

8 p.m. Russell Simmons, Ne-Yo, Tracy Morgan and others expected to

attend presidential debate watch party in support of Web site Global Grind’s “Countdown to Change” election initiative; Taj Lounge, 48 W. 21st St.

8 p.m. Harlem4Obama presidential debate watch party; 2479 Frederick

Douglass Blvd., Eighth Avenue at 133rd Street.

8 p.m. to 11 p.m. New York Young Republican club presidential debate watch party; Metropolitan Republican Club, 122 East 83rd St., b/w Lexington and Park avenues.

Tags: john mccain, barack obama, russell simmons, ne-yo, tracy morgan, new york young republican club, politics

Memory of NYPD officer slain in 1979 is honored today

Wednesday October 15, 2008 8:07 AM By Rolando Pujol

NYPD Officer Thomas Schimenti, Jr. has been at rest in Staten Island's Moravian Cemetery for almost 30 years. But his memory will be honored today, as the officer's family will receive a plaque, which was recently salvaged from the site of the robbery that led to his death, and watch as police officials dedicate a new plaque in Schimenti's honor.

Schimenti, 36, was killed while trying to apprehend an armed bank robber in front of Grand Central Terminal on Aug. 17, 1979. Schimenti chased the robber, Peter Donohue, from the Chemical Bank branch down the street at 100 Park Avenue, cornering him outside Grand Central Terminal. Donohue shot and killed Schimenti, and wounded a plainclothes detective before escaping the scene. The shooting was a major story at the time, with over 2,500 officers and a number of New York political notables showing up for Schimenti's funeral.The story grew more sensational, as the robber's demise proved to be a mysterious one. Donohue was found hiding under a van and arrested shortly after the shooting. He was charged with Schimenti's murder and indicted for wounding the other detective. Justice was never fully served though, as Donohue, along with three other inmates, escaped from his 27-year prison

sentence at Rikers Island the following February. Two months later, Donohue's dead body was found floating under the Verrazano Bridge.

At the time of Schimenti's death, many who knew him called him a hero, prompting the city to place a plaque remembering the fallen officer at the site of the Chemical Bank branch. The site has recently undergone a renovation, and SL Green Realty, the investment trust overseeing the

redevelopment, discovered the plaque and salvaged it.

NYPD officials and SL Green Realty will present the recovered plaque to Schimenti's surviving relatives, as well as dedicate a new plaque honoring the officer's death, during a ceremony this afternoon. The ceremony will start at 12:30 p.m. at 100 Park Ave., near the corner of 40th Street.

-- Andrew Nealon

Tags: nypd, history, manhattan

Time to get that novel out of your head and onto the page

Tuesday October 14, 2008 2:43 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

By Emily Hulme

ehulme@am-ny.com

November is National Novel Writing Month. The event encourages people to put aside their excuses and bang out 50,000 words in 30 days.

NaNoWriMon, as it’s called, has grown from 21 people in 1999 to more than 101,000 last year. We spoke with founder Chris Baty about the project.

How do you think making it a group challenge changes the process of writing?
More than anything else, I think it just increases the likelihood that you'll get the book or story completed. When you're tackling a writing project as part of a group endeavor — especially if your entire group is working towards the same goal — you develop a sense of camaraderie and resolve that helps pull you through the tough times.

It also makes the whole process a lot more fun. The first draft of a book is a pretty zany rollercoaster ride, where you think you're a shoe-in for a Pulitzer one minute and you're crying under your desk the next. When 100,000 people are all trying to cry under the same desk, it's hard not to get a little giggly about it. Laughter is key for making it through a novel draft.What would you say to someone on the fence about attempting to write

50,000 words in a month?
Do it! It's so much easier and enjoyable than you think it will be. If

you're a fast typist it really doesn't take much more than an hour and a

half per night. It's such a great experiment in pure output, and really

has a way of freeing folks who once loved writing but have since become

too self-critical or nit-picky to really enjoy the creative process.

Which ties into the other thing I think I would tell them: You're not

expected to get everything right on the first go-round. Beautiful

stories start out as miserable first drafts, which are then improved to

slightly less embarrassing second drafts, which grow into possibly

redeemable third drafts. Every book you've ever loved has started out as

a lousy first draft. Embrace imperfection, and just keep moving forward.

Save the editing for December.

As far as who completes the challenge, do you notice a difference

between professional writers versus people attempting a novel for the

first time?
That's a great question. I think professional writers have an advantage

because they've seen that deadlines have a way of making impossible

things doable, and that being forced to create something in a short

amount of time can impart a focus that actually improves your writing.

But I think there's also real benefit to approaching a debut novel from

the position of a book-lover rather than a book-writer. You don't know

your limitations, so you aren't really hampered by them. The only reason

NaNoWriMo first happened in 1999 was because I'd studied anthropology

instead of creative writing, so I was too dumb to know you weren't

supposed to write a novel in a month.

How much of the year does the NaNoWriMo crew spend preparing for

November?
It used to be very seasonal, and I would spend the off-season working

as a freelance writer. But two years ago, we created a nonprofit called

the Office of Letters and Light to run NaNoWriMo and launch other

month-long events like it. The first of those was Script Frenzy

(www.ScriptFrenzy.org), where participants write a 100-page screenplay

or stage play in April. We'll hopefully be piloting a third event this

coming summer.

Between NaNoWriMo and the other events, there are three of us who now

work full-time for the Office of Letters and Light. I can't imagine a

better job.

Have you found that speed writing a novel affects how you write

normally?
I wish it did. When I'm writing shorter freelance pieces, I sadly tend

to still agonize over them and take a billion drafts to get them done.

And when I'm revising my novels, it's pretty much the same story. The

first draft tumbles out in an exhilarating burst; the second draft drags

on and on for years. But if it weren't for NaNoWriMo, the first draft

would probably take me a decade, so I'm okay with it.

Have you participated each year? Did you finish every time?
I do! I've taken part and won every year since 1999. Despite the

craziness of November, I still look forward to writing a new book each

fall. Of the nine NaNo novels I've written now, I'd say four have the

potential to some day be actual, reasonable books. Which seems like a

pretty good batting average to me. And that's the nice thing about

roughing out the entire thing in a month—if your book really, really

sucks, you've only spent a month on it and can move on. There's always

next November.

For more information about National Novel Writing Month, and to sign up

for this year's challenge, visit www.NaNoWriMo.org.

Image courtesy NaNoWriMo.org

Tags: books

amNewYork Letters to the Editor

Tuesday October 14, 2008 1:17 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Yes, the city is going deaf, but we’ve also lost our voices
Re “Mike Charmed by 3rd term,” Oct. 14: New Yorkers are definitely losing their hearing with all these headphones, but when we appear to have no voice in city politics with this bid to overturn term limits, and apparently we are not seen by the politicians who support this measure, then why would any living New Yorker want to hear what these people have to say?

Apparently, nobody wants to hear us either. We’re all living in a deaf and dumb city.

--Brian Hochberg, Richmond Hill

Another reasonable voice lost: Ed Koch supports third term?
Principles, schminciples, says our illustrious mayor. Drop them when they are not convenient.

You shall not steal money, unless you have to buy an iPod. You shall not invalidate voter-approved measures, like term limits, unless they stand in the way of your personal ambitions.

After all, these are not moral principles, just opinions, subject to change. In the late ’80s, toward the end of Ronald Reagan’s second term, Ed Koch praised term limits because, as he was quoted, without them Reagan would “lick us” at the polls.

Now that he sees a person he likes, Koch has changed his mind and endorses Bloomberg’s efforts. There goes another voice of reason.

--Vlado Haluska, Manhattan

Term limits: No difference between Rudy and Mike
1. What is to prevent a future City Council from changing the three-terms to four or five or six?

2. After 9/11, Rudy Giuliani insisted that only he could save us all after this disaster and that Bloomberg should be co-mayor or just wait a few months for Rudy to “wrap this up.” What is the big difference here?

--Steve Clifton, Manhattan

Tags: letters to the editor

Barack Obama will rock out at Manhattan concert given by Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel

Tuesday October 14, 2008 1:06 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Lauren Johnston

Now it’s time to call him a “Barack Star.”

When mega stars Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel team up to play a benefit for the Democratic nominee at Hammerstein Ballroom Thursday night, Sen. Barack Obama will be there ready to rock, said campaign spokesman Blake Zeff.

The show, which starts at 8:30 p.m., is sold out with about 2,000 people expected to attend, said Hammerstein sales executive Lisa Schamis. And tickets weren’t cheap, selling for anywhere from $500 to $10,000 apiece. It wasn’t clear when Obama would arrive, or whether he would appear on stage.

It will be a whirlwind two days in New York for both the Democratic senator and his rival Sen. John McCain.

The candidates will meet Wednesday night for the third and final televised presidential debate at Hofstra University on Long Island. On Thursday evening, each will speak at the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Somewhere in there, McCain will tape a segment with David Letterman for “The Late Show,” after snubbing the host last month while granting an interview to the CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

Obama will jet across town to the concert and there are rumors he may even squeeze in an appearance “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno via satellite, on which his running mate Sen. Joe Biden will be a guest.

Tags: barack obama, politics, election, manhattan

Viral video: Wet wedding disaster

Tuesday October 14, 2008 11:47 AM By Sean Joseph

The best man at this wedding makes the bride take a dip before the honeymoon.

Tags: viral video, television

Lauren Conrad: Running from 'The Hills'?

Tuesday October 14, 2008 11:20 AM By Julie Gordon

Lauren Conrad (Getty)

Lauren Conrad may be taking a permanent vacation from Reality-ville.

The 22-year-old — who has been on MTV shows “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills” for a total of five years — is contemplating an exit from the world of cameras and choreographed catfights.

“It’s coming to a point where I love this show so much, but I’m ready to kind of walk away,” Conrad told TV show “Extra.”

Conrad’s rep declined to say whether her client was signed on for future seasons of “The Hills” or whether she would play a part in MTV’s spin-off series, “The City,” starring Whitney Port. "The City" will follow Port as she navigates her way through the New York fashion scene, working for designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Conrad, who heads up her own clothing line, told "Extra" the show has taken a toll on relationships with her gal-pals.

"It's hard to have an actual friendship be torn apart in the media," she said.

Rumors swirled recently that Conrad moved in on "Hills" co-star Audrina Patridge's ex-boyfriend, the raunchy, rude Justin Bobby.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: entertainment

The Townhouse of Horrors on East 63rd Street

Tuesday October 14, 2008 10:15 AM By Rolando Pujol

Photos: Rolando Pujol

So much for putting a cartoon witch in the window, or a lowly pumpkin on the stoop. This Upper East Side townhouse sets a new standard for domestic decorative terror. See the unspeakable carnage first hand on East 63rd Street between Madison and Park avenues. Even more terror after the jump.

We must add the obligatory, "if you dare."

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: halloween, upper east side, house of horrors, zany, neighborhoods, manhattan, holiday traditions

The humpbacks of the Upper East Side

Tuesday October 14, 2008 9:51 AM By Rolando Pujol

On the ever-so-genteel southwest corner of East 63rd Street and Park Avenue stands a nice tribute to the city's once ubiquitous "humpback" street signs. This style, aside from the obvious aesthetic considerations, is much more useful, too, requiring only one sign to give you the intersecting streets. Below, see how good it looks on a Bishop's Crook. Forgotten NY explains the humpback is coming back into vogue, here and there, but observes finding an authentic one in the wild is quite the challenge.

We've never stumbled onto one ourselves, but strangely, found a bunch of retired ones redeployed in South of the Border, the amusing tourist "stop" ("trap" is too harsh a word, since we rather enjoy the authentic mid-century vibe of the place) on I-95 on the border of the Carolinas. I'll share photos of these signs down the road.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: street signs, manhattan, upper east side, urban archaeology, transportation, old school, neighborhoods, history, architecture

Update: Generation Debt

Tuesday October 14, 2008 8:09 AM By Lauren Johnston

In June 2007, we introduced you to New Yory hair stylist Lisa Golan, as part of our project on the credit card crisis: Generation Debt.

Golan had fallen prey to the fine print and signed a contract with a debt settlement firm to help pay off her steep credit card balance - but she thought she'd enrolled in credit counseling.

See our Interactive project Generation Debt [here].

Long story short - the process drained her cash supply and she was forced to file for bankruptcy. Golan recently contacted us to report she's getting back on her feet and has written a book about her experience with the hopes that it might help others in the same situation. The memoir is titled: "Split Ends: Stories of a Mad Hair Doctor."

We figure during this "economic downturn," there might be plenty of interested readers for this topic. For now, the manuscript is available [Here] at Lulu.com.

Tags: debt, economy, generation debt

Delta gives military a break

Tuesday October 14, 2008 8:08 AM By Julie Gordon

While waiting to check in for my flight at JFK Saturday morning, I overheard this interesting order from a Delta supervisor to a few of her staff members regarding military fliers:

"I don't care how many bags they have. We're not charging them. They're dodging bullets for us over in Iraq."

In May, Delta started charging $25 for a second checked bag. Other airlines have taken similar measures.

No matter -- the Delta supervisor said more members of the military have been coming through the gates at JFK lately, and that because of their service, they shouldn't have to pay extra for extra luggage.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: airports

Fun, Free stuff around town today ...

Tuesday October 14, 2008 6:12 AM By Lauren Johnston

There's a party for these guys tonight. Read on to find out where...

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Book signings by Megan McCain, author of “My Dad, John

McCain,” and Bryan Collier, author of “Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope”; Books of Wonder, 18 W. 18th St.

5:30 p.m. People dressed with Pinocchio noses stage a “lie-in” protest

to greet presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at a fundraiser; Grand Hyatt, 109 E. 42nd St.

6 p.m. Scope the celebs at a red carpet for screening of Oliver Stone’s “W”; Ziegfeld Clearview Cinemas, 141 W. 54th St.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. And more sporty celebs at the red carpet for the 29th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards; The Waldorf-Astoria

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Author Philip Gourevitch discusses his book, “Standard

Operating Procedure”; Columbia University, International Affairs Building, Room 1501, 420 W. 118th St., at Amsterdam Avenue.

6:30 p.m. Public forum on “After Wall Street: Can New York Reinvent

Itself?” The Cooper Union, The Great Hall, 7 E. Seventh St., at Third Avenue.

7 p.m. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk signs copies of her book, “One Can

Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World”; Borders, 10 Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center.

7 p.m. Hawaiian Tropic Zone hosts party for firefighters featured in

the NYC Firefighters 2009 Calendar; 729 Seventh Ave., at 49th Street.

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

ATM fees get even more rapacious

Monday October 13, 2008 5:28 PM By Garett Sloane

By Jessica Troiano

Special to amNewYork

Do you accept this fee?

It’s a question we’re all familiar with flashing across ATMs, and it’s a question that is harder to answer as the cost of withdrawing money rises.

Up to $3 charges are almost the norm for New Yorkers who withdraw from bank machines outside their network.“God forbid if it’s another bank’s ATM,” said Dawn Martine, a Harlem resident and Chase customer. “They tax you and Chase taxes you another $1.50. You’re paying $3.50 just to use the ATM.”

Nationwide, the average ATM fee for nonaccount holders rose to $1.78 last year from $1.64 in 2006, according to Bankrate.com. Other fees are up as well: Average overdraft charges have reached a record $28.23.

Customers can easily incur fees with multiple debit charges, said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

If that swipe of the card sends your account into the negative, “a $4 latte can wind up costing you $39,” he said.

Most charges are avoidable, said Carol Kaplan, spokeswoman for the American Bankers Association, a banking industry trade group.

“It is possible in this day and age to have a bank account and not pay for it,” said Kaplan. “People may rack up fees because they like convenience.”

Kaplan advised consumers to look for a new bank if they are dissatisfied.

“If people aren’t happy with the fee structures of their bank, the strongest message they can send that bank is to take their business across the street,” she said.

Tags: banks, fees, atms, consumers, money, finance, economy

iPods users risking 'stealthy' hearing loss

Monday October 13, 2008 3:37 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

By Emily Ngo

emily.ngo@am-ny.com

Thundering jackhammers, screeching trains and wailing sirens.

New Yorkers’ ears are assaulted daily by a barrage of noise, but it’s the headphones in them that can cause the most harm.

“When you start trying to drown out that noise with one of these iPods, that’s when you get into real trouble,” said Maurice Miller, an adjunct professor of audiology at New York University. “There’s a gradual, stealthy hearing loss from iPods.”

According to a study released yesterday by the European Union, those rocking out on headphones to music at more than 89 decibels for just one hour a day for five years can suffer permanent hearing damage. As many as 10 million Europeans are at risk, the study said.

POLL: Are headphones hurting your hearing?Adults are more likely than teenagers to experience hearing loss symptoms and use MP3 players for longer periods, according to a 2006 poll by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The durations may be explained by time spent commuting to work, the poll said.

It’s probably worse in New York, where practically everyone spends their subway ride with headphones on.

Some have their music cranked so loud that you can hear it from a few feet away.

“Everybody is trying to drown out what’s around them until they get to where they need to be,” said Mikal Din, a 30-year-old Harlem resident. “I don’t want to hear anything other than the music.”

Din may soon be unable to hear anything at all.

Use MP3 players properly — at low volumes for short durations — and your ears will thank you, the EU said.

The EU has set a legal limit of 100 decibels for MP3 players — the volume of a chainsaw.

There’s no similar regulation on decibel levels in the U.S., and there are no plans to set a federal limit. But unlike chainsaws, music travels a short distance from that ear bud to your eardrum. To the frustration of Miller and other audiologists, people aren’t tuning in to their advice.

“People want to listen to their iPods, on average, 13 decibels louder than the background noise,” said Brian Fligor, the director of Diagnostic Audiology at Children’s Hospital Boston, who contributed to the EU study.

City residents make matters worse by whiling away long commutes with MP3 players.

“It’s unquestionable many, many more people are using iPods, and the battery life is longer and its capacity for music is larger,” Fligor said.

Apple, which did not return calls for comment yesterday, ships a warning with every iPod that “permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume.”

While Apple has not publicized how loudly iPods can play, Fligor’s research has found that one MP3 and headphone pairing produces sound as high as 120 decibels, as loud as a rock concert.

In the end, just like your musical taste, the discretion is yours.

“As long as you’re not stupid, it shouldn’t be a problem. If you put it up at full volume, then there could be damage,” said James Moore, 27, a Briton who plans to don headphones when he runs the New York City Marathon next month. “It’s your own fault if it’s too loud.”

(Amanda Magnus contributed to this report.)

Tune into this advice
* Use noise-canceling headphones. These limit your awareness of your surrounds, but make you less prone to cranking up the volume.

* Follow the 60-60 rule. Use MP3 players at less than 60 percent of the maximum volume for fewer than 60 minutes a day.

* Visit an audiologist regularly. See one especially if you hear ringing in your ears.

POLL: Are headphones hurting your hearing?

Tags: music

amNewYork Letters to the Editor

Monday October 13, 2008 2:14 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Let Mayor Bloomberg run for office again
Term limits have not served us well. Politicians are encouraged to pillage the treasury to send money back to their districts in order to build name recognition for higher office.

Long-term planning is discouraged - after all, these guys won’t be around to cut the ribbon if they build a new bridge or rehabilitate a major building. Mayoral oversight of our schools is a delicate work-in-progress that requires continuity of government to avoid returning to chaotic and failed past practices.

By giving New Yorkers the opportunity to decide for ourselves whether we want Bloomberg or some other person to manage our collapsing city budget, all of us will be better off in the end.

--Joseph Chiarella, Douglaston

Term limits: The people need to speak
If the City Council doesn’t want blood on its hands, they should send this decision - already made by the people - back to the people.

My opinion of the mayor has not been changed; he is an elitist who is used to buying whatever he wants and, judging from his comments after the Westside Stadium defeat, doesn’t handle rejection well. Bloomberg needs to remember no one is indispensible, and we could get anyone to raise real estate taxes as he did after 9/11.

--David DiBello, Lakewood N.J.

This is not up to the City Council
Seven years ago, many discussed whether Giuliani’s mayoral term should be extended because of 9/11, but the city decided that the law is the law, and it should not be changed.

Now the City Council will debate whether term limits should be extended to three terms, even though the city overwhelmingly voted no to a referendum related to this issue in 1996. The council has no business passing a law to change the will of the people.

If the people strongly believe that this law needs to be changed, they can vote on this, again, through a referendum.

--Flora Huang, Manhattan

Tags: letters to the editor

Bill O’Reilly vs. Barney Frank

Monday October 13, 2008 1:42 PM By Rolando Pujol

Bill O’Reilly set off Congressman Barney Frank when he called him a “coward” during a discussion of the financial crisis on “The O’Reilly Factor."

Tags: viral video, bill o'reilly, barney frank, politics, television

Marcia Brady: Bunch of sex, drugs and depression

Monday October 13, 2008 1:36 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

AP file photo of The Brady Bunch, with Maureen McCormick at far right, middle

By Kara Warner, Special to amNewYork

Maureen McCormick, the real-life person behind the perpetually perfect Marcia Brady from "The Brady Bunch" (and more recently the reality shows "Celebrity Fit Club" and "Gone Country"), has released a tell-all tome about her life. [Click here for photos of the Brady Bunch then and now]

In the book, "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice," McCormick addresses living in the shadow of her beloved TV character and having traded sex for drugs.

The 50-year-old also reveals details from an early romance with her "Brady" co-star Barry Williams, as well as dates with Michael Jackson and Steve Martin.

"For most of my life I have been followed, and sometimes haunted, by Marcia Brady," McCormick writes. "But now I'm not bothered by the connection. It took most of my life, countless mistakes and decades of pain and suffering to reach this point of equanimity and acceptance."

McCormick has been married to Michael Cummings for 13 years. They have a 9-year-old daughter, Natalie.

-Click here for photos of the Brady Bunch then and now

Tags: brady bunch, marcia brady, maureen mccormick, television

Duly Noted

Monday October 13, 2008 11:49 AM By Rolando Pujol

Tags: duly noted

Discovered in Greenpoint: Blast-from-the-past campaign buttons

Monday October 13, 2008 11:44 AM By Lauren Johnston

Robert Germino sells his political memorabilia at the corner of Bedford Ave. and N. 12th. St. in Williamsburg. Photo/Lauren Johnston.

Yesterday we met Bob Germino. The 71-year-old retiree has lived in the Williamsburg-Greenpoint area all his life and has a love for local politics - and the paraphernalia that goes with it.

In fact, in 1977, he ran for school board (District 14), and still keeps this campaign card in his wallet.

These days you'll find Germino at the corner of Bedford Ave. and N. 12th. in Williamsburg selling bits and pieces from his personal collection, including old magazine ads, photographs, and best - this large selection of old campaign buttons (we picked up a "Bella Abzug for Mayor" for $3).

He's also got "Ed Koch for Mayor," and "Re-elect Gerges" and "Stefanizzi in '82."

Stop by his corner for these bits of New York's political history, but also for his stories of the hot campaigns of yesteryear. Definitely worth some weekend loitering

Tags: greenpoint, bella abzug, ed koch, urban archaeology, stuff that's cool, shopping, politics, history, brooklyn

The MTA's tower of doom ventilates for your protection

Monday October 13, 2008 11:02 AM By Rolando Pujol

The ominous-looking Transit Ventilating Tower just north of the 59th Street Bridge is one of those unique products of 1970s brutalism. It also features one of the best-preserved examples of the old-school "M" logo for the transit system, which we much prefer over today's design.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: mta, architecture, transit, neighborhoods, manhattan

Chairman Mao finds posh digs on Park Avenue

Monday October 13, 2008 10:42 AM By Rolando Pujol

A headless Chairman Mao statue stands guard on a Park Avenue island, heralding the Asia Society's show on China's art (well, propaganda) during the revolution. The statue succeeded in luring us into the museum, and while we didn't have time to check out the show, we explored the interesting gift shop which has a great selection of multicultural children's books. The cafe also looks like an appealing spot for a quick bite during an afternoon of exploring the Upper East Side's museums.

The Mao show continues through Jan. 11. There's also a related film series, with an installment set for this Saturday.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: asia society, chairman mao, arts, museums

Upper East Side journal: Here's what you should do with your Whitney admission sticker

Monday October 13, 2008 10:07 AM By Rolando Pujol

Now the Department of Transportation sign couldn't be more clear: Don't litter! But that hasn't deterred art lovers fresh from visits to the Whitney from turning this pole on East 74th Street near Madison Avenue into a piece of urban street art.

There are scores of little Whitney admission stickers padding the pole, and it's very difficult not to stop and examine them. The questions are many: Who was the first person to place a sticker on the pole? Why this pole, which is around the corner from the museum and doesn't seem to lend itself to such treatment? Can I find the oldest surviving one?

So now you know what to do with those pesky stickers.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: whitney museum, street art, manhattan, stuff that's cool, museums, arts

Greenpoint VHS outpost the last in NYC?

Monday October 13, 2008 7:38 AM By Lauren Johnston

Buckley's is at the corner of Nassau and Kingsland avenues in Greenpoint. (Photo/ Lauren Johnston)

We suspect this sign for Buckley's Self Service Market has been around a lot longer than the shop that now exists below it - and of course we wonder what the store was in its past life - does anyone out there know?

Anyway, we love this spot for two reasons. First, it fits in with our signage obession [see our full gallery of great NYC signs: HERE].

And second, it has to be one of the last of its kind in at least on respect: it still has a full library of rental VHS tapes. The back of the store is stacked with numbered tapes - along with a poster for the film "Seraphim Falls" starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan.

Of course what's funny is that the poster bears this notice: "Available on DVD." Um, just ... not here.

Tags: signs, greenpoint, movies, endangered nyc, brooklyn

Update: We know who's making Williamsburg prettier

Monday October 13, 2008 6:55 AM By Lauren Johnston

Art on the walls in Williamsburg.

Last week we wondered who'd been hanging these lovely portraits around the side streets in Williamsburg, and thanks to our loyal Urbanite readers, now we know.

The artist goes by "Cake" and you can check out more shots of her work on Flickr [here]. And hopefully you'll take a walk and try to find it in your nabe.

Tags: williamsburg, graffitti, cake, street art, arts, brooklyn

Fun, free stuff today in NYC ...

Monday October 13, 2008 6:14 AM By Lauren Johnston

Today we've got Columbus Day festivities galore, plus a push to block Bloomberg's bid for extended term limits and free food listings:

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Sports Museum of America celebrates Columbus Day with a range of athletes including the U.S. Women’s Softball team; 26 Broadway.

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Columbus Day parade; Fifth Avenue from 47th Street to 79th Street.

Noon to 4 p.m. Petition drive and rally calling for a referendum on the mayor’s

call to extend term limits.

PLUS: Heads up on some free stuff for tomorrow, Tues., Oct. 14 ...

9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.: Head to Whole Foods on the Bowery for some free food cooked up by Aboriginal chef and TV personality Mark Olive; 95 E. Houston St.How Much: FREE!

7 p.m. Dance Conversations at the Flea Theater by the Jody Oberfelder dancers. Free performance ("an excerpt from Approaching Climax in utero") at 71 White St.

Tags: mayor michael bloomberg, term limits, columbus day, today's freebie, today's check it out, stuff that's cool

Mad Men and the City: Catch-up edition

Sunday October 12, 2008 5:52 PM By Rolando Pujol

Don Draper , Freddy Rumsen, and Roger Sterling are out for drinks on what will be a life-altering night.

By Rolando Pujol

Duck Phillips would really be on our case about missing our deadlines for "Mad Men and the City" write-ups, but "it's my life, so it's time to move forward," to paraphrase the words uttered by Don Draper and taken deeply to heart by Roger Sterling. Here's a selective review of New York City and pop-culture references in the episodes "Six Month Leave" and "The Inheritance." And we'll be back later with our review of Sunday's nights episode. As always, comments and contributions are welcome.

Six Month Leave

The New York World-Telegram: We spy this defunct Gotham newspaper blaring headlines of Marilyn Monroe's death. The World-Telegram badge had existed since 1931, the result of a merger of two newspapers. By 1962, however, it was known as the New York World-Telegram and Sun, having absorbed the Sun after it perished in 1950. By 1967, it would be gone (along with the celebrated Herald Tribune), leaving the News, the Post and the Times. (Newsday wasn't a serious player in the city yet, went big in the 1980s and 1990s, then retreated again to its base on Long Island.) It's curious that the day after this episode aired, the new iteration of the New York Sun would prepare its final edition.2.) The Sterling and Cooper blood drive: Online commentary here suggests blood drives such as these were common even then, yet it somehow sounds anachronistic. But a reference to the agency's blood drive actually appearing in The New York Times seem highly unlikely, then and now.

3.) Mitch Miller: There's a reference to a Mitch Miller concert on NBC, airing during the height of his fame on "Sing Along with Mitch." Miller is a living New York landmark ... he's 97 and apparently still here in the city.

4.) Samsonite Silhouette:

The stylish line was introduced in 1958 and is still going today. Freddy Rumsen handles the account, until his public display of incontinence ends his career and gives Peggy a big boost. More on retro luggage here.

5.) The Carlyle Hotel: Sterling Cooper puts up its clients from Samsonite at this high-end Upper East Side hotel. The place will forever be in the imagination of New Yorkers because of Bobby Short's decades-long stint at the Cafe Carlyle. And, this being 1962, John F. Kennedy still had an apartment at the hotel.

6.) The Roosevelt: While his marital troubles play out, Don Draper is hunkered down at the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue, not far from his offices and a quick walk to Grand Central Terminal, where he can jump on the commuter train for his weekend trips to Ossining to take his children out to eat. The Roosevelt has come up before. Its bar/restaurant is the scene of a meeting between the closeted Sal and a male client who makes a pass at him. And today, it's still there and home to a rooftap bar, Mad 46. An advertising campaign for the new spot seemed to play off the Mad Men associations.

7.) News teletype: A depressed, boozing Betty turns on her home hi-fi briefly, where we hear a news report on the Marilyn Monroe death, accompanied by the staccato of a wire-service teletype machine. Of course, she wouldn't have been tuning into 1010 WINS, which had not yet gone all news, but today, remains the only station in the city that still delivers news with the sound of a teletype churning away in the background. (Actually, an old sound-effects tape.)

8.) Cafe Soleil in Old Town: That's where Betty sets up the date with her crush at the stables, but this reference has us totally stumped. Where's Old Town in the New York area? And Cafe Soleil? No relation to anything in the New York area at the time, or now, yes? Please let me know if you have some insight on this reference.

9.) Menkens: That's the fictional department store where secretary Jane Siegel buys dress shirts for Don Draper. One can imagine what Don thinks when he sees the bag -- of course, his old flame works there. Nice, subtle reference -- Menkens is never mentioned by name, but we see its cursive lettering on the bag.

10.) The Stanhope and the Biltmore: Sterling throws out the names of these hotels as his guess for where Don is staying now that he's been booted by Bets. The Biltmore was at 43rd Street and Madison Avenue, directly across from Grand Central. It's now a Bank of America office building, but in its day was a famous meeting place for New Yorkers. (You'd meet at the clock in the lobby.) The Biltmore's name survives in the form of the Biltmore Room, which still leads to Grand Central from the Bank of America building. As for the Stanhope, it sadly finished its run as a hotel in 2005.

11.) Indian Point and Ravenswood: The opening of Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan -- not far from the Draper household -- is mentioned, as is a campaign to promote the industry and open a similar plant in Ravenswood. That would have meant putting a nuclear plant in Queens, in a neighborhood with a vast public housing project. Con Ed's wish never happened -- no ad campaign could allay the public's growing fears about nuclear power, but three years after this episode is set, Con Ed opened the power plant Big Allis, built in 1965, and still chugging under KeySpan control.

References in "The Inheritance"

This episode was lighter on references, so we'll quickly skim the highlights. We learn about getaways to Rehoboth, charitable contributions to Lincoln Center, and real-estate purchases up in Millbrook. What's more, we see a Martinson's Coffee can, and Betty-obsessed Glen Bishop sports a swank Pan Am bag. And beautiful Pasadena, Calif. is written off by Pete Campbell as a place where people with TB go, displaying a stereotype about Rose Bowl-hosting Pasadena few people would even know of today.

Tags: mad men, television, history, advertising

Is it foolish to be bullish? Some money gurus advise it's time to start buying stocks

Sunday October 12, 2008 4:15 PM By Rolando Pujol

Tourists visit Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. (AP)

By Garett Sloane

gsloane@am-ny.com

The Dow Jones may appear half empty right now, but that just means the stock market is full of buying opportunities, optimistic market observers advise.

Investors are selling everything -- the good along with the bad, according to Vahan Janjigian, chief investment strategist at Forbes.

“I think there is a panic right now,” he said. “A lot of people are selling when they should be buying. People should be taking Warren Buffett’s lead.”

Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” has invested billions into Goldman Sachs and General Electric as those stocks have plummeted, a move consistent with his oft-repeated philosophy: Be greedy when everyone else is fearful.

And even as countless people are hurting, some New Yorkers are taking Buffett’s cues. “I am investing,” said Lisa Kelly, 28, a teacher from the Upper West Side. “The market is low. I’m young, and it’s going to go up.”

It’s hard to envision that right now. The historic stock collapse has pushed the Dow Jones industrial average below 9,000 for the first time since 2003 and the S&P 500 below 1,000 for the first time in five years.The sell-off is spurred by a number of factors, including hedge funds that are unloading their top-performing stocks to pay off investors who want their money back. A flood of brokers also is pushing investors to recoup on declining stocks that were purchased on margin — borrowed money. Investors are dumping their good stocks to pay for those bad ones, which means shares in fundamentally sound companies are taking a hit, too.

“A few stock have been absolutely pummeled and we consider them incredible bargains at the current price,” Janjigian said.

A few fatal pessimists are predicting this is the end of capitalism, but those with a little more hope believe the bust will pass.

“These once-in-a-generation opportunities represent a great time if you are a long-term investor and fundamentally believe in our free enterprise system,” said Mark Brown, a certified financial planner with Brown & Tedstrom in Denver.

Not everyone sees this moment as a buying opportunity. David Shaev has seen too many people lose it all in the markets: He’s a bankruptcy lawyer.

“If you’re trying to pick stocks right now, you might as well go to Atlantic City,” the Manhattan lawyer said.

Still, the opportunity for fortune is alluring,

“I don’t think we’ve hit bottom yet. When I do think we’ve hit our bottom, I’ll jump back in,” said Candy Straw, 44, of Sunnyside.

Stocks have not hit their lows, Janjigian said, but that doesn’t mean it’s not time to start putting money into balance investments like index funds.

“You may regret it tomorrow or a week from now,” he said. “But chances are, a couple of years down the road, you will be very happy.”

Amanda Magnus and Tribune Media Services contributed to this report.

Tags: wall street, economy, investing

As New York debate looms, concerns grow over hateful rhetoric on campaign trail

Sunday October 12, 2008 3:18 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Marlene Naanes

mnaanes@am-ny.com

As Barack Obama’s lead in the polls grows and the final debate nears in New York, voters and observers say that rhetoric by some supporters of John McCain has produced the worst show of hate during a presidential election in decades.

At campaign events, supporters of McCain have shouted, “off with his head,” “kill him” and “terrorist” in reference to Obama.

“I believe his supporters are reading the polls and they’re losing,” said City Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn). “I just think racism is alive and healthy unfortunately…and some people really need to think whether or not they are better off today than they were eight years ago.”

McCain has rebuked his own supporters over the comments. Obama’s campaign has praised McCain for confronting his supporters, but a Georgia congressman and some New Yorkers believe he and Palin are responsible for fueling the negativity. The McCain crowds have been compared to George Wallace’s presidential campaigns in 1968 and 1972."I think not only is it his responsibility to put a stop to it, but they [McCain and Palin] were responsible,” said Michelle Davies, 43, of Brooklyn. “They put out misinformation and took information out of context.”

The controversy comes as Obama and McCain prepare for a visit to New York this week, for their third and final debate, at Hofstra University on Wednesday. The secret service they’ll be no extra security beyond the detail already surrounding Obama.

McCain and Palin have continuously mentioned Obama’s connections with Bill Ayers, former member of the Weather Underground, a radical group from the late 1960s and early 1970s that orchestrated bombings in the U.S.

Negative campaigning is a strategy used by both Republicans and Democrats when they are lagging because it fuels the base, a political strategist said.

“They’re in deep trouble…the only way they will get any traction is to let the mob loose,” said Hank Sheinkopf, who worked for President Bill Clinton’s re-election. “Is this going to work? Probably not because what people care about more is the economy.”

After the backlash from their supporters’ comments, both McCain and Palin seemed to shift their focus to the economy. A McCain spokesman said yesterday that sometimes supporters say things the campaign can’t control and that they take attention away from legitimate questions, such as Obama’s judgment and experience.

Rhetoric isn’t the only way anger against Obama that has taken shape recently. The Los Angeles Times and a California theater recently received anti-Obama letters with a substance later determined to be nonhazardous. Some wondered if even McCain could quell angry supporters.

“This kind of rhetoric sets the seeds unfortunately for awful things to occur…historically,” Sheinkopf said.

Amanda Magnus and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tags: john mccain, barack obama, politics

Quinn backs Bloomberg's term-limit overhaul; "billionaires" rejoice

Sunday October 12, 2008 2:46 PM By Rolando Pujol

Noah Countability, Phil T. Rich, Isla Lordit Overya, Anita Yacht and Thurston Howell 4th are members of Billionaires for Term Limits Except for Billionaires. “As billionaires we are just not used to limitations,” Yacht said. (Photo: Jefferson Siegel)

By Marlene Naanes

mnaanes@am-ny.com

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn yesterday threw her support behind the mayor’s push to extend term limits permanently.

Reiterating some of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s arguments for a third term, Quinn said at a City Hall news conference that the city is facing a global financial crisis and “continuity of leadership” will help pull the city through.

“In these difficult times, I believe voters should have the choice to keep the current leadership of our city,” said Quinn, who was seen as a potential mayoral candidate before Bloomberg announced his view on term limits, which he once supported . “If voters are not happy with any of us, they have the right to vote us out of office next fall.”

Quinn said she talked with city leaders in the public and private sector, including labor officials and good government advocates, before coming to a decision to permanently extend term limits from two to three four-year stints. She noted yesterday that New Yorkers also will be able to voice their opinion at two City Hall hearings this Thursday and Friday.In public, Quinn had been on the fence about the term-limits change. Quinn’s support could be central in convincing resistant council members. She promised yesterday that she made no deal with Bloomberg, and that council members who vote against the measure would not face punitive action.

The issue could come up for a vote as early as Oct. 23.

As quickly as Quinn’s news conference ended, elected officials and a satire group, Billionaires for Term Limits Except for Billionaires, spoke out.

“As billionaires we are just not used to limitations,” said a woman who went by the moniker Anita Yacht. Another billionaire added, “we paid for three terms and we’re going to get them.”

Other roadblocks to the mayor’s plan have been lifted in recent days. They include billionaire Ronald Lauder, who funded a campaign to create term limits in 1993, recently threw his support into the plan after opposing it.

Remaining hurdles include a conflict-of-interest complaint filed by two advocacy groups, saying that Bloomberg improperly used his position for his own benefit in making a deal with Lauder.

Mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn-Queens) and Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn) also continue to stand in the mayor’s way. James, who also complained to the Conflicts of Interest Board, countered Quinn’s statements about voters still having a choice in the 2009 election next year.

Council opponents are seeking to enact a voter referendum on term limits, which were approved by voters in 1993 and reaffirmed in 1996.

“You can still have a choice if you do things the right way,” she said. “Let the voters decide. That’s really the issue.”

Tags: christine quinn, michael bloomberg, term limits, politics, city hall dispatch

Viral Video: The human Pac Man

Sunday October 12, 2008 1:25 PM By Rolando Pujol

The fact that it's in Japanese makes this video no less mesmerizing. Watch it and wonder what the heck is going.

Tags: viral video

Joey Chestnut conquers New York pizza, too

Sunday October 12, 2008 10:23 AM By Ryan Chatelain

"Humble" Bob Shoudt, Joey Chestnut and Patrick Bertoletti compete in Sunday's Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship at Times Square.

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut grabbed another slice of competitive-eating glory Sunday.

In his first ever pizza-eating competition, Chestnut, the Nathan’s Famous hot dog champ the past two years, set another world record by devouring 45 slices in 10 minutes at the inaugural Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship, held at TImes Square in honor of Columbus Day.

Chestnut, 24, of San Jose, Calif., edged Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, who downed 43 cheese slices. Bertoletti, the Mohawked 22-year-old from Chicago, held the previous pizza-eating record of 22.

Forty-year-old “Humble” Bob Shoudt, of Royersford, Pa., even gave chase, eating 41, but he faded in the final minutes.

Chestnut earned a $5,000 payday and the "pizza palette trophy."

The contestants were able to obliterate the previous record, they said, because the pizza was “fast” compared to pies at previous contests.

Sure, everyone’s heard of fast tracks in racing, but fast pizza?

“If it’s warm, and if the crust isn’t too dry,” Bertoletti explained of the factors that make a pizza go down quicker.

In fact, the speed of the pizzas, which can vary from pie to pie, was on Chestnut’s mind down the stretch, when Bertoletti trailed him by one slice.

“If he got a fast pizza on that last pizza, I was little bit worried,” said Chestnut, who also holds the records for eating fried asparagus, jalapeno poppers and, of course, hot dogs.

As for a strategy, Chestnut seemed to steal a page from his own book, rolling up the pizzas in his fists and shoving them down his throat much in the same way he famously inhales hot dogs at Coney Island.

“Any time I can pretend the food is a hot dog, it makes it easier,” Chestnut said. “I can get in that same rhythm that I get in on the Fourth of July.”

Tags: joey chestnut, patrick bertoletti, competitive eating, zany, sports, food

'Mars' landing in Greenpoint

Friday October 10, 2008 1:06 PM By Ryan Chatelain

It was 1973 on Friday in Greenpoint.