The Lost Beach, by vanshnookenraggen at fark

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Falling debris at East 11th St. and Ave. C in Manhattan, a propane truck explosion in the area of 172nd St. and Townsend Ave. in the Bronx, and a water rescue at 96th St. and the FDR Drive off Manhattan (brrr!).
• The Javits Center is only 21 years old, but it leaks like a sieve. So in addition to the expansion of the building (cost: $600 million), the existing structure must be stripped to its frame and have all the glass replaced (cost: $1 billion).
• The Gowanus Lounge wistfully considers a 1968 real estate ad informing prospective buyers that one could buy a full brownstone with Victorian interior detailing in a neighborhood known as Park Slope for $20,000.
• Barack Obama won his second Grammy last night for the spoken-word version of his book "The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream." The nominees he beat out include former Presidents Clinton and Carter, Maya Angelou, and Alan Alda.
• The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages said that there wasn't enough drinking water for the animals because two troughs on Central Park South had been shut off for the season. The Health Dept. responded that there was a fire hydrant where drivers could fill up buckets to water their horses.
• Mayor Bloomberg joked about running for president during a Q&A at the United Nations today. President of the UN's General Assembly.
• A woman committed suicide by jumping from an upper floor of an NYU building that houses mostly students and faculty. This woman, however, was 74 years old and not affiliated with the school.
• Clothing retailer Yellow Rat Bastard has been ordered to pay $1.4 million as part of a settlement related to underpaid wages and overtime.