Rich Conroy is the Bicycle Education Program Director at Bike New York, a cycling safety and education group in New York City and the organizer of the 5 Boro Bike Tour (which occurred this past weekend). Rich and the people he works with are not bike advocates--they leave political action to others and focus on the practical safety of being a cyclist in the city. The group conducts clinics to teach kids to ride bikes,... [continue]

Aspiring actors, look now further than the Morgan L stop in Williamsburg for your big break! This flier advertises casting for a little film called: "Niki Gets Lost In BushDick." The plot is pretty simple: Niki stumbles upon a band whilst wandering around "BushDick" and (to put it mildly) ends up "sleeping with" them, all, at once. Copyranter guesses that the band must be indie rock; perhaps some real life Brooklyn band porn names... [continue]

A few years ago, there was a transfixing story in The New York Times about a 77-year-old old diary found in a dumpster on Riverside Drive. Its discoverer--and the article's writer--Lily Koppel, found herself mesmerized by the five years (1929-1934) of hopes and dreams of the young diarist, Florence Wolfson, a teenaged girl on the Upper West Side. She went as far as tracking her down and meeting her, now in her 90s and named... [continue]

There's a new game coming to town for cable subscribers who have been yoked to Time-Warner Cable or Cablevision out of necessity. New York City has finally struck a deal with Verizon to provide competing cable services throughout the five boroughs. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Lieber announced at a press conference, "This is a historic agreement that when approved for the first time will bring true cable television service competition in each in... [continue]

Erstwhile principal and school founder Debbie Almontaser made the front page of The New York Times today. The article is about how a woman who attempted to found a school based on cultural and religious understanding was forced from her position as the principal thanks to the resistance of spirited opponents. Almontaser founded the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which she envisioned as a dual language --English and Arabic--school that emphasized the cultural accomplishments of Middle... [continue]

Three UPS employees and a fourth man were arrested earlier this week after police followed a package filled with heroin to a 29th St. address. The package had been identified as being filled with drugs at a UPS distribution hub in Kentucky. The package was delivered to its intended address at 104 West 29th St. by an undercover cop dressed as a UPS employee and the NYPD then sat on the address. Eventually, three UPS... [continue]

The police continue to investigate the Sunday shooting in the Bronx that claimed the life of an 18-year-old woman in front of her fiancé and their 1-year-old son. Chelsea Frazier's fiancé Carlos Cruz, 36, told his police they were fired upon when he struggled with a would-be robber, but Frazier's family question his version of events. Frazier and Cruz were in the Bronx from Massachusetts, to visit Cruz's relatives. They pulled over on a street... [continue]

Live well, by EssG at flickrToday on the Gothamist Newsmap: an amputation on East End Ave. in Manhattan, a shooting on East 178th St. and Clinton Ave. in the Bronx, and a water search in the area of the Whitestone Bridge in Queens. "You may not have noticed; but we switched your regular Milkbone dog treats with Batch's gourmet concoction." Three out of four dogs bit that man on the hand. Parks are overrated:... [continue]

For anyone accustomed to watching skate kids fall off their boards in Washington Square Park, the above video will serve as entertainment redeeming of the skater community. Equipped with adequate knee pads, gloves, and skill, a group of young men work their way down "Watchtower Hill" in Brooklyn. Staying upright on the board is less a badge of honor than indicative of a lack of creativity. Great soundtrack too. Courtesy of Brooklyn Heights Blog.... [continue]

The three-day quasi-nightmare for-superstitious Yankees fans is over: The Red Sox jersey buried in cement by a Yankee-hating construction worker along the third base line at the new Yankee Stadium has been found and will be removed today in an "extraction ceremony." At first, the thought of Red Sox jersey buried in the new stadium seemed like a joke, but yesterday the NY Post published photographs worker Gino Castignoli claimed he took while after... [continue]

Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver announced the State Assembly is rejecting congestion pricing. The controversial plan, a pet project of Mayor Bloomberg's, was approved by the City Council last week and had support from Governor David Paterson and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, making the Assembly's support the final, critical step to ensure $354 million in federal funds (which would have been directed towards the MTA's projects). Bloomberg had been very vocal about wanting the... [continue]

A 24-year-old Columbia University student studying late at the library Friday evening is in critical condition at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan after his bid to escape a pair of muggers ended in serious injury under the wheels of a Jeep. According to WABC News, the student had just left the library on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus and was waiting for a bus around 9 p.m., when he was approached by two young men. It's... [continue]

Jessica Tush was last seen alive Wednesday at the Staten Island Mall where she works. New Jersey police officials are now confirming that the body of a young woman found in a shallow grave by hikers in the Garden State's Pine Barrens was that of the missing teenager. An initial medical examination indicates that Tush was likely strangled to death. It was originally suspected that Jessica was abducted by force from the mall, but sources... [continue]

Many have characterized New York City's real estate boom as insane, and this latest chapter adheres to that theme. The imposing and occasionally frightening-looking Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital on Manhattan's 1st Ave. may be transformed into a luxury hotel. According to the NYC Economic Development Corporation and Health and Hospitals Corporation, the current building would make an excellent location for a hotel and conference center to serve the medical and life sciences industry that has clustered... [continue]

Photograph by Mike Mostransky Today marks the final day of the New York Yankees ringing in a baseball season in the House that Babe Ruth Built. The current stadium has seen twenty-six World Series championship teams and holds the longest active streak for home opener wins (10 in a row so far). The Yankees, weather-permitting, will face off against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Chien-Ming Wang pitching against Toronto's Roy Halladay. Opening day is... [continue]

Photographs by RGP on Flickr Last weekend, reader RGP saw two people dressed as Bugs Bunny and Elmo walking around 42nd Street in Manhattan. While the pair could have been out to bring Easter cheer to crowds, it seems unlikely since they were carrying Christmas stockings. RGP wrote they "came out of the subway and just kind of meandered around" and noticed "Elmo had 'I Love You!' painted in big white letters on his... [continue]

The Wooster Collective recently featured video of a piece of street scultpure by Joshua Allen Harris. It could be describe as kinetic pneumatic art, and features an inanimate pile of material attached to a subway grate. When a train passes in the tunnel beneath the grate, the upward flow of displaced air fills the material and produces a medium-sized bear. The continued flow of air makes it appear as if the bear is actually... [continue]

Photograph of the fire truck donated to Ladder 101 by Triborough on Flickr Members of a marching band from South Carolina were still years from entering high school when the attacks of 9/11/01 occurred, but the band arrived in New York City this week to visit a Red Hook Engine and Ladder Company that received a replacement truck in 2002 purchased with funds raised by White Knoll Middle School students and the residents of... [continue]

Granted this story could have ended badly, it's nice that a heartwarming tale was the final result. NPR reports on New Yorker Julio Diaz, a 31-year-old social worker, who often frequents his favorite Bronx diner on his commute home. When a teenage boy mugged him at knife point on the subway platform one of those nights, Diaz offered him his jacket and changed the course of things.As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told... [continue]

Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens) will be formally announcing his bid to replace Mayor Bloomberg this Sunday. Theories about likely candidates abound (e.g. Councilman John Liu, Rep. Anthony Weiner, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly), but Avella is jumping to the head of the line by explicitly announcing his desire to be Mayor this Sunday at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall. Avella is the chairman of... [continue]