A MTA bus and a delivery man on a bicycle collided on the Upper East Side today, leaving the bicyclist dead at the scene. The incident occurred at Second Avenue and East 96th Street just before 4:30 p.m.; the bus driver kept going, apparently not realizing someone was hit, and the authorities are still seeking the bus. more ›

Imagine waiting for the subway to arrive and hearing the pleasant sounds of nature. Running water, chirping birds, the rustling of leaves... the NY Times reports that this could all be a reality at the 96th and Broadway subway station in a little over a year. The public art project proposal is on the verge of MTA approval, and "the sounds, broadcast on a loop by hidden speakers in the above-ground headhouse, would be one component of an art installation intended for the station that draws on the ideas and iconography of Asian pop art and contemporary graphic design." Construction on the station is expected to be complete by the fall of 2010, and at that time the hope is to also have the project unveiled—complete with an arched glass-and-steel structure housing nearly 200 stainless-steel flowers that will sway in the entryway. Even though the aforementioned calming sounds will be drowned out by trains from time to time, could this all make commuters less tense? You know, as long as there are no mockingbird sounds? more ›