Johnny Podres died last night in a hospital in upstate New York at the age of 75. He'd been suffering from serious medical problems for some time. In 1955, Podres ensured himself a place in Brooklyn and baseball history as a young left-hander who pitched the Dodgers to their only World Series Championship while in Brooklyn, and he did it against the hated Yankees. Ask someone real quick, "Who was the World Series MVP in......

MOVIE: The monthly "Monday Nights with Oscar" screens teenage screamfest Carrie tonight. Was anything redacted from this Brian DePalma flick? Ask him yourself, he'll be on hand to discuss the 1976 classic he directed. 7:30pm // Academy Theater [111 E 59th St] // $5 THEATER: Theater group New Georges primarily produces new work by female playwrights; their current production is Good Heif by Maggie Smith. Set in a “hot, dry landscape”, it probes the twisted......

After almost 15 years on the air, consumer reporter Asa Aarons was let go Friday by WNBC in the latest of the NBC 2.0 cuts. In an e-mail to TV Spy, Aarons said the parting was “amicable” and that he was told that "with NBC 2.0 budget cuts there is no longer room for a full time consumer reporter." Aarons told the Daily News, "It struck me as simply a numbers game." He also mentioned......

With the buzz about the 248 McKibbin Street MySpace page organizing comments about its bedbug infestation, we thought it would be a good time to visit the Bedbug City Map. The map relies on reported bedbug incidents, which are mapped by the intensity of the infestation as well - and 248 McKibbin is at the red "Help!" level. Bedbugs are hell, no question about it. Ridding an apartment of bedbugs requires multiple fumigations and......

Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a new campaign, Just Ask The Locals, "the City's first-ever five-borough marketing and advertising campaign to make visitors feel more welcome, thank them for visiting, and help them navigate New York City." The Mayor made the announcement at the new American Airlines terminal at JFK and said, "New Yorkers have always been welcoming and friendly, but not enough people around the world know it. So now we're going the extra mile......

On the edge of Middle Village sits Uvarara Vineria and Ristoro, a charming family-owned wine bar that looks and feels like it should be in the middle of an Italian village instead of Queens. This is due to the efforts of the Iadicicco's who spent nine months converting what had been a tailor shop with dowdy green walls into a cozy space with exposed brick and a dining area whose four rooms each have a......

In their quest to take over New York, Bowery Presents is opening yet another venue! Ask just about anyone (and we have) and they'll say that the Bowery Ballroom is their favorite place to see and/or play music - so who better to open even more spaces than the creators of that one? The latest establishment will be in Midtown and is called Terminal 5 (the old Club Exit). Currently there are no photos, but......

Doug Gordon (former Ask Gothamist contributor) put almost 10 minutes worth of footage of cars entering Prospect Park after 7PM, when it's supposed to be closed to traffic, on YouTube. StreetFilms' Clarence Eckerson Jr. edited it down and added a counter of how many cars actually enter over a 15 minute period - you can see that video above. We can't decide what makes us more crazed: The cars that try to squeeze through......

Ask any kid who grew up on Long Island, and they could easily rattle off their favorite Entenmann’s desserts. For us, no contest, the Devil’s Food Crumb Donuts are as good as it gets. We’d eat off all the chocolate, sugar-coated crumbs first, one by one, and then save the naked donut for our final conquest. It somehow felt like two desserts that way. Maybe it’s all those fond childhood memories of sugar highs mixed......

Yesterday, an out-of-control car crashed into a crowded Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurant at Frederick Douglas Boulevard and 145th Street. Police say that the driver had a leg cramp, which made he "stomp on the gas pedal." A witness told WNBC, "(It's) something I don't want to see again. She came down the hill and went straight into the window." WNBC has pictures of the scene, complete with half-eaten meals. The NY Times reported that the......

May 26 - 27 Barbecue at Flatbush Farm The gang at Flatbush Farm hosts a barbecue the last weekend of every month, including this one. Feast on grilled clams, barbecued chicken legs and ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, veggie chili and more. 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 76 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. Call 718-622-3276 for details. May 29: Is New York Dining Really Better Than Ever? Ask the experts! Mike Colamenico will moderate a panel discussion......

Two weeks ago, our friends over at Bostonist posted a very scary map plotting more than 50 Dunkin Donuts locations within a five-mile radius of their city’s Downtown Crossing. The actual number of New York Dunkin Donuts locations, parameters widened to include Port Authority based kiosks and airport locations, is likely to be more than a baker’s dozen for any given five mile radius. So yeah, sure, it seems America runs on Dunkin and all......

Senators 3, Devils 2: Scott Gomez's pair of goals couldn't save the Devils, who went out of the NHL Playoffs with a whimper by losing the conference semifinals series in five games. New Jersey just couldn't light the lamp enough in this series, and Martin Brodeur wasn't the best netminder. That title belongs to Ray Emery, who made 27 saves Saturday despite being in a car accident the day before. Ask any Devils fan if......

101-year-old mugging victim Rose Morat wasn't intimidated by the thug who attacked her in her building last month, so she certainly wasn't going to be intimidated by a gang of press photographers and Mayor Bloomberg. Friday afternoon, the centenarian along with 85-year-old Solange Elizee met with the mayor to discuss what was being done to combat crime against the elderly. By turns Morat was a grandmotherly confidante with the Mayor: ""What’s your next step? Whisper......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A person was hit by a train at a Penn Station subway, a barricaded perp in the Bronx and large brush fire in Staten Island The Village Voice has named its latest editor - Tony Ortega. Let's see how he answers questions about minority hiring! Who knew that the Campbell Apartment was once a signalman's office AND a closet where the transit police stored its guns? Representatives from New......

I just did my taxes and I am going to get a refund this year. I'd really like to get a fancy toy, but I feel like I should do something responsible with the rest. What are your suggestions? First off, congratulations on your refund! We are a firm believer that you should not feel guilty about treating yourself for a year of hard work. However, it's also very important to not overlook some important......

Children living in many city buildings, hankering for a midday snack and sticking their little fingers in between loose floor boards may find a tasty treat: lead paint chips! The Daily News reports today that about 900 of the buildings used to house homeless people, through Bloomberg's Housing Stability Plus program, have been found to violate lead paint regulations. About 700 buildings tested positive for lead paint while another 200 or so were highly suspected......

This weekend's New York Times real estate story for the "New York City real estate is strange" folder was about the extremes that push people out of their apartments which are otherwise quite lovely. We're not talking a change of financial situation, we're talking neighbor who drops-TVs- from-ladders/ plays-very- loud-music/ stomps-around- in-platform-shoes situation. According to the article, these are some of the things that have driven people out: Upstairs neighbor's grandchild using a trampoline; strange......

We bet every person who read the NY Times' article, Everything You Need to Know About Bedbugs but Were Afraid to Ask, checked the nooks and crannies of their apartments, prayed they would never see a bedbug and then took a swig of a hard liquor to make the scary go away. But it was a very informative article - we learned:- Landlords are required to get rid of bedbugs within 30 days of an......

Everyone loves a secret bar, but what happens when the bouncers might be too...bouncery? Someone who tried to take a picture of the secret bar La Esquina claims he and his girlfriend were assaulted and threatened by the bouncers. One bouncer even yelled, "I will take you around the corner and rape you!" He said this right before coming out and slapping me several times on the sidewalk and knocking the camera from my hands......

- Americans may not win World Cups, but we do seem to have knack for winning the Tour de France. - A former Law & Order makeup artist is suing NBC for blacklisting her after she pointed out sexual harassment on the set. - Ask the MTA Chairman a silly question, get an answer. - The Times explores the politics of the Sabbath elevator. - Two's a trend: Just like a robbery on July......

Ask a New Yorker what their favorite restaurant is and they're likely to rattle off a list: favorite pizza, favorite burger, favorite bagel, favorite deli. Then there is Queen's Hideaway, whose storefront sits with unassuming ease on the corner of Green & Franklin Streets in Greenpoint. A restaurant with southern hospitality, homegrown flavors, and a gourmet menu fulfills favorite garden, favorite gazpacho, and most likely to stun you with their impressive use of seasonal......

There's a fun article in the Observer today about NY Times Metro reporter Sewell Chan and his seemingly unending energy to churn out stories. Gabriel Sherman points out that he wrote four pieces yesterday (checking today's paper, Chan only has three pieces, but he contributed to another), making his byline appear an average of 1.15 times a day. There is amazement from colleagues (the Post's David Seifman says Chan is the only reporter to bring......

Yet another story about how social networking sites can be dangerous! And this one involves a Brooklyn man who posed as various female Facebook members' friends to get them to somehow give him nude pictures and force them to be his friend. The Post reports that 20 year old Elvin Chaung was charged with identity theft, computer trespass and tampering, coercion and grand larceny after it turned out he was using his Facebook account to......

Ask.MeFi has been assembling an eclectic guide to "the best alternative/weird/unusual/eye-opening places in Manhattan." Most of the suggestions are actually located in the outer boroughs, but nevermind that. We've pulled out the highlights and linked everything for your browsing pleasure: Places Vinegar Hill Red Hook Prospect Park Pelham Bay Park Coney Island Chinatown High Line Manhattan Greenway Venues 5 Pointz Galapagos Arlene's Grocery ABC No Rio Bluestockings Sugartown Books Museums and Gardens Cloisters Brooklyn......

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. Ah, Houstonist. They're biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That's right, Mapquest says "Houston had the......

- Weird: HotelChatter notices that the Hotel Gansevoort does not appear on Google's satellite maps, but it does on Ask's - Restaurants will do somewhat worse business tonight - the Dow dropped 200 - While we've seen "The Omen" spraypainted on the "6+6+06" posters (which are for The Omen, anyway), someone else takes it a step further - Room 8 looks at the values of value of NY Congress-people's homes compared to their district......

Real estate disputes are, almost by definition, never pretty and no matter what somebody is going to come out of them looking bad. In the case of the landmarked Starrett-Lehigh Building on 26th street and 11th Avenue the bad looking people would be the buildings owners, 601 West Associates, and one famous tenant whose name starts with "M" and ends with "artha Stewart". To wit: yesterday Ask Gothamist got this self-answering question in our......

Spring has definitely sprung. This weekend, we couldn't get enough of being outside -- we were yearning for a spot where we could have a few cocktails outdoors, high above the city. Ask and ye shall receive. Urban Daddy gives us a preview of 230 Fifth, billed as the city's largest rooftop bar. Sure, we're excited about the "14,000 square foot luxe terrace of palm trees, wooden benches, and, of course, 360-degree views (including......

The helpful chaps at Ask.MeFi have a good thread full of advice on avoiding bike theft. Some of the advice is pretty straightforward-- but a few go right over the line to nuttiness. We leave it to you to judge which are which: 1 - Remove all of the stickers. 2 - Rattle-can the bike a dull black or primer color. Or have a professional give it a nasty color powder-coat. 3 - Have......