Check out the colorful scene on Fifth Avenue around St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday afternoon, where the sublime weather brought out thousands of celebrants in their Sunday best. Every Easter, the city shuts down a large stretch of Fifth Avenue for the Easter Parade, which is no longer a parade in the contemporary sense of the word, but more of an opportunity for New Yorkers to promenade on the open avenue wearing extravagant finery. (Later in the day, everyone gathers in the Capitol's "Central Park" to watch the annual reaping for the Hunger Games.) Click through for Katie Sokoler's photographs of yesterday's festivities. more ›

In this economy, you can't just click on those "Single Mom Makes $500 a Day At Home" ads—you have to get proactive when it comes to making a living. Inside Edition went to 5th Avenue ("the Avenue of Avenues," as they put it), to find a female entrepreneur who is pulling herself up by the bootstraps crutches with a begging scam that will probably ruin the reputation of the genuinely infirm. more ›

Denise Rich, the songwriter, philanthropist and Clinton Presidential Library donor, is putting her Fifth Avenue duplex on the market for $65 million, which makes it the most expensive co-op ever. more ›

Behind an unmarked door underneath the Andaz Hotel on Fifth Avenue awaits a dimly-lit, seductive subterranean lair called... well, it doesn't have a name yet. (For those who like labels, we're told it will eventually have a name.) People are calling it the "bar in the cellar" for now, but this no-name lounge is already a noteworthy destination. Though it's not yet "officially" open, the big beautiful room was almost completely full by 8 p.m. last night, and it's easy to understand why. more ›

Today is the Puerto Rican Day Parade down Fifth Avenue. The festivities, which are expected to have around 80,000 marchers and 3 million spectators, begin at 11 a.m., starting at 44th Street and ending at 86th Street. The parade be airing on Fox 5 and MyFoxNY.com will have streaming video of the parade. This year's grand marshal or "godfather" is Marc Anthony, a last minute replacement after the original godfather stepped down to his past domestic abuse conviction. Share your photographs of the parade by tagging the "gothamist" on Flickr or email them to photos@gothamist.com. more ›

Last night, police arrested one suspect for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Central Park early Sunday morning. Robert Gonzalez, 18, of Brooklyn, was charged with criminal sexual activity, attempted rape and attempted robbery. The two other suspects were identified as Shawn Martinez and Kelvin Dalrymple, both 18. The three were caught on a surveillance video at a Duane Reade on the Upper East Side and a tipster called Crime Stoppers with information on Gonzalez. more ›

Police released surveillance video that shows three men believed to be suspects in the sexual assault of a woman in Central Park early Sunday morning. The victim, 23, was near the crosstown bus stop at East 86th Street and Fifth Avenue around 3 a.m. when, according to the Daily News, "The men offered to walk her through the park." Police Commissioner Kelly said, "She was taken into Central Park, where she was attacked." more ›

Sublime weather welcomed thousands of festively attired promenaders for the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade yesterday. The annual event isn't a parade in the conventional sense—no floats or marching bands—but it's arguably more enjoyable. Instead of massive, dangerous balloons marauding down the avenue, the space is taken over by the people, many of whom come dressed in spectacular costumes and monumental bonnets. According to Midmanhattan.com, the tradition dates back to the middle of the 19th century, "when the social elite would attend services at one of the 5th Avenue churches and parade their new fashions down the Avenue afterwards." more ›

Yesterday morning, a tree in Central Park fell eastward onto Fifth Avenue at 93rd Street. While no one was injured, the tree damaged a car and blocked traffic for a while as various agencies cleaned up the mess. NY1 caught up the owner of the car, Linda Choi, who was working a few blocks away and revealed that her insurance wouldn't cover it. more ›

This morning, a tree fell from Central Park onto Fifth Avenue at 93rd Street—and it looks like, fortunately, that no one was injured. Reader and Flickr contributor ennuipoet writes, "A few minutes after 10:00 this morning, I watched a huge tree fall onto 5th Avenue and 93rd Street from about 200 feet away. The traffic light at 93rd went green shortly before and the vehicles at the light were clear from the area when the tree uprooted and fell..." more ›

Before sunrise yesterday a gang of black-clad crooks smashed the glass of Emilio Pucci's midtown store on Fifth Avenue and stole heaps of expensive stuff. At 3:48 a.m. they grabbed brightly-colored dresses, T's, purses, belts, sunglasses, shoes and scarves, a spokesman for the designer told the Post, worth $100,00 retail of $34-$40,000 wholesale. Surveillance video captured the group breaking the shop's glass door, stuffing the pricey threads into big plastic bags, then fleeing before police could respond to an alarm, triggered by the break-in. According to cops, at least three thieves were involved. more ›

A recent Cornell University study [PDF] filed through Flickr pictures and determined photogs' favorite places and things. It found that New York City is the most frequently photographed location on Earth, with London and San Francisco following. The Empire State Building is the 7th most-photographed landmark. Twenty-eighth on the list? The glass-encased Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. more ›

Starting next month, Central Park vendors will bring apples and bananas to hot dog and ice cream territory. Not only will the new fruit carts’ offerings be healthier than normal vendor fare, it will be cheaper. According the Post, they’ll sell “three bananas for just a buck, half-pound boxes of strawberries for $2 and mangoes for $1.50.” A spokesman says the Parks Department is “trying to vary our food offerings and include healthy and diverse options." Still, New Yorkers weren’t all enthused. “Bring on more junk food!" said one bagel-hardened skeptic. more ›

A South African mining company, a diamond dealer/scam artist named Dennis Van Kerrebroeck and a giant 68-carat rock all play a role in a recent gem theft, officials supect. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Todd Hyman the stone made its way into city last September, transported by Van Kerrebroeck. He’d agreed to sell it to a Fifth Avenue jeweler, but the final price was just one third of what it was worth. The undersale made Feds suspect the stone was stolen, so they seized it from Taly Diamond on Thursday. Now they’re searching for the shady dealer. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW]: A man was killed "after a tree fell on top of him" in Central Park near the corner of East 69th Street and Fifth Avenue, according to police scanner reports. The victim was found dead at some time before 3:35 pm, and police and emergency workers have been dispatched to the scene. Last year, a man suffered brain damage and spinal injuries after a large tree branch fell more than 30 feet and struck him near West Drive and 63rd Street in Central Park. He has filed suit against the city and the Central Park Conservancy for neglect. Last summer, a willow tree fell into the Pool in Central Park. more ›

Early yesterday morning, off-duty police officer Raphael Ospina was charged with driving while intoxicated and vehicular assault after crashing his car into a private sanitation truck and then into Tiffany's on West 57th and Fifth Avenue. When asked whether Ospina had driven drunk before, his 19-year-old brother helpfully said, "I'm sure he has. He must have. I don't know for a fact." With a brother like this, who needs a keeper? more ›

In the early morning hours, an off-duty police officer crashed his car into the midtown location of Tiffany, at Fifth Avenue and West 57th Street. WABC 7 reports, "The driver of this car flipped over, snapped a tree in half, and crushed a trash can before coming to a stop on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk," adding, "Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened." WCBS 2 offers, "The vehicle ended up on its side after colliding with a private sanitation truck on 5th Avenue." Update: Now it's suspected that the off-duty cop was...driving while intoxicated. more ›

A group of Brooklyn homeowners say they've fallen victim to a Park Slope Ponzi-schemer who convinced them to pay up-front for kitchen and bathroom repairs—then delivered sub-par work, if he did any work at all. At least eight victims are pursuing legal proceedings against Brooklyn Kitchens and Baths owner Brian Ackerman, who allegedly owes the customers about $60,000 for unfinished or unsatisfactory work. more ›

Investigators believe a Manhattan woman killed her 8-year-old son in a failed murder-suicide attempt in a posh Midtown hotel. Police reportedly found 49-year-old socialite Gigi Jordan "babbling incoherently" beside the body of her child, who had been dead for a day, in a room in the Peninsula hotel that was littered with thousands of pills. more ›

Police are looking for the driver of a BMW SUV who careened into a 58-year-old woman yesterday evening, tearing off part of her leg. Her 14-month-old grandson sustained cuts and bruises to the head. The woman was getting out of her car on West 139th Street near Fifth Avenue when, at about 6:30 pm, the hit-and-run driver mowed her down. According to the NY Post “the impact sent the woman flying with her shoes landing about 20 feet away.” Her son-in-law, who was getting the toddler out of the car, was knocked to the ground. He was treated and released but the woman remains in critical condition. more ›

To make room for the proposed Atlantic Yards project — which calls for a basketball arena and high-rise buildings at the nexus of Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Fort Greene — the state will permanently close several streets to traffic. According to NY1, starting on or around February 1, Pacific Street between both Vanderbilt and Carlton avenues and Fifth and Sixth avenues will be closed, as well Fifth Avenue between Flatbush and Atlantic avenues. But what will those closures mean for commuters and residents? more ›