To haters, Starbucks is just an evil corporate monolith that will one day enslave us all in dystopian venti labor camps. But to lovers, like 32-year-old lingerie designer Lenny Tawil, it's as romantic as a night at Niagara Falls. So yesterday he chose a Coney Island Starbucks to pop the question to his girlfriend, 23-year-old Cynthia Harari. The Daily News was on the scene, presumably at the prompting of manager Liz Fagundo, who must have......

After a long, bitter public battle, St. Vincent's hospital has won permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to raze the distinctive O’Toole Building in the West Village and build a 299-foot-tall medical tower. The hospital applied for, and was granted, a “hardship-status” exemption, which allows nonprofit landlords to demolish landmark buildings if they can prove that the building is preventing them from carrying out their charitable mission. Community groups, preservationists and local celebrities like Susan......

The Landmarks Preservation Commission met again yesterday to deliberate on St. Vincent's Hospital’s “hardship-status” application, which, if approved, would let the hospital raze the distinctive O’Toole Building in the West Village and build a 299-foot-tall medical building and a 233-foot tall luxury condominium. Unlike previously rowdy sessions that featured protest from local celebrities, there was no public comment this time. Instead, the commission heard from outside experts like Michael Meola at the city’s Economic Development......

Long Island waiters who provide a tantalizing description of the daily specials while omitting such vulgar details as price may have to change up their patter if a proposed law in Nassau County gets passed. Of course, resistance is coming from the New York Restaurant Association, which in recent years has failed to block regulations on calorie info and bans on artificial trans fat. The executive vice president of the group maintains, "It’s good business......

Reports from the road are that Paul McCartney and his girlfriend/MTA board member Nancy Shevell have been vacationing on Route 66. They're driving in the 1989 green Ford Bronco the two allegedly shared their first kiss in (aw), and eating at fine dining establishments such as T.G.I.Fridays! The two have nearly come to the end of their month-long journey, recently at a stop in Texas the Beatle played "Hey Jude" on harmonica for a 4-month-old......

Susan Sarandon and husband Tim Robbins testified before the Landmarks Preservation Commission today in protest against St. Vincent’s proposal to raze the distinctive O’Toole Building in the West Village, as well as four other buildings to make room for a 299-foot-tall medical building and a 235-foot-tall luxury condominium (in partnership with the Rudin Management Company). For the former Bull Durham stars, all that would mean a lot of noise and dust soiling the air near......

In presenting their argument for a massive demolition and construction project in the West Village – one that would raze the distinctive O’Toole Building (pictured) – representatives of St. Vincent’s hospital told the Landmarks and Preservation Commission yesterday that it will have to shut down if their proposal is not approved. Last month the commission unanimously rejected the hospital’s $1.6 billion development plan, which would demolish nine buildings to make room for a 329-foot-tall medical......

Photo via Jake Dobkin In a recent Guardian article the subject of the New York art world rejecting street art was touched upon, a topic that led to a bigger discussion on New Yorker's views on the medium. One New Yorker, Council Member Peter Vallone Jr., has proposed a new bill which will attempt to do what decades of efforts has failed to do: abolish graffiti. The NY Sun notes that the "legislation would......

A rendering of St. Vincent’s proposal from 11th street. The shaded area represents the dimensions of the original plan. Courtesy FxFowle Architects, PC. After being sent back to the drawing board by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, St. Vincent’s will be presenting a slightly smaller-scale proposal before the commission on June 3rd. St. Vincent’s administrators originally sought approval to raze a number of buildings in Greenwich Village – including the historically significant O’Toole Building, built......

A rendering of the planned new hospital from the southwest. The proposed new condominium tower and town houses is seen to its right. (Pei Cobb Freed & Partners) Earlier today the Landmarks Preservation Commission firmly rejected a proposal by St. Vincent’s Hospital to raze a number of its buildings in Greenwich Village and construct a new 329-foot-tall, $800 million hospital building. Under the terms of the deal, St. Vincent’s would sell eight buildings to......

Today the Landmarks Preservation Commission is holding a public hearing to consider the largest proposal in its 43-year history: An application by the St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center to demolish eight structures in Greenwich Village on West 11th and 12th Streets, near Seventh Avenue, and construct an $800 million, 21-story, 329-foot-tall hospital and condominium tower. Falling to the wrecking ball would be the 1963 O’Toole Building which houses the hospital. The plans are strongly opposed......

Nothing says romance like a public proposal in The Daily News. Marina Maiuri stood atop the Empire State Building (which is so "Sleepless in Seattle") to have her photo snapped by the paper on the observation deck; but she wasn't looking for love, she was looking to propose. The photo and article ran this morning, titled "Hey, Sean: Will you marry me?" Sean is her boyfriend of 18 months, and Marina "wouldn't trade him for......

Above, rendering of the proposed park; below, photograph of the site in its current state A $114 million plan to put a waterfront park on the East River, just south of the United Nations, came into focus yesterday; the four-acre site is where a parking lot for a Con Edison power plant used to reside. City Councilman Daniel Gardonick said, "The opportunity to create this riverfront park is an opportunity we cannot afford to......

With McCarren Park Pool soon becoming a place where one will hear children splashing in the water instead of hipsters sighing whilst listening to their new favorite band, the search is on for a new outdoor concert space. Of course, the venue simply wouldn't do unless it was in the mecca of indie rock, Williamsburg/Greenpoint. Renderings of the watefront park via New York City Department of Parks & Recreation NYMag reports that "a leader of......

Rendering © Rafael Viñoly Architects Well, candy is in the mouth of the beholder, but here are the actual renderings. As noted yesterday, the proposals for the new residential and retail complex at the Domino Refinery will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission at a public hearing today at 2pm at the Municipal Building (1 Centre Street), 9th Floor North. Brownstoner posted snapshots of the renderings taken last week at a community board meeting,......

Books, or at least book shelves, must be on this couple's wedding registry: The Post has a cute story about a couple whose engagement took place at the Strand Bookstore. Joshua Reich and Shianling King "always told friends they met at the Strand," but they actually met online - their first date was supposed to be at the Museum of Modern Art, but the lines were so long that they went to the Strand instead.......