Does anyone really think this ban on foreigners buying pot in the Netherlands is going to work out? A judge there today upheld the proposed ban, which starts May 1 in the country's southern provinces before coming north in 2013, but we (and others) have some big doubts about its future. After all, the trade-loving Dutch (tulips!) have a long history of doing what is best for business. more ›

A major phase of the Netherlands' ban on tourists patronizing coffee shops goes into effect in the country's southern provinces on May 1. Shops in Amsterdam are scheduled stop selling marijuana to foreigners on January 1, 2013. But enacting this ban may be harder than finding a 22-year-old who hasn't seen EuroTrip: the benign, psychotropic plant that grows naturally in the ground makes the country a lot of money. more ›

This week, we learned that NYC has now become the "marijuana arrest capital of the world." The NYPD arrested 50,383 people for low-level marijuana offenses last year, making low-level pot possession the number one cause of arrest in NYC. But it's important to note who was getting arrested: according to the Drug Policy Alliance’s report, "86 percent of those arrested are Black or Latino, even though research consistently shows that young whites use marijuana at higher rates." more ›

Yesterday, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal called upon the Department of Transportation to stop dragging its feet and "implement a swift solution to the public safety hazard at a dangerous 'bow-tie' intersection at West 71st Street at Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue." Last year, there were 25 accidents (including a taxi cab that crashed into a West 72nd Street subway station head house) and eight this year—just a few weeks ago, another cab crashed into a pedestrian island, injuring a woman. Should get pretty interesting when the Trader Joe's opens on Broadway between 71st and 72nd! more ›

240 defunct parking meters (right) will be reincarnated as bike racks on almost 40 blocks of the UWS, on Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues between 67th and 86th Streets. Last night Community Board 7 voted 23-12 to convert the old meters, and received strong backing from the Columbus Ave BID, whose secretary said they'd definitely like "those 185,000 bikers to shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants." Isn't it nice to see a neighborhood warmly welcoming bicylists (ahem, South Williamsburg)? We should totally do the next Bike Kill on the Upper West Side! [Via Streetsblog] more ›

The U.S. government charged Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian man, with attempting to destroy a Northwest Airlines plane as it was landing in Detroit yesterday. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, "ad this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured. We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice." And the Justice Department's statement notes: more ›

New York City welcomed royalty yesterday, as Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange and Crown Princess Maxima were greeted by a 21-gun salute and welcomed by Mayor Bloomberg and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a ceremony at the USS Intrepid. It's all part of the 400th anniversary celebration of Henry Hudson's arrival in the New York Harbor; the Crown Prince said, "It's an honor to be welcomed here by the Secretary of State and the mayor of this great city. Arriving in New York is always a great pleasure, and the pleasure increases with every visit." more ›

Yesterday, New Amsterdam Village, the miniature Dutch village, opened up in Bowling Green Park as part of the ongoing festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival. Dutch ambassador to the United States Renée Jones-Bos and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe made the village's opening formal by cutting a Gouda cheese! more ›

Unmoved by a petition signed by over 4,500 people, an Upper West Side landlord has refused to renew the lease on the 66-year-old P&G bar, whose iconic sign is familiar to many from cameos on Seinfeld (and its ideal proximity to the Beacon Theatre). So Steve Chahalis, the fourth-generation owner of the bar, located at Amsterdam Avenue and 73rd Street, has decided to relocate a few blocks away. He's putting on a brave face, and tells the Observer his new subterranean location is more than four times bigger than the original. (There's also a stage and a full kitchen.) But the Observer worries that moving the famous sign will be logistically impractical and also require approval from the landmarks commission. Also, what will neighbors like the Museum of Natural History think of all that neon? more ›