C'est Bastille Day aujourd hui! Frogs and Francophiles were out in force on Smith Street in Brooklyn yesterday for the Bastille Day celebration, which featured big band music by Baby Blue Orchids, plenty of French food, French cigarettes and heated games of Petanque, played on sand dumped out for the occasion. McBrooklyn reports that "actual French people were everywhere, smoking cigarettes and speaking actual French." more ›

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How do you get rid of an unwanted fire truck? Simple, put it on Craigslist! more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on West 24th St. and 7th Ave. in Manhattan, another shooting on Rockwell Place and Dekalb Ave. in Brooklyn, and yet another shooting at 92 -35 215th Place in Queens.
• Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James' female acquaintance made an amazing amount of money by buying properties from the city and then flipping them for huge profits.
• Phone records reveal that an upstate teenage driver may have been responding to a text message "What are you doing?" sent by a friend, moments before she ran into oncoming traffic, killing herself and four other just-graduated-from-high school young women.
• After drifting off course and running aground near the Ambrose Channel in New York's lower bay, the oil tanker White Sea was finally floated and moved for repairs at high tide.
• Lenox Hill Hospital was the point of arrival for seven sets of twins this week on East 77th St. Girls: 8; Boys: 6; Healthy: 14!
• A Westchester store is charging $55 for less than a liter of water.
• The young man who was accused of attempting to molest a girl in Queens, and was scared off by an alert and intuitive pit bull who started barking like crazy in response to her cries, turned himself in to police.
• Former U.S. Senator from New York Al D'Amato is expecting a child with this new wife, who is almost 30 years his junior, (she's 41).
• NYPD Officer Russel Timoshenko died today from injuries sustained during a traffic stop early Monday morning, when he was shot twice in the face. He was 23 years old. We'll have further coverage tomorrow.

It's July 14, which means it's time to appreciate the je ne sais quoi of all things French as you celebrate Bastille Day. Eating frites is one way, but there are many other events and activities today and tomorrow. more ›

EVENT: If you haven't taken a trip back to the Summer of Love yet, head over to the Whitney tonight for the exhibit and enjoy their Whitney Live event. DJ Scientific and Dana Leong will be providing the tunes. more ›

If you've never played petanque, head on down to Smith Street for North America's largest petanque tournament -- the two block stretch betweeen Bergen and Pacific will be shut down and covered with sand just for the occasion. While your'e watching the action, enjoy special cocktails from Ricard and other drink specials ($5-6), nibble on grilled merguez and chicken sandwiches ($5) and groove to Jazz band Blue Orchid will provide the entertainment throughout the day. 11:30am - 8pm, free admission, sponsored by Bar Tabac, Robin des Bois, Ricard and the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation. 128 Smith Street at Dean Street, 718-923-0918. more ›

Join Tuscan native Chef Cesare Casella and his team at Maremma as they make special dishes featuring the traditional Tuscan beef -- Chianina (pronounced kee-a-nee-na). Chef Casella raises his herd of Chianina at Thanksgiving Farm in the Catskills regions of upstate New York. 228 West 10th Street, 212.645.0200. more ›

July 14: Bastille Day at Paris Commune more ›

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July 3-4: Prix Fixe Menue at Barmarché more ›

This Bastille Day we suggest you check out the Loser's Lounge tribute to that deceased French crooner Serge Gainsbourg. A traditional Loser's send up includes a medley of guest vocalists accompanying Joe McGinty and his band on the theme of the moment, tonight, Friday and Saturday, the spotlight is on Gainsbourg. more ›

What is Bastille Day and information about the holiday from the French Embassy. more ›

Today is Bastille Day, but, considering the differing opinions of the US and France regarding Iraq, the festivities in NY seemed tame. The Times wondered where the French were and one middle-aged French woman said, "I think there's so many French people in New York that most of them are probably somewhere else. Maybe they're in Brooklyn." more ›