Accused assistant to Murray Hill Madame Kristin Davis, Grace O'Toole, turned herself in yesterday, perhaps realizing that escape from both the NYPD and the NY Media was an impossible mission. After her alleged boss was arrested and jailed on $2 million bail for running a prostitution ring linked to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, O'Toole took off, although she was described very accurately by someone who witnessed her flight as wearing over-sized sunglasses, and carrying a travel tote and pet carrier. Cops had her Bronx apartment and her mother's NJ home staked out, and obviously the media weren't going to let the alleged call-girl ring back office operator evade attention, if not justice. more ›

Anyone who’s ever gotten off the 7 train in Flushing and walked to the Queens Botanical Garden knows that the majority of the area’s Chinese eateries and businesses are clustered around the northern end of Main Street. As you move further south, Indian sari shops, chaat houses and grocery stores start to appear. But lately a handful of Chinese restaurants have elbowed into the southern end; one such newcomer is Oriental Express Food Garden, which took over the old Rajbhog Sweets‎ space. more ›

Everything's coming up rosé on Staten Island: on the heels of the new aquarium unveiling in the ferry terminal, plans for the island’s first vineyard are coming into focus. Borough President James Molinaro (pictured, right) has pledged $2 million for the project, which will establish a 2 acre vineyard and demonstration winery at the Staten Island Botanical Garden. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: three pedestrians struck on 65th St. and 7th Ave. in Brooklyn, a tourist bus vs. building incident on 51st St. and Broadway in Manhattan, and a train derailment on East 239th St. in the Bronx.
• 47 years ago, two planes bound for Laguardia and JFK collided over Miller Field on Staten Island in mid-air. As body parts, Christmas presents, and debris rained from the sky over Staten Island, 132 people lost their lives. One of the two planes crashed in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
• A $35 million to $45 million renovation at Lincoln Center will displace the New York City Opera through the 2008-09 season.
• A Jewish family in Orange County, NY was the victim of a campaign of harassment by other Orthodox individuals. The local cops had to discontinue their investigation because no one was snitchin'.
• Aw, just in time for the holidays the Reds have gone Green. The Communist Party spent $1 million to make its NY headquarters more environmentally friendly.
• The driver in last week's passenger van-Q46 bus collision will not be facing criminal charges resulting from the accident that ejected a young girl from his vehicle, while she is still in critical but stable condition.
• Another grenade-related police shooting--this time of a man in Orange County, NY.
• A round-up of Christmas star cookie recipes.

HEADS UP!: We love Daniel Kitson, it's been documented, so we wanted to give you a heads up that our favorite British comedian is coming back to the States! He has three shows in December at Union Hall (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th), and tickets are ON SALE NOW for two of those dates. It'll be the best $8+fees that you ever spent. ART: The Brothers Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel has taken over the... more ›

A group of influential paisans from Staten Island, drunk on the idea of starting the first vineyard in contemporary New York City, have been on a wine-tasting tour of Tuscany, researching vineyards to figure out the best way to bring their brain-child back to their home borough. Yes, you read that correctly – according to today’s Times, you’ll soon be able to step off the Staten Island Ferry and pick up a bottle of Fresh... more ›

When we feel the need to get away from the city without actually leaving the city, we head up to the Bronx. Places like City Island, Wave Hill, The New York Botanical Garden, and The Bronx Zoo are some of our favorite places to visit in all of New York, and we realize that's only the tip of the iceberg when considering the Bronx's appealing features. more ›

Curse you stationary front! Because of your unpredictable behavior, which makes your name a misnomer, Gothamist has had to revise our last two weather posts to catch up with changing conditions. You are a vacillating front not a stationary front! You moved south through town on Friday, took a weekend in Rehoboth Beach, headed north through the city last night before reversing direction late this morning. Staying to our south means the rainy weather will continue, but we won't get the unpleasantly warm and sticky weather. more ›

- He loves orchids more ›

Today marks the first day of National Museum Month. This means, amongst other things, that it's the first day of Bank of America's Museums on Us! program. This program allows free access to 56 cultural institutions (19 in New York) - and to this day stands as the only nice thing that BOA has ever done for us cardholders. more ›

ART: The 10th annual Tribeca art walk is this weekend. Toast, the Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour, is a free, self-guided tour of approximately 100 artists' studios throughout Tribeca. Talk to the artists in their own spaces, and of course - check out their art while you're at it. more ›

THEATER (sort of): Point Break LIVE! We're not kidding. The unecessary, but totally appreciated, absurdist stage adaptation of the 1992 Keanu Reeves blockbuster, hits Galapagos for a month. The show has become an instant cult classic across the nation, and start practicing your Keanu-isms, because the starring role will be selected at random from the audience each night, and will read their entire script off of cue-cards! more ›

Microsoft throws itself hard into the local maps game today with their WLL site-- pretty similar to maps.google.com, but with a great "Birds Eye View" layer-- close-up pictures taken from either a helicopter or a very good satellite. The map is kind of cludgey to use-- the controls are overly complex, and the drag map function doesn't seem to work that great. Still, you can't beat these closeups-- check out the detail in the shot above, of the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. And after the jump, shots of Coney Island, The Unisphere in Queens, and Washington Square Park (you can even see tiny little drug dealers!) Can you spot any other fun locations on the map? Put the permalinks in the comments! more ›

Wal-Mart, everyone's favorite love-to-hate and love-to-love for its cheap prices retailer, is starting a huge local advertising push in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. The Post says that nine community papers will be getting ads that show Wal-Mart is still interested in being a part of NYC; the Bronx ad, for instance, has a picture of Yankee Stadium with this copy:

"In The Bronx, you can watch the Yankees beat Boston, spend the day at the Botanical Garden, visit the Bronx Zoo, and do just about anything. The only thing missing is everyday low prices."

- First date advice and what happens when non-Jews use JDate more ›

After hearing so much about it, Gothamist finally decided to head up to the Bronx to check out the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. Inside the conservatories, there are replicas of various NYC buildings and landmarks, "made entirely from plant parts like berries, mushrooms, pinecones, and twigs," with model trains running through around, through and over them. And Gothamist can say that the replicas are pretty incredible. Adults and children filled the conservatory, oohing and aahing over the truly magical displays. We were dazzled by the detail that goes into constructing these models. Leaves for roofs! Twigs for arches! Of course, the conservatories aren't exact replicas of the five boroughs, so there are a understandable few geographic shortcuts: The Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge span overhead, as the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and Grand Central are clustered together. However, the Guggenheim is just a few inches away from the Metropolitan Museum, amongst flowers and evergreen, which translates pretty well. Another way Gothamist had a good time was guessing certain structures before we examined their nameplates. more ›

Jessica Lappin, City Council Candidate more ›

Caroline Castiglia, Comedy Queen more ›

Marci Hom, Lifelong Bay Ridger more ›

, you wouldn't have to trek over to the grocery store for a tiny bunch of overpriced herbs? Gothamist certainly thinks so. April is a good month for starting seeds, and, after a few anxious moments during these gray days, Gothamist's seeds are finally in effect! (Squint your eyes. They're at Armando the cow's ten o'clock.) more ›

Look at photos of the Holiday Train show. It's just a Metro North train ride to the Garden's gates (directions).
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