Just after 9 p.m. tonight, the NYPD learned of a suspicious package at Broadway and West 47th Street but by 10 p.m., the item was properly ID'd. The NY Post reports it "was found to be just garbage, New York Police Department said. Police evacuated several blocks of midtown so the bomb squad could investigate a paper bag on top of a brown box near the Morgan Stanley building located at West 48th Street and Broadway. The package was found to be non-suspicious." The NYPD said that in the wake of the Times Square car bomb, it expected to have a spike in calls about suspicious packages (like the ham sandwich and the water cooler and books). more ›

The NY Times delved into the legalities of public drinking during this hot and hedonistic summer season. Is it illegal? Yes. But they do note that "in the summer of 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg suggested that drinking wine at concerts in Central Park was O.K. At Bryant Park on July 7, a security guard said he turned a blind eye to booze on movie nights, 'so long as it is covered, like in a bag.'" Some outdoor revelers really do set up shop in the parks: One man described his elaborate makeshift bar that includes 12 bags of frozen mix, light, dark and coconut rums, 20 blankets, and a potato masher for mixing. Gonna need more than a brown paper bag to conceal that set-up! more ›