Did you know it's illegal to pick up discarded items on the sidewalk if you're driving a vehicle at the time? Paul Lawrence was recently fined $2,000 for picking up an air conditioner on a sidewalk in Middle Village, Queens—turns out that even though he was told he could take it from a woman at the building, the item was officially city property once it was set on the ground. more ›

The Bronx Swamp has finally been drained! The abandoned below-grade rail line that Nate Kensinger photographed earlier this year in all its glowing green goodness, was causing a stink in the neighborhood — and after the landowners were unable to be found, the city took on the task of cleaning it up. more ›

Lou Reed, Roger Sterling and other celebs fighting to keep their neighborhood from becoming Garbage City have an update from the frontlines. Curbed notes that they are asking other neighborhoods to take some trash so they aren't stuck with the Department of Sanitation's proposed facility at Spring and Washington Streets. They say, "We have now been asked to reach out to our neighbors uptown to take their fair share of sanitation facilities... We have made some early progress involving Community Boards 4, 5 and 7 in these conversations." Surely there are some A-listers in Hell's Kitchen, the Upper West Side and this huge chunk of Manhattan that will make a stink about this. more ›

As you probably already know from the ranting of Lou Reed and Mad Men's John Slattery, the Sanitation Department is planning a big 'ol garbage facility on West Street between Canal and Spring Streets. The A-list locals are not happy, and have proposed an alternate plan, all whilst insisting this has nothing to do with them being rich and/or famous. Curbed reports that the bold-faced names will be gathering tomorrow night at a fancy rally; "Their aim is to gain support for Hudson Rise, an alternative proposal with a smaller and cheaper garage topped by a cute little patch of green." Stay tuned to find out if the garbage tower will be moving to your neighborhood... more ›

With recent recycling stats released by the Department of Sanitation, we now know which neighborhood gets a (100% biodegradable) gold star for cleaning up after themselves. The Daily News pits the top two, Bay Ridge and Park Slope, against each other — saying when it comes to recycling the former does it better. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has an unlikely opponent for his plans to build a sanitation garage in SoHo. Lou Reed has now taken his soapbox (previously stationed over at New York magazine) to the people's network: NY1. They report, "The rock star and his musician wife, Laurie Anderson, are among those suing the city over the plan that would build a garage, maintenance facility and salt shed on the corner of Washington and Spring Streets." Reed showed up at the network's studios last night and declared, "Why would anybody in their right mind want to do something so ugly, so irresponsible, so disgusting other than Bloomberg and real estate people, and slither this thing through without anyone having a chance to say about it because no one knew anything about it. You can't keep track of every last thing these thieves do. But having said that, to store that much salt over water, over the apex of two parks is beyond irresponsible and these people ought to be jailed." Fair enough. But one has to wonder if Reed would use his fame power if the facility were further away from his penthouse. more ›

In a 1996 article about the ultra-rich, the NY Times points out that Billy Cosby's Manhattan sidewalk is heated and therefore "remains opulently snow-free," which also leaves him lawsuit-free. The ultra-non-rich use the archaic shovel, but the job still gets done, and you may even receive a thank you for your hard work. Not everyone does their duty of de-icing, however. more ›

Two years after pleading guilty to falsely calling in a break-in and donning an orange Department of Sanitation vest while sweeping the streets of Chinatown (as part of his community service duty), Boy George has announced he'll play a private show for the NYC Department of Sanitation workers later this summer. From the press release:

Boy George will help celebrate New York City’s Department of Sanitation Family Day this summer! George will be playing a free concert as a big thank you for the kindness shown to him by the DSNY. On August 17th he will play all his Culture Club hits and more for a crowd of over 5,000 NYC Sanitation workers and their families at DSNY Family Day.

Forget about the arrests for pot possession going up, it's now being reported that ticketing for not using the pooper-scooper is at an all time high! more ›

DOS police lieutenant John Fitzgerald is a 24-year vet who's better known as the guy who ended up carrying Naomi Campbell's bag when she reported for day two of her community service last year. And now he's stepping out of the model's shadow. more ›

Nothing makes our skin crawl like reading stories about bedbug infestations. The notorious nocturnal bloodsuckers are almost impossible to get rid of, attack you under the comfort of covers, and can leave you covered with welts. Yesterday, the Daily News took a final 2007 look at the bedbug epidemic that leaves no corner of the city untouched. more ›

Though it’s only been open for a little more than a week, Thai Tony’s on Fort Hamilton Parkway at the edge of Kensington, Brooklyn, is already building a strong neighborhood following. During repeat visits, Gothamist watched the owners and staff bustle around the dining room of the self-described “home-style bistro,” greeting returning customers by name. That’s right, they already know most of their customers by name. Thai Tony’s first came to our attention via our friends over at the Kensington blog, who followed its development from the construction phase, to last week’s grand opening. more ›

Jelena Prokopcuka won her second ING NYC Marathon in a row, finishing at 2:25:05, while Marilson Gomes Dos Santos of Brazil won the men's race with a time of 2:09:58. more ›

A car apparently just drove onto a sidewalk on West Houston - into a building and hit three pedestrians. Anyone see what happened? more ›

Do you have one of those hamburger-crazy friends who is very hard to shop for, this side of wrapping a pound of ground sirloin with a ribbon? If you do, then we highly recommend you check out O'Neill's Hamburger of the Month Club. Coming from what might be the best press release ever to include how hamburgers and beer can be gifted over a calendar year, Gothamist learned that you can get a friend a special hamburger-plus-beer pairing per month over 12 months for $100, or do a half-year of burgers and beer for $50 (a one-off beef'n'beer fest is $10). Here are some of the pairings:

February - “Red Hot Burger” topped with roasted red peppers, grilled red onion, red cheddar cheese and smoked chipotle ketchup. Served with a pint of Murphys Red Ale. more ›

The New York Times reports that the newest addition to the Rosa Mexicano empire is scheduled to open this Saturday. Fingers crossed -- it's always good to have another location for our passionfruit margarita and fresh guacamole fix. Also open: Cookshop, from the folks who brought you Five Points, (yes, we know about all the damn hype); 156 Tenth Avenue (20th Street), (212) 924-4440. Also "Loft, a lounge and restaurant mixing Asian and Mediterranean, 505 Columbus Avenue (84th Street), (212) 362- 6440. Scarlatto, a Roman-style restaurant in the former Pierre au Tunnel space: 250 West 47th Street, (212) 730-4535." Florence adds that Black Pearl is opening in Park Slope at 833 Union Street: "[t]his is a new spot for seafood prepared by Frederico Duarte, who worked at Dos Caminos and Da Silvano." The name and early rumors make us think it's related to the East Village clam shack hidden in the back of Julep, but Dos Caminos and Da Silvano hardly make us think of lobster rolls. more ›

September 25-29: Latin Beer Tasting more ›

He's an Orthodox Jewish Reggae singer that got his start performing in the parking lot at Phish shows, but don't call him a gimmick. Matisyahu's recent accomplishments include a co-headlining spot at the recent Reggae Carifest on Randall's Island and a sold-out show at Irving Plaza. Thursday night he'll pack Webster Hall. Phish fans who can't get a ticket should consider Benevento Russo Duo at Bowery Ballroom instead. more ›

Gothamist always eagerly anticipates the Easter Bunny's annual visit. Not only does it mean we get to gorge ourselves on Cadbury Creme Eggs and Peeps (which we don't go anywhere near the rest of the year or we'd be bouncing off the walls), but even more so than the sugar high, we can look forward to a delectable meal. But where to go? Well, for starters, New York Magazine highlights a few spots for Easter pastries and breads, Italian style, which always makes for a good start, or at least can serve as a snack to hold you over until the main event -- the Easter brunch or dinner. Several restaurants are offering special Easter menus. Gothamist is going to Lupa to enjoy their four-course Easter feast courtesy of chef Mark Ladner, featuring Roman Easter soup with lamb meatballs, among other dishes. more ›

Everyone we know is doing something, however small, in response to the devastating disaster, but some are doing what they do best: cook and eat. We've heard of a few food events to benefit the tsunami relief effort, but please let us know if you've heard of any others. more ›

September 16th is Mexican Independence Day, and today's New York Post offers you several options for celebrating. In addition to serving chiles en nogada, a traditional dish of a stuffed green chili with white walnut sauce garnished in pomegranate (highlighting the colors of the Mexican flag), several spots are offering special prix fixe menus and live mariachi music: more ›

Hurricaine Isabel forced the Harvest in the Square Event to be rescheduled tonight. In its eighth year, Harvest in the Square brings Union Square area chefs to offer tastings of food prepared from Union Square Greenmarket Farmers Market, accompanied by Long Island and other New York Wines. Tickets are $90 in person (cash only), $75 in advance, and will benefit the Union Square Local Development Corporation, which is currently looking to enhance the North Plaza of Union Square Park. more ›

New York magazine is tormeting Gothamist with another drink to try. This time Deborah Schoeneman looks at the city's best margaritas, and the one at Dos Caminos Soho gets 5 stars (so does the one at Miracle Grill, but we're a little Miracle Grilled out for now...). Schoeneman also mentions Gothamist's favorite frozen margarita, the pomegranate one at Rosa Mexicano, and gives it 2 stars. Her thoughts? more ›