At least she said yes! Trey Turner thought he was going to be extremely romantic by proposing to his girlfriend, Kelsey Kramer, on the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday night. But as he dropped to one knee to propose, the ring slipped out of his hands and fell between the slats! Kramer told CBS 2, "I heard something and I heard a clink, turned around and he was white as snow and in shock and I hadn’t even gotten to see it yet." This sounds familiar. more ›

Crain's New York sums up details from a Real Estate Board of NY report on first quarter condo sales: "While Manhattan saw a 63% decline in condo sales in the first three months of 2009 from the year-earlier period, Brooklyn wasn’t far behind, with a 61% drop in sales volume. Meantime, sales in Queens and the Bronx were down 58% and 50%, respectively." REBNY president Steven Spinola told Crain's, "The declines were to be expected given the economy. However, we must keep in mind that for a time New York City remained insulated from the housing market declines in other parts of the country.” Which means... more to come? There were some bright spots, like some condos in Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods keeping their value. more ›

Seven major sponsors have dropped out of the always awesome West Village Halloween Parade, and the event's artistic director, Jeanne Fleming, says she's working with half the budget she had last year, leaving a $4,000 deficit. Organizers count on major sponsors to donate $25,000 each to the event, and the tanking economy could make next year a Hollow-een parade. Eh? Fleming tells Craine's, "The Halloween parade is a folk event. We can't just say we won't do it this year. It's what the people need right now." Registration for the parade is higher than ever, and thankfully the decline in funding won't affect this year's most hotly anticipated float: The Ferris Bueller parade reenactment. And here are some stellar photos from last year's parade. more ›

Could it really be that Manhattan's obscene rents are becoming ever-so-slightly less obscene? That's the Observer's perception, and they've got market reports from the Real Estate Group New York [REGNY] indicating that rents on studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments are lower this summer than last. According to REGNY, in June the average rent for a Manhattan two-bedroom apartment in a non-doorman building was $3,950, 6.5 percent less than in June 2007. All this has the COO of REGNY, Daniel Baum, wringing his hands: "We never have a weak August; it is supposed to be one of the strongest months of the year. It is not a good indicator that the market is down in the strongest season of the year." more ›