Results tagged “gramercypark”

The police have released a sketch of a man suspected of molesting five different boys since last fall in the Gramercy Park area. The victims range in age from 11 to 15 and the most recent incidents were yesterday and Wednesday. MyFoxNY reports, "In each case, he grabbed the boy's buttocks from behind and then ran away. In one case, the man also kissed a boy on the cheek." The incidents took place in the morning or afternoon at 2nd Ave (btwn East 21st & East 22nd), corner of East 21st and 3rd Ave, corner of East 24th and 3rd Ave, on 2nd Ave (btwn East 20th & East 21st) and corner of 2nd Ave and East 22nd. The Daily News notes how there's a public school nearby on East 19th. The suspect is "described as male/Hispanic/20s to 30s, approximately 155 lbs., 5'5" tall.. medium build, with black hair and a light scar on the upper right side of his forehead." If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or text "TIPS" to CRIMES (274637) and then enter TIP577.

What better time to go condo than during a credit crisis? The Real Deal reports that the owners of 36 Gramercy Park South, the landmarked and last rental building right on the private park, sent its tenants a "red herring" condo offering plan (red herring because it needs to be approved by the Attorney General's office first). And some details: "The 53 units at 36 Gramercy Park East are being offered for sale at an average price of $2,448 per square foot, though large units facing the park are going for much more. The most expensive apartment, a 2,078-square-foot, three-bedroom on the ninth floor facing the park that is currently rent-controlled, has been priced at $6,545,700, or roughly $3,150 per square foot. The least expensive, a 323-square-foot studio at the back of the building, has been priced at $484,500, or roughly $1,500 a square foot." At those prices, you'd think you'd be able to picnic in the park, but no.

Have you checked out the sort of confusing Showtime endeavor the Showtime House in Gramercy Park? It opened earlier this season after undergoing a $20 million transformation. (What economic crisis?) Housed inside of a 19th century townhouse, it contains six rooms inspired by shows on the network: Weeds, Dexter, Californication, The L-Word, United States of Tara and The Tudors (Inside the NFL was robbed!). Videogum declares, "Oh that poor house, surviving more than a century of New York City development and disrepair only to be turned into this bogus nightmare." Meanwhile, Cool Hunting points out that you can buy the blood-soaked decor of the Dexter room from Brooklyn store Spring, though be warned, a dessert plate will cost you about 60 bucks.

Meet Arlene Harrison: The self-described “Mayor of Gramercy Park.” She’s the one to talk to if undesirables are spotted infiltrating the private oasis, which requires a key for entry and exit, as two women recently discovered when a maintenance worker ejected them from the park during their Saturday picnic. How did he know they weren't quite the right material? They were probably breaking the rules by enjoying the park.

A Gramercy Park co-op board is suing the residents of one of the building's units for dressing up their interior door with holiday decorations. Richard Belza and his roommate Andrew Meehan have been decorating their apartment door for holidays like the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas Valentine's Day, and Easter. Belza is a floral designer and has a knack for decorating, so he doesn't understand why he is being sued. He told the New York Post, that he's been dressing up his door for years and no one's ever complained. "I just put up my Easter decorations."

We can't believe it's been two years since we became acquainted with the Christmas home decoration stylings of Gramercy Park resident Joel Krupnik. Back in 2005, a Christmas display with a bloody knife-wielding Santa, severed doll head and more outside his East 18th townhouse caused much commotion after the Post dubbed Krupnik "Bad Santa" and put a photograph on its cover.

For the past few months, the Post has been detailing the problems of apartment mold at a new condo conversion - and how they have forced longtime New York City local news personality Kaity Tong out of her home. In September, Tong had been living in Gramercy Park Hotel for many weeks, as the floors and wall in her Chelsea home started to buckle, seemingly caused by the conversion of the O'Neill Building, on...

It appears the rumors of autumn's demise have been greatly exaggerated and you're going to have to start wearing a jacket outside after all. But the change of seasons is not without its perks; there are those hot winter drinks to look forward to, and a number of bars around town offer the perfect accompaniment for your hot toddy: a crackling fireplace. Below are some of New York's best places to chill out on a...

If you're impressed when you see homes and apartment windows with store-bought cobwebs and a carved pumpkin, then prepare to let your mind explode.

An engineering firm hired by the victims of Midtown steam pipe explosion say that there was a "crack-like flaw" in the pipe. Exponent Engineering's Robert Caligiuri wrote, "The observed crack-like flaw appears to be old and is large enough that, in my opinion, Con Ed should have detected it prior to the rupture. Once detected, good and accepted practices would have required that this pipe section be immediately replaced."

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Wakiya in the Gramercy Park Hotel, gives it no stars. “There’s a crushing sense of letdown” in the restaurant, he says, and “the slickness of the red and black setting and the poise of the best servers are undercut by dishes that too often look three times as good as they taste.” He likes the desserts, though.

No one has been surprised that Gristedes supermarkets have been closing steadily over the past ten years, given the influx of other grocery options and rising rents. But the NY Times has a fascinating article on why Gristedes still manages to exist, despite shrinking in size.

">Bruni one-stars Wild Salmon. We’re surprised Chodorow let him in the door, after their feud over his review of Kobe Club. “The food runs the gamut,” Bruni says, “by turns excellent, ordinary and puzzling.” He recommends that you stick with the salmon, and try the different varieties offered (except the coho). Finds the service “oppressive” in its exuberance.

Omido: Designed by Avroko (who did Public, among others), this high-end sushi restaurant brings a bit of luxury to midtown West with touches like foie gras and gold leaf among the raw fish. 1695 Broadway at 53rd Street, 212-247-8110.

As we know, Con Edison and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection have confirmed that asbestos was found in debris after the steam pipe explosion at 41st Street and Lexington, but that there is no airborne asbestos. If you were in the area of the explosion and have contaminated clothing, Con Ed is actually accepting clothes and will dispose of them:

Anyone who was in that area around 6 p.m. who has dust or debris on clothing or belongings should put them in a plastic bag and bring it to the Con Edison customer service van parked at the corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street. The van will be at that location for the next several days from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Con Edison will arrange for the safe disposal of these items. Customer care personnel will be available to help people fill out a reimbursement request.

During the Wednesday-night rush hour, a steam pipe at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue exploded, sending steam, mud, and pieces of the street hundreds of feet into the air. One person died and at least 20 people were injured.

MOVIE: Last week Bryant Park was packed as Annie Hall played on the big screen. This week grab someone who's hand you'll be able to squeeze tight as the classic horror flick, The Thing, plays in the park. The timeless flick watches the sci-fi terror unfold as "scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell breaks loose when they take him back to their station and he is accidentally thawed out!"

Last week, the Sun reported that the "Bonnie & Clyde" burglars who robbed twenty-five apartments would face criminal charges next month. A couple from Savannah, Georgia, Robert Nestingen and Melissa Pavozehr, managed to steal about $350,000 in jewelry and cash since January 31 by targeting penthouse apartments.

SCIENCE: Since we spent the weekend thinking about the Earth, spend tonight learning about Mars with NASA Solar System Ambassador Dr. Ken Kremer. He'll take you on a tour of the planet through 3-D orbital views.

Central Park Dark #6, by 100Five.

Busta Rhymes has been busted plenty of times recently. Now he's considering a plea deal for his latest offenses, attacking his driver and assaulting a fan in Gramercy Park last summer.

Police are searching for a man who has been jamming Bank of America ATM card readers, taking $5,000 from customers' accounts; the man has duped 17 customers since August 23. His M.O. seems to be to insert some sort of jammer into the ATM's card reader that will make it difficult for a customer to remove his/her card. When customers enters, he watches them enter their PIN number and then waits for them to give up trying to remove their cards. Then he takes their cards - and their cash!

Bruni goes to Queens this week, two-stars Sichuan restaurant Spicy & Tasty. It has some of the most distinctive Sichuan cooking in the five boroughs, he says, and "deserves citywide attention from food lovers whose primary interest isn't simply a modestly priced meal off the beaten path, but a hugely enjoyable, eye-opening experience."

DISCUSSION: Tonight Dirty Dancing author Eleanor Bergstein will discuss the similarities between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and her own masterpiece, which starred Patrick Swayze. Shakespearian scholars will be in attendence to agree or, most likely, refute the argument. This discussion may have been a bit more relevant in, say, 1987 - when the film came out.

What do you do when your private, exclusive park is repeatedly found with its gate wide open? You freak out.

An envelope filled with a white powder was delivered to former President Bill Clinton's West 125th Street office, causing the two floors of the building to be shut down yesterday afternoon. Most of the building was evacuated, but eleven people were quaratined as the police, fire department, FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Secuirty descended to the scene. A source told the Daily News, "An aide opened the envelope, and she went ballistic," when white powder fell from the manila envelope. It turns out the white powder was non-toxic and harmless, but the envelope did have a "rambling diatribe" inside.

The Health (and Mental Hygiene) Department released some interesting reports that detail New Yorkers' health by neighborhood. You can check out a profile for where you live, which turns out to be a 16-page PDF listing various stats, like alcoholism, smoking, death rates, and other health issues, as well as giving other interesting demographics (population with age breaks or ethnicity, compared with NYC as a whole).

When going out to send your bills, postcards, thank you cards, and the like have you found your regular mailbox suddenly gone? It isn't your imagination. While the Post Office doesn't keep track of permanently removed mailboxes (uhm, why not?) they do admit that since the Republican National Convention a sizable number have been removed and taken out of service. For instance the 10003 ZIP code (which covers much of the East Village and Gramercy Park) has lost 18 of its 75 boxes between March 2002 and October 2004!

When Starlight, everyone's favorite place on Sunday nights for girls to meet girls that like girls on Avenue A, shut down recently, we had no be idea the newest incarnation would be so close at hand. While there isn't a phone yet, Starbar has set up shop in the former gay bar, Cock[tail], all of three blocks north, between 13th and 14th.