Back in 2007 Virgin Atlantic and the teashop Tea & Sympathy lobbied unsuccessfully (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek) to have Greenwich Avenue in the West Village renamed "Little Britain." As we said, it was unsuccessful. But something funny happened in the five years since. The area, which already had a few Anglo-friendly spots, went and got more British. Maybe it's time to dust off the old moniker? more ›

New York magazine has an extensive New York vs. London features package. Apparently, now is the time to wonder which city is better, although the International Olympics Committee decided that almost two years ago. There are immediately controversial stories like where is the sex better, where real estate obsession is greatest, which lit scene is more stuck up and who is having more fun. There is an obligatory London sucks essay, but regarding which city is a bigger terror target, our guess is wherever Rudy Giuliani is. more ›

Lawsuits claiming hostile work environments have now hit the gym. A group of janitors claim that while working at Equinox fitness club locations, the Post excitedly details, they were "exposed inappropriate, lewd, embarrassing and humiliating sexual behavior and activities occurring in the showers, saunas, steam and [men's] locker rooms." more ›

Join in the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes -- a seafood meal in observance of the La Viglia Di Natale, or the wait for the birth of Christ. more ›

Galas make us kind of nervous, but we attended this week's Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation dinner at Balthazar honoring the work and life of Jane Jacobs to hear what more could be said about the revered author and activist. more ›

Gothamist now officially cannot wait for 2007: The Fire Department has released its new New York City Firefighters Calendar! Yes, it's another new edition of firefighters posing shirtless in neighborhoods and in front of landmarks, with proceeds going to the The Children's Storefront, a tuition-free school in Harlem, and the Thomas R. Elsasser Fund, which raises money for firefighters' families. You can buy the calendar online from the NYFirestore ($14.99), but we recommend heading to the Firestore's new 17 Greenwich Avenue location on Thursday, where the FDNY hunks will be signing calendars at 5-8PM. more ›

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The black and white striped awning at Greenwich Avenue's Elephant & Castle screams hello, but even more inviting are the words "I love brunch" scrawled across their brunch menu and the refreshing lack-of-a-weekend-morning line. Serving American fare with a homey touch and care for aesthetics, Elephant & Castle occupies a seemingly age-old building in the West Village, with a glass-panelled front letting lots of light in on diners, and a few tables with nooks for seats -- a casual, cozy joint to sit down for quiet conversation. The menu featured standard brunch offerings of omelettes, salads, and burgers (including the Elephantburger, a burger topped with curried sour cream, bacon, scallions, cheddar, and tomatoes) alongside a selection of brunch specials. Eggs n' Apple benedict comes atop french toast, Canyonland poached eggs are served with Balsamic jus, fresh tarragon, tomatoes, avocado and wild Mushrooms. Gothamist tried the morning's special, scrambled eggs with cheddar, sausage, spinach, and tomatoes wrapped in a flour tortilla. We also shared a heaping bowl of fresh fruit & frou frou (creamy Greek yogurt) -- plentiful amounts of apple, pear, kiwi, banana strawberries, and topped with toasted macadamia and hazelnuts. Gothamist noted fresher ingredients, but smaller servings -- no heaping sides of hash browns, bacon, or toast -- a quality-over-quantity style often lost at brunch. more ›

The bad news is that Chowhound reports that Taqueria de Mexico on Greenwich Avenue has closed after over a decade of business. The good news is that, according to a follow-up post, "[t]he owner, José Hurtado-Prud'homme, told me he's opening a nicer (though not expensive) Mexican place in that space that will be open until the wee hours and will have a liquor license." I'm sure we can welcome another neighborhood late night taco choice in addition to Mercadito Grove and Diablo Royale. more ›

We noticed this sign walking down 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues in the Village the other day and were perplexed. Fresh food nirvana? On this block? You've got to be kidding. There isn't anything resembling "fresh food" or "nirvana" on that stretch of 8th Street (well, with the possible exception of Gray's Papaya, depending upon how you feel about hot dogs). But last night, we saw some activity inside. Peering in, we saw a clean, small brightly colored cafe, and one of the women inside unlocked the door to let us in. We were immediately engulfed with the aroma of curry and cardamom -- it smelled delightful. They're officially opening today, serving a menu of Indian flatbread sandwiches, and we'll be stopping by later to check it out. Full report next week. more ›

Gothamist was walking down Greenwich Avenue early one morning recently, when this sign stopped us in our tracks: more ›

Gothamist previously on Zelda and on Giuliani, the Riverside Park turkey. And even though it's in poor taste to bring up eating turkey, we love the idea of Turducken. more ›