Since 2009, coffee giant Starbucks has been rolling out "stealth" Starbucks in various cities around the country which serve the Seattle-company's coffee in less branded, more "coffeeshop" like spaces. Now, it appears, New York City is about to get its first taste of the trend. And there is one good part: They will likely serve beer. more ›

Hark, is there a new refuge in Herald Square, that crowded festering urban bloodclot that short-tempered New Yorkers avoid at all cost? Too soon to tell, but there does seem to be ample elbow room inside The Liberty, a gigantic new cocktail lounge, beer hall, and restaurant on West 35th Street. Owned by a pair of Australians who promise to save "the neighborhood that cool forgot," The Liberty has 5,000 square feet, 18-foot-high ceilings, and two levels to explore while pre-gaming before an event at the Garden or avoiding a dreaded LIRR commute. more ›

A 75-year-old woman was hit by a northbound D train this morning at the Herald Square subway station, around 10:15 a.m. The woman's condition is currently unknown—the FDNY only confirms that she was removed from the station and transported to Bellevue. There were extensive delays on the B/D/F/M lines after the incident, but normal service has now resumed, with residual delays. more ›

Yesterday afternoon Justin Bieber dropped by Macy's to visit with fans and sell them on his new scent, Someday, but things turned ugly once the pop star decided to divert from his plan. The Biebs took an unplanned trip outside of the Herald Square store to wave to around 500 fans who couldn't get in. (Great idea!) The NYPD had set up barricades, but the fans broke through them once they caught a glimpse of the little guy. When that happened the NYPD ordered him back inside, but one of his own security—47-year-old Moshe Benabou—either ignored the order, or got in the way. He was later cited for disorderly conduct. more ›

Fox 5 is making a big stink about a nasty situation in the Herald Square subway station, where it appears that someone did a #2 and didn't flush... because there was no toilet available where the bowel movement occured. Apparently, it's been two weeks since the human waste first debuted on the landing of a stairwell, and although the MTA put up a yellow caution sign, it seems that no one bothered to clean up fecal remnants. Baby steps? Area man Paul Arking is sick of walking through the stench gauntlet during his daily commute, and this video shows he's not the only one. more ›

The death of the 17-year-old daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand was ruled an accident by the Medical Examiner's office. Nicole John fell off the 25th floor ledge of an apartment building in Herald Square last Friday morning; the Post reports, "Toxicology tests ... aren't expected for weeks." The 25-year-old tenant had invited John and others to his place for an after-party while they were at the Meatpacking District club Tenjune, which is now under fire for apparently allowing the underage teen into the club with her fake Brazilian ID. more ›

Despite doctors' attempts to reattach the severed pinky of a 3-year-old boy following an accident on a Macy's escalator last Friday, his finger was eventually amputated. Maxlee Gell-Tejada, of Washington Heights, had been reaching for a dropped water bottle when he caught his finger in the third floor wooden escalator at the Macy's flagship store in Herald Square. more ›

Macy's wooden escalators at the flagship Herald Square location have claimed another phalange: A four-year-old's finger was "sliced off by one of the store's famous old wooden escalators," according to the Post. more ›

There's been talk for years now that a semi-forgotten underground passageway between Herald Square and Penn Station would be reopened. And while there's still nothing guaranteed, a few more details about the plan have emerged. The 800-foot pedestrian concourse, which was closed in the early '80s because of crime, is only nine feet wide at some points, and currently dilapidated. (Called Gimbels Passageway, it's named for the old Gimbels department store that closed in 1986, which was replaced by Manhattan Mall.) Now the Post reports that Vornado Realty Trust is still seeking permission to reopen the passage, expanding the narrowest section to 16 feet and filling it with retail shops and art, in the style of Rockefeller Center. more ›

Now that the Department of Transportation has revealed its latest congestion-fighting strategy—creating another pedestrian mall in Herald Square and giving buses half of 34th Street—the reactions are coming from pedestrians and drivers. Naturally, they have very different opinions! One driver complained to NY1, "Bad enough they closed Broadway. We can't even turn up and down Broadway. It will make it even more worse than what it already is," but a pedestrian said to the Daily News, "I wish they would do it tomorrow." more ›

As promised, the DOT is moving quickly on a plan to radically transform 34th Street to prioritize buses and pedestrians over passenger cars. The proposal [pdf], which was completed at the end of February, would essentially cut 34th Street in half, with the section west of Sixth Avenue running one way toward the Hudson River, and the section east of Fifth Avenue running one way toward the East River. Buses would travel in both directions in their own special lanes, and in the middle there will be another pedestrian plaza on the block between Fifth and Sixth, the part of town informally known as Clusterfuck City. more ›

Right around Christmas last year, there was a fire at the Macy's in Herald Square... and now it's happening again! We just got word over the newswire that the store, at 151 West 34th Street, has been fully evacuated and power has been "removed." Last year's fire began on an escalator, and this time around it's in the sub-basement; CityRoom reports it has not reached the retail part of the store. There are no reported injuries, and as of 1:15 p.m. "all visible fire" has been put out. more ›

Where there's winter weather, there's stray voltage! Yesterday a woman was shocked on Broadway at 35th Street in Herald Square. NY1 reports that she felt an electric shock under her foot and was later treated for minor injuries. Con Ed was on the scene and discovered a sewer grate and an FDNY pull box with stray voltage that originated from "a manhole at the southeast corner where an underground cable had energized the grate and the pull box." (Four others—including a Post reporter—were also shocked nearby.) Here's a map of stray voltage that's been found in the five boroughs; the area where the woman was shocked has had 163 incidents of stray voltage found, with 10 potentially lethal at 50 or more volts. more ›

The primary, official purpose of the Broadway Pedestrian Plazas—which last May banned cars from seven blocks along Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square—was to relieve traffic congestion, because Broadway disrupts traffic where it intersects with other streets. (As part of the changes, Seventh Avenue was widened from three to four lanes at 45th Street.) But the dramatic transformation, which received razzing from some and raves from others, was always intended as a temporary pilot program, pending a DOT study on the traffic impact. It's now being reported that the study was completed a month ago, and the results are not what Mayor Bloomberg and the DOT had hoped. more ›

So what was the scene like inside of Macy's Herald Square yesterday, as their flagship store went up in flames? Okay, it was just a small fire, but it evacuated the store as thick, black smoke traveled throughout floors. One tourist said, "I don’t know why they didn’t immediately evacuate the [entire] building. I was very scared." more ›

Photos via Rich_Rare and ShallowSeas Twitters more ›

While those space age automated public toilets—or A.P.T.s, as they're known in the business—have been getting all the attention lately, one atavistic bathroom experience is still quietly savored by the public at Herald and Greeley Squares. It involves actual human attendants, who clean and inspect the restrooms 15 to 25 times a day. Their continued employment is sort of a John Henry victory over the rise of the machines that will soon be operating every train, controlling every taxi, and flushing every toilet. more ›

Just weeks after a horrifying murder on the D train in which straphangers were locked in a subway car with the suspect until police arrived, a Gothamist tipster describes a scary — though thankfully less violent — incident on the Q train this morning in which commuters were locked in a car with an aggressive passenger in the 34th Street station. more ›

Reader and Flickr user Hello Turkey Toe took this photograph and writes, "Taken in the 34th Street - Herald Square Station, where the subway system has apparently collapsed in on itself, creating a sort of singularity..." We are also reminded of Cosmo Kramer's freakout, "Hey, I'm on First and First. How can the same street intersect with itself? I must be at the nexus of the universe." more ›

A PATH train entering the Herald Square station apparently hit a wall (or bumper). We are hearing that 10 people were injured—8 passengers and 2 PATH employees. Initially, it was reported that there were no delays but now 1010WINS says, " Commuters should expect PATH service delays." Update 8:57 a.m.: NotifyNYC says, "West 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue is closed to traffic because of emergency vehicle activity." Update 9:56 a.m.: Now MyFoxNY is reporting there were 13 injures, all minor and got amateur video of the response—see it after the jump. more ›

JC Penney has arrived in Herald Square, leaving locals disaffected and tourists hurling towards a familiar sight. Is Penney's our TGIFriday's of retail? The NY Times reports on the department store's new digs, look and goods with, dare we say, a biting tone that's less becoming than a plethora of polysynthetics. Miss Size 2 reporter guesstimates that 96% of the inventory is made of polyester, and it's nearly impossible to find anything below a size 10. She adds, "it has the most obese mannequins I have ever seen. They probably need special insulin-based epoxy injections just to make their limbs stay on. It’s like a headless wax museum devoted entirely to the cast of Roseanne.” Hopefully there are enough airbrushed magazine covers out there to combat this, lest little girls grow up thinking it's okay to be anything more than a size 2. more ›

With seven blocks along Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square closed to vehicular traffic for pedestrian promenading pleasure (oh, and to ease traffic congestion too) on Sunday, New Yorkers and tourists alike have been testing out the suddenly clear streets. The Broadway pedestrian plazas are between 42nd and 47th Streets and between 33rd and 35th Streets, and in the Times Square stretch, there were lawn chairs for perambulators. more ›

Tomorrow is the start of the city's "Greenlight for Midtown" program, which involves banning vehicles on Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets (by Times Square) and between 33rd and 35th Street (by Herald Square). The city hopes that traffic congestion can be reduced by "reconnecting the street grid on 6th and 7th Avenues and giving space to pedestrians on Broadway." According to the Department of Transportation, the plan will result in "Traffic lights with up to 66% more green time," "Significant travel time improvements on Sixth and Seventh Avenues," "Safer and simpler crossings for pedestrians," and "Faster bus speeds for 70,000 daily riders." more ›

Coming soon to Times Square and Herald Square: Vehicle-free Broadway! Starting on Memorial Day, two stretches of Broadway, from 42nd to 47th streets and from 32nd to 35th streets, will transformed into pedestrian plazas in an experiment that will last through the end of the year and may become permanent, the Post reports. Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce the plan today, and promise that the change will actually improve the overall traffic flow, because Broadway disrupts traffic where it intersects with other streets. As part of the changes, Seventh Avenue will be widened from three to four lanes at 45th Street. more ›

Isn't it irritating how when you take the subway or PATH to Herald Square en route to Penn Station you have to clamber up to the street and wade through the mob scene just to schlep a block over to Seventh Avenue and go back underground again? Why can't there be a tunnel connecting the two stations? Turns out there is; it's just that it was closed sometime around 1990, possibly because nobody wanted to pay for its maintenance. more ›

The DOT's $700,000 transformation of a seven block stretch of Broadway into a pedestrian esplanade with tables, chairs and planters is complete, and the Times has taken the anxious pulse of local workers lounging on their lunchbreaks. The consensus? A nice gesture, but it's only a matter of time before a cab swerves into the tables and turns the urban oasis into a scene of unspeakable carnage. Some choice observations from the men and women on the street:
• Robert Stribley, information architect: “You look around and expect a truck to veer off and plow into you at any moment. It’s not Bryant Park. You’ve got exhaust coming at you. But it’s kind of cool.”
• Vicki Lee, clothing designer: “You hear so many accidents of the cars going out of control and all they have here is plastic pots,” she said. But she dug into her salad and added, “We’re going to roll the dice and eat lunch here today.”
• Karis Durmer, Condé Nast employee: “It’s amazing how a few plants can make you feel removed from all that [noise and traffic].” At one point her conversation was interrupted when the siren of a passing fire truck drowned out her words. “They transport you to a calmer place.”

Surprise! Without a formal public announcement, the city has been moving ahead with a $700,000 plan to shrink part of Broadway in midtown from a four-lane to a two-lane street and use the rest of the space for a public esplanade, which the DOT is calling “Broadway Boulevard.” The change will be complete on August 15th, when the east side of Broadway between 42nd Street and Herald Square is turned over to a bicycle lane and a pedestrian walkway, teeming with cafe tables, chairs, umbrellas and flower-filled planters. more ›