Urban legend has it that The High Bridge was closed after someone was killed after passing beneath it on the Circle Line. Thirteen's City Concealed series just visited the High Bridge, which officially—and mysteriously—closed in the early 1970s. They begin their video discussing this legend, saying there is truth to it, as there were reports of people throwing things off the bridge and injuring passengers of the Circle Line, dating back to the '50s. Check out the High Bridge's history, present, and future ($60 million is going towards the renovation of the park's pedestrian connector between Manhattan and the Bronx) in the video below: more ›

Residents in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx are angry after officials unilaterally converted a shelter for homeless families into a facility housing only men. Similar to concerns from UWS residents yesterday, Highbridge locals say that the new influx of homeless people are making their neighborhood much more dangerous. "They're out here at all hours of the night, creeping around and you don't know what they're going to do. They're always either smoking, drinking or looking in someone's window," said Rhodesia Jones. But what if there's a Ted Williams lurking amongst that crowd? more ›

Residents of two dozen apartments at 1204 Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx were forced to leave when the Fire Department discovered construction debris blocking two fire exits for the building. One resident complained to WCBS 2, "This building is so messed up. They’re fixing stuff, but things don’t really get fixed correctly." more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials unveiled the newly renovated access path between Highbridge Park and the High Bridge in Manhattan. more ›

Let's go to the audiotape digital recording! A Bronx detective was indicted on perjury charges after claiming in court that he never interrogated a teen shooting suspect - only for the teen to reveal he recorded the interrogation. Back in December 2005, 17-year-old Erik Crespo was accused of shooting a man in a High Bridge apartment building. He was arrested and when Detective Christopher Perino interviewed him, he used an MP3 player to record their... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn, a bank robbery on Maiden Ln. and Gold St. in Manhattan, and an amputation at The Public School on Bristol St. in Brooklyn. Get ready for a possible porn release of Amy Fisher, thanks to her boyfriend. He handed over video of the pair to a porn producer during a fight and before the pair reconciled. Neighborhood resistance to the... more ›

The High Bridge, the city’s oldest standing bridge, will get a $65 million face-lift over about two years beginning in 2008, said the parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe. more ›

Earlier this week, Transportation Alternatives released a study that finds relationships between people's behavior and the neighborhoods they live in. For instance, someone who lives on a high traffic street is less likely to go outside and enjoy the neighborhood or let the children play while someone on a quieter street would get to do those things. Plus:

The study finds that New Yorkers on high traffic streets harbor more negative perceptions of their block, are more frequently disturbed during sleep, meals, and conversations, and, in two of the four study areas, possess significantly fewer relationships with their neighbors compared to residents on low and medium traffic streets. Based on these findings, it is no surprise that 49% of all respondents stated that reducing the number of cars traversing their street would "totally improve" their quality of life. Of those respondents residing on heavy traffic streets, that figure jumps to 62%.

And like that Open House New York is over(ish). Our general impression has been that the rain and icky weather really kept people away this year. But that's just our impression. Anyone have any good stories? Take, or find, any good pictures? That's what comments are for. more ›

We might have mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, here goes. Today, rain or shine (or, uh, rain), is the beginning of Open House New York, the one weekend of the year when hundreds of generally inaccessible places around New York get opened up to the public. It's really pretty awesome and worth your taking advantage of.
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It goes without saying that New York City is chock full of amazing buildings and spaces. And many of them aren't normally open to the public. But this weekend you can visit over 100 places throughout the five boroughs, free of charge, during the Second Annual Open House New York. more ›

- Let’s share our architectural treasures and foster a spirit of learning and appreciation. more ›