Are Queens and Kerouac getting overlooked by the Landmarks Preservation Commission? Preservationists are making some noise about the Ozone Park walk-up where Jack Kerouac started On the Road. He lived with his parents at the 133-01 Cross Bay Blvd home starting in 1943, after being let out of a Navy psychiatric ward with an "Honorable Discharge With Indifferent Character." The apartment is something locals would like to see preserved and honored, and this Sunday the Queens Historical Society will run a guided trolley tour past not only the home, but seven other sites. more ›

The Landmarks Preservation Committee discussed the proposed renovations to 347 Fulton Street in a meeting this week, as Arby's works towards turning the historic Gage & Tollner space (previously a T.G.I.Fridays) into their standard fast food chain restaurant. Brownstoner reports back, saying, "A majority (six) of the LPC commissioners voted to send the Arby's team back to the drawing board, taking particular exception to their plans for a light-colored floor and the size and structure of the booths and ordering counter; in addition, the commissioners didn't care for the proposed removal of a portion of the mirrored arcade and the addition of certain illuminated signs." The LPC hopes that the Arby's folks will stray from their franchise aesthetic—and after all, isn't that the point of moving into the space anyway? While you wait to sink your teeth into a roast beef sandwich or 1040-calorie sausage gravy biscuit, read Lost City's comparison between the new and the original establishment. more ›