Results tagged “lexingtonavenue”

The last grandson of an Ottoman Emperor, a man who could have been Successor of the Successors of the Prophet, died yesterday in Istanbul. Ertugrul Osman lived for 64 years in a rent-controlled two-bedroom walkup in the East 70s, on Lexington Avenue, and according to his obit in the Times with as many as twelve dogs.

Politico's Ben Smith got confirmation from the Manhattan DA's office about an incident last month where a female McCain supporter was assaulted at Lexington Avenue and 51st Street. According to conservative blog The Silent Majority, a man--without provocation--grabbed the woman's McCain sign, ripped it up, and hit her with it, bruising her face. The victim followed him into the 6 train subway station and found police officers on the platform; she added that he was only arrested after she showed the cops her bruised face. The assailant allegedly said, "I don’t know why I did this. It’s just those signs, and this election, it has me so upset.” Smith reports that the man, Bernard Feuerman, was charged with second degree assault and has a January 23 court date.

Ah, some details about the robbery that prompted the 4/5/6 subway lines to be essentially shut down during rush hour. Yesterday, we heard that an armed robbery suspected was in the tunnel between 116th And 125th Street along the Lexington Avenue sign, so NYC Transit shut down power to the line so the police could purse the thief.

If you've ever struggled to figure out which direction you're facing when you step out of a subway station (and there are no landmarks or sun to guide you), you won't have those problems at four subway stations in Midtown anymore. That's because the Department of Transportation and the Grand Central Partnership are placing temporary directional compass decals outside them.

The intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 41st Street has reopened after two months of clean-up and repair work. In July 18, an over-100 years old steam pipe exploded, killing one person and seriously injuring two others, while causing millions in damages. Described by the Mayor as a failure of infrastructure, Con Ed has been under criticism for failing to recognize a problem could occur. The utility said last month that an investigation could take 2-3 months.

For many people, stopping at a Starbucks is a natural instinct, but don't bother doing that in the face of a disaster. After the steam pipe exploded on Lexington Avenue in July, one woman turned to Starbucks to escape the chaos and find safety. Unfortunately for her, she was denied entrance to the Starbucks on 42nd and 6th, which reportedly turned people away with locked doors due to a company policy. The woman said that things were similar to September 11th, except businesses in Lower Manhattan opened their doors for people.

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

New York artist Elizabeth Murray (who split her time between Tribeca and Washington County, NY) died yesterday after a battle with cancer at the age of 66. Her husband (with whom she had several children), Bob Holman, is the founder of the Bowery Poetry Club.

Yesterday, Con Edison removed the tow truck sitting in the crater where a steam pipe explosion ripped a 15' by 25' hole in 41st Street and Lexington Avenue. The utility will investigate the damage in hopes of getting a better idea of what caused the Wednesday night explosion. Other clean up crews were working on other parts of the damaged area. One contractor who will be washing the facade of a building told WNBC, "It's a mess. Blown windows and a lot of stuff like that."

The red tow truck sitting in a crater at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue, right where an 83-year-old steam pipe exploded Wednesday evening, will be towed out today. The Daily News reports that Con Ed is preparing to remove the truck, and because there are live electrical cables in the hole, the "crews may use nylon wire, which won't act as a conductor, to hoist the vehicle from the pit." After the truck is removed, the utility will be better able to investigate what may have caused the explosion that killed one and injured many others.

The city continued clean-up at the site of Wednesday's Midtown steam pipe explosion at East 41st and Lexington Avenue. Vanderbilt Avenue has been reopened, and Third Avenue was scheduled to be reopened today. Clean up of 42nd Street between Third and Park should be done by Monday, while clean up of Lexington between 42nd and 43rd should be done by the end of the weekend. Here's what the city said about the asbestos samples:

The Department of Environmental Protection tests of 12 air samples showed none of them testing positive for asbestos. The steam, humidity, and rainfall probably helped the situation because it prevented asbestos particles from becoming airborne.

Continue reading "Frozen Zone Shrinks As Clean Up Work Continues at Steam Pipe Explosion Site"

Though some people were running from the explosion, once things calmed down a little, it seems like many people were documenting what was happening. In turn, it gave those of us not on the scene a way to share the experience. Here are some striking photographs from readers:

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.

More updates below, but here's a summary so far (8:20PM): A steam explosion occurred on East 41st and Lexington Avenue (41st between Lex and Third) just before 6PM - right during the evening rush hour. The NYPD does not think it was a terrorist attack. It appears that there is a hole about 25' in diameter with a red tow truck in the center. One person has died (possibly from cardiac arrest) and there are at least 15 people injured. It is a six-alarm situation for the FDNY, which includes 24 engines and 13 ladders.

Yesterday, the MTA lowered the first of many parts of the Tunnel Boring Machine into the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel as part of the MTA’s East Side Access project. The lowering itself could have been dismissed by passersby as just some sort of generic routine construction work, but it was much more than just moving a boring machine. When finally assembled in about two months, the 600-ton automated Spanish-owned and Italian-made machine will dig its way beneath the streets of Manhattan the tunnel that will finally bring the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central Terminal.

The gang at Flatbush Farm hosts a barbecue the last weekend of every month, including this one. Feast on grilled clams, barbecued chicken legs and ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, veggie chili and more. 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 76 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. Call 718-622-3276 for details.

The Catholic League had said it was highly offensive to display a sculpture of Jesus with "his genitals exposed" and invite the public to eat it.

Continue reading "Church to Hotel: Stick With Chocolate Bunnies"

A six-foot tall chocolate sculpture of Jesus which will be displayed at a Midtown hotel next week is stirring up controversy. Catholics are calling Cosimo Cavallaro's "My Sweet Lord" an "all-out war on Christianity."

Around 11:30AM, part of a building at 1863 Lexington Avenue, near 115th Street, collapsed with 12 construction workers inside. All workers were accounted for, and one worker was taken to a hospital for injuries. The building was being prepared for demolition, but now the building is considered unstable and neighboring buildings were evacuated.

As we've mentioned before, today is World Water Day. Over 290 local restaurants are participating in the Tap Project -- just fork up $1 for the tap water that's usually gratis and UNICEF will donate that money to help provide clean drinking water to children around the world.

The good folks at The Spotted Pig are ringing in the Year of the Pig with, you guessed it, a pig roast. 314 W. 11th Street at Greenwich. Call 212-620-0393 for details.

A dispatch from the field - the Ditmars Boulevard field, that is - from Dan Dickinson, who says that there is no N service into Manhattan from Queens. Why? A broken rail at Lexington! Now the MTA's service advisory is up, and it's a doozy:

Due to a rail condition at the Lexington Avenue-59th Street Station:

Continue reading "Never and Whenever Train Riders, Brace Yourself"

It may be cold outside, but it's perfect fondue weather. Riverdale Garden will be serving up classic cheese, hearty herb flavored oil with beef and chicken and, of course, bittersweet chocolate. Complete dinner is $29 including house wine and draft beer, or just drinks and music for $15. Dinner starting at 7PM, music at 8:30PM. Reservations are recommended and can be made on Open Table or by calling 718-884-5232. 4576 Manhattan College Parkway, Bronx.

Sometimes you have to leave the city to realize how impatient we can be. Don’t have your breakfast order at the tip of your tongue? Expect to be passed over. Fumbling for your Metrocard at the turnstile with a train approaching, you’ll get dirty looks. Walking three-abreast at leisurely pace down Lexington Avenue during rush hour might get you stabbed. Our little conveniences of efficiency have led us to expect things quickly. It’s not that we never wait -- the lines in Whole Foods are a testament to our resolve -- it’s just that if we’re willing to put in the time, the reward at the end better be worth it (assuming our ice cream didn’t melt). It’s likely that it is this general impatience that has kept us from steeping our own spirits. However, we’ve been newly converted. After a sip of the Vanilla steeped rum at Town this week, we can unequivocally say it’s worth the wait.

At 12:01AM, taxi meters were reset to reflect the new fare increases.

Yesterday, there was a sprawling editorial (literally sprawling too - it covered two pages) in the NY Times Week in Review by Tom Wolfe. And in it, he ripped the Landmarks Preservation Commission, most of its commissioners, and Mayors Koch, Giuliani and Bloomberg a couple new ones.

Gothamist reader Sean of Philly2Hoboken sent us an update about the new Goodburger on Second Avenue (the one we were excited about in September, after seeing it begin to emerge).

Goodburger on Lexington Avenue opened this week, and delivery is expected by Monday. They have about 25 seats available to sit down, and it seemed the majority of people were there for takeout on Wednesday. Tried the cheeseburger and have the following mini-review:

Continue reading "Goodburger on Lexington Opens"

In its 14th year, Canstruction, hailed as the most unique food drive in the world, challenges 42 top New York City architecture and design firms to turn donated cans into creations. On display through Wednesday, November 22nd at The New York Design Center (200 Lexington Avenue at 32nd), cans are meticulously stacked and color coordinated into creative designs. Where else can you pretend to play a Canned Piano, courtesy of ads Engineers? Take Cansportation designed by Guy Nordenson and Associates? Or see a CANphibian from STV in a new habitat (surrounded by chairs)?

It's been three months since the MTA and Mastercard unveiled the contactless payment system that is mostly along the Lexington Avenue line. The system has been in trial, and now they have unveiled the next part: The NYC Mobile Trial. If you have a Citbank Mastercard with Paypass - and a Cingular account - you may be able to sign up and use your cellphone to pay your fare.

Tap your NFC enabled mobile phone on the payment reader located on the front of the turnstiles. The contactless-enabled turnstiles will have a payment reader featuring the green subway trial symbol. These turnstiles also feature a “Turnstile. Turbostyle.” Label at about eye level and a subway trial symbol banner across the top of the turnstile.

Sidewalks aren't only for pedestrians - they seem to be made for cars after they are hit by other out of control cars. Yesterday afternoon, an out of control Lexus hit two parked cars after spinning across two lanes on Lexington Avenue near East 62nd Street. The parked cars then hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk. The NY Post says the victim, a Venezulan tourist, was "slumped across the trunk of the car, her legs dangling above the ground." The woman was admitted to New York Hospital in serious condition, but was upgraded to stable. The police did not press any charges yet, but the cause of the crash is still unknown. Oh, and the Lexus caught fire.