A number of city agencies celebrated working together to give Columbus Circle a glorious makeover yesterday, marking the end of the circle's long restoration. The mess of construction at one of the city's most infuriating intersections (or roundabout, rather) seemed to linger on forever, and then suddenly, there were fountains and benches! The Mayor was joined by the Commissioners from the Parks, Tranportation, Design and Construction and City Planning Departments, as well as TimeWarner CEO Dick Parsons, to cut the ribbon at the circle (break out the big, yet still safe scissors!). The Mayor invoked the circle's namesake in his remarks, "It has been a long and difficult journey -- much longer than Columbus' voyage, in fact. But unlike him we've actually accomplished what we set out to do, and today we are out to mark the end of the road." Seriously, who writes his stuff? more ›

With all the discussion about a new, gleaming West Side Stadium for the Jets has definitely sparked a competitive spirit in the Dolans beyond just trying to knock down the Jets' bid: The NY Times says that Madison Square Garden officials have been investigating the possibility of moving to Eighth Avenue and 31st-33rd Streets - right at the soon-to-be Moynihan Station at the Farley Post Office! Madison Square Garden has been long lamented as being a just-okay venue for basketball and hockey, and the Dolans had claimed they would renovate MSG, versus move to a new site as the city had previously suggested (which was the city's way of trying to keep them from opposing a Jets' stadium bid). When you look at Madison Square Garden's history on Wikipedia, the venue has moved a number of times at the whim of its various owners; the NY Times article notes that one developer tried to move it to the West Side railyards 18 years ago - with a structure to be designed by Frank Gehry! - but that was scuttled because it was felt that would be too far. Well, it still is. If MSG moved to the Farley Post Office/ Moynihan Station, Penn Plaza would be turned into even more high-end apartments and offices. But before anything can happen, the city has to approve these plans, which would make for an interesting meeting, the Mayor and the Dolans; if only Woody Johnson could be in the mix. more ›

JDate, where the non-Jews try to use the Yiddish they pick up from the Coffee Talk with Linda Richman skit or Seinfeld. And for those dating a Jew, the book, What to Do When You Date a Jew. more ›

Now, Gothamist had the bejesus scared out of us when Mike Myers starred in The Cat in the Hat, but we would not mind seeing Mike Myers as Linda Richman do the Yiddish Cat in the Hat. more ›