Oh, MTA - you and your outlandish idea of putting a glorious glass dome at the renovated Fulton Street Transit Center! The proposed design, unveiled in 2004, seemed an inspiring idea for the agency. But, after years of attempts to start construction, costs have risen to $1.15 billion, from the initially estimated $750 million, causing MTA executive director Eliot Sander to say, "I am sad to say that we cannot build the transit center as currently envisioned in this market." In other words, good-bye dome-oculus thing! more ›

MUSIC: Frequenter of the Hotel Chelsea, Country Joe McDonald (pictured at Woodstock) will be taking the Joe's Pub stage tonight to perform a tribute to Woody Guthrie where he "deftly conveys all the charm, talent, and social and political consciousness of the legendary folksinger from Oklahoma." more ›

The most powerful suggestions in this week's NY Times Weddings & Celebrations? If you write about dating or a hapless love life, all is not lost! Actually, we got that idea from Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City, too, but not everyone can end up with Mr. Big or marry a hunky principal dancer at the NY City Ballet. Anyway... more ›

New York is a great place to run, whether you are a beginner or veteran. Not only can you explore the city in a whole new way, as this Brooklyn runner is doing, but it's something that you can do on your own time, at relatively low cost. There are several main parks in the city that are very conducive to running. In the Bronx is Van Cortland Park, the third largest park in New York city at 1,146 acres. It has been called the "cross country mecca" because of its wooded trails, and it hosts the National Cross Country championships every year. In addition, there is a 400-meter track and you can connect to the Old Croton Aquaduct Trail - taking you to all the way to Yonkers. more ›

Ok, we covered local gyms in the NY City area, it's only logical to discuss the options for getting your lap swimming in. Some of the gyms in the city have pools, but another option is to check out the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation website, which gives you a listing of pools throughout the city, and lets you know the lap swim hours. more ›

more ›

The Mayor said he was stuck for 45 minutes, but NY City Transit told the NY Times it was actually 34 minutes: "It was not 45 minutes. He may have been on the subway for 45 minutes, but no, the incident did not last 45 minutes." Hee. And earlier in the day, the Mayor was also forced to run up and down the stairs at 59th Street and Lexington, because there was conflicting information about whether the express trains were running: "I suppose in the grand scheme of things, a phenomenally minor problem. An extra set of stairs is probably good for my heart." A phenomenally less minor problem could be the MTA's desire to do away with Metrocard discounts and raise fares again; the Mayor might support it, but would rather the MTA adjust their own internal budgets first.
more ›

Of course, with the prospect of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of projected revenue, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki are on the offensive, calling the plan a way to "catapult NY" to the fore of the convention industry as well as a way to "bring the NFL back to NY." more ›

The Post calls it "the curse of the Time Warner Building." Nice work, News Corp. more ›

Gothamist cannot wait to go to "Restaurant," the new restaurant/reality series from Rocco DiSpirito (Union Pacific), Mark Burnett (Survivor), and NBC (Channel 4 here in NY). There's nothing we like more than food and a little insanity. The Times Styles section looks what seems to be a hilarious casting/hiring process, as employees need to be competent but cute. But in a city of actors who work as watiers, Gothamist has to hand it to the genius of Mark Burnett to capitalize on it. more ›