The two women who are accused of stealing from open houses are looking for deals from the prosecutors. Previously, one of their lawyers had said they would be pleading not guilty, but half of the "Thelma & Louise" pair (they would both go to open houses, and one would distract the agent while the other stole items) Jennifer Jones is "going to plead guilty to a felony and misdemeanor in a no-jail deal," per the......

Today marks the third annual Informal Presentation on the Art of Dance, a dance event put on by the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. The two troupes converge each year in a most unconventional space: The State Supreme Court of Manhattan! Arthur Mitchell (himself a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet in the '50s and '60s) co-founded DTB after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, and the......

On Tuesday, the New York City Transit Museum opened a small exhibit dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of Metro-North Railroad in its Annex at Grand Central Terminal. It features some artifacts from both the pre-MTA takeover (which created Metro-North) days to today and provides a Cliffs Notes version on how the railroad that serves the northern suburbs and Connecticut operates. It also touches, albeit a bit too briefly, on how the railroad is like the......

MUSIC: The Stone has been bringing out the big names lately. Tonight Marc Ribot brings his solo act to the 8pm set, then follows himself up by delivering his experimental sounds with none other than Laurie Anderson. Avant-garde all the way. 8 and 10pm // The Stone [Ave C at E 2nd St] // $10 THEATER: In her multimedia musical theater piece North, Heather Christian, daughter of a go-go dancer and a blues musician, is......

A well-known ruin is crumbling. According to Roosevelt Island Historical Society president and historian Judith Berdy, part of the north wing of the Smallpox Hospital collapsed about a week ago. She writes, "The rest of the north wing especially the front is in danger of coming down any time... [The Roosevelt Island Operation Corporation] is working with TPL, the Southpoint park developers to find a way to do emergency stabilization of the rest of......

Thanks to the soft real estate market everywhere except our fair city, many New York City residents have been able to pick up and move out of the Big Apple for less expensive and literally greener pastures. The NY Times had an article yesterday about people who cash out of their NYC apartments and "get much more for their money outside the city." The first example is a couple who sold their Upper West Side......

EVENT: Into anime? It's your lucky weekend, the New York Anime Festival is in town! There will be previews, screenings and panels galore. Check out their website for more details. All Weekend // Jacob Javits Convention Center [655 W 34th St] // $30 day pass, $55 weekend pass SHOP: FIT and the Design Mavens come together for a 3 day shopstravaganza. Tons of designers we're not cool enough to have ever heard of will be......

Even though two women accused of looting apartments during open houses were arrested last week, it's unclear whether some real estate agents have taken the crimes seriously enough to make sure their home showings are less crime-prone. The Post sent a reporter to some open houses, only to find it all too easy to potentially steal things like clothes and knickknacks. Of the four open houses the reporter and photographer went to, no ID's were......

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The two women arrested for allegedly robbing a number of open houses on the Upper East and West Sides are being on bail of $30,000 each. Jessica Joyner and Jennifer Jones, charged with petty larceny, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, will be extradited to New Jersey authorities next week because they allegedly stole $75,000 worth of items during a Saddle River, NJ home's open house. The pair, who both live in Upper......

Realtors and other open house organizers can breathe slightly easier: The police have arrested two suspects in the rash of open house robberies on the Upper East and West Sides. Upper East Side residents Jennifer Jones, 39, and Jessica Joyner, 33, were arrested and charged with petty larceny, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. The pair would head to open houses posing as interested buyers and one would distract the real estate agent......

We knew open houses were fun for some people, but they offer goods ripe for the stealing. Last weekend, an Upper West Side apartment, where a real estate broker was holding an open house, was robbed by a pair of thieves posing as potential buyers. Prudential Douglas Elliman vice president Heddings posted about the devious crime on Monday on TrueGotham, noting that when the broker confronted the pair, they panicked and dropped "most but......

Of all the forbidden sites that were opened for public viewing last weekend in the 5th annual Open House New York program, the High Line was one of the crown trophies. It offered rare views of the city, sexy industrial details, and the mysterious allure of a wild grassy flying carpet that won't open until at least a year hence. Built during the same era (early 1930s) as the Empire State Building, the George......

We love Open House New York - it's a wonderful opportunity to venture into usually off-limits buildings and places and learn more about them. We tried to take advantage and managed to go to six different sites this year across three boroughs. We would have done more, but the weekend subway work threw a monkey wrench into things. Given what we wanted to see, we skipped everything that needed reservations, since we knew that......

EVENTS: Both Open House NY and The New Yorker Festival are upon us. You can check out more of OHNY's event here, and The New Yorker Festival here. Some picks: The New Yorker Festival hosts a conversation with Errol Morris tonight. He'll be talking with staff writer Philip Gourevitch about Abu Ghraib, with clips shown from Standard Operating Procedure -- his new film is a study of the prison-abuse scandal. Friday // 8pm // Directors......

October is starting off with a continuation of September's trend of quiet weather. Central Park was 2.8 degrees warmer than normal last month. Rainfall at Belvedere Castle was less than half of the normal 4.23 inches. Don't worry, rainfall upstate was closer to average and the reservoir levels are only slightly lower than they typically are at this time of year. The normal high temperature for this time of year has dipped below 70 degrees.......

Open House New York weekend is coming up in 7 days and NewYorkology has a handy guide to which places you'll need reservations for this (the 5th) year, check it out here. Touted as America's largest architect and design event, OHNY opens usually locked doors throughout New York City each October (and sometimes Spring). Discover new nooks in each of the five boroughs through special talks, tours, performances and workshops. The weekend is free and......

This October, artist Thom Sokoloski will build 100 white tents on Roosevelt Island, and the public will be able to see the illuminated tents at night as well as explore what's in them. The project is called The Encampment and here is a description the website:The Encampment is a large-scale public participatory art installation. 100 - 19th century luminous tents will be erected as a work of optical art on Roosevelt's Island Southpoint. From......

Quick July review: Cool. The average temperature was 75 degrees, a degree-and-a-half below normal and our coolest July since 2004. Wet. 6.89 inches of rain fell, our wettest July since 2004. Quick August preview: Hot. High temperatures are forecast to be within a couple degrees of 90 each day through Sunday. Today will be the most comfortable of the next several days as we're still on the dry side of a high pressure system that's......

The wealthy couple accused of enslaving two Indonesian women in their Long Island home can't buy their way out of prison for $3.5 million. A judge rejected the multi-million dollar bail plan for Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani, calling it an "open invitation to a tea party... a virtual open house." Prosecutors say the couple tortured two women and kept them virtual prisoners in their home while forcing them to work. The Sabhnanis proposed plan would......

Even in the shadow of the Queensborough Bridge, the Maison Tropicale looks aloof. Hovering above a cleared and graded strip in Long Island City, this compact machine for living wears the architectural equivalent of sunglasses, safari helmet, binoculars, and shorts. It is haughty and cute at the same time. The aluminum outpost, one of three prototypes sent to Congo and Niger in the early 1950s, was designed by Jean Prouvé as a prefabricated home......

Vice TV has put together a little show about Brooklyn, more specifically Williamsburg. The first part (of six) is below, and pretty much states what we all already know: people moved from Manhattan to Williamsburg and now it's expensive. However, an interesting point is brought up in the last two minutes (which hopefully continues on through the next five episodes) - one that often gets overshadowed by people complaining about "hipsters". While at an open......

Open House New York opens the doors to many New York spaces that you wouldn't likely ever see. Past tours have included 7 World Trade Center and the Lost City Hall Subway. Each October these tours are free, and throughout the year the series costs money. The Spring tours will include: • From Working Seaport to Living City Saturday, April 28, 2007, 10 am & 1 pm Please join urban studies and preservation educator Elizabeth......

- Is New York going to go the way of LA with posted letter grades for restaurant health inspections? - If you are getting your Seder meal planning underway, feel free to ping the experts over the NY Times with any questions you may have. Click here to email them a question or send it direct to diningqa [at] gmail.com. Funny how the Times even knows Gmail has great spam protection. - Sometimes not eating......

The confetti is swept away. Champagne bottles are emptied. It’s 2007, do you know where your New Year’s resolutions are? Probably not. Resolutions are often unattainable or just plain boring. But for those still looking for some noble acts of self-sacrifice, it’s not too late— city programs offer some unique and helpful activities for your first weeks in the New Year. Exercise with the NYC Parks and Recreation Department, Jan 2- Jan 6: visit 20......

Click for full-size timelapse shot. The Wooster Collective 11 Spring Street project finally opens its doors tomorrow. It'll be open from 11-5 from Friday to Sunday, on the corner of Elizabeth and Spring. We've been spending a lot of time inside the building over the last few weeks, and speaking frankly, it's probably the best collection of international streetart and graffiti you'll ever see in one place. So if that's your bag, definitely stop......

Streetsblog summarizes Bloomberg's ten point plan for New York's future-- more housing, more parks, more mass transit, more water, better infrastructure, more environmentalism, more access to waterways. Amy went to the annual New York Public Library open house, and took some freaky Ghostbusters-style pix in the stacks. Ronell Wilson, the suspect in the double cop-killing on Staten Island, is also an aspiring rapper. Sample lyric: "You better have that vast and dat Golock /......

November 3: Chocolate and Dessert Wine Seminar Two award winners paired with two sinful delights -- what could be better? James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year, Jacques Torres and James Beard Sommelier of the Year, Jean Luc Le Du join forces for these seminars focusing on chocolate and dessert wine. Three seminars at 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30, at Le Du's Wines, 600 Washington St between Morton and Leroy. $25. Seating is limited and reservations......

If you're thinking of taking advantage of a beautiful Sunday to hit up some Open House New York spots, you're in luck. Newyorkology has summarized Sunday locations that don't require reservations or have very small limits on tours. Some cool choices: - Octagon & Lighthouse Park, Roosevelt Island - The Montauk Club, Brooklyn - Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse, Queens - Washington Irving High School, Union Square Photograph of the New York City Marble Cemetery -......

Get ready to explore the city this weekend - it's open house new york time! There are various homes, parks, landmarks, studios, and more open for the public to visit and learn more. open house new york has programs, tours, and podcasts - learn more at the website. Here's a pick in each borough: - The new Bronx Museum of the Arts - Fort Totten in Queens - Alice Austen House Museum in Staten......