Cabbies really hate the outer boroughs it seems! But they also apparently have gotten quite good at spotting the TLC's enforcement agents whose job it is to ticket them when they refuse rides. So the TLC has gotten clever and hired a bunch of college kids for $10-an-hour to catch hacks who deny service. And the results are depressing—if not surprising to anyone whose ever tried to get a ride over the river. more ›

Despite Mayor Bloomberg's recent efforts, it is still hard to catch a cab to the outer boroughs. But things are starting to look up! Not only are regular hacks soon going to be facing stiffer fines for refusing fares, but Bloomberg is now stepping up his efforts to turn his failed street hail livery service plan into a whole new breed of taxi medallion that will focus on serving areas that aren't Manhattan. more ›

Woody Allen may not be rushing back to Brooklyn—he once reflected on his old neighborhood in Flatbush, saying "it was a paradise... if it was still anything like that, I'd move back!"—but according to the Daily News, filmmakers are flocking to the borough (as well as Queens and the Bronx) and leaving Manhattan in the dust. (Though allegedly Staten Island isn't a threat yet.) more ›

Rappers in the outer boroughs will soon have a new area code to rhyme stuff with. According to a press release, “929” will join “718” and the much-maligned “347” in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. That’s because all the existing phone numbers will be tapped out by 2012, reports Neustar. Wow, those went quick. more ›

If the outer boroughs aren't willing to come into the city for their Whole Foods, then the city is making sure it finds a way to get Whole Foods into the outer boroughs. Yesterday the City Planning Commission approved a plan to encourage grocery stores with fresh produce, meats and dairy to expand into poorer areas by allowing them to sidestep existing zoning and development regulations. Supporters of the plan say it would encourage gentrification to continue its sweep across the boroughs. more ›

Pigeon keeping and racing has been a part of the city for a while, and finally someone has poured over all the ink that has been somewhat-recently spilled on this other American Pastime. Bed-Stuy Banana's rundown finishes with a link to Overlooked New York, which features profiles on some of the top pigeon keepers in the city. All 40 or older, they each seem to have a long, quirky history with pigeons (not street pigeons, mind you, which they refer to as "rats").

"I’ve had pigeons since I was a kid, but we didn’t have a coop on the roof back then; my mother wouldn’t let us up on the roof. So my brother came home one day with two milk crates, and he manufactured this thing and he put it on the window, and that was our pigeon coop." - Orlando more ›