Architect Richard Meier told NY magazine, when asked about the real estate market in the next year or so, "I think there will be a lot of empty apartments." Meier's NYC designs include the Perry Street towers and a big building at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, which he says is 60% sold, but "the next 40% will go slowly." Luckily, he pointed out, "I'm just the architect." Meier previously told the Observer, back in September (the day Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy), "I don't know how to deal with it or what it means. Certainly, it's going to have a serious effect on my work." more ›

Well Sex and the City fans, any hopes you had of sitting on the Carrie Bradshaw's stoop are now being dashed by the people who really live in there. The Villager reports that "Last week, residents won a reprieve, when, on July 15, the largest of the tour operators, On Location Tours, announced it would take Perry St. off its route." Sure, your MySpace, Flickr and Facebook photo albums are going to be an utter embarrassment if you're lacking the carefully posed shot of you and your best gal pals sitting on the 66 Perry Street steps, but wipe those tears, your mascara is running -- and besides, there's plenty of time for photo ops while waiting on line outside Magnolia Bakery! [via Curbed] more ›

West Village residents may need to get ready for an onslaught of British paparazzi: Rumor has it that Heather Mills, ex-wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, is buying an apartment at 173 Perry Street. more ›

This week Bruni goes to P*ong, the dessert/savory restaurant brought to us by pastry chef Pichet Ong (formerly of Perry Street and Spice Market), awards the restaurant one star. Finds the restaurant "tantalizing, often irritating," and says it challenges one's ideas of what should be sweet and what should be savory. But the desserts are the restaurant's strenth, says Bruni, and also it's too crowded and the service is not good enough to make staying for a longer meal worth while. He likes the special cocktails, though. more ›

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Insieme, awards the restaurant two stars. Says, “When Isieme is good, it’s outstanding, and any serious food lover should head here fast…” He hates the atmosphere, though, and the salmon. Insieme is the second restaurant in midtown this year where he’s been “frustrated by the way some dazzling cooking is undercut not only by unevenness across the menu or inconsistency in the kitchen but also by atmospherics that don’t pull their weight and live up to the rest of the production.” more ›

That would be Michelin stars. The 2007 guide was released today, with ratings for 526 restaurants, including several newcomers from the past year. Del Posto debuts with a bang: two stars, joining the ranks of Masa, Bouley, and Daniel (Danube, which also had two stars last year, dropped down to one). All of those who earned three stars last year (Le Bernadin, per se, and Jean-Georges) held their ground with the exception of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. According to the New York Times it "was dropped from the guide this year because it plans to close and relocate in early January." more ›

Plans are in the works to name all or part of Bleecker Playground after the steely activist and mother of three who helped lay the groundwork for New Urbanism. Earlier this week, Community Board 2 discussed the tribute to Jane Jacobs, who died last April at 89. It's unclear whether the naming will cover the playground, the sitting area and the pathway from Hudson to Bleecker, or just the sitting area and pathway. Some residents don't want the actual playground renamed. They say it could endanger funds for a restoration project and kids will be confused if it suddenly were known by a different name. more ›

The Times’ season previews are always a shot in the arm of a little excitement, a chance to see some splashy ads and to fantasize about the shows you’re not going to be able to get tickets to. Actually, we could have used the buzz we got from Sunday’s listings more a couple of weeks ago; at this point there’s so much starting up that it’s hard to avoid, much less that anyone needs to be told about them, at least with the big-name productions. Littler shows wouldn’t be able to afford sets or costumes if they advertised or put together fancy press kits for listings editors, but we’re psyched about them anyway. more ›

any lights on in any of the buildings), it's not a big worry. more ›

Gothamist was walking down Greenwich Avenue early one morning recently, when this sign stopped us in our tracks: more ›