In case you haven't noticed because we live in a city and all, we're at the tail end of peak foliage season! Get yourself to a park (here are some suggestions) to soak up that last bit of autumnal splendor. After all, when beautiful dying leaf season is over, all we've got are dead trees. more ›

Early this morning a 75-year-old, 74-foot tree in Pennsylvania was cut down in front of friends and family, who we are told were on the scene to "bid farewell to their Norway Spruce." Once it was murdered (footage below!), the tree was hoisted by a huge crane, and is currently on a hearse flatbed truck which is transporting it to New York City. Once here, it will be adorned, propped up, and made a spectacle of. more ›

Last week, Open House New York announced a special last-minute addition to their schedule—JFK Airport's fabulously modern, Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Terminal. Architecture and aero-buffs were thrilled at the announcement, since the much-loved terminal has been closed to the public since 2001. Open House New York reps tell us that over 1,000 people came through the terminal, which is currently being renovated, during the one afternoon that it was open. more ›

It's Ghostbusters weather outside! There are giant, dark clouds swallowing us up as we type—so let's turn to the experts for some comfort/scaremongering, keeping in mind they're sometimes not so accurate. According to meteorologists, here's what we're looking at: more ›

With Jane's Carousel set to open on September 16th, the finishing touches are now being put into place. Yesterday we took a look inside of the horse-less carousel and its $9 million acrylic jewel box, and this morning we received photos of the horses rolling through DUMBO, en route to their final destination on the waterfront. But their new home is also the scene of a controversial arborcide, for their arrival meant the untimely demise of a "majestic" weeping willow tree. more ›

Last week, we took a look at the somewhat controversial Jane Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park from a bit of a distance. This week, since Hurricane Irene didn't destroy it, we get a more detailed look. Photographer Stephen Murray got up close to the "action," snapping a few shots of the Carousel's interior—check out those hyper-detailed paintings below the spokes! No horses (or other animals) appear to have been installed yet, but the Carousel's opening date remains September 16th, after which point it will be running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closed Tuesdays), with rides going for $2 a pop. [via DUMBO NYC] more ›

Yes, the MTV VMAs happened again this year, despite having no host. The show was relatively tame (at least compared to years past)—as the Times notes, perhaps the most shocking aspect was how quickly the network's censors hit the bleep button during potty-mouthed scenes with Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and... Cloris Leachman. more ›

If you're Cardiff School of Art & Design student Rachel Walsh, who was given an assignment to "explain something modern/internet based to someone who lived and died before 1900," you make this clever, visually illustrative guide. The larger book, representing the Kindle, has space carved out for forty miniature books, each rendered with tiny, perfect attention to detail. Dickens himself would surely approve. Well done! This deserves an A. Bonus: it would probably also help us explain the Kindle to our grandparents. [via Laughing Squid] more ›

As you know, "young, artsy types" are flocking to Rockaway this summer. Some of the more territorial "regulars" there are none too happy about the recent attention because, you know, they own the place. But as you can see from these historic photos, Rockaway was being ruined by massive invasions of outsiders long before the Gray Lady glanced its way—just click through and look at these f*cking hipsters. more ›

Starting this weekend (July 2nd, through July 29th), the Bonni Benrubi Gallery will be displaying the late Linda McCartney's photographs. The set includes everything from candid photos of Johnny Depp and Kate Moss to John Lennon to Willem de Kooning to her own view of that famous walk The Beatles took across Abbey Road. Click through for a sneak peek at what's in store. more ›

Earlier this week we took a very cool field trip to the New York Public Library's Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, one of the Library's many troves of rare printed treasures. The Pforzenheimer Collection is one the world's largest resources devoted to English Romantic writers like Percy Shelley, his wife Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and Lord Byron. more ›

Chelsea has a new addition to its roster of tapas joints (see also: Txikito, Tia Pol and Boqueria) with the opening of Luis Bollo's Salinas, a new Spanish restaurant on 9th Ave. Bollo, a San Sebastian native late of groundbreaking Spanish restaurant Meigas, returns to New York kitchens after a stint in New Jersey with a menu of hot and cold tapas, plus larger homestyle Spanish favorites. more ›

It was a perfect day yesterday to be a fish out of water—the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade rolled down the Boardwalk (err, concretewalk) during the beautiful afternoon. It was a colorful gathering of mermaid costumes, face painters, ambiguous sea creatures and revelers of every ilk. "It's become a better and better show every year," Scott McBride, who was wearing purple jeans, black bat wings and a ruffled turquoise shirt, told the News. Click through to see a sampling of the many, many photo highlights from the parade—be warned, some are NSFW! more ›

As more and more of his Democratic colleagues have called for his head on an invisible skewer, Rep. Anthony Weiner has delayed making a decision on whether to resign until he could consult with his pregnant wife. Today, Huma Abedin returned to Washington from an overseas trip with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And she's back just in time to see new embarrassing photos of Weiner in bras and pantyhose, as well as porn star Ginger Lee's public airing of her Weiner sexts. more ›

Based on our highly scientific calculations, the American Museum of Natural History is by far the most fun museum to wander through while in an altered state. Why? Just look at these amazing pictures! Space! Nature! Whoa! With the announcement of the Hayden Planetarium's new $2 million projector upgrade, which means even more bogglingly awesome space snaps, and the June 25 launch of the new Picturing Science exhibit showcasing the incredible advanced imaging technologies used by scientists, there's never been a better time to have your mind completely blown. more ›

Just in case you were worried: Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that he's "never taken" a picture of himself. In, you know, that way. more ›

Tomorrow night photographer Jamel Shabazz will lead a discussion at the Tenement Museum, complete with a slideshow of his best shots from 1980s New York City. Street fashion, hip-hop, and graffiti, oh my! Click through for a little preview, and there are many more photos right here. If you're left wanting more than a slideshow, pick up a boombox, some legwarmers, and Shabazz's book, Back In The Days (the 10th anniversary edition will be released on June 21st). more ›

Last night was the full-sun Manhattanhenge and so, just like on Monday night, crowds of lay and professional photographers came out to snap pics of a perfect sunset perfectly framed by the streets of Manhattan. But with so many people out taking pictures of an indisputably lovely sunset it can be hard not to get distracted from the sunset by the people themselves. As such, we now present you with a few shots of last night's Manhttaanhenge mixed with a few of the curious people who worship it. more ›

Manhattanhenge has come and gone... at least, for now. It'll be back TONIGHT with the full sun treatment—yesterday's was just half sun. It still made for some nice photos, however—click through to check some out, and send yours to tips@gothamist.com or tag them "Gothamist" on Flickr. Remaining Manhattanhenge dates and times are below: more ›

The party's over! Will Smith's mobile mansion (called The Heat) has been taken off the streets, and is now sitting empty in a parking lot half a mile from where Men In Black III is shooting on Broome Street. His personal gym, housed in a separate 55-foot trailer, is parked right next to it. For now, Smith has been forced into a 35-foot trailer (that's a whole 18 feet smaller than The Heat), which reportedly has features any ol' commoner could get. In fact, The NY Post calls it "a bland, generic movie trailer," and a source on set told them, "Will has to live like normal people—at least for today. It's like going from a BMW to a Toyota." It's unclear why Smith can't just walk over to his mega-trailer, or his $25,000-a-month Bond Street apartment, which are both nearby. more ›