Spring isn't just about pretty flowers, warm weather, and outdoor dining. It is also, apparently, when New Yorkers like to kvetch about restaurants stealing their change. Last year there was the guy moaning about a neighborhood bistro stealing four of his pennies and this year we've got another gentleman complaining, to the Department of Consumer Affairs no less, about an East Village joint stealing his four pennies. Why can't these penny pinchers understand that restaurants in this modern era we live in just don't like making change? more ›

Sometimes there are white whines, and sometimes there are valid complaints. Today CityRoom's Complaint Box is filled with the latter, as one gentleman finally shines some light on this outrageous scam being pulled on innocent New Yorkers at restaurants citywide: the round up. You probably haven't even noticed it's happening, but some establishments have started to stealthy round-up bills when customers pay in cash. more ›

The imposing shadow of Indiana Jones looms, but this weekend belongs to Narnia, when C.S. Lewis’s second book in the series – Prince Caspian – finally gets the Hollywood treatment to accompany that epic Phish song. This installment has a lot more combat than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as the super-brilliant Peter Dinklage. The Voice’s Ella Taylor says it’s fun, you know, for kids, though adults may decide that, “other than the fights, everything else in the movie is equally bloodless.” Other reviews are generally favorable. more ›

On your faces, maggots. Iraqi war vet (and former SLC punk) Jason Christopher Hartley (pictured) has collaborated with The International WOW Company to create one hell of an interactive theatrical experience. Called SURRENDER, audience members sign up as active participants in simulations of counterinsurgency operations. more ›

"Feeding the cats attracts seagulls and the birds are an aviation threat." more ›

Federal immigration agents and city probation officers worked together to round up 45 sex offenders in an sting called "Operator Predator." The NYPD and and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been working together to locate sex offenders on probation who are eligible for deportation. The offenders were taken into custody after visits with their probation officers. Out of the people apprehended, 20 were in the country illegally; deportation proceedings have begun for all. more ›

- Ed Levine has a short round up of the Il Buco annual pig roast; looks like it should be on the calendar next year. more ›

The city must have many storage closets that escape notice. The city will release 1,613 phone calls made on September 11 by emergency workers and trapped people at the World Trade Center. As Newsday explains it, "The fire department is releasing these recordings now because of an oversight that occurred after a March decision by the New York State Court of Appeals to release all calls, according to a statement. A personnel error led to the department overlooking another tape of phone calls made between 8:45 and 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 11, the statement said." An oversight of two hours of phone calls? That's some oversight. more ›

. She had this to say on Friday in her column (after offering the caveat that she's not a film critic): "It's lousy. Slow-moving and formulaic....New Yorkers infuse such pain and emotion into 9/11 that, for now, absolutely nothing could project onto a screen what still rips at our entrails. I hoped to speak about this with Oliver, who has always seemed a brilliant moviemaker, but his handlers are moving him around with a tweezer. Must be, like on that actual day itself, they, too, can smell death." Ouch! more ›

- Lots of talk these days about absentee Chef’s and their far-flung empires. Here is Frank Bruni's Diners Journal round up, where he makes this observation: "I’m betting that if we had copies of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s daily planners for the last year, we’d see that he spent much more time at Perry St. and at Jean Georges than he did at Jo Jo, 66 or Vong. My assumption is based on my experiences at those restaurants and reports from other diners. At Perry St. and Jean Georges, a great meal was easy to come by. At the other three restaurants, not so much." And Beth linked to this UK Observer article yesterday. more ›

- Have an idea about food products and an inclination to team up with the agrifood world? Well then, here is a contest just for you. more ›

beats hit the trifecta yesterday, with news that there was a coyote wandering around Central Park, not too unlike a tourist in awe of the 800+ acre urban oasis. Visitors to the park reported seeing a wolf-like animal yesterday afternoon, and even Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe saw the coyote (and then hit speed dial to the press office to round up some reporters). Benepe told the Post, "We'll call him 'Hal' for now because he was found near the Hallett Sanctuary. If we discover that it's a she, then we'll just have to call her 'Henrietta.'" Uh, Mr. Parks Commissioner, how about Halle? Anyway, Benepe also thinks the coyote traveled from Westchester County, and the commuter was tracked by the police (armed with tranquilizer guns and/or in helicopters - don't worry, the tranq-patrol stopped at night). And to be tracking the coyote's moves! The NY Times seems to have the only firsthand account:

About 10:30 p.m. a reporter spotted what appeared to be the coyote — a tawny, furry animal that resembled a German shepherd — on the steps leading to the parks department headquarters, at 64th Street off Fifth Avenue. It leveled a distinctly blank stare from black eyes as it was approached.

Today the Department of Education introduced new school hours that will give extra time for students who need tutoring. Parents and pundits are wonderig why the new changes are happening in the middle of a semester, versus the calendar year or a new school years, but this just seems like the usual DoE wackiness. Plus the DoE decided that the extra school period should be 37.5 minutes long, which makes Gothamist wonder if DoE doesn't like to round up. (It's actually because the DoE is using 150 minutes a week, over four days, to devote to the tutoring.) more ›

A few times a week, Gothamist publishes music reviews by our contributor Jeff Baum. The opinions below belong entirely to the author. more ›

We are back from planet Sundance and slowly recovering from our intergalactic journey. When you are at the festival it feels like everyone is complaining about how tired they are or how they cannot get into the films and parties they want, about feeling overwhelmed by all the options, how they feel the festival isn't truly about "independent film" anymore, the declining swag, the celebrities, etc. In retrospect, it all seems so silly. So yes, the festival has become bigger than the britches it originally set out to inhabit and it has become an industry driven event, but if you can weed through all the stars, schmoozing and marketing, the festival is a unique and incredible happening built upon a foundation of community, experimentation and love of the craft. People often lose sight of this. more ›

There is a Coalition to Prevent the Destruction of Canadian Geese, Gothamist wants to know would you choose to stay - pigeons or geese? It's a hard call; really, geese do not disturb most city life, but in the parks, forget about it - geese poop is really really gross. But at least they don't poop from the air (we don't think). more ›

Gothamist is lucky because our readers will email us about many Law & Order related things, whether it's a sighting or a show or an idea. And we love you for it. Here's a round up of some that we've gotten over the past few weeks: more ›