The Bowery in its latest, absurdly hip, incarnation is no stranger to ugly architecture. Just look at the Cooper Square Hotel, the Sculpture for Living (technically not on the Bowery), or the finger coming out of the middle of Fourth Street. And yet each time a new piece of hideous design is introduced we're dismayed once again. Which is to say, remember how the old Salvation Army on Third Street is going to become a boutique hotel? Well, Curbed got its paws on the rendering you see above. more ›

A 2004 lawsuit that claimed Salvation Army tried to spread its Evangelical message through government-funded socials services came to a settlement today. From now on NY City agencies will monitor the organization to make sure it's maintaining proper church-state separation. “This agreement protects the religious freedom of all New Yorkers who rely on faith-based organizations for crucial government-funded social services,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NY Civil Liberties Union, the group that brought the suit. “No one should be subject to proselytizing because they need foster care, adoption, child care or H.I.V. services.” more ›

This Improv Everywhere stunt sort of warms our heart. They sent a 13-member handbell choir to surprise a Salvation Army bell ringer with some accompaniment. They formed a line on either side of him at his Lexington Avenue and 59th Street spot and played “Joy to the World." Watch below: more ›

If you were saving that $.14 in your pocket for 1/30th of a Pumpkin Spice Latte, you're in luck: the Salvation Army Santas will soon be taking credit cards! These new "plastic kettles" will start popping up around the city in the next two weeks, says the Daily News, and have already been introduced in 120 other cities. Last year these machines were tested in cities like Dallas and L.A., and seemed to be profitable for the charity. Spokeswoman Jennifer Byrd says the average credit card donation was $15, way over the average $2 cash donation. Sounds good, just as long as you don't donate to those sketchy UHO people. more ›

After admitting it did some things that were "wrong" and donating a pittance to help small business, Goldman Sachs continues to attempt some public penance by announcing a several hundred employees will serve Thanksgiving dinners to the needy next week. The Post reports that at the Salvation Army dinners, "The so-called masters of the universe will wait on downtrodden diners as if they were in a Michelin-star restaurant, bus their tables, then take out the trash afterwards." more ›

Governor Paterson has discovered the gift of charity in his first year as the state's head honcho. Yesterday Paterson's tax returns were made public, showing that he and his wife Michelle got a $4,300 refund for the over $61,000 in federal taxes they had paid and owed another $182 on top of the $27,000 plus in state and local taxes paid out. Some of that federal refund can be attributed to the $11,000 the Patersons donated this past year. Soon after taking over for Eliot Spitzer last year, it was revealed that the only donation that came out of the nearly $270,000 in income the couple earned in 2007 was a $150 worth of clothes they gave to The Salvation Army. This year The Sal made out like bandits with the Patersons donating over $1,400 in used clothing. Other beneficiaries of the couple's charity included the National Federation of the Blind; City Meals; 100 Black Men; Hadassah; the American Foundation of the Blind; League of the Hard of Hearing; Hispanic Federation; and WNYC Hear It Now. more ›

Our sources are telling us that Apple has purchased the building that currently houses the Salvation Army located at 176 Bedford Avenue (on the corner of Bedford and North 7th) in Williamsburg. more ›

THEATER: The salty, electric dynamo that is Elaine Stritch shows no sign of waning – about to turn 83-years-young, the show biz legend has kicked off 2008 with a reprise of her Tony-winning cabaret show. Backed by a six-piece band and performed in two acts for a dining audience at the newly restored Café Carlyle, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, co-written with the New Yorker’s John Lahr, is a hilarious, old-fashioned ride through star-studded post-war Broadway, bursting with stories from her roles in such legendary productions as Company, Bus Stop, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Times raves: “Every story in her arsenal of seamlessly stitched personal anecdotes is illustrated with body language that erupts like lightning out of words spoken in the gravelly voice of a tough old dame with a tender heart. Because she has the gift of gab, this loudmouthed life of the party could go on forever.” It’s an expensive night, but worth it. Dining reservations are almost booked through the end of the run on Jan 19th, but they do accept walk-ins for the bar seating. – John Del Signore more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an industrial accident on 10th Ave. near 30th St. in Manhattan, a man down an elevator shaft at 50 West 15th St. in Manhattan, and a homicide at Neck Parkway and 42nd Ave. in Queens.
• Not only have investigators found hard drives scrubbed clean of potentially damaging e-mail messages related to Troopergate, the Spitzer administration is refusing to even identify the names of the Internet Service Providers that were used to transmit them.
• There's a new site online for "non-pretentious people who live in Flatbush," or perhaps those who are just interested in the Brooklyn neighborhood.

Queens Hospital to Help the Neediest more ›

If you ever thought that strapping yourself into a spinning gyroscope in 30-something degree weather for two days would be a good idea, then consider yourself David Blaine's kindred spirit. more ›

We're worried that David Blaine has an eating disorder - he's planned his next stunt to take place over Thanksgiving! The illusionist, last seen submerged for days with gross skin issues at Lincoln Center, will be suspended over Times Square for three days. From E!:

The challenge, sponsored by Target to kick off the holiday shopping season, will get underway at 10 a.m. Tuesday, when Blaine is slated to be hoisted by crane to his destination, 40 feet above West 46th Street near Eighth Avenue. more ›

* cell phones more ›

We actually have had Salvation Army pick up items we wanted to donate when we lived in Astoria. To arrange a pick up of donations, call 1-800-95TRUCK. One thing to keep in mind, however, is there is really no guarantee with them. When we lived in East Flatbush, they didn't have a driver anymore for that area so we were stuck. If you have time, you can try to spread it out over a few weekends of making trips to the donation centers. Or rent a car for a day. Perhaps you can attend to other errands at the same time, or find other people in your same situation that would be willing to chip in to cover rental costs. more ›

Last May, math-majoring junior Michael Quercia was arrested for possession of 10 ounces of pot in his dorm room, and NYU decided that he should perform 500 hours of community service and would remain suspended until 2007. Quercia thought that was a bit extreme, and a Manhattan judge agreed, calling NYU's ruling "a Draconian measure that is disproportionate to the offense committed." The Daily News reported that Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub thinks that Quercia should be "reinstated after completing 100 hours of community service" - which Quercia is performing at the Salvation Army Northport Veterans Residence. more ›

The return of cold weather this past weekend seems to have caused at least three deaths in the city. Two men were found dead in a vacant lot in Greenpoint. The police believed the men, in their 50s or 60s, were homeless and were seeking shelter. And another man was found in Queens, on a Conduit Boulevard sidewalk; it seems that he died from hypothermia as well. more ›

If you’re anything like us, you’re wishing you passed on that 5th cocktail at the office holiday party last night. And if you’re anything like us, you’ve tried everything from drinking a cold morning beer to rediscovering religion in hopes of getting rid of the nasty hangover that throbbed with every ringing Salvation Army bell you heard on the way to work today. But an unfortunate article in the British Medical Journal suggests that no anti-hangover remedies actually work. Numerous studies over the years comparing prescription meds, simple sugars, and different foods have found no benefit. The only known way to lessen the symptoms of a hangover is drinking fewer drinks. Neeext. more ›

Now is a good time to remember that while the poor and displaced of the Gulf Coast need our help and sympathy - and will for quite some time - poverty is not something that only occurs after a natural disaster. We still encourage you to donate to hurricane relief effort, but many of New York's own citizens have to struggle just to keep up with basic needs every day. Your donation of clothing is one good way to help. more ›

Other ways you can get rid of holiday gifts: Selling 'em on eBay or donating to the Salvation Army or another cause of your liking. And where oh where is that special online regifting technology? more ›

A huge fire (we heard it was either three or four alarm) raged through a Chinatown apartment building yesterday morning. A 37th floor apartment was described as a "fireball" by firefighters; luckily, firefighters were able to contain the fire after two hours and knocking out the wall of an adjoining apartment. No residents seriously injured, though quite a few firefighters suffered burns. The culprit? Francis Wang's "knee-high stacks of newspapers," which probably caught fire from a pot that was left cooking on a stovetop when he went to Atlantic City. Yeah, exactly. more ›

As a studio apartment dweller, I cannot logically have a yard sale to sell my old stuff. I looked into getting a stall at a flea market, but alas, you need to be a professional hawker to get a booth as far as I know.Do you know how the average person can have a sidewalk sale or sell things at a market? I know at flea markets in other cities they have one day a week where anyone can show up and sell their junk. Is there any venue in New York City with a similar opportunity? more ›

- JD more ›

My boyfriend and I just moved in together, and we are looking to buy a couch. We have already checked out Jennifer Convertibles (too frumpy and expensive), Design Within Reach (within reach my foot! Expensive!), and various other small stores in our neighborhood. While we will be going to IKEA this weekend to look at their offerings, I was thinking that there might be another alternative... more ›