Your sacred subway prewalking rituals may be paying off: according to numbers crunched by the MTA on F and L trains, the most crowded subway car is the the one in the front. The smelliest? Whichever one holds that person who uses the only six square inches of free space on the train to bust open a bag of McDonald's. more ›

As any musical theater fan knows, folks have been trying to sell Americans on herring for a long, long time (Carousel's Mr. Snow brags he'll take his catch and "put 'em in cans an' call 'em sardines." to trick discriminating diners). But now maybe those tiny fish so rich in omega-3 fatty acids are finally about to have their moment. The Times sure thinks so, and they've got some numbers to back them up. more ›

All you secret lovers of bargain basement vodka brands like Popov and Majorkska can now rejoice, for some of your secret shame has been lifted: Your drink of choice (doesn’t matter which one, really, as long as it’s cheap) is now the “it” drink of choice. The Times reported Sunday that dubious vodkas—ones that might have a butane-heavy nose, for example, or a lush isopropyly bouquet—are outselling expensive liquor, and how. “The lower-end stuff is definitely flying out the door,” says a rep from Sherry-Lehmann, and a liquor store in Montclair N.J., last week sold out of Majorska (from $2.89), while Grey Goose fumbled. This has happened despite the overwhelming popularity and timeliness of a Chesley Sullenberger-inspired cocktail called "The Sully”: two shots of Goose with "a splash of water." The Times also shouts out the long-suffering and lower priced Smirnoff, which won a Times-conducted taste test in 2005, beating the 2004 Slate-anointed brand Chopin. Suggested food pairing for Popov? Join the economy minded, newly formed Society for the Appreciation of the Lowly Tinned Sardine. more ›