Between Houston and 34th Street on First Avenue and between Houston and 14th Street on Second Avenue, DOT forces have marched in and installed a dedicated bike lane separated from traffic by a "floating" row of parked cars, a tactic which they've successfully deployed in previous bike lane battles on Grand Street, parts of Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and part of Kent Avenue in Brooklyn. It seems that despite advance warning from the DOT, local businesses have been blindsided, and they're now attempting to rally a counterattack. But is it too late? more ›

Go! Go! Curry: This Japanese fast food hot spot had lines down the block when they opened in the Garment District last spring; now they’re building on the buzz and branching out in the East Village. We’ve become addicted to their belt-busting Grand Slam (pictured), “a monster platter that comes with fried chicken, pork sausages and a hard-boiled egg, among other things. The thick, sweet sauce has a tiny kick of heat and is served over rice with such toppings as slices of tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet.” Or for half the price and calories, you can keep it simple but savory with the curry rice sans toppings, a classic Japanese comfort food. more ›

The Real Deal (via Brownstoner) is reporting that, according to a recent court ruling, the city is taking two Williamsburg properties via eminent domain for Bushwick Inlet Park. The properties are located along the East River between North 9th and 10th streets. According to one real estate expert, the city will only pay about $100 per square foot, compared to the $200 per square foot it could garner on the open market, even though the owners are entitled to the fair market value. The Real Deal doesn't delve into why. more ›

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Grab a few friends and head over to Momofuku Ssäm Bar for the Bo Ssäm ($180) a huge hunk of pork butt, cooked to falling-off-the-bone perfection, and served with a dozen oysters, kimchi, rice, a variety of sauces (including an addictive ginger-based sauce), and bibb lettuce for wrapping. You'll have to call in advance for reservations, and depending on the size of your group, you'll have room for other dishes as well. Our group of seven polished off some two orders each of the famed pork buns, the hamachi, and two three-terrine sandwiches, as well as the wax bean salad, an order of fried artichokes, some soft-shell crabs, and some ribs that were sent over by the kind folks at the next table (including Mario Batali and John Hodgman), all before the bo ssäm arrived at the table. No, we didn't finish it all, but we were pretty excited about digging into the leftovers the next day. more ›

It's been 33 years since the last Second Avenue Subway groundbreaking, so it's high time for new generations of straphangers to revel in the hope of a new subway line. We also expect the public -- especially the Upper East Side-residing public -- to become jaded with construction delays, traffic issues, and noise. Here's the press release from the MTA:

Tomorrow morning's historic groundbreaking ceremony for the Second Avenue Subway can be seen by all New Yorkers live on NY1, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place in one of the subway tunnels built under Second Ave. in the 1970s but never used. Due to the limited capacity of the tunnel, the MTA arranged for the live broadcast with NY1 and will open its board room at 347 Madison Avenue for members of the public to join MTA staff for a public viewing and celebration. more ›

Oooh - according to the NY Times, the MTA has been investigating the possibility of installing floor-to-ceiling glass walls and sliding doors at the Second Avenue subway. Apparently, having walls and doors might "allow substantial energy savings" and "reduce temperatures by about 10 degrees." Whoa, imagine that - no more super hot platforms on those summer days? more ›

Inside Edition, better known for covering tabloid stories and entertainment, has found something that mixes the best of both worlds: Looking for rats in NYC restaurants. Perhaps the most famous restaurant goers these days are city rats, and Inside Edition was on them like paparazzi on Britney Spears:

INSIDE EDITION took to the streets of Manhattan between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM peering their cameras and flashlights into the windows of a wide variety of eateries, from fast food places to fine dining establishments. INSIDE EDITION found many of the restaurants shared one common denominator, vermin.

EVENT: An evening with David LaChapelle is sure to be a fabulous one. He'll be signing his new coffee table art book, Heaven to Hell, tonight. Wear your Sunday best. more ›

THEATER: It’s “go time” for The Butane’s Group’s Operation Ajax, which ingenuously sets the CIA’s 1953 overthrow of Iran’s first democratically-elected government in the context of a casino. “Constructed from no less than 25 text sources (memoirs, documentaries, plays, poetry, novels, films, reality tv shows), the densely-layered performance explores how the addiction to risk and gambling has become a potent metaphor for U.S. foreign policy.” (For an enhanced theater experience, explore the show’s thorough bibliography, with links to all source material.) - John Del Signore more ›

A condo on the Upper East Side has slapped a $500,000 lawsuit against the owner of a Subway franchise. The condo board of The Waterford, located at 300 93rd St, complained that the Subway, which opened two weeks ago around corner at 1776 Second Ave., caused the building to be "inundated with strong and nauseating food odors," and affected the value of their property. Welcome to New York! more ›

+ The old Cabrini Stuyvesant Polyclinic on Second Ave., an 1883 landmark building, could be "dormed" if Landmarks approves. (Props to Villager reporter Bonnie Rosenstock for writing "the East Village is turning into the Village of the Dormed" and inspiring us with some Halloween ideas.) more ›

THEATER: The Pearl Theatre Company, known for their deft handling of classic plays, has revived Molière's satire School for Wives. The play deliciously skewers the aristocrat Arnolphe, who so fears he’ll marry an unfaithful woman that he locks a little girl in a convent for 13 years, keeping her utterly isolated until she comes of age. The hi-jinks begin when he’s finally ready to fulfill his master marriage plan and finds himself outmaneuvered by a cunning young rival, bumbling servants and the bride-to-be herself. The Times says it’s “quite funny.” - John Del Signore more ›

- New York magazine's Adam Platt pans Craftsteak, says it's essentially a one-star steakhouse, but that the quality of the Craft franchise knocks it up to two. Faint praise. Calls the desserts "reruns" of pastry chef Karen DeMascos' creations at Craft. more ›

EVENT: NYC Photobloggers will take over the Apple Store again tonight, for the 7th of their events there. The A-list...um, list, of past photographers is a long one. Six more will join the ranks tonight, as they are the centerpieces for this event. They are: more ›

The 2006 Bicycle Film Festival is here, kicking off in New York today, and then traveling to nine additional cities across the globe. more ›

In a heroic double play, a nanny and her choking charge were both saved by one of NYC's finest, Officer, and ex-Marine, Edgar Louisjuste, yesterday morning. After the child began choking on an orange, his nanny grabbed him and ran for the hospital. She was hit by a truck on Second Ave. Though she was badly injured, again, "hit by a TRUCK", she managed to hold on to the choking child. more ›

The holidays are fast approaching and if you're a book lover in the city, you're more likely to be at a store buying a book as a gift than attending a reading this week, but nonetheless, there are some stellar choices for auditory literary entertainment, we humbly digest them for you: more ›

It's our favorite weekend of the year, Halloween weekend! Ghosts are always roaming our streets and sitting on our ancient pub stools in this city, and this is the best weekend to go out and see them face to invisible face in some good 'ol fashioned walking tours. Yeah, we ain't afraid of no ghosts! more ›

September 25-29: Latin Beer Tasting more ›

Tonight more ›

(2000) directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and then a symposium with film blogger, Greg Allen of greg.org. more ›

After a brief scare, it looks like B&H Dairy is back in business. CityRag's recent picture of the B&H lockdown was enough to send us into a fit of mourning. Rumor has it that there had been some trouble with the landlord, but that they are once again open to the public. Whew -- that was a close one. more ›

Gothamist on the Second Avenue Subway. more ›

The Straphangers and Tri-State Transportation Campaign have been collecting collected suggestions for how to celebrate the subway system's 100th anniversary next October. The Daily News has the top ten suggestions: more ›