Even in a godless place like Williamsburg and hipster Greenpoint, certain institutions remain sacred, chief among them the tradition of eating brunch outside during balmy summer days. Five Leaves, Lokal, Enid's and more open their doors to the hungover masses each Sunday, offering relief in the form of vitamin D and goat cheese omelets. But now, the local Community Board is threatening to crack down on this inexorable weekend ritual, by enforcing an obscure rule prohibiting restaurants from serving outdoors before noon on Sundays. more ›

The Avenue A barstaurant Sidewalk Cafe has been an East Village fixture since 1985. The joint's always been popular for its open mic nights (Jeff Buckley and The Moldy Peaches are among the acts that got their start here) and its reasonably priced drinks, not so much for its shabby furnishings and middling food. This is something the owners have set out to change; after shutting down in March, it reopened this week with an extensive face-lift and a new menu. Boozy $10 milkshakes, anyone? more ›

While an out-of-business storefront with illegal ads plastered all over it may be an eyesore when jutting out into the sidewalk, what about a storefront filled with Sex and the City wanna-bots drooling over cupcakes? The UWS community thinks that's just as bad, but it seems Magnolia Bakery will be allowed to keep its sidewalk cafe on Columbus and 69th Street anyway. more ›

more ›

Brooklyn musician Michael Leviton and his girlfriend Leah Hayes have put their own apartment at center stage, after declaring their old hang, The Sidewalk Cafe, so over. They moved the scene to their East Williamsburg apartment at the end of 2006, calling it The Apartment. Now it's no longer much of a secret, and it may also be so over (though for different reasons). more ›

Trying to walk in certain city neighborhoods is fast becoming an extreme sport. Between the new, bigger newsstands and bus shelters, the perpetually metastasizing newspaper boxes on every corner, the increasing popularity of alfresco dining, the delivery guys on their bikes and – let’s not forget – tourists, wending your way down the sidewalk without reaching for your Taser demands a degree of patience not often found in your average New Yorker. A month after... more ›

Let's check in and see how our usual link-buddies are celebrating the holiday: more ›

Jaymay more ›

Today is a red letter day in the emerging field of, um, digital secret keeping date-related cool free stuff. If you're a fan of Wilco, then please, read on. If you're not, either become one like a good little music fan or skip the next paragraph. more ›

520: Joe's Bar – divey more ›