We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Alto and L’Impero, both now run by chef Michael White (formerly of Fiamma Osteria). He finds Alto “better than ever” and bumps it up from two stars to three. “Alto is now a full throttle dining experience, no matter where on the menu you turn,” he says. L’Impero doesn’t fare so well, and receives two stars (down from the three it received from Eric Asimov in 2002). “Its menu harbors more disappointments than Alto’s, and its kitchen is less polished,” says Bruni. more ›

We're been covering the streetart renaissance at 11 Spring Street for the last couple of weeks-- new pieces are going up every day, and the new owners of the building seemed to be endorsing the work. Last night, we had a chance to catch up with Wooster Collective, the preeminent streetart website, and asked them what was going on. They told us that the new owners have asked them to curate the decoration of the building-- both inside and out-- through the end of the year, with a huge party on December 16th to celebrate the building, the art, and the end of the project. The Villager has some more details: more ›

It's been a couple of months since we found out that the mysterious building at 11 Spring Street would be converted into condos. Graffiti fans around the world instantly went into mourning, as the walls of 11 Spring have long been considered one of the finest streetart galleries in the United States, and redevelopment indicated that they'd soon be erased. But not so fast! Wooster Collective seems to be sponsoring a new project at the building, and if the shots of the interior are any indication, they've got the cooperation of the new owners: more ›

MUSIC: Love is All takes over the Knitting Factory tonight with not one, but two shows. The early show is with Cause Co-Motion! and Devastations, the later one with Cause Co-Motion! and Tyvek. Choose wisely. Or you could always watch Jared Leo bring his emo wrath upon bloggers, his band plays Roseland tonight. more ›

On the top of our list of things we like to know but then wish we didn't know: The London Underground as announced that they rejected the subway surveillance system that the MTA will be putting into our subways. Hmm, that makes our new hi-tech deal seem, well, not that special. The NY Post says that the London Underground felt that things like the "intelligent video cameras" which are supposed to notice unattended bags don't work as well as "standard cameras and human observation." Well, Gothamist supposes that having cameras and humans to observe would be the first thing the MTA would need - the MTA's employees and resources seem to be spread way too thin. The article does address what was our first question: "And while the [London Underground's] extra manpower and cameras couldn't prevent July's terrorist attacks, they did help identify suspects within hours." What's interesting are the stats: There are 6,000 closed-circuit cameras on both train cars and in the stations on the Underground, and almost all of London's 8,000 buses are wired, whereas our buses are far from wired and all subway stations will get cameraas by 2008 (though 1,000 cameras are being installed shortly at key locations). more ›

The London tube has been evaucated network wide, based on reports of an explosion. According to Londonist, one witness says a man's rucksack exploded and that the bombing was an "attempted suicide bombing...but the bomb didn't work properly." more ›