Pictured: Ballet rehearsals, New York City, ca. 1916. From the Library of Congress. If you're head over heels for the ballet, we've got some good news: The New York City Ballet announced last week that they would be hosting two open dress rehearsals of Susan Stroman's Double Feature this month. The company began the open rehearsals last year with Peter Martins's Romeo + Juliet, and they hope to continue them annually. The press release......

The New York City Transit Authority, the MTA division that oversees the subways and buses, will be now split up the management of the subway lines and instead assign a manager to deal with a line or a number of lines. The NY Times spoke to NYC Transit president Howard Roberts Jr.:The goal, Mr. Roberts said, is to have 24 subway lines operating in many ways as 24 self-contained railroads. (The number may vary,......

First, some fire fighters' unions spoke out against presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Now a police officers' union is totally anti-Rudy. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch issued a statement blaming the former mayor for not giving cops raises ("zeroes for heroes" contract) and essentially creating the recruiting/retainment problems the NYPD has. And then there's what the PBA thinks about Giuliani's 9/11 record: Giuliani has wrapped himself firmly in the cloak of 9/11 for his......

Yesterday, the New School held a forum to discuss how New York City will save its public housing. The New York City Housing Authority, which is the city's primary sources of affordable housing to 400,000 residents, has an annual shortfall of $225 million. The Daily News reports that Sean Moss, the Regional Director for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the NY/NJ region, offered a suggestion that "prompted shocked murmurs." His idea: Sell......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on York Ave. and Richmond Terr. on Staten Island, another pedestrian struck on 37th Ave. and Union St. in Queens, and a missing child on 12th Ave. in Brooklyn. Three teenagers were hospitalized after being stabbed immediately after school let out in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn yesterday afternoon. Two of the injured were also slashed in the face. The City is introducing a new public awareness campaign......

TIP: Starting tomorrow Opera-For_all begins the first of three nights of performances. For cheap! The New York City Opera is selling tickets to every seat in the house for just $25. Over the course of "opera season" 50 or more seats in the front orchestra will be priced at just $25 as well. As for this week, here's the sched: Thursday, September 6the OPERA FOR ALL Concert, with party to follow (this will showcase the......

Comprised of breakdancers from various troupes, The New York City Breakers were the rivals of The Rock Steady Crew. Many became familiar with these breakers (Kid Nice, Mr. Wave, Action, Lil Lep, Glide Master, Icey Ice, Powerful Pexster and Flip Rock) during a legendary battle scene in Beat Street (watch here) where they went move for move with their aforementioned adversaries. They even performed for President Reagan at an event in New York, which you......

The supervisor on duty for the group of men at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station when track worker Marvin Franklin was killed by a G train has been demoted to the position of cleaner, in lieu of being fired. Investigators found that superintendent Lloyd London was the individual most culpable for the death of 55-year-old trackwork veteran Franklin, after he told two workers that he would stand as a lookout at the end of the station, but......

According to The New York City Department of Health, New Yorkers have a longer shelf life than those in the rest of the country. NY Mag has some astounding stats including: a New Yorker born in 2004 can now expect to live 78.6 years, which may not sound that long but it's in fact nine months longer than the average American. Note that the average gets brought down anytime a young person dies, which seems......

The New York City council is allocating a cool $4 million to combat childhood obesity - which works out to about a dollar per extra pound or something like that. According to a June 2003 DOH report, 43% of elementary school children in the City are overweight or obese. The cash will provide for education and physical fitness programs. Thank your City Council member here. The New York Times reported yesterday that the International AIDS......

The Roseland Ballroom is hosting The New York City Tattoo Convention this weekend and videographer Kelly Loudenberg was onhand to capture an artist named Vincent Castiglia whose medium is human blood, the relentless buzz of dozens of needles perforating human flesh, and a lot of illustrated people. The TattooCon continues through tomorrow and tickets at the door are $18, with an all-access two-day pass going for $35.......

We were one of many interested sites examining the Kick Map nearly three years ago, when word of a new subway map design started to filter through the Internet. The new map departed radically from the MTA's current design by graphically displaying separate trains running on the same lines. Encouraged by the interest being shown, map designer Eddie Jabbour contacted the MTA and designers at the agency agreed to meet with him.But when he showed......

The New York City Open Accessible Space Information System Cooperative, aka NYC OASIS, has updated its map to include the latest property data, as well as coastal storm impact zones (above). This map joins climate change rallies and drenching Nor'easters as an indication of where city can get really soggy. The city also has a Hurricane Zone Finder. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report saying the city will flood, what with......

New York area Wal-Mart foes, mission semi-accomplished! CEO H. Lee Scott Jr. spoke to NY Times reporters and editors yesterday, where he said something unexpected: "I don’t care if we are ever here." And "here" meant New York City. Or Manhattan, as a spokesperson later clarified. Here's the NY Times on his remarks:Mr. Scott said yesterday that the opposition to Wal-Mart in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles and other cities had a common......

Last week, the NY Sun mentioned Cully Long in an article about websites documenting people's thoughts about the subway. Long uses his commute between 125th Street and 59th Street along the A in Manhattan to sketch commuters he sees and posts the ballpoint pen sketches on his site, a child of atom. Drawing and taking pictures on the subway is so common that it makes the attempted (and laughable) ban on subway photography seem......

THEATER: Three time Obie winner and “titanic force” Mac Wellman has brought his Two September to The Flea Theater, which he co-founded a decade ago. The action takes place in various locations in China and Vietnam after the Japanese coup of March 9th, 1945. It is told through the eyes of blacklisted writer Josephine Herbst and the young Vietnamese revolutionary leader who becomes Ho Chi Minh. - John Del Signore 7pm // The Flea [41......

Just wait until you see how many calories are in your dinner. The New York City Board of Public health is considering requiring the city's restaurants to list calories on their menus. Our initial thought was panic -- do we really want to know how many calories are in that delectable lobster roll from Pearl Oyster Bar or the addictive fried chickpeas at Tia Pol? Not really. But then we read the proposed regulation......

No question about it, New Yorkers like to bitch. Bemoaning Gotham's noisy neighbors, putrid stenches, dirty streets, etc., etc., is a habit New Yorkers have enjoyed as long as there have been New Yorkers. Especially popular is the letter of complaint to Hizzoner, a habit that lives on to this day. Seriously, people have been writing these letters for centuries now. A number of just such letters have been unearthed from more than 30,000......

"I'm thinking of grilling this weekend somewhere in the city. can you give me some locations where i can grill?" With the weather looking to be just about perfect this long holiday weekend, there is no better time to bust out the apron, grill, and tongs and barbeque some meat and/or veggies here in the city. If you are not one of the lucky ones that has a backyard, it might be tempting to just......

Yah! Yesterday the NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee announced their official ruling on the Pippen Building. That's the cute little structure on the corner of Third Avenue and Third Street in Gowanus in Brooklyn-- the one that sits at the edge of the new Whole Foods site. The announcement is an interesting read, complete with some history on the building: The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission today unanimously voted to landmark the former New......

Columbia's attempt to raise its rankings is featured in the NY Times today, as it begins to embark on a $4 billion campaign over the next seven years. Damn you, U.S. News & World Report for your listings! Columbia's $4 billion-seven year derby is supposedly the biggest ever for a university, and many experts feel its inevitable schools will be calling for more and more money. And Columbia's desire to break out is because......

Tonight is the opening reception of She Draws Comics at MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art). The exhibit will celebrate a century of women cartoonists, the opening reception features curator Trina Robbins. Featuring over 50 artists and 100 artworks, it's the largest retrospective of women’s work in comic and cartoon. From turn-of-the-century cartoons to the 1940's comic "Brenda Starr: Reporter" to the Campbell Soup Kids to 1970's women superhero artists and graphic novelists -......

In an appeal to his supporters, the Mayor took them to lunch at the Four Seasons restaurant to give them some cards. But not just any ol' cards - wallet-sized, plastic covered cards - "The New York City Card '06" - that list the city's (in the Mayor's eyes) top five initiatives. Sort of like mission statements that marketing heads get, the list is what Bloomberg hopes will be a filter for donors to think......

If you think that laughter is the best medicine, then the volunteers of the New York City Free Clinic have a dose for you. This Thursday, February 23rd, the Clinic is hosting "Stand-up For Healthcare Access," an evening of stand-up comedy and dinner to raise funds for the Clinic. Performing are nine of America's top comics including Colin Quinn, Greg Giraldo (of Comedy Central), and Greg Rogell (The Aristocrats, Half-Baked). The event takes place at......

During the last week of 2005, the Bloomberg administration signed a flurry of new city laws. One of the most controversial changed the way the city deals with graffiti. IndyMedia reports: The New York City Council has passed three new anti-graffiti bills which Bloomberg is no doubt itching to sign into law. Intro. No. 663-A amends existing law to mandate community service in a graffiti cleanup program as the minimum penalty for getting caught. Another......

For all of you groovy kids out there that would rather hit the homeopathic counter than take FDA tested medications for your ills and owies, listen up. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released a press statement warning against certain herbal meds from India which have dangerously high levels of lead and mercury. The following products have been flagged: Jambrulin – used for diabetes Lakshmivilash Ras (Nardiya) – used......

With the the ING New York City Marathon only two days away, the city is swarming with runners from all over the world. Last night, Gothamist headed over to Niketown to talk to some of the elite runners competing in Sunday's race. It seemed that the runners weren't too worried about the forecasted 70° temperatures as everyone they are competing against will face the same conditions. Below are some highlights of our question and answer......

Gothamist totally ate up the Saturday NY Times story about tracking down lofts illegally converted from industrial uses in Brooklyn, especially since the article was titled, "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Loft." We could totally see Nancy Drew coming from, well, maybe Riverside Heights or Riverdale Heights, taking the G train instead of her sporty blue convertible (and her dad, Carson Drew, would be a DA or something), with perfect blonde highlights. Anyway, people who......

[Ed: Gothamist is happy to introduce Jay Parkinson, in his first weekly post about NYC health issues. He practices Pediatrics in a large hospital in downtown Manhattan and is pursuing a career in Public Health making sure that all the children of the world get their shots. Plus, he has a photoblog.] The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a warning yesterday saying two New Yorkers have been diagnosed with a......

So, you want to be a meteorologist? The New York City/Long Island Chapter of the American Meteorological Society is having a panel discussion on career opportunities in meteorology and atmospheric science next Thursday. The meeting will be held at the SUNY-Stony Brook. Speakers include meteorologists from the private sector, the National Weather Service, TV, academia and the Air Force. Content with reading the forecast instead of making a forecast? Gothamist will try to keep you......