To be a young harbor seal taking some time from swimming to sun! A young seal was seen hanging out at the 79th Street Boast Basin yesterday morning the Parks Department. Sergeant Rakeem Taylor told City Room, "He was moving around pretty fine, yawning and sunning himself," and estimated the seal to be "3 to 4 feet long and about 90 pounds." Taylor said that the seal's appearance means the Hudson is clean enough for......

This afternoon's rain will continue into the evening, as some areas are being warned about the storms. New Jersey is supposed to have heavy thunderstorms, a tornado warning was issued, then canceled, for Nassau County, and an urban flood warning was issued for Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens until 7PM! There was a "ground stop" on arriving flights at Newark and LaGuardia, and delays range from 3 to 4 hours at the three area airports.......

Two years ago, we wondered if there was a big list of all the fountains in New York City. We haven't made that much progress with the list, but at least now we have a list of the "display fountains" the Parks Department maintains. And it's interesting - Brooklyn only has three while Staten Island has eight. Of course, there are many fountains outside of the Parks Department's jurisdiction (for instance, the fountain outside......

Ironically, the multi-billion dollar plan to build a subterranean water treatment plant in the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park, which has been delayed by large projected cost overruns, is now accruing $30,000-a-day fines for the city. The New York Times reports that the Feds are applying the fines because work on the filtration plant has barely begun and the city hasn't even selected a primary contractor. In the city's defense, we'll note that it had a......

In the summer of 2004, various groups were upset that the city was prohibiting them from protesting and rallying on Central Park's Great Lawn. The city argued that the Great Lawn would be damaged and there's not enough money to clean up after protests; concerts events usually had corporate backers who paid for clean up. The protesters argued they were entitled to expressing themselves where they like. And in 2004, a judge ruled for......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Intoxicated students at a Queens high school, a water rescue near East 14th in the East River, and a body was found in Van Cortlandt Park Subway Stickman, or how to turn gum on the ground into floor art Because of the Minuteman Brawl, the College Republicans at Columbia will get a refund from the university The NYPD has decided to have an outside firm examine its stop-and-frisk procedures,......

Police believe the three dead bodies, including one of a 4 yead old boy, found in the parking lot of the Van Cortlandt Park golf course were the result of a murder-suicide. Thirty one year old Aldrick Jarvis shot his son Jacob Cartier Jarvis in the face while Jacob was in a carseat in the family car; he shot his 30 year old wife Jessica in the parking lot and then shot himself. Runners and......

The police are looking for a man who fatally shot three people, including a young child, near the Van Cortlandt Golf Course this morning. All three victims were in the golf course's parking lot, near Broadway and 242nd Street. WABC 7 says that a man and a woman were found in one section, and the child was found in another area. Police are looking for two suspects who left the scene. The Van Cortlandt Golf......

Springtime must be coyote time: There's another coyote in the news, but this time in the Bronx. A coyote has been spotted at Van Cortlandt Park, and is now duly named "Jacob," after Jacob Van Cortlandt (if it's a girl, she'll be "Vannie," not Cortney). Parks officials want Van Cortlandt Park visitors to be on alert, as coyotes are interested in eating small animals, even turkeys! A coyote in Van Cortlandt Park makes more sense,......

Wi-Fi Salon is installing Wi-Fi into 10 city parks over the next few months. Central Park will have eight hot spots (including the zoo, Delacorte Theater, and Boathouse), as will Orchard Beach, Flushing Meadows, Van Cortlandt, Pelham Bay, Prospect, Riverside, Union Square, and Washington Square Parks. The Daily News says that Battery Park's hotspot, near Battery Gardens, is already running and that Wi-Fi Salon is paying the Parks Department for the right to install the......

If it's Sunday, it must be time to contemplate little Andrew Giuliani. He could be dating Sarah Hughes, as they appeared at the premiere of The Island together. And the Daily News has two features on him (1 and 2), looking at how he's grown up as well as his burgeoning golf career. In fact, little Giuliani plays at the public golf course at Van Cortlandt Park:"I love this city. I'd rather play here than......

It's a win for the Mayor, Commissioner Kelly, and the Central Park Conservancy: A judge agrees with the city and bars two protest groups from gathering in Central Park for a pre-Republican Convention protest. Two reasons stated: Groups had waited too long to file suit and security concerns. Manhattan Federal Court Judge William H. Pauley suggested other parks to protest in, like Van Cortlandt in the Bronx and Flushing-Corona in Queens, with Judge Pauley calling......