The DoH's restaurant grade initiative has been a hit with diners, to the point that other businesses now want grades. They've also been great for quick neighborhood analysis. Today, for instance, AMNY sorts through the 10,000 or so restaurants that have been graded and notes that the 10026 ZIP code has the dirtiest restaurants (20% of its eateries boast either a "C" or a "Grade Pending" sign). Manhattan isn't just number one, its number two too! The 10006 ZIP in Lower Manhattan comes in second with 13% of its eateries in the "C" or "Pending" range. more ›

The Executive Director of The West Harlem Art Fund, Savona Bailey-McClain, sent along this photo of one of their installations in St. Nicholas Park in West Harlem this summer. The box has a sign asking that you share your own stories of the park, helping to build its already rich history (during the Revolutionary War, the park’s southern edge was a military campground for the Battle of Harlem Heights). There's also a website where you can share your own stories about the area. more ›

Earlier this month, a state appellate court ruled that the Empire State Development Corporation's use of eminent domain to seize West Harlem land was unconstitutional. The court said Columbia University, which had been eying the property for its Manhattanville project, had contributed to the blighting of the neighborhood by letting its buildings fall into disrepair. Yesterday, protesters rallied to demand that Columbia respect the court's decision. more ›

A West Harlem co-op fire eventually required the efforts of 170 firefighters to extinguish as it spread through the West 113th St. building 's second, third, and fourth floors. Despite the fast-moving flames, three sisters and their 34-year-old father were rescued from the fifth floor of the building before they were overcome by smoke. more ›

The old saw is that one can't fight City Hall, and we can apparently add the ivory tower to the bulwarks of imperviousness. Despite fierce community opposition, Columbia University will be expanding its upper-Manhattan campus to surrounding blocks. The plan to expand the university's property by 17 acres and several blocks in each direction was approved this afternoon by the New York City Planning Commission. CityRoom reports the neighborhood meeting wasn't exactly neighborly:A majority... more ›

Six anonymous students at Columbia University have gone on a hunger strike to protest the administration's attitude and position on a number of issues, including Columbia's plans for West Harlem/Manhatanville, a series of hate crimes on campus and lack of an ethnic studies program. You can see the full list of demands at the strikers website, as well as explanations for questions like "Why now?"The recent acts of hate on this campus have lent urgency... more ›

The Critical Mass Halloween Ride is tonight! If you go, get some good pictures! more ›

Last night, a memorial bike ride was held in memory of Craig Murphey. Murphey, a 26-year-old who worked at the West Harlem Action Network Against Poverty, was biking when he was hit by an oil truck at Union Avenue and Ten Eyck Street in Williamsburg. more ›

On the heels of its land use committee's vote last week, Community Board 9, which represents West Harlem, voted to oppose Columbia's ambitious plans to develop a 17-acre area in West Harlem. However, as the Columbia Daily Spectator explains, CB9 did offer "ten specific conditions" that Columbia must agree to before the community board will give their approval. more ›

The Observer's Matthew Schuerman has a few interesting stories about Columbia's Manhattanville expansion plans. An article published today looks at how the University of Pennsylvania's successful (and more community-embraced) urban transformation could potentially inform Columbia's plans, now that former Penn president Judith Rodin's book, The University & Urban Revival has hit the bookshelves. Rodin, now the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, only says that the conversations she has had with Columbia president Lee Bollinger have been minimal. She also said, "Columbia has a much tougher job. They are incredibly landlocked and so the stakes are even higher. Unless [Columbia and the community] work together, it is not going to work." more ›

Columbia University's plan to expand its campus into Manhattanville has prompted much debate about the eminent domain, college's commitment to the neighborhood, and gentrification and its effects on the community. The NY Sun revealed last week that Columbia spent over $400,000 for lobbying between January and April of this year, a sign that the school is getting aggressive to make sure its plans come through. And yesterday, there was a NY Times Op-Ed by former Mayor David Dinkins, titled Don’t Fear Columbia, in support of the Manhattanville plan. Here's an excerpt:

Columbia University’s proposal to develop the old Manhattanville manufacturing zone of West Harlem over the next two decades is the perfect example of a change that will generate growth and benefit all... more ›

Yesterday afternoon, six adults and five children were stuck in an elevator for over three hours. The Fire Department was called to the Polo Grounds housing project in West Harlem when someone reported the elevator was stuck between the 15th and 16th floors. more ›

The NY Observer has the details on the negotiations between Columbia and its West Harlem neighbors. The university claims to own 67.5 percent of the 17 acres it wants to develop from 125th to 133rd streets between Broadway and Twelve Avenue - leading to a scramble for the 20 percent owned by the MTA and other public agencies and the remaining 12 percent that is privately held. more ›

The conflicting interests of Columbia University and the West Harlem community continue to spawn new polemics from both sides, as the university inches ahead with its proposed 17-acre, $7 billion expansion. As the land-use contest heats up, so has the quest to find the perfect metaphor. The high-stakes name game begins with the conflicting designations of the territory in question. While Columbia has used the term "Manhattanville" to describe the area, which lies between 125th and 133rd Streets, many community advocates resolutely refer to it as "West Harlem," emphasizing its connection to nearby residential and commercial districts. The Times recently called on Columbia to drop the archaic name and face up to the neighborhood's true character. more ›

Joe Schumacher took this photograph of a bounce house on the steps outside of Columbia University's Low Library, making Gothamist wonder if our alma mater is maybe a tad too desperate for additional buildings. Or it could be that the school wants its students to regress, some arty students got clever, or the frat house's delivery company messed things up again. But last night was the first official meeting about Columbia's Manhattanville Expansion project, and people were angry: The Columbia Spectator reports that "[t]wo years of anger spilled out over the course of six-and-a-half hours" and that no Columbia officials present at the meeting "expressed support for Columbia’s plans in their current form." The City Planning department even told one attendee that there had never been a scoping session with such vehement opposition! more ›