The NYPD will have police officers stationed in Abu Dhabi to, per WNBC, "help in crime fighting as well as share intelligence in the war on terror. " Calling the United Arab Emirates the "crossroads of the Middle East," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said information will be exchanged between the NYPD and Abu Dhabi officials and that the NYPD will help train their personnel. Having NYPD officials overseas is nothing new, as they are in Montreal, Toronto, London, Madrid, Paris, Tel Aviv and other cities. A few years ago, the New Yorker had a great feature on the NYPD's anti-terror work.
He won the nomination in an emotional moment during the roll call: After New Mexico yielded its place to Illinois during the alphabetical-by-state roll call, Illinois then yielded its place to New York. In the middle of the New York delegation--surrounded by Governor David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senator Charles Schumer, and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo--Senator Hillary Clinton released her delegates and called for Obama's nomination by acclamation (video below)
"On behalf of the great state of New York, with appreciation for the spirit and dedication of all who are gathered here, with eyes firmly fixed on the future, with the spirit of unity ... let's declare all together with one voice right here and right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president."
Later in the evening, after a 3 1/2-minute standing ovation, former President Bill Clinton endorsed Obama and his running mate forcefully and personally:
Last night Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she is going to do everything she can to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us...
Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America's standing in the world... With Joe Biden's experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama's proven understanding, insight and good instincts, America will have the national security leadership we need... Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.Newsweek's Howard Fineman called it "masterful" and that it was "like watching Michael Jordan in his prime." Here's a transcript and video is after the jump.
There is an image gallery to this entry which you can view at Gothamist
The vice presidential candidate Joe Biden used his speech (transcript; video below) to attack McCain, listing a number of issues where "Again and again, John McCain has been wrong, and Barack Obama was right." Afterwards, a surprise guest--Obama himself--appeared. He said Hillary Clinton "rocked the house last night" and thanked President Clinton, saying he reminded everyone of what it's like when you've "got a president who puts people first." But the presidential nominee's big speech will be his acceptance speech tomorrow at Invesco Mile HIgh Stadium.
Hillary Clinton releases her delegates and announces OBama's nomination:
Mets 6, Phillies 3: This game takes some air out of the whole "that loss will stay with them for a while" theory. Games don't get that much worse than Tuesday's 8-7, 13-inning loss. But were the Mets really thinking about that when they took the field Wednesday? Maybe. Did it affect them? Not in a bad way. They trailed, 3-2, entering the eighth, but Carlos Delgado hit his second homer of the game to tie it. Daniel Murphy then doubled in the go-ahead run before Brian Schneider's bloop scored two more. Then the Mets bullpen didn't make things interesting for once. Luis Ayala had a 1-2-3 ninth. Johan Santana, by the way, was on the hook and ready for an unfair skewering until the Mets came back.
Red Sox 11, Yankees 3: At least the Yankees aren't going to keep people in suspense. Sidney Ponson allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Jose Veras gave up five in 1/3 of a frame. The Yankees are seven back of the Red Sox, who will play their final game in Yankee Stadium on Thursday. No need to give the "unless they meet in the postseason" caveat anymore.
From the Gothamist Newsmap: Indecent exposure at 57th St & 6th Ave in Brooklyn, a car vs. house on Chandler Ave on Staten Island and a suspicious package at 1st Ave & E 17th St in Manhattan.
Philomena Gotti, "the obscure matriarch of a family that became synonymous with American organized crime," has died at the age of 96, Newsday reports.
At a City Planning Commission hearing about the planned building for Department of Sanitation trucks, it was revealed the green building will have "an exterior of movable aluminum fins that can reorient itself in the winter and summer to reduce energy consumption."
The superstar athlete is tapped to host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 13. Other athletes who have hosted SNL-- Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Nancy Kerrigan, Jonny Moseley, Wayne Gretzky, and Lebron James to name a few--have had mixed luck.(but this Manning "United Way" commercial is great). And the musical guest is Lil Wayne, one of Phelps's favorite musicians. People writes, "No word yet on whether he will be wearing a Speedo."
The investigation into the double murders of Mark Schwartz and his wife Christina Petrowski-Schwartz is continuing, but some nonbinding wills were made public and were proclaimed "oddball...bizarre" by the Daily News and "weird...bitter" by the Post. Schwartz made it clear he didn't want to give anything to his estranged brother--"Robert, you have a choice, you can come to my grave site to say hello out of love or piss on me for not giving you money"--and requested "my body be donned in my scuba diving gear and that my body be cast over the side of a vessel into the ocean where I may rest undisturbed." He also wanted to "curse" friends if they didn't follow his wishes, including saying, about business partner Robert Delvicario (who is being investigated), "to Bobby, never will your gun shoot when you need it.
From the inbox: Baseball fan Brad Campeau-Laurion says a uniformed police officer (perhaps off-duty but working security for overtime) forcibly ejected him from the stadium last night during the Yankees-Red Sox game.
Why? He says all he did was try to go to the bathroom while "God Bless America" was played during the 7th inning stretch. His letter reads (plus some updates after the jump):
"I attempted to get up to use the restroom, rather urgently, during the 7th inning stretch as God Bless America was beginning. As I attempted to walk down the aisle and exit my section into the tunnel, I was stopped by a police officer. He informed me that I had to wait until the song was over. I responded that I had to use the restroom and that I did not care about God Bless America.
"As soon as the latter came out of my mouth, my right arm was twisted violently behind my back and I was informed that I was being escorted out of the stadium. A second officer then joined in and twisted my left arm, also in an excessively forceful manner, behind my back. I informed them they were violating my First Amendment rights and that I had done nothing wrong, with no response from them.
"I was sitting in the Tier Level, and of course this is the highest level of the stadium and I was escorted in this painful manner down the entire length of the stadium. About halfway down, I informed them that they were hurting me, repeated that I had done nothing wrong, and that I was not resisting nor talking back to them. One of them said something to the effect that if I continued to speak, he would find a way to hurt me more.
"When we reached the exit of the stadium, they confiscated my ticket and the first officer shoved me through the turnstiles, saying 'Get the hell out of my country if you don't like it.'
"Nowhere on the Yankee Stadium ticket policy nor on any posted sign does it say that forced patriotism is a required element to attend a baseball game. Nowhere in the laws of this country would that begin to be defensible.
"Furthermore, when the two officers returned to their section, Steve who was still in the stadium overhead one of the officers say 'We got to watch ourselves. One day we're really gonna get in trouble.' They were also spreading rumors with a fan with whom they were friendly that I had said 'This country sucks.'
"I do not believe in God, nor am in support of this country to a degree of patriotic fanaticism. The fact that I wanted to use the restroom instead of standing through God Bless America should not be grounds for a forcible ejection from a baseball game."
The man tells us he's left a message with no response from the Operations Office at Yankee Stadium. He's also contacted Norman Siegel, the ACLU, and filed a complaint with the NYPD Civilian Complaint Review Board. We're still working on getting a response/denial from Yankee stadium, but a regular attendee of Yankee games tells us, "This tip doesn't surprise me at all. Everyone has to stand, just like in school, and you'll get berated and harassed if you don't."
UPDATE: We just spoke to Brad, whose story is attracting a lot of attention. He has a few comments, based on your reactions:
1) I was not drunk. I had two beers about an hour apart and this was about an hour after my last one (hence, needed to pee). I have receipts to prove this, as I was using my credit card, and my friend who was with me as a witness.
2) Yes, I am Red Sox fan. I have lived in New York for over 8 years and I do not cheer loudly or wear blatant Red Sox attire at the games. In fact, I was dressed in business attire - dress shirt/pants/shoes.
3) I may have affected a little attitude, but nothing that warranted a violent response.
Last year, the NY Times looked at this confining policy. Apparently, post September 11, fans had complained that other spectators weren't singing or observing a moment of silence; spokesman Howard Rubenstein told the Times, "Mr. Steinbrenner wanted to do all games to remind the fans about how important it is to honor our nation, our service members, those that died on Sept. 11 and those fighting for our nation."
Sure, there's a lot of prefab housing on display at MoMA right now, but have you seen any of the modular structures inhabited in New York? Design*Sponge points out a Kithaus in Williamsburg, whose "location required each module to be carried, by hand, through a 3 story brick rowhouse. The builders then added custom decks and wedged it in between warehouses and light industrial buildings to create this compact urban oasis." Prepare to be jealous as you feast your eyes upon the results. If you want one of your own, a basic kit runs around $40K. [via Brownstoner]
The pigeon keepers of New York have been in the spotlight recently, and now a new JL Aronson documentary, Up on the Roof, looks at the gentrification of Williamsburg through their experiences.
Up on the Roof follows several devoted pigeon breeders in one predominantly Latino section of Brooklyn through the rigors and rewards of a quintessential New York tradition. All along the waterfront, and throughout blue collar Brooklyn, pigeon fancying has been an active pastime for centuries, handed down from one group of residents to the next, and Williamsburg has long been the center of the action. But as with so many once blighted and now hip districts throughout the world, Brooklyn and Williamsburg in particular is being scrubbed of its old world character to make way for a new urbanism. This colorful, urban-wildlife doc considers what we lose in the process of urban renewal and treats the audience like an insider in an unseen and in many ways vanishing world.
The urban wildlife film will be screened on September 22nd at the NY International Independent Film Festival, but here's a sneak peek.
There is an image gallery to this entry which you can view at Gothamist
After his wife's stirring speech supporting Barack Obama last night, former president Bill Clinton will be the featured speaker tonight at the Democratic National Convention (after the roll-call and nomination process). Clinton is expected to discuss foreign policy, and his aides told the Times "he intends to deliver an impassioned plea for Democratic unity." However, much has been made of the fact that the former president has made remarks suggesting skepticism for Obama's chances. Clinton will not be at Invesco Field on Thursday when Obama finally gives his acceptance speech--reportedly because he "doesn't want to detract from Obama." Politico looks at the Clinton-Obama drama, noting things each side could have, should have done to unite the party and Doonesbury has a funny comic about it.
Reader Anthony just sent in this image from Cookshop, on the corner of 10th Avenue and 20th Street, saying that "diners with plates in hand abandoned their al fresco dining as thick black choking smoke headed towards the Cookshop." No word yet on whether they returned to settle their bills.
Before people flee the city for Buffalo, they enter it with wide eyes and big hopes. The NY Times looks at what it's like for newbies, who will either be crushed by the city, or embrace it. Just how many fresh transplants are amongst us? The Census for 2006 showed "nearly 77,000 people in their 20s had been in the city for a year or less" -- a number that's likely doubled since the Sex and the City movie came out (unsubstantiated!). While many newcomers find comfort in the skyline they've seen in countless tv shows and movies, others are defeated by a lack of funds and friends. And then there's the rudeness; one claimed he "is still trying to stomach what feels to him like a whole new brand of rude." The same fella has a childhood fear of taxis, and says “I always thought any time I got into taxis they were going to kidnap me, and I was going to die."
It's been a while since we've chimed in on the happenings at Momofuku Ko, so take your medicine. You'll no doubt recall how chef David Chang's 12-seat restaurant is impossible to get reservations for, unless you're willing to ho yourself out through Craigslist. But now it may be a teensy bit easier to get in because the joint will soon be opening for a 16-course "lunch tasting menu." The bad news is that it costs $150 per person and lasts three hours, excluding all but the most idle bon vivants. But for those who do qualify, a blogger for Bon Appetit was able to preview the menu and has posted the first detailed account of all 16 courses. Bacon dashi with bacon fat poached shrimp, anyone? [Via Eater.]
On a few blocks of Keap Street in Williamsburg yesterday it was 1973. No it wasn’t a highly localized distortion of the space time continuum, but the US version of Life on Mars filming.
The show, based on the brilliant BBC show of the same name, will follow NYPD Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) who wakes up in 1973 after a car accident and has to deal with 1970s policing techniques and an old style cop named Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel) leading a team of detectives including one played by Michael Imperioli.
There is an image gallery to this entry which you can view at Gothamist
However, the American version of show has gotten off to a rocky start. The original Los Angeles set and filmed pilot, backed by David E. Kelly, featured O’Mara as Tyler and Star Trek veteran Colm Meaney as Hunt. Something was definitely lost in translation with a version that was leaked onto the Internet.
A new production team took over and thanks to some incentives signed into law by Governor Patterson, the show shifted coasts and as side benefits the show was able to tap the deeper pool of New York acting talent and have the city act as another character.
During the filming yesterday, the only stars visible were Keitel and O’Mara, but there was a fleet of vintage cars complete with vintage license plates and inspection stickers to provide a proper seventies feel. The only give away would be the modern white on green street signs instead of the period signs which were color coded by borough, although a crew member said they would likely be digitally added in post production.
So will the show wind up like so many other terrific British programmes that didn't make it over the pond properly? We'll find out when the show debuts on October 9th at 10 p.m on ABC.
The Department of Health estimates that, per the Sun, "72 out of every 100,000 New Yorkers contracted HIV in 2006, compared to 23 out of every 100,000 individuals around the country." The new statistics are based on a new model the CDC uses to track infections, which led the agency to find the rate of infection was actually 40% higher. In the past year, the NYC DOH has said HIV diagnoses were rising among young gay men and up in high schoolers. Most recently, the DOH wants to test every adult in the Bronx for HIV, because the borough has the higher AIDS-related death rate in the city.
With activists and citizen journalists pouring into Minneapolis in advance of the Republican National Convention (which starts September 1st), police there are already getting warmed up for what's sure to be another full-frontal assault on the bill of rights – which won't surprise anyone who protested the GOP's last convention in New York City.
Late Monday night three videographers from the New York-based Glass Bead Collective were detained by Minneapolis police officers, who spent about an hour questioning them and searching their belongings. In the end, they were released without charges, but they say officers confiscated a number of personal belongings, including their video and computer equipment, cell phones and clothing.
According to the group's lawyer, they were walking from a bus stop to the place they were staying in Northeast Minneapolis around 2 a.m. on Tuesday when two Minneapolis squad cars stopped them. They were first told that there had been car break-ins in the area, then the officers frisked them, photographed them and questioned them individually about their travel plans and what they intended to report on. “We kept saying we do not consent to any search,” Anita Brathwaite told the Twin Cities Daily Planet. To make matters worse, the group claims that police refused to give them a receipt for their equipment and personal belongings.
According to a statement released by the Lawyers Guild assisting protesters in Minneapolis, police asserted that "they were allowed to conduct the search and seizure under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security due to security risks leading up to the Republican National Convention." (The police report obtained by Daily Planet lists an unspecified "Homeland Security Offense.") The videographers had been walking by a railroad, and Daily Planet reports that police were seeking a warrant to search the items for evidence of trespassing in a railroad yard, a misdemeanor offense, but a lawyer tells us all their belongings have been returned, except for some cash and Brathwaite's license.
The Glass Bead Collective was instrumental in obtaining and publicizing a video last month that showed an New York police officer bodyslamming a cyclist to the curb during a Critical Mass bike ride. The NYPD has been advising police departments in Denver and Minneapolis on how to handle protesters during the protests.
Could it really be that Manhattan's obscene rents are becoming ever-so-slightly less obscene? That's the Observer's perception, and they've got market reports from the Real Estate Group New York [REGNY] indicating that rents on studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments are lower this summer than last. According to REGNY, in June the average rent for a Manhattan two-bedroom apartment in a non-doorman building was $3,950, 6.5 percent less than in June 2007. All this has the COO of REGNY, Daniel Baum, wringing his hands: "We never have a weak August; it is supposed to be one of the strongest months of the year. It is not a good indicator that the market is down in the strongest season of the year."
While he didn't have a prime time speaking spot like Senator Hillary Clinton did, Governor David Paterson did get a chance to speak at the Democratic National Convention yesterday. It was only for 4 minutes at 5:50 p.m. (and his theme music was "New York, New York"), but he made the best of it, even joking during applause and chants of his name during his entrance, "Thank you, my time is up!"
The NY Times reports that though the Pepsi Center "was not even half full," the New York delegation turned out in force. Paterson, who memorized his speech, spoke about his blindness and the need to help disabled people with economic opportunities. He said, "Let's give [Republicans] four more months and then elect Barack Obama." Here's a transcript of his speech; video is after the jump.
Paterson has been stirring things up in Albany while he's in Denver. At an event for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, he thanked the Speaker for helping with budget cuts and said the Republican-controlled Senate blocked many cuts, leading State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to invoke the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." Paterson was also calling State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) "Majority Leader" in Denver.
MOVIE: This is the second summer screening around town of Stand By Me, but it deserves two showings in one season. Head over to Tompkins Square Park after work to catch Gordie Lachance & Co.; the movie was based on Stephen King's story, The Body. If you forgot how much you loved this movie, watch the trailer.
6 p.m. // Tompkins Square Park // Free
BBQ: Join the Finger on the Pulse crew as they serve up one final portion of BBQ for the summer. Sam Mason (of Dinner With The Band and Tailor) will be preparing a feast, guest djs will be at the decks, and the Heartschallanger Ice Cream Truck will be parked outside. There will also be a $5 drink special that includes a beer and a shot of Le Tourment Vert Absinthe.
MUSIC: Our interviewees, The Virgins, are at Santos' Party House tonight, but there's also the Passion Pit (we warned you to get tickets last week) over at Pianos. Get there early unless you want to be stuck in the hallway watching.
7:30 p.m. // Pianos [158 Ludlow St] // $8
THEATER: The excellent Ontological Incubator series is almost over; this week's penultimate production is Heavenly Robe, Carmonk and Blackhole, in which Japanese artist Yuto Kurosaka leads the group Y + Utopia "in a video and dance infused work, utilizing classical Japanese Noh and Kyogen archetypes by turns sexy, funny and grotesque. Heavenly Robe, Carmonk and Blackhole plays with the fantastical and obsessed Noh characters, Angel, Devil and Demon Lady. Dance can be found in the video, shot in Japan (which includes the extraordinary Noh performer, Norikazu Konparu), as well as onstage." – John Del Signore
8 p.m. // Ontological Theater at St. Mark's Church [131 East 10th Street] // $17
Another day, another Andy Warhol lawsuit. The NY Sun has the latest on artist John Chamberlain, who has been claiming he owned a piece by the artist, titled 315 Johns. However, a former Warhol assistant, Gerard Malanga, says he created the piece. What's the connection? Malanga says he stored the work at Chamberlain's apartment, and sometime around the year 2000 the latter submitted it to the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, who dubbed it an original! "In 2004, Mr. Malanga claims, he ran into Mr. Chamberlain, who told him that he had sold the work as an authentic Warhol, for $5 million." The Supreme Court of the State of New York judge says the Warhol board's decision isn't binding on the court, however. Malanga is seeking to be compensated or to have the piece returned...or for his 15 minutes? His lawyer also noted that this case "once again raises questions about the competence and integrity of the Warhol authentication board." Burn!
From the Gothamist Newsmap: A construction accident on West 14th St in Manhattan, a suspicious package at Jay & Fulton Streets in Brooklyn and a sexual assault at Sutphin Blvd & 110 Ave in Queens.
Police are looking for a woman who stabbed a man on a downtown train near the Times Square station. She fled on a subway and it's unclear if the victim knew his attacker.
A soon-to-be 10-year-old is suing his Little League in Connecticut because they won't let him pitch--he has a 40 mph fastball!
A Westchester County man and his son were charged with animal cruelty after police suspected he bought $3,600 worth of animals to use in a religious sacrifice.
Some NJ beaches were shut down again due to medical waster washing up on the shores.
A 24-year-old man was charged with three counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime. Police says Joseph Papapietro, 24, allegedly drove into three Mexican owned businesses on Port Richmond Avenue on Staten Island last week. Police arrested him after noticing the broken tail light on his red pickup truck (witnesses said the driver was in a red pickup) and the Advance reports that Papapietro "made incriminating statements" during questioning. Cocaine residue was also found in his vehicle. The merchants are happy he was arrested, but worry about others who may bear ill will.
Today is shaping up to be a beautiful late-summer day. A high pressure system centered over Montreal will keep all but a few high clouds from the storm system formerly known as Fay well to the south of the city. The high today will be in the mid- to upper-70s. The warming from more southerly winds tomorrow will likely be balanced by more clouds to once again have a high in the mid- to upper-70s.
Friday's high will approach 80 degrees but it should be a mostly cloudy day. Saturday will feature the first chance of rain in two weeks. At the moment the rain is shaping up to be hit-or-miss showers and thunderstorms. The latter two-thirds of the Labor Day weekend is looking sweet: Sunny with highs in the low-80s.
In the tropics, the oddly named Tropical Storm Gustav (is Sweden hit by hurricanes?) dumped up to 25 inches of rain, killing at least five people, on Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is now headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. Gustav is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by tomorrow and become a category 3 storm, with winds of 111-130 miles an hour, once it enters the Gulf. The storm is currently headed westward but is expected to take a northward turn toward New Orleans over the next few days. This weekend is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall near the Big Easy.
You may recall that back in July our tap water placed 2nd in a tap water taste test, coming in behind Bethpage (wherever that is). Well, we've been vindicated, because at the NY State Fair in Syracuse--we placed 1st! The New York State Department of Health has announced that NYC "won the coveted title for best-tasting drinking water in New York over 150 other municipal water systems during the final competition." However, they note it's a "nonscientific competition," and the Health Commissioner downplayed the achievement by declaring:"Considering that NYC's water comes from reservoirs in Delaware, Greene, Ulster, Putnam, Westchester, Schoharie, Sullivan and Dutchess counties, these counties are also winners." Whatever, the blue ribbon is all ours...along with the A grade Riverkeeper gave us for tap water back in May.
The $4.2 million project (which included a new pathway and restored iron stairway between the bridge and a water tower) is part of a $60 million plan to restore the High Bridge as part of Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative. The Mayor said, "I’d like to think that the High Bridge will do for uptown and the Bronx what the High Line is going to do to revitalize the neighborhoods along the Hudson River.”
It's expected the High Bridge restoration will be complete in 2012. However, some critics worry that maintaining the park will be an issue, as city funding to the parks department has decreased. More about the High Bridge at Forgotten NY, which reminds us it's actually the oldest bridge connecting two boroughs (it was built in 1848!).
A photographer with the AP snapped this shot of a local entrepreneur prospecting for coins in the City Hall fountain. The Post has no details about how much the individual raked in, or how much hepatitis he picked up, but an NYPD spokesman says that, unlike Italy, it's actually perfectly legal to submerge oneself in the city's fountains to gather change and steal all the heartfelt wishes and prayers attached to them. And what about the maintenance workers who presumably use all the coins for a year-end pizza party? They have only themselves to blame for not diving in there sooner; this is NYC, baby. As E.B. White wrote, "No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky." Unidentified fountain dredger, we salute you!
After two days of speculation, given the season-ending injury of defensive end Osi Umenyiora, retired Giant Michael Strahan will stay retired. He told Fox Sports, "I wish I could've had different news for Giants fans, but I've known for awhile I'm done...After long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired," and said he couldn't "commit 100% physically, mentally, emotionally." Currently, the plan is to move linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka to defensive end. In other Strahan news, a three-judge panel says his child support payments should be recalculated, because things like diamond jewelry to the children's grandmother and a 10-day trip to the Bahamas for the children's nanny and her family were found to be questionable.
This week Frank Bruni files two shorter reviews for the Times instead of handing down his usual hefty decision on a single restaurant. He heads east to follow up on Sushi Yashuda on 43rd Street, declaring that from the time it opened "more than eight years ago, when William Grimes awarded it three stars in The New York Times, it has been among the best. And a recent visit suggested that there’s been no slippage, no drift."On the other hand, the expensive new urban rustic restaurant Forge, the premiere of Marc Forgione (son of famous chef Larry Forgione), is stillborn: Like Ziggy Marley or Sofia Coppola, Marc Forgione has chosen to follow in some daunting paternal footsteps... I found the kitchen’s performance inconsistent, and on one visit the wait for food was ridiculously long, especially since the restaurant wasn’t crowded. It has scores of seats to fill, most alluringly in its spacious bar area. There you can enjoy house cocktails mixed with real thought, not just sops to the fashion of the times."
Elsewhere in the Times, Julia Moskin surveys the food at various fancy cocktail lounges around town like Employees Only. For the Village Voice, Robert Sietsema goes way out in Brooklyn for great deals on seafood of "unspeakable freshness and size... The salt breezes that blow off Sheepshead Bay and into the open front of Yiasou ("Cheers") make it an incredibly pleasant place to dine... Unfortunately, it's better to get your vegetables some other way than the salads, which come dressed with a balsamic vinegar that must have gotten as lost as Ulysses on its way from Italy to America." And his colleague Sarah DiGregorio, despite some criticisms, seconds our recommendation of the somewhat overpriced Macondo (pictured), which serves high-concept iterations of Latin street food.
Paul Adams at the Sun likes Socarrat on West 19th Street for not putting on airs with its tapas: "Nothing at the restaurant is startling or gimmicky: Every dish is straightforward and calculated to please rather than to impress." And Danyelle Freeman at the Daily News is beguiled by the desserts at Parlor Steakhouse: "Each dessert is really two desserts in one. The sour-cream cheesecake is the tart offspring of cheesecake and panna cotta, crowned with curls of candied lemon. (It's also served with honey ice cream.) The chocolate ganache cake is a collision between fudge and a flourless souffle, which is the best kind of collision you could hope for."
The NYPD will have 
The superstar athlete is tapped to 
The investigation into the 
Sure, there's a lot of prefab housing on display 
After his wife's 
Before people flee the city 
It's been a while since we've chimed in on the happenings at 
The Department of Health estimates that, 
With activists and citizen journalists pouring into Minneapolis in advance of the Republican National Convention (which starts September 1st), police there 
Could it really be that Manhattan's obscene rents are becoming ever-so-slightly less obscene? That's 
While he didn't have a prime time speaking spot like 
MOVIE: This is the second summer screening around town of Stand By Me, but it deserves two showings in one season. Head over to 
Another day, another Andy Warhol lawsuit. 
A 24-year-old man was 
You may recall that 
Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials 
A photographer with the AP snapped this shot of a local entrepreneur prospecting for coins in the City Hall fountain. 
After 
This week Frank Bruni files two shorter reviews for the Times instead of handing down his usual hefty decision on a single restaurant. He heads east