Results tagged “photos”

Reports of suspicious packages and bomb scares come over the police scanner so frequently that they've become almost routine, so we weren't even going to bother you with this latest scare, which briefly shut down a small area of midtown outside the Sheraton Hotel on the corner of 53rd and Seventh. But then a reader (who requests anonymity) sent us these stellar photos, so here you go: a fairly up-close look at how a suspicious package becomes an innocuous pile of crap. Or maybe this is all just part of some viral marketing Oscar campaign for The Hurt Locker? Either way, could everybody please stop leaving their stuff lying around so we don't have to bring the city to a screeching halt every hour?

News sources are predicting that yesterday’s earthquake near Port-au-Prince may have killed thousands of Haitians, but there’s still no clear estimate on how many are dead. (The Red Cross fears thousands dead and millions more affected; so far more than 100 people are missing in the rubble, according to the U.N.) “Bodies lay in the streets of Haiti’s devastated capital early Wednesday, and untold numbers of people remained trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings and leveled shantytown homes,” reported the New York Times. They say it’s the worst earthquake to hit the country in more than 200 years. Alan Le Roy, chief of UN peacekeeping forces, told The AP, “We know there will be casualties, but we cannot give figures for the time being.” The United States and other nations will begin sending foreign aid.

Suddenly we loooove Chihuahuas, those dainty dogs with the bulging eyes we always dismissed as maddening yap machines. (Apparently, they don't do that if you train them right.) Yesterday we barely survived a cute attack when Virgin America released photos of 15 Chihuahuas walking a red carpet to their flight from San Francisco to NYC, where they're being put up for adoption because of Chihuahua overcrowding in shelters. Now there's video of the flying Chihuahuas.

In 1947, The New Yorker published a ten page profile on an Upper East Side grocer named Harry Dubin, who was one of the first guys in the neighborhood to get a TV. The article's author spent time with Dubin and his family, observing how the salt of the earth received this technological marvel. But with no one around to reblog it, the article was forgotten for decades—until 1993, when writer Jeff Kisseloff rediscovered it and, on a whim, decided to look up Harry Dubin and request an interview. Kismet, and these charming photos, ensued, eventually leading to an exhibit at The Museum of the City of New York! As Kisseloff tells it:

Two days after a second devastating fire destroyed several businesses in the Norwood section of The Bronx, a Mercedes Benz registered to controversial State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. was observed illegally parked in front of a fire hydrant with a Police Vehicle Identification placard in the window. The Benz was noticed by Boogie Downer, whose photos were then picked up by the permanently galled Uncivil Servants blog (which specializes in photos of parking placard abuse). Police parking permits are not typically issued to legislators, and parking at a hydrant is illegal at all times, even for those with official permits.

In November, Soho's popular French-Moroccan mainstay Cafe Gitane opened up a new location in the controversial Jane Hotel. Things started out slowly with breakfast and lunch, but now the cheery cafe is open for dinner, starting tonight. The West Village outpost, which boasts lovely views of the Hudson River, is serving many of the favorites from the original Mott Street location, such as the appetizing Smoked Trout Salad with black lentils, walnuts, arugula, dried cranberries, avocado, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, shallots and vinaigrette ($14).

Yesterday a small but dedicated group of cyclists braved the brutal winter winds for the fifth annual Memorial Ride across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn to dedicate eleven "Ghost Bikes." The all-white bikes, a tragically common reminder of bicyclist fatalities, commemorate the estimated ten lives lost while bicycling in NYC during 2009. Linda Langergaard, whose son James Langergaard was killed biking across Queens Boulevard in August, said in a statement, "James was a wonderful part of so many lives and we miss him terribly. It hurts to know so many families are feeling the same loss as we are. It is so important that we come together to prevent these tragedies from ever happening to another family."

Glittery Central Park tourist trap and celebrity banquet hall Tavern on the Green will serve its last mediocre meal on New Year's Eve. Earlier this year, the current operators filed for bankruptcy after their license to run the restaurant was not renewed by the city, and next month artifacts such as silver candelabras, stone sculptures, art nouveau mirrors, and Tiffany lamp shades will go up on the auction block.

We already know the view from your window... but what does your December 25th look like? Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, send us your pics tomorrow! Ripping open presents, walking around the still snowy city, cooking dinner, going for Chinese food, watching your favorite holiday movie... we wanna see how you spend the day off. Send your photos to us (or tag them "Gothamist" at Flickr) and we'll publish a gallery of our favorite submissions this weekend. When you send your photo, please let us know if you would like to be credited, or remain anonymous.

Like Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, Inwood Hill Park has long been known as a popular spot for Santeria animal sacrifices. Joggers have reported seeing mutilated chickens tied to trees, and one assistant Parks Department gardener recently came forward to share her fun story about picking up animal remains in the park. These include decapitated turtles and roosters, plus a cow’s heart with magnets and a picture of a boy and a girl tied around it. Awww. Here's a slideshow of some of what she's found; it's really not as gross as it sounds, but probably not the best lunch accompaniment:

It wasn't the season's first snow, but the storm that brought 11 inches of powder to Central Park and even more to other boroughs and surrounding areas certainly lived up to expectations. The snowfall made the streets beautiful (at least temporarily until they get all slushy and nasty), and photographers took advantage. Send your snow photos to [email protected] or the Gothamist group Flickr.

Well, hello there! It looks like disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik has been prepping for prison by eating plenty of tossed salad. Recent Facebook photos show the convicted felon looking fit and fetching—a lot less Sergeant Schultz and a little more Kevin Spacey.

An unidentified male cop in the notorious Brooklyn South Narcotics unit allegedly took personal photos of a female drug suspect during multiple, unauthorized strip searches. Claudia Bova, 23, was arrested in a Coney Island drug sweep in June 2007, and taken to a building in downtown Brooklyn for booking. The officer allegedly told Bova he would have to perform a body search because there were no female officers available, in violation of an NYPD policy prohibiting cross-gender searches. Bova claims he led her to the bathroom and ordered her to lift up her shirt, "shake out her bra" and pull down her pants, according to court papers obtained by the Daily News. But it didn't end there!

Bike riders weren't the only ones demonstrating in the rain yesterday; in Times Square a small but annoying group gathered to protest a Congressional proposal to tax breast augmentations, facelifts, tummy tucks and other procedures, as a way to fund a health care bill. The protest was organized by an affluent Park Avenue plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen Greenberg, who was on hand holding a sign that read, "Washington leave our boobs alone." But this video of the small, shrill protest suggests that Greenberg might have his hands full trying to rally the masses.

It it's December, it must be time to visit Dyker Heights, that Brooklyn neighborhood famous for its transcendent Christmas light displays. The spectacle draws onlookers from around the world, and was immortalized in a truly hilarious documentary called Dyker Lights, which takes a priceless "behind-the-scenes" look at the predominantly Italian-American families during preparations for the annual festivities. (PBS will be broadcasting Dyker Lights again this year on Christmas Eve and Christmas day—it's not to be missed.)

At midnight on December 2nd, 1984, twenty-seven tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, immediately killing 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. According to Bhopal.net, "There was no warning, none of the plant's safety systems were working. In the city people were sleeping. They woke in darkness to the sound of screams with the gases burning their eyes, noses and mouths. They began retching and coughing up froth streaked with blood. Whole neighborhoods fled in panic, some were trampled, others convulsed and fell dead. People lost control of their bowels and bladders as they ran. Within hours thousands of dead bodies lay in the streets." And the water's still poisoned!

Click on the images for details on this week's new restaurants and bars, which include Baba, Ofrenda, Vintry Wine & Whiskey, and The Norry at Kampuchea—plus news on this weekend's free Ketel One Canteen, Marfa's terrific new chef, and a new menu at Aretsky’s Patroon.

Despite a steady rain, thousands of people amassed at Rockefeller Center last night for the annual tree lighting event. Besides the dramatic moment when the lights go from off to on, there were performances by Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, Jo Dee Messina, Barry Manilow, Shakira, The Muppets, and The Roots. Photographer Katie Sokoler got a bird's-eye view from Rockefeller Center's "620 Loft & Garden," where the Canadian Tourism Commission held an invite-only event intended to lure tourists to their country... by celebrating a classic New York tradition?

Graphic photos have surfaced from the recent murder on the D train. Photography student Paola Nuñez Solorio was on her way home with fellow students when Gerardo Sanchez allegedly stabbed Dwight Johnson because he wouldn't move his bag from an unoccupied seat to make room on the half-empty train. The two men did not know each other. Solorio took 120 photos during the murder, and today the Times has published four of them online. The images are very disturbing, as is Solorio's first-hand account of the murder:

Designed to evoke the kind of joint where you'd plant a revolver in the men's room in order to shoot a corrupt police captain, the East Side Social Club opened last night, from the family behind such winners as Employees Only and Macao Trading Co. Located on East 51st Street in the former Montparnasse space in The Pod Hotel, the club is divided into three distinct sections: a bar in front with Art Deco accents; a fine dining room with classic checkered tablecloths in the center; and an elevated, semi-private back room divided by ironwork. It's open from 6:45 a.m. to 4 a.m., giving the public the opportunity to conduct "business" at all hours. (For the record, it's not literally a "club.")

A tipster spotted this truck stuck under the Q train subway station on Avenue J in Midwood this morning around 8:45 a.m. We're told "the truck was all crumpled and the fire department had to come out." We're guessing at this point they're just waiting for a giant stick of butter.

This year the DOT reached a goal of adding 200 more miles of parking space bike lanes in NYC—but as every cyclist knows, these also double as sweet traffic lanes, loading/unloading zones, and parking lots. The danger in all this, of course, is that when a bike lane is blocked, bicyclists are forced to merge with auto traffic, sometimes causing accidents and fatalities.

Down at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center, this year's Canstruction exhibit is underway, with 100,693 cans being used to make ingenious sculptures to benefit City Harvest. All these sculptures were assembled in a single night, and yesterday the winners were announced, with jurors declaring "Feed the Bank (Piggy Bank)," by Arianna Braun Architects, PLLC, best in show. The award for Best Use of Labels went to the Beatles-inspired "We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends," by Ted Moudis Associates. Best Structural Ingenuity went to "A Fungus to Feed Us" by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects

Last week we noted the opening of a charming new restaurant/cocktail lounge/jazz bar called The Manhattan Inn in Greenpoint (located on Manhattan between Bedford and Nassau); but as you can see this place is so good looking it merits its own feature. This weekend we were actually lured there twice; the first visit was occasioned by our desire to wait out the Saturday afternoon rain and read over cocktails. The back room was uniquely suited for our purposes, and the Manhattan's Manhattan ($9) was as big and inviting as a heated private lap pool. (The classic specialty cocktail menu is from James Endicott, formerly of Per Se and Allen & Delancey, and there is also wine and craft beer on tap.)

Danny Meyer, the powerhouse behind such hits as Shake Shack and Eleven Madison Park, is almost done reinventing the downstairs space at Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel. The spot was formerly home to the failed upscale Chinese restaurant Wakiya; as you can see here Meyer's team has been busy transforming the dreary cave into a rustic bar and Italian trattoria. Dinner service starts tomorrow, and yesterday the main dining space, which seats 70, was filled with staffers training for the big debut.

Purgatorio, the new multi-level erotic haunted house from the people behind exclusive raunch den The Box, is open for business for just a few more days, disappearing permanently into oblivion after Halloween. We've already shown you the necrophilia promo video, but here's a closer look at some of what your $39.99 will get you. A couple weeks ago we were all set to attend the opening party hosted by Perez Hilton, but at the last minute we couldn't make it up to Times Square. Family emergency. NOT because we were scared... of just about everything in that last sentence.

In the same way that Radiohead's seminal album OK Computer perfectly articulated the industrialized world's millennial unease, one Gothamist reader's photograph of a rat stuck in an Upper West Side sidewalk has become a universal metaphor for the pitfalls of urban living. We are all rats, trapped by the, um, race—until the city swallows us up and turns our death into a ridiculous website meme. Our inbox continues to pile up with submissions from readers around the world, who are immortalizing the poor rodent's passing with Photoshop.

One of the season's more buzzed-about restaurant openings is The Breslin, which will soon be joining Stumptown in the trendy Ace Hotel in the Flatiron District. The hype in this case is not without reason, as the proprieters here are restaurateur Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield, of The Spotted Pig fame.

Saturday night's New York Wine and Food Festival dessert extravaganza, SWEET, wasn't a competition, but Anne Thorton's offering had people raving, and her table was cleaned out long before the night's end. So we're calling her the winner. Thorton's the pastry chef and event manager at Hotel Griffou, which has become both a trendy nightspot and critical punching bag (Pete Wells at the Times says, "I was treated worse each time I showed up.") We've never checked into Hotel Griffou, so we were pleasantly surprised to find Thorton's dessert—Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Pie—outshining chefs from such critical darlings as Locanda Verde and Per Se (not that their creations were anything to sneeze at, either.)

Most people dig good wine and food, so the New York Wine and Food Festival seems like a guaranteed winner, with myriad events over the weekend devoted to savoring both things to the max. But the word "festival" is a little more ambiguous, and depending on which event you attend, that last F in NYWFF can sometimes stand for "Fuuuuuckingcrowded!" Last night's kick-off at Chelsea Market was swarming with foodiots and not for the agoraphobic; at times it got so packed that the festive vibe almost turned surly—particularly when a certain someone elbowed that woman's wine glass. (Sorry!)