Results tagged “chelsea”

Just weeks after trouncing Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York) to be re-elected as Council Speaker, Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) stripped Barron of his position chairing the Higher Education Committee. In a near repeat of the 48-1 vote in the Speaker race, the Council voted 47-1 to demote Barron. In both instances, Barron cast the only vote in his favor. more ›

After 30 years in business, Frank's Deli on Ninth Avenue near 20th Street is closing, and the locals are bereft. "People have been coming in in tears," local Nick Fritsch tells Chelsea Now. Coffee still costs 25 cents, and you can get a sandwich for under four bucks. The building's new owner has informed the deli's eponymous 80-year-old operator, Francisco Lobelle, a.k.a. Frank, that his lease would not be renewed. "It’s just devastating for the neighborhood," says Barney Karpfinger, a local literary agent. "One of the things that makes New York great are these small, personal places. Frank’s was gathering place for everybody in the neighborhood—people from projects, rich people who own fancy apartments, people from the seminary and everybody in between. He is just a decent, unfailingly polite, kind and funny guy." more ›

The city has put its pest infestation statistics online, allowing New Yorkers to see just how vermin-ridden our neighborhoods really are. The new Environmental Public Health Tracking Portal allows visitors to create maps depicting the percentages of households infested by roaches as well as rats and mice. more ›

A group of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost loved ones in the inexorable conflict have united to present a traveling exhibit of editorial cartoons that address the situation. The show, called "Cartoons in Conflicts," opened in Chelsea last night, and organizers say the cartoons are "meant to promote peace, tolerance and understanding... portraying complicated and challenging ideas with just a few penstrokes." Some of the 40 artists involved include Nobel laureate Pat Oliphant, Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Morin, syndicated political cartoonist Jeff Danziger, and The New Yorker's Liza Donnelly, as well as international artists No Rio of Japan, Plantu of France, El-Roto of Spain. more ›

Check out the lipstick on this pig factory farm cow: McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud says this McDonald's location on Sixth Avenue between 14th and 15th streets is the first in the nation to get a so-called "urban redesign." It has free Wi-Fi and laptop outlets, upholstered vinyl chairs instead of seats bolted to the floor, subdued lighting, and all-black uniforms for employees. The metrosexual look is, naturally, de rigueur in Europe, but like something out of another world for us boorish Americans. One customer tells the Associated Press it's "beautiful" and more "like a lounge"—but with the same revolting "food." more ›

The iconic Empire Diner in Chelsea is being taken over by the team that operates the obnoxiously fashionable but beautifully staffed Coffee Shop in Union Square. The owner of the property will not be renewing the lease with Renata Gonzalez, who's operated the classic diner for over three decades. Instead, the Gotham City Restaurant Group will replace Gonzalez with a 15-year lease rumored to be in the $25,000 per month range. Gonzalez says she's trying to get the new owner to keep some of the current employees, some of whom have been there for as long as her, but that seems unlikely. The name's changing too, but that hasn't been revealed yet. more ›

Deep fried bacon: It's a thing, as you can see here. Does the photo make your stomach turn or growl? If the latter, you can experience this dish for yourself at The Red Cat in Chelsea, where bacon tempura has reappeared on the menu after a couple years' absence. Why deep fry bacon? If you have to ask, you've lost sight of the American dream. Why now? The dish, which costs $10, was featured on the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate," and popular demand led to a re-baconcarnation on the menu. This is why the terrorists will never win. [Via Grub Street] more ›

Will the standard Hawaiian shirt uniform of Trader Joe's employees soon be hitting Chelsea? Reportedly the store is in discussions to open a shop at the Mattel Building, located at 675 Sixth Avenue, between 21st and 22nd streets. That's only 11 blocks from the flagship TJ's in Union Square, but we doubt this will help with that laborious line. more ›

Believe it or not, we don't publish every egregious bike lane blocking photo that lands in our inbox, but this one's just too delicious to pass up. Taken on the Eighth Avenue bike lane, which is separated from traffic by a row of parking, exhibit A shows a Rite Aid tractor trailer transforming the bike lane into an unloading zone. The reader who sent it tells us this was by the Rite Aid on West 20th Street. Though it's probably tempting for cyclists to react self-riteously to such a photo, one wonders how businesses are supposed to receive deliveries with such a bike lane design. Certainly, they can't be expected to park around the corner and use a hand truck! more ›

A woman leaving a Chelsea nightclub escaped a kidnapping that could have gotten a lot worse by jumping out of the moving car she had been pulled into as it sped away down Ninth Avenue. The 21-year-old who had been partying at Club Velour on 10th Avenue is not revealing her identity, but allowed her picture to be published in the Post. more ›

The two young women who were busted for scoring cocaine at Chelsea nightclubs and accused of reselling it throughout their FIT dorms look like they might have run into some good fortune due to some admitted sloppiness by the DA's office. Mickenzie Dippenworth and Christine Scafa turned down plea bargains of six months in jail for last November's coke bust. The Post reveals that investigators have admitted that they are missing $200 in "buy" money, transcripts of the contents of more than 15 text messages between the two women and the undercover cops who nailed them, and expense reports detailing how much buy money the undercovers put in their pockets. The pair have said that the cocaine sale was just the natural next step when meeting two undercover cops at the hotspot Home who claimed to be ultimate fighters and bragged about their penis sizes. The trial is set to begin this week. more ›

The business group spearheading what they hope to be the next era of the Limelight—retail—presented its plans to a local community board this week and were met with a great deal of skepticism and suspicion. The Limelight Marketplace group is hoping to put a mini-mall into the onetime church whose eye-catching building along Sixth Avenue in the Chelsea is only eclipsed by the stories of the drug-fueled and freak-filled nights that went on inside its walls during its era as one of clubland meccas of the '80s and early '90s. But instead of being eager to welcome in retail stores to replace the bad reputation of Peter Gatien's club, the Flatiron community board instead came off sounding like Reverend Moore in , expressing fears that the new plan was a ruse to return to days past. The Board Landmark Chairman recommended rejecting the proposal because he worried that the retail proposal is "one big dodge to get a club going there." He also pointed to a large empty space in the floor plan that would be "perfect for dancing." The development group denied they had any intention of shaking up their plans, only saying about the new space, "There's going to be nothing else like it." more ›

Early yesterday evening, a man was shot on West 17th Street, near 9th Avenue, in Chelsea. The Daily News reports that the shooting occurred "shortly after the unidentified victim parked his car in front of the Fulton Houses around 6 p.m.," when the man "got into an argument on the street with two guys... The argument escalated, someone started shooting, hitting the victim twice in the torso and once in the leg." A crew member getting the street ready for the Monday filming of a film starring Queen Latifah and Common was at 17th St. & 10th Ave.—he told the News that by the time he go to the victim, "He yelled, 'Help! Help!' The neighbors kept saying, 'Get up!' Then the ambulance came." The victim is in stable condition at St. Vincent's Hospital. The News notes that the car the victim had just parked is registered to East Harlem resident Prince Harris, but "it was unclear if Harris was the victim." more ›

Bia Garden: The latest addition to Michael "Bao" Huynh's empire is this Vietnamese beer garden, tucked away out of sight behind a nondescript take-out joint on the Lower East Side. After passing through what looks like a walk-in refrigerator, you'll find yourself in a 50-seat garden oasis, complimented by 10 seats of indoor dining. Huynh, the man behind BarBao, Pho Sure, and Baoguette, has put together a beverage list consisting of only Asian beers by the can or bottle, served in coolers and left for each table. A circulating pushcart dispenses $5 bites, and the Vietnamese street-food menu is divided into Small Dishes, Medium Dishes, Big Dishes and Side Dishes. These include Duck Nem Sausage with pine nut and anchovy sauce; BBQ Rib on Lamb Belly; and Crispy Whole Sole, which is prepared with king mushroom, lily bulb, and ginger sauces, and served wrapped in newspaper. (Though Bia Garden was expected to open this week, we're now told that next week is more likely.) 154 Orchard Street, (212) 780-0010 more ›

The nighclub Marquee is back in the news after a Queens construction worker was indicted today for kidnapping a passed-out woman at the club, taking her home and raping her. In March, Luiz Zambrano, 39, allegedly found the inebriated 23-year-old passed out on a couch in the Chelsea hotspot where DA Robert Morgenthau says, "(He) approached the woman and began kissing her." He added that Zambrano then began dragging her and dropped the woman where she "fell headfirst into a wall and crumpled on the floor," but no one at Marquee assisted her. Zambrano put her in a cab that took them to his car and then drove to his College Point apartment, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her twice. During the second assault, the woman regained consciousness; the victim was able to lead the cops to Zambrano's house. The police also found that DNA left on the victim matched the "DNA found on another woman who said she'd been assaulted (at Marquee)." Zambrano, who was convicted of harassing a woman last year, pleaded not guilty and is out on $30,000 bail. Marquee was in the news last year when a woman disappeared after leaving there with a convicted sex offender. more ›

Our earlier photo gallery looked at the buildings and benches of the High Line- let's take a closer look at some of the pretty flowers! [PS: if you're going to visit the High Line and take some pictures, tag them Gothamist on Flickr-- we'll post the best ones tomorrow or Wednesday.] more ›

The High Line is set to open on some closely-guarded secret date (though we hear it's around June 15th), and until then, it's the A list, the rich, and Kevin Bacon only! Curbed has some shots up provided by an insider at a special event that took place on the Line last night, and included guests like Martha Stewart, Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. For the rest of us non-celebs, we'll have to be content with these various spy cam shots, and maybe this recent interview with the founders of Friends of the High Line, who teamed up all those years ago to save and re-purpose the defunct elevated train line. more ›

A Chelsea co-op's attempt to evict a family over its "gassy" Neapolitan Mastiff has been thrown out by a judge. In January, the Post detailed the plight of the Lyons family, who were shunned and hated by their neighbors—including CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien— because their mastiff Ugo is smelly. Though the West 26th building allows pets, the co-op board (with board secretary O'Brien) became fed up and moved to evict the Lyonses, who tried to address the issue by grooming him three times a month and spraying him with deodorizer. Now the Post reveals that Ugo can stay because the Lyonses "were not properly served in the suit." The Lyonses' lawyer said, "The board is trying to evict a family, and it can't even serve the initial papers correctly. Maybe the board should be put on a leash." Since news of Ugo's plight attracted many supporters, O'Brien has suffered a bit of opposition; she resigned from the co-op board in February, explaining, "After discussions with neighbors and others, [my husband] and I have become increasingly concerned about my personal safety." The Post also has a chart comparing O'Brien's and Ugo's characteristics. more ›

How has Chelsea hotspot Marquee thrived for over five years when the average lifespan of a nightclub is 18 months? A Harvard business class that got an inside look at the inner workings of the club says that much of Marquee's success comes from tightening their velvet rope. Anita Elverse used the sometimes infamous nightclub as a case study for her Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries MBA class. She said, "When you've invested a few million just launching a club, it's tempting to say, 'OK, we might not be around for a long time. We have to get high-paying customers in.' But that's the easiest way to ruin the brand of a club." The associate professor acknowledged that a 1,300 percent markup on a bottle of vodka doesn't hurt either. Elverse's class was split down the middle on whether Marquee should cash in the chips in the current economic climate—for all its success, it made just $2.4 million in profit in 2007. more ›

Jonathan Salva, 20, was indicted on rape charges for the February incident where a woman walking on West 28th was grabbed, choked and raped behind a Dumpster. The victim had just left the M2 Ultra nightclub around 4 a.m.; Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "She had an iPhone, she was listening to music, and she didn't hear him come up behind her." Salva had stolen the woman's iPhone, but left his cell phone at the scene, which the victim gave to cops. Salva also used his home address and old cell phone number when trying to get a new phone. He previously admitted to stealing the iPhone, but denied raping the woman. Salva, held on $250,000 bail, was also charged with four counts of robbery. more ›

Another weekend, another violent incident at a nightclub. Earlier this morning, four people were stabbed at Chelsea nightclub Promenade, on West 28th between 7th and 8th Avenues. The AP reports, "Police say four men were stabbed during a dispute that broke out at about 4:30 Sunday morning," and WABC 7 has a few more details: "Two patrons and four of the club's workers got into some sort of scuffle as the patrons exited the club...A fight broke out, and police say one patron stabbed four of the workers." The victims are in stable conditions while two suspects were arrested. Charges are pending. more ›

A middle school in Chelsea sent out an apology email to parents after some its students accidentally received condoms at a health fair this week. One seventh grader at Clington Middle School said that students were yelling in the halls after 25 out of 250 of them found a golden ticket (of STD prevention) in the goodie bags given out by The Ryan Medical Center. The health care provider said that it was the first time an error like this—against DOE policy—had occurred. One student said, "I kind of freaked out. "I turned to my friend and said, 'What do I do with this?' and I gave it to someone. I wasn't going to keep it." After receiving the email, one parent, who said that she is teaching abstinence only, checked in with her 13-year-old. The mom told CBS 2, "I said, 'Did you receive a condom?' And he said 'No, I got a lollipop,' so it was like oh, OK." more ›

A man who allegedly raped a woman leaving a West 28th Street club early Saturday morning was arrested by police. And the rape victim helped cops nab her attacker because he dropped his cell phone. According to the Post, Jonathan Salva "admitted to robbing, choking and punching the woman but denied raping her." He allegedly told cops, "I saw the girl walking... She was beautiful," before dragging her behind a dumpster and assaulting her. The Daily News reports, "In the struggle, Salva dropped his cell phone. The victim spotted it and gave it to cops," and the Post adds that Salva used his home address and old cell phone number when trying to get a new one. He is being held on $250,000 bail. more ›

Earlier this month a fire in the Chelsea building housing the PPOW gallery resulted in heavy water and smoke damage, just as an exhibit of Dutch artist Tuen Hocks's work was about to open. Co-owner Wendy Olsoff told Art Info that while the exhibition space and office were "completely demolished," Hocks's photographs, drawings, and videos survived "mostly" intact. Which is good news, because the artist's striking and surreal photography is well-worth checking out at a new location at 511 West 25th Street, Room 301, through February 7th. more ›

A man was caught stealing an $85,000 nude painting from a Chelsea gallery when he attempted to resell it the next day. 41-year-old Robert Fahey went to DJT Fine Art Gallery and pulled the old "fire some questions at the manager and ask to see something in the back," followed by the "grab the painting and run like hell" move once the gallery manager was out of sight. But within twenty-four hours, cops got a tip that Fahey was already trying to hock "Blue Nude #10" and arrested him at his Woodside home. The Post points out more than once that the theft was nothing like Pierce Brosnan's Thomas Crown Affair, but fails to mention how close it was to the methods utilized by AC Slater asking a sporting goods salesman for hogskin footballs in the "U2 Tickets" episode of Saved by the Bell. more ›

Restaurateurs the Cipriani family are no strangers to running on the wrong side of the law and now it appears that their next generation is ready to step in and carry on their troublesome traditions. 20-year-old Ignazio Cipriani and a friend were arrested for third-degree assault after sucker-punching a limo driver outside of Chelsea nightclub 1Oak. The young Cipriani had been drunkenly raising a ruckus when he was denied admission and soon decided to target the driver. After hitting the ground once he got clocked, the chauffer tells the Post, "My head was part way under a car, and I opened one eye and saw two guys kicking me." A lawyer for Cipriani told the press, "This is nothing more than a group of young people pushing and shoving in front of a nightclub. We don't see a crime here at all." The 10ak was last in the news over the summer for tossing unwanteds from the club—specifically employees who claimed they were fired because the owner "only wanted white girls working there." more ›

The Post reports that a family is fighting their Chelsea co-op to keep their beloved Mastiff—and that the co-op board secretary, CNN's Soledad O'Brien, is especially critical. Steven Lyons, who bought his 4,000 square-foot apartment in 2003, says, "[O'Brien] told me at a shareholder's meeting that my dog stinks." Ugo, a 150-pound mastiff, arrived in the Lyons household in 2007, but O'Brien noted his "size, slobbering, shedding, drooling, gassiness and odors" in an affidavit (the family gets him groomed three times a month and sprays him with a deodorizer). The co-op allows pets, but Lyons's wife Monica Nelson tells the Post that other board members hold their noses when they share the elevator with her—even when she's without the dog! The co-op board has terminated their lease, and the Lyonses may have to leave their apartment or get rid of Ugo. Interestingly, O'Brien put her apartment on the market last October—you can see it and her cat in this video. more ›

The two FIT students arrested last month for dealing cocaine say that they were just hooking friends up, not really dealing the drug. Seniors Mickenzie Dippenworth and Christine Scafa pleaded not guilty in court yesterday to drug-sale charges. They were arrested after allegedly selling coke to two undercover cops they met at the Chelsea nightclub Home near their FIT dorms. But a statement in court yesterday fro Scafa stated, "The only time that she supplied cocaine to anyone else is her friends. She did not turn a profit and only did it to 'hook up' her friends." Scafa claims that she began using cocaine as a freshman with DIppenworth. As for Dippenworth, her alibi was "that she made $80 once from selling drugs and that was her first time." Cops say the pair sold them a little under $1300 in cocaine. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years. The two young women—along with their accused supplier Raymond Alameda—will be back in court in March. more ›

As two young women were led out of FIT student housing in handcuffs last night after getting busted for running a coke ring, the only emotions revealed from their faces came from having a case of the giggles. When they spotted reporters out front of their West 31st Street dorms following the arrests of the two as well as their supplier on multiple counts of cocaine possession and sale, 22-year-old Christine Scafa laughed and said, "Oh my God, are you guys serious? We're not Plaxico Burress!" This triggered her 21-year-old partner in crime Mickenzie Dippenworth to zing back, "Well, I'm a Plaxico Burress fan." Like her fallen idol, Dippenworth was no stranger to the city club scene, where she originally sold cocaine to an undercover cop at nearby hotspot Home. That led to a series of undercover purchases as police gathered evidence of the two dealing to a number of fellow FIT students. The Post says that both were from "very good backgrounds:" Scafa ran in this year's NYC Marathon and Dippenworth was once a girl scout. UPDATE: FIT's president sent an email to the school community: "this situation appears to be an isolated incident and involves no others on campus." more ›

As the investigation continues for the missing body of Laura Garza, the 25-year-old last seen leaving the nightclub Marquee early Wednesday morning, the details that have come in are not very pretty. Police are still searching around the Wallkill home of Michael Mele, the Quizno's franchise owner and convicted sex offender Garza was last spotted leaving the club with. Yesterday they found a woman's shoe near Mele's apartment in the dumpster he was seen scouring through in recent days, a piece of cloth resembling women's undergarments in a nearby shrub and bite marks and scratches on Mele himself. more ›