Urbanite

City Hall Dispatch: Mayor goes postal

2008-05-12T22:56:43Z

Video via Azi Mayor Bloomberg, never one to miss a chance to get snippy with reporters, unloaded on our Newsday colleague Michael Frazier at today’s Q and A. Frazier asked the mayor, “Mayor, you maintain that you kept a dialogue open with the Sean Bell demonstration–” And Bloomberg cut him off, ‘Maintain’ is a word I don’t think is appropriate, sir. Next time you have a question, you want to insinuate that I lie, just talk to the press secretary. I don’t think we have a question for you.” Frazier tried to jump in, but the mayor cut him off again, “We’ve finished it. ‘Maintain’ is a word that has an implication,” and was then heard muttering under his breath, “Got some nerve,” as he called on another reporter. We checked in with Frazier about what he intended to ask the mayor, and he said that his question was, “You have maintained that you kept an open dialog with Bell supporters. Do you intend on speaking at a Bell public forum held by a house judiciary committee or sending Ray Kelly or someone from the police department?” He said he wasn’t sure what set the mayor off, but that he had been waiting for days for an answer from the press office. “It’s really bizarre,” Frazier said --David Freedlander

Duly Noted

2008-05-12T21:20:46Z

* Hey you guys! The Electric Company is back and filming in the city. [Gawker] * And a Gawker dug up this child-mind-twisting Electric Company jewel. * And while we're on the subject of '70s television, Norman Lear just bought a $15 million pad at 15 Central Park West. Your years of watching "All in the Family" helped him pay for it. [Real Deal] * Farewell to the Tower of Toys. [Jeremiah and Times] * An old water tower collapses on West 54th Street, atop the old Sony Studios building. [Gothamist] * Nathan's Famous is now posting calorie information ... the damage isn't as bad as you think. [Kinetic Carnival] * Why do New Yorkers love to wait in line? We wait and then we are? An interesting essay. [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York] * And soon, they'll have a new place to wait in line. TriBeCa's Whole Foods opens July 9. [Racked] -- Rolando Pujol

David Byrne will play this building - literally

2008-05-12T15:00:44Z

Talking Heads lead singer and a beloved NYC eccentrics/mad musical geniuses - David Byrne's lates musical conquest is a building - specifically the one above - the Great Hall of the Battery Maritime Building He plans to turn the structure into a giant musical instrument for his "Playing the Building" installation. Byrne is calling the project a "sound sculpture" and it's all about visitor participation. The centerpiece will be an antique organ (below) that controls devices attached all over the place, from ceiling beams to water pipes - which will vibrate and trigger harmonic vibrations. The piece will run from May 31 - Aug. 10, Fri. - Sun, Noon til 6 p.m. at 10 South St., and it's Free! -- Lauren Johnston

The last trace of Longchamps vanishes

2008-05-12T05:41:22Z

The site of the Longchamps on Sunday (Photo by Elisabeth Stuveras) And the sign as it looked toward the end of its life on Madison Avenue, in June 2006. (Photo via everystreetinmanhattan on Flickr) The massive Art Deco neon sign at 423 Madison Ave. was a beautiful reminder -- certainly the last we know of -- of the old Longchamps chain of restaurants. They once dotted the city until being absorbed decades ago by Reise Restaurants and the locations rebadged. The persistence of the Madison Avenue sign prompted a Lost City blog post in 2007, and back in the late 1990s, mentions in New York Times articles, one of which offered this morsel from a Longchamps insider in 1998:

''As a former Longchamps restaurant employee, I am familiar with the background of this sign. It was one of the earliest neon signs in the city, erected by the Claude Neon Sign Company over 50 years ago, and was for a time the only illuminated sign on Madison Avenue. The Department of Buildings should be called in to order the sign removed before it collapses!''

Well, you know where this is going. The sign is indeed no longer there, having disappeared at some point in the past year or so. We plan to make a few inquiries about its fate -- if ever there was a sign that had been worth saving, this was it -- but we can't help but fear that it was destroyed. It wasn't that long ago that we'd happily crane our neck to take its measure whenever we'd pass by, and wonder about the lost wonders of this restaurant chain, whose space at 423 Madison Ave. is now occupied by a Pax sandwich shop. The sign, however, did leave a little reminder of its long tour of duty above Madison Avenue. As you can see from the photo above, the old sign took a big bite out of this townhouse's cornice. It's gone, sure, but definitely not forgotten. In fact, Longchamps does not rest easily in the annals of New York restaurant history, having a funny way of reasserting itself in the streetscape. A few years ago, long-concealed Art Deco neon signs for Longchamps, below, re-emerged at the corner of East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, at the base of one of the most Art Deco of buildings, the Chanin Building. After signage for Houlihan's restaurant was stripped, and before a K&G Fashion Superstore sign could replace it, these Longchamps beauties came to light. Whether they were eventually destroyed or simply covered up again, we do not know. But these relics looked stunning beneath Renee Chamberlain's masterful frieze that gleamed right atop them. For a few days, another era held court at 42nd and Lex. We can't help but think about Longchamps whenever we pass this corner, as we always will a little farther uptown, where a chomped cornice serves as a quiet reminder. -- Rolando Pujol

Frank's stamp: Sinatra can still deliver

2008-05-11T23:44:11Z

Ten years after his death, Hoboken’s very own Frank Sinatra is being commemorated with a new postage stamp. The 42-cent stamp’s release will be celebrated Tuesday in three places close to Sinatra’s heart. One ceremony takes place at Gotham Hall in New York, New York, where Sinatra’s daughter Nancy and son Frank Jr. will be present at the 10 a.m. dedication. The two others will be at the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, the city where he famously ran with the Rat Pack, and another will happen across the river, in Sinatra’s hometown of Hoboken, at 3 p.m. at Pier A Park. Frank Jr. will be on hand again. If you go, check out these useful tips for a Sinatra tour of Hoboken. Kazuhiko Sano designed the stamp, which features Ol’ Blue Eyes with a big smile and iconic fedora hat circa mid 1950s. Sinatra’s signature is scrolled across the bottom. -- Kathleen Bulson

Show your veggie pride in first-ever parade next week

2008-05-11T22:01:42Z

What do you get when you cross a seven-foot peapod with an equally tall smiling carrot? Why, a veggie wedding. The nuptials of Penelo Pea Pod and PeTA’s Chris P. Carrot will cap the first U.S. Veggie Pride Parade next Sunday in Greenwich Village. The parade starts at noon in the Meatpacking District, where Ninth Avenue meets Gansevoort, Greenwich, and Little West 12th streets. It ends at Washington Square Park. “I like going through Greenwich Village because I respect it for its legacy with progressive ideas, and vegetarianism is a progressive idea,” said Pamela Rice, parade organizer and founder of the sponsoring VivaVeggie Society. Rice, inspired by a similar event in Paris, has been organizing and planning for more than 10 months. “It is really going to be bigger than I thought. Mostly it is because of Facebook, MySpace and other online social networks rallying every vegan New Yorker to be there.” Already receiving angry emails, Rice said the event is supposed to be a fun and does not anticipate much protest. “We will be chanting and some people do get huffy about it. That’s our right to go down the street and carry our signs,” said Rice. Representatives from veggie-friendly restaurants and vegans dressed in fruit and vegetable costumes will also march to the park. Vegan friendly exhibitors like Wild Wood Organics and PeTA will provide free literature and food. And prizes will be given for best signs and costumes. Speakers will include Karen Davis, the founder of United Poultry Concerns, and Odette J. Wilkens, the executive director of the Equal Justice Alliance, a coalition of animal rights and social justice groups. Rice says she hopes the event will allow vegetarians to come out of the shadows while dispelling misinformation about vegetarianism. With the “go green” movement gaining prominence, Rice says, “We’ve lost our orientation to our food. There remains a conspicuous silence toward animal products that we need to examine.” -- Kathleen Bulson MORE: Parade blog

Urban archaeology: Liquor sign, but where's the booze?

2008-05-11T18:27:00Z

Several years ago, we happened upon this great "liquor" sign in the West 20s, marveled at it and moved along, failing to make note of where it was. So we were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon it again this weekend -- still intact and still promoting a long-vanished liquor store. Indeed, nowhere in the immediate area could we find a liquor store that would be logically attached to it, which makes this orphaned sign all the more interesting and mysterious. Orphan signs are an interesting subcategory of city signage. We plan to have another post on this subject soon. In the meantime, the curious may find this sign along West 24th Street, near the southwestern corner of Sixth Avenue. -- Rolando Pujol

Never too early for a Streetfest

2008-05-11T18:08:38Z

Stone Street via Flickr I swung by the annual Stone Street Streetfest in the Financial District on Saturday for oysters and brewskies. Co-hosted by Ulysses, an everyman's Irish eatery, the festival is among the season's first chances for good times outdoors. The popped-collar crowd was out in full force, shooting oysters along Manhattan's oldest street. Stone Street, a cobblestoned beauty, turns 350 this year. — Emily Ngo

Quick Bite: Pret a Manger challenges Starwich on 38th

2008-05-10T18:37:28Z

The Starwich at West 38th Street and Sixth Avenue is facing some competition from sandwich king Pret a Manger, which is carving a new outpost across the street at the Americana Inn, home to "budget-conscious" travelers. Hiring for the new Pret is under way. -- Rolando Pujol

Tabloid Tour: A jaunt down Flatbush Avenue

2008-05-10T18:25:24Z

It's hard to miss this sign -- and the store's purpose is exceedingly clear. Below, The Loews Kings, closed in 1977 and still awaiting a redevelopment plan. Barbra Streisand was an usher here once. We took a long tour the other day through the Flatbush and Midwood sections of Brooklyn, beginning with lunch at Di Fara's and ending with dinner at Picket Fence on Cortelyou Road. In between, we found lots of noteworthy stuff, including some of New York's most charming residential neighborhoods. A few of us will be dropping occasional posts on our experiences. Here's some highlights from a short stretch of Flatbush Avenue we traversed. On a late Saturday afternoon, it was teeming with vibrant street life and interesting shops and sights. Our photographic highlights continue after the jump. -- Rolando Pujol Just a perfect neighborhood stationery store sign, with plastic lettering and a corrugated metal background. A wonderful detail from the facade of the Loews King. It's still the Kings, but the "Loew" sign is long gone. From the look of this relic sign, the discounts were perhaps too deep. Windows? We don't need no stinking windows. The Cookie's department store sign is colorful and fun, and the Tudor elements on the building add a touch of the bizarre. Right off Flatbush, on Synder Avenue, lies the fantastical Crown Center Banquet Hall, which makes its rooms available to weddings, church functions, luncheons and much more. Dating to 1875, here is the seat of what was once the town of Flushing. It's also on Snyder Avenue. We were taken by the retro goodness of Diplomat Bowl on Synder Avenue. And next to the bowling alley is a sign for the Ebinger Baking Company. Back on Flatbush, the great Erasmus High School produced many a famous Brooklynite. A peek inside the courtyard at Erasmus, where the original school, which dates to the 1700s, still stands. Here's a great old plastic sign, made better by the missing letters. Old stationery stores often have generations of interesting stickers on the front window. Here's a gem from the late 1970/early 1980s for Lotto, then part of "The Empire Stakes." -- Rolando Pujol

33rd and Mad: The scaffolding's up ...

2008-05-10T17:50:08Z

One of the most interesting old-sign discoveries we ever made was at 33rd and Madison, a doomed corner with a towering future. Here's the recently erected shroud of gloom that portends the teardown, and, below, the cool signs that briefly saw the light of day, as well as -- after the jump -- a few more shots we hadn't published before of the buildings that are set to come down. -- Rolando Pujol

Giant Hello Kitty invades Park Avenue

2008-05-09T16:17:30Z

Photo by Liza Johnston More than one giant Hello Kitty figure, actually. They are the work of artist Tom Sachs, known for his eccentric artistic explorations of consumerism, and also a strange fascination with the saucer-eyed cartoon Hello Kitty cats. He even created a Hello Kitty nativity for the Barney's holiday window in 1994. These cats are part of a show at the Lever House on Park Avenue at 53rd Street, and are displayed in the open-air street-level space. There are two 10-foot fountains that appear to be crying visible to passersby in vehicles or on foot. And without further ado, a look at the Park Ave. cats:

Photos by Liza Johnston -- Lauren Johnston

You (yes YOU!) - are a walking work of art

2008-05-09T14:37:49Z

Photo from the Every Person in New York blog Artist Jason Polan is trying to draw every person in New York. He may have already drawn you. He could be drawing you right now. He's started a blog to document his progress on this behemoth of an art project, posting simple line portraits as he finishes them. It's appropriately titled "Every Person in New York." He's always drawing, according to the blog, on the subway, on the street, in museums. Everywhere. But come on, there are 8 million people in this town, so it's understandable that the guy wants some help. He wants to draw you. So if you'd like your likeness sketched, zap him a note at: art@jasonpolan.com Here is Polan's plea for subjects, and instructions on how to meet up: "If you would like to increase the chances of a portrait of YOU appearing on this blog please email me a street corner or other public place that you will be standing at for a duration of two minutes (I will be on the corner of 14th street and 8th avenue on the North-east corner of the street from 2:42-2:44pm this Thursday wearing a bright yellow jacket and navy rubber boots, for example)." Additional instructions: Give him 24 hours notice, and don't go out of your way in case he can't be there. Work those two minutes into something that's part of your normal routine -- he might not be there -- or he might be, and you just may not notice. It's a huge ambition - but if anyone can do it, we think Polan can. Our pals at Boing-Boing note he's already drawn every piece of art in the MoMA. And what better do you have to do this weekend than become part of a living work of art? -- Lauren Johnston

Saving the environment's in the bag

2008-05-08T18:54:01Z

Eco-conscious New Yorkers aren't strangers to hauling their groceries in reusable totes. Well, stores like Target have made it even easier to reduce the use of plastic and paper. This sturdy tote, made from recyclable polypropylene fabric, folds into itself to become the size of a billfold. Unfolded, it's large can hold several melons or several pairs of shoes. Plus, the design doesn't shout Target; it's kind of cute and discreet. Carry it around in your purse or pocket. I snapped mine up for 99 cents at the Atlantic Center Target. — Emily Ngo

Throwback Thursday: I Love NY (and the Citi Never Sleeps)

2008-05-08T17:13:19Z

Two longtime New York-centric campaigns were infused with new life this week. First off, New York has rolled out a revamped campaign centered around that reliable chestnut "I Love New York," a campaign that originated in 1977 at one of the low points in the city's history. Like the original set of commercials, the new campaign is aggressively promoting the state as a whole. Click here for a superb example of the original campaign, with great shots of New York in 1977 and that catchy Disco jingle penned by Steve Karmen. And click here for a nifty short documentary on the campaign's origins. Later in the week, we learned that Citigroup was bringing back its "Citi Never Sleeps" campaign. The slogan, trotted out in 1978, served the financial giant well for a good chunk of the 1980s, before being dropped for other approaches, including "When, Where and How to Succeed". Our examination of our usual sources failed to turn up an example of the original "Citi Never Sleeps" jingle, but we did find a commercial with a memorable theme and effective use of the Citicorp Building, which you couldn't miss in many of the company's ads of that vintage.Click below. -- Rolando Pujol