Urbanite

Can anyone tell us where the Olde Garden, which appears in the opening credits of "The Equalizer," used to be?

Here at Urbanite and on some of our favorite city blogs, there's been lots of talk this week of a different kind of preservation -- old New York saved on film.

After Jeremiah blogged about Jim Jarmusch's "Permanent Vacation," we looked at one of our favorite TV shows, "The Equalizer," which preserves in amber what can be inelegantly called "the mid 1980s Bernie Goetz fear and paranoia New York." Blogger EV Grieve also examines the menacing introduction to "The Equalizer," and asks a question we'd like answered, too: Where is/was the "Olde Garden" that appears in the introduction, which you really have to watch if you want some insight into the world's view of New York's state of public safety 23 years ago.

Jeremiah later checked out "Moscow on Hudson," and hit pay dirt with a scene at the defunct Moisha's Luncheonette, where the egg cream may have first made its acquaintance with Manhattan.

And EV Grieve did some more sleuthing and provides a handy roundup of TV shows that were filmed or based in New York back in the day.

Here at Urbanite, expect more posts from time to time on our "Equalizer" discoveries. And somewhere, we have a tape of "McCloud" with remarkable footage from 1970 of First Avenue in the low 60s. There, big as life, you can see the home of the first TGI Friday's, which began as a neighborhood singles bar before co-founder Alan Stillman spread it far beyond its prosaic beginnings in the former old man's bar, The Good Tavern. And, by the way, new to YouTube today are fascinating interviews with Stillman and Ben Benson, whose differing philosophies on franchising their post-Friday's invention, Smith & Wollensky, led them to part ways.

-- Rolando Pujol


Robert McCall (played by Edward Woodward) does some equalizing with a police source, with the Twin Towers gleaming in the distance.

The city will be getting its first rooftop ice-skating rink since the closing of the original Sky Rink on the West Side in the 1990s.

City Ice Pavilion project had its groundbreaking Thursday atop a Sleepy’s Mattress store in Long Island City, on 32nd Place. It is expected to open in October 2008.

Jill Feldman, spokesperson for the rink, to be called City Ice Pavilion, said that Long Island City presented a promising venue.

“With so many real estate developments going up in the area, there will be more families and they saw an opportunity to build a community ice rink.”

The City Ice Pavilion will have a NHL-sized ice rink and an air dome to protect it from bad weather. It will have public skating, an ice-skating school to teach both hockey and figure skating, and ice-skating lessons for both children and adults. There will also be free skating lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays for community groups.

Local high schools and intramural leagues will also have access to the rink.

The developer, Ekstein Development, builds apartments, office buildings, and recreational facilities. They are currently developing condominiums in Long Island City as well.

The old “grungy” and much-missed Sky Rink was on a much higher location, the top floor of a 16-story building. Check out this Gothamist comments thread for memories of the old joint. And click here to see the last remaining vestige of the old Sky Rink, a fading sign that since this photo was taken has been obscured by large advertising banners.

-- Simone Herbin

New York artist Tattfoo Tan, below, unveiled Thursday his public art project entitled NMS - Nature Matching System art project at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. (Photos: Megan Stride, above; RJ Mickelson, below)

Fruits and veggies are good for you, and community organizers are hoping they’ll be good for Eighth Avenue, too.

An enormous, produce-inspired, grid of color now covers the windows of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The art work was unveiled Thursday as part of an effort by the Times Square Alliance and the Fashion Center Business Improvement District to enliven this stretch of streetscape.

The project, which is called “Get Your Daily Dose of Color” and runs along Eighth Avenue. and wraps around 42nd Street, is the first of a series of public art projects in the area.

“This is really about the revitalization of Eighth Avenue and rethinking what it could be,” said Barbara Randall, executive director of the district improvement group. “We wanted to mentally and emotionally give pedestrians in the area a lift.”

Malaysian artist Tattfoo Tan designed the artwork by using Photoshop to match the exact colors of the food to a printed square for the window in what he calls the “Nature Matching System.”

Interested passerby can match up the number on each square to a legend on the Eighth Avenue side to learn which fruit or vegetable inspired the color.

“It catches people’s attention, and then when they go the legend, they can learn more,” Tan, 34, said. “There’s more than meets the eye.”

Pedestrians are already paying attention.

“I like it. It makes me hungry for fruit,” said Angelia Rorison, 26, after feasting her eyes upon the windows Thursday. “I want a papaya right now!”

The project will be on display for the next several months.

-- Megan Stride

From Game Face

At 74 and 77, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are far too old to play nine whole innings of baseball.

But at a town hall edition of “Costas Now,” filmed last night at NYU's Skirball Center, the two legends proved they are never too old to talk baseball ... for hours.

Aaron and Mays, arguably history’s greatest athletes, shared stories of their Negro league days, the blatant discrimination they faced in the major leagues and even admitted they can’t keep track of this generation’s young players. (Mays didn't recognize the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins.)

Aaron said he had no problem with the controversial Barry Bonds overtaking his home run record, but asked that Bonds carry the honor “with dignity” as Aaron had.

Continue reading "Hank and Willie on the good ol' days" »

The big, blue City Sights buses are difficult to miss. They always seem to be making tight right turns when I'm trying to cross the street. On my daily jaunt from the subway to the office today, I noticed something a little peculiar about them. I wasn't quick enough to get my camera, but fellow Urbaniter Lauren Johnston managed to catch one while out on her lunch break.

Rockefeller. R-O-C-K-E-F-E-L-L-A-R.

Jigga what?

Anyway, the folks at City Sights may want to run a spell check on the side of their buses.

We put in a call to City Sights NY offices, and were met with a long silence after we told them of the spelling gaffe. When we got a call back, they said that they're aware of the misspelling and are working to fix it.

We'll be watching out for that.

-- Lizzy

In a perfect marriage of seascape and summer tunes, Beach Boy Brian Wilson will be playing a free concert in Coney Island tonight.

The show starts at 7:30 at Asser Levy/Seaside Park, across the street from the boardwalk.

Wilson's got a new album coming out Sept. 2, but if he wants a happy crowd, we say he'll need to play a few Beach Boys classics.

--Megan Stride

A montage of scenes from the famous "disco" ShopRite Can Can commercial. Montage via X-Entertainment.com; commercial below via newlevel7 on YouTube.

It's a New York television tradition that dates back decades, and yesterday, we were reminded of it when we stumbled upon a commercial for the ShopRite Can Can Sale. Twice a year, the people at ShopRite try to rid their shelves of cans by discounting them, and bombarding the tri-state airwaves with a happy little jingle that plays off the Moulin Rouge Can-Can.

When I was a kid, the commercial played only in January, and its appearance unofficially signaled the end of the Christmas commercial season. Over the years, a July sale was added, and the commercial itself was updated. One constant has been the voice of "the ShopRite lady," who has been lending her talents to ShopRite ads since the 1970s.

For our money, though, ShopRite should bring back the version shown below, with the Can Can girls kicking up a storm to a disco beat. The version first appeared in 1980 or so.

-- Rolando Pujol

Housing sales in Queens are down 23.7 percent. (photo by hamishmaccunn on Flickr)

Queens real estate experienced a sharp decline in sales in the second quarter, dropping 23.7 percent from the second quarter 2007.

Long Island, however, is showing surprising signs of housing strength, according to the latest report from Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers.

There was a 5.3 percent jump in home sales in Nassau in the second quarter compared to a year before. Suffolk saw a 4.7 percent increase in sales, according to the report released yesterday, which was compiled by Miller and Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The jump in sales activity was the first one reported on Long Island in six quarters, Miller said. The worst quarter in Nassau County was last quarter with a 23.1 percent drop in sales from the year before. Suffolk’s worst quarter was also the last, when sales were down 30.9 percent.

Miller was not prepared to say the numbers show housing troubles are leaving the burbs.

“The trend is your friend and one quarter does not make a trend,” he said. “I don’t know if this is an anomaly or the beginning of the bottom.”

The average sales price in Suffolk was $445,256, up 10 percent from last year. In Nassau, the average was up one percent at $595,015.

The report on Queens was less robust. Like in Manhattan and Brooklyn, fewer sales are being reported.

“Queens is showing a commonality between the boroughs, which is essentially modest price increases … inventory creeps higher and a lower level of activity.”

The average sales price in Queens in the second quarter was $488,431, up 1.1 percent from last year when the average was $482,971. (Garett Sloane)

Hallelujah art © Al Hirschfeld, licensed by the Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd., New York.

The United States Postal Service and the Museum of African American Cinema unveiled in Harlem Thursday morning five commemorative stamps celebrating historical black films.

The movie posters showcased on the stamps include "Black and Tan" featuring Duke Ellington, and "Princess Tam-Tam" starring Josephine Baker.

Also included is the first major film to have an all-black cast, "Hallelujua"; the silent film, "The Sport of the Gods"; and "Caldonia," often said to be a predecessor to the modern music video.

More information on buying the stamps here.

-- Simone Herbin

12:30 p.m.: Princess Katie and Racer Steve (above) perform for children; southern end of Union Square Park, then free yoga at 3 p.m.

1 p.m.: James Brown’s children go on the Al Sharpton radio show to express disapproval of the auctioning of his possessions [PHOTOS].

1 p.m.: Making 8th Avenue more beautiful -- The Port Authority Bus Terminal unveils a new work of public art by Tattfoo Tan (above).

Photo from Eater.com

The newest installment of New York's Restaurant Week begins Monday [STORY]. In a city that has long been the dining envy of the world, we offer a primer on how to navigate this 238-eatery behemoth with tips from four foodies from places like Gourmet and Eater.com -- including the outspoken "it" chef David Chang.

Added bonus -- we found out Café Boulud was not listed on the Restaurant Week site, but only because it didn't meet the city deadline. A quick call to the the restaurant's reps revealed it IS participating for lunch, and still has plenty of reservations.

We were also able to snag a copy of the menu and are salivating over the Lamb Duo -- Keep reading for the menu ...

-- Pervaiz Shallwani

Continue reading "Found: Café Boulud's missing Restaurant Week menu" »

Here, all in one place, is everything to feed your 'Dark Knight'/Batman needs....

* Photos: Images from 'The Dark Knight'

* Review: 'Dark Knight' is a stunner

* Photos: Batman throughout history

* Photos: Who will Batman fight next?

* Photos: Celebs turn out for 'Dark Knight' NYC premiere

* Video: 'Dark Knight' trailer

* Quiz: How well do you know Batman?

A squeegee man in action in New York last October. (Photo by Runs with Scissors on Flickr)

This was a surprise.

While driving into Manhattan today around 11:30 a.m., I encountered something that I thought was long extinct from our streets: A squeegee man.

I declined his offer to clean my filthy windows, but gave him money nonetheless as I sat in traffic on 37th Street while heading toward Broadway.

He was the first "squeegee man" I've seen since Rudy Giuliani and former police commissioner declared war on the windshield washers in 1992.

— Pete Catapano

This Dain is pasted on the mystery red barn building on N. 8th St. between Bedford and Driggs.

Well, the Williamsburg part of town anyway.

While everyone was busy debating whether a painted giraffe that recently appeared on the front of the Roebling Tea Room was the work of the elusive British graffiti artist Bansky or fellow Brit Nick Walker, several doors in the hood were papered by an artist signed Dain. The images are mostly graphic portraits of women.

This smaller portrait was placed on a tile (already there) on the wall of a gallery on Driggs between N. 9th and N. 10 streets.

We don't know much about Dain, yet, but if you do, write in. We've seen this on Flickr and this on The Scenic Sidewalk. Gowanus Lounge spotted a head on Berry, if spot them, we want to know. Here are the images we've collected so far: [PHOTOS]

- Lauren Johnston

We're looking for your favorite classic, funny, odd, or just plain ugly New York City signs.

Whether on a restaurant or other establishment, fading on a wall, or somehow found in your garage....

We'll share them all, and publish the best in amNewYork (yes, you will get a photo credit)!

Click here to see what others have already sent, and to send in yours.

Click here to see 180 of our favorite signs at the moment, mostly snapped by our head sign-anista Rolando Pujol

Photo of subway sign off of the 190th Street A train stop sent in by jjy2104

The space-age Market Diner in Hell’s Kitchen, once a hangout for Frank Sinatra, could open in a few weeks, according to folks at sister eatery Cosmic Diner.

The diner, which will feature an outdoor patio and an updated interior was set to open in early June but apparently has seen some setbacks. Owners are still unsure of a solid open date.

The 1962 diner’s exterior, with its zig-zag roof in the Googie architectural style, will be surrounded by outdoor seating for up to a 100 people. Before it closed in 2006, the diner was known as one of the few businesses in Manhattan to have its own customer parking lot.

The indoor changes will create a more natural and modern look, an owner has said. The decor will feature a rock sculpture and wooden furnishings.

The eatery, at West 43rd Street and 11th Avenue, will also feature a bar that will sell frozen drinks. The Market will also add a couple of non-diner items to its classic American fare, such as spring rolls.

The Tsinias family, which leases the diner from Moinian Group, has been in the diner business for almost 35 years and owns the Cosmic Diner, which moved to West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue after many years in Columbus Circle.

Today's Billy Joel concert at Shea marks the last concert at a venue that basically gave the world the stadium show, where tens of thousands of fans pour into a repurposed sports complex in order to rock out.

The Beatles' show, according to a great piece by Nicholas Wapshott in last week's Sun, played Shea because

The group's manager, Brian Epstein, turned to stadiums to meet the overwhelming demand from Beatles fans to see their young heroes. Looking for an enormous space to show off his lucrative acquisition, Epstein rejected the old Madison Square Garden as too small. When he was told the Garden was the largest venue in New York, Epstein responded, "Then we'll book football stadiums. We'll fill the largest arenas in the world."

That concert was followed by one by Grand Funk Railroad five years later, a band known today only by regular listeners of the local classic rock station.

Jethro Tull followed in 1976, along with the Who in 1982, Simon and Garfunkel in 1983, the Police in 1983, the Rolling Stones in 1989, Elton John & Eric Clapton in 1992, and Bruce Springsteen in 2003.

And Soundcheck will have a Shea rockrospective on WNYC this afternoon.

by David Freedlander

The frosty fleet of Koolman trucks have been making the rounds in Williamsburg, business as usual, but it looks like these white and mint green rigs that provide ice cream delights to so many by day are heading home to some shabby living conditions.

We snapped this shot of the Grand Street Koolman garage in Williamsburg the other day (note the interior walls are painted the same two shades as the truck). And anyway, we're just saying that it looks like old Koolman could use a little love. Hope a makeover is in the works.

-- Lauren Johnston

The annual Macy's fishing contest kicks off today at noon at the Prospect Park Audobon Center, near the Boathouse.

The contest began back in 1947 and lasts a week in July each summer. Participating kids (15 years and under) meet at the algae-covered Boathouse lake, pick up a free pole and start fishing - it's catch-and-release of course. The rules are that all caught fish must be returned to the lake alive.

There's an extra challenge that will arm the winner with a whopper of a fish story for years to come. One giant fish named R.H. Macy has been tagged and released into the lake. Whoever hooks him wins a prize. There other stuff going on too - lessons in aquatic life and ecology and a "how-to" fishing session.

We've gone before [VIDEO HERE]. It was fun - and it's great for a day like today [STUFF TO DO IN PROSPECT PARK]. We wish we could ditch the office and head on over .... but today we have to settle for vicarious fishing. If you go, here's how [DIRECTIONS]. And if you need more infor, here's where [CONTACT].

-- Lauren Johnston

Flower District greenery lends a tropical vibe to a No. 1 station
entrance. (Photo by Rolando Pujol)

* Lion and Tigers and Bears ... SI! Manhattan has the All-Star Lady Liberties, and Staten now has farm animal sculptures running amok. [Curbed]

* More devastation in the theater district: Strip of buildings that housed restaurants is pulverized. [Lost City]

* Graffiti makes comeback in Queens. [Queens Crap]

* Wanna buy a Forest Hills bagel shop? Sure you do. [Forest Hills 72]

* You can find an ancient A train in Kennebunkport, Maine. [Inwoodite]

* Serious Eats rates Starbucks' new Vivanno smoothies against the offerings at smoothie king Jamba Juice. [Serious Eats]

-- Rolando Pujol