There are no "garage bands" in New York City. Unlike some of their suburban counterparts, musicians here have to pay the piper for their practice spaces, which can be hard to find in a city where every no-frills square-foot costs something. In fact, to really be a "garage band" in New York, one may end up paying $225K a year. The NY Times reports on where musicians city-wide are rehearsing these days, and how it's......

This week in the Times, Bruni two-stars Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill (the new one, at Columbus Circle). After a few rocky meals immediately after the opening, “the food has been consistently first-rate,” says Bruni. “Much of it also reflects the [owners’, Eric and Bruce] Bromberg’s winning playfulness.” He also says that while the sushi isn't the best in town, the fried chicken may be. In Dining Briefs, Bruni visits Cooper’s Tavern (pictured) in......

We’re not going to hesitate to echo the praises surrounding The Smith, 3rd Avenue‘s (between 10th & 11th) latest go-to spot (formerly a very-out-of-place Pizzeria Uno). Whether you’re hankering for a good pork chop, a unique cocktail, or some cheddar grits, The Smith fits the bill. The interior is spacious, though dark in the back far away from the windows, and the walls are decorated with subway tile and vintage nude photographs. Despite its......

This week in the Times, Bruni two-stars Allen & Delancey. Loves the atmosphere; says “the food at Allen & Delancey is at once sophisticated and accessible, reliant on fail-safe luxuries deployed in a modestly creative and occasionally playful manner.” Says that in some ways it’s similar to what he did uptown (at Gordon Ramsay at the London) but it works much better in this context. In $25 and Under, "> Peter Meehan goes to Food......

The Smith: Believe it or not, the The Smith is housed in the spot that used to be a Pizzeria Uno. Virtually anything would be an upgrade. The owners of Jane and the Neptune Room, Glenn Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt, brought the executive chef from Jane, Brian Ellis to create a hearty, seasonal, American bistro-style menu, with offerings like lamb schnitzel with parmesan crust, hot potato chips with gorgonzola fondue, and steak served in various......

It appears the rumors of autumn's demise have been greatly exaggerated and you're going to have to start wearing a jacket outside after all. But the change of seasons is not without its perks; there are those hot winter drinks to look forward to, and a number of bars around town offer the perfect accompaniment for your hot toddy: a crackling fireplace. Below are some of New York's best places to chill out on a......

This Sunday there will be a screening of the 1983 classic Wild Style at Summerstage, followed by performances by some of the rappers in the movie. Busy Bee, The Cold Crush Brothers, GrandMaster Caz, Fab 5 Freddy and more, including some special guests. More info on the event, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the movie, is here, but let's take a look back to when it was filmed. Wild Style was the first......

This is a crazy story. Two Harlem teens were detained as truants because two cops didn't believe that they were going to their private school on the Upper West Side. The Post reports that Latrice Jenkins and a classmate were taken to a truancy center in Riverdale because cops thought they should be going to Alfred Smith High School, a public school in the Bronx. And what's worse, the kids were on their way to......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNBC 4) A look back at SNL in the 1990s with clips and interviews with former cast members. The Mormons (Sunday 9:00 p.m., WLIW 21) If you missed it last week on WNET, here is your chance to take a watch at this two part look at the Mormons which is a collaboration of two......

Update: The Gothamist Newsmap has identified the two people struck by a train at Hoyt-Schermerhorn station as transit workers. The commenter below points out that it looks like at least one death at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station with someone trapped between the platform and a train. A transit worker was killed earlier this week at the Columbus Circle station. Something bad is happening on the G train. Service has been suspended in both directions between the......

Twenty years ago today, on WNBC's 6 p.m. newscast a monthly sports segment created by Len Berman made its debut - Spanning the World. Since then, viewers in the tri-state area along with those who catch the segment of wild and wacky sports highlights when Len visits the Today show have been hearing his trademark "and nobody got hurt" along with Don Pardo intoning "Tune in next time for Spanning the World, if there is......

On the hunt for a lunch/brunch spot whose griddle cook we don’t know by name, Gothamist headed to the newish Cheryl’s Global Soul, a cozy little eatery from Food Network personality Cheryl Smith (of Soul Kitchen). The restaurant’s comfort is encapsulated by Smith herself whose long plaits and almost cherubic grin made us forgive the spotty climate control (Cheryl’s vacillates from bitter cold to dry heat). In fact, her warmth nearly had us forget that......

As the Carroll Gardens of yore fades into the Smith and Court Street song and dance it’s ever more difficult to track down an authentic Italian experience in a neighborhood still populated as much by well-heeled Manhattan transplants as it is by Marys on the half-shell. When the Cammareri Brothers Bakery (Moonstruck!) closed years ago, it marked the exodus of these sort of joints. Relics of the early 20th century, their legacy was one......

Gothamist would like to congratulate Chef Jason Neroni of Porchetta on today’s New York Times review. The following conversation took place two weeks ago at the Smith Street restaurant. Jason Neroni has no socks. The thirty year-old chef of Porchetta, the New Italian/Creative American place on Smith Street in Brooklyn, is going commando with his clogs. Owner Marco Riviero is behind the bar squeezing blood oranges with a citrus press for one last round of......

We read Nicholas Confessore's NY Times article about three finalists being chosen for the New York Aquarium's redesign in actual paper, but it's much better online with the color renderings of the designs. The designs had to make the aquarium "visually porous, engaging and inviting," because many people find the current structure too remote and walled-up. Oh, and the design had to be a "beacon for Coney Island." The three finalists do seem rather......

Detail from a series of photographs of the Smith-Ninth Street Station from Joe's NYC.......

Our love affair with Port happened so quickly, that by the time we tried to get that last drop from the little glass, we knew we were in trouble. It always surprises us that Port isn’t more popular. Perhaps it is because it can get quite expensive or maybe it’s the stigma as an old man’s drink – but one sip of this rich, sweet wine often blossoms into a beautiful drinking habit. Gothamist......

Following up eight months after MTA told Carroll Gardens bagel shop, F Line Bagels (decorated with various official MTA merchandise), to cease-and-desist using the anything-MTA-related in their store, a judge ruled that the store must indeed cease using MTA logos and materials. The judge said the Assad brothers just need to cover up the MTA logos, but the MTA wants the signs totally removed PLUS $5,000 in licensing fees. Clearly, no settlement was ever brokered,......

Gothamist received an intriguing email from reader S.:Thought you might be interested in hearing that the Dept of Buildings posted signs on most of the doors of restaurants on Smith Street during business hours last night, ordering them to close their gardens immediately. It seems that there are conflicting laws regarding the use of back gardens at restaurants and bars in Brooklyn, and the Dept. picked one set and is cracking down. The restaurant owners......

Yesterday morning, a vaccuum train was derailed near the Smith and 9th Street stops in Brooklyn, causing a huge problem for commuters who take the F and G trains yesterday. The train was being returned to Brooklyn after cleaning up various subway tracks, but it ended up getting derailed in the early morning, causing grief for commmuters and possibly more damage to the train tracks. The NY Times notes the extent of the derailment: It......

Gothamist tried to see the eponymous Lillie of Lillie's in Red Hook this week to report on bar’s reopening. It didn’t quite work out for us (we tried going twice this week- they are reopening slowly). But she promises this weekend is a good time to check out the renovation and changes, and everytime we’ve visited we’ve had fun- either staring wistfully (read:tipsy) at the rest of Brooklyn through the garden or drinking shots of......

It looks like the MTA is doing what matters: The NY Post reports that the MTA is busting a Brooklyn bagelry, F Line Bagels in Carroll Gardens, for mentioning the subway in its name and in its store's decorations. Apparently an MTA lawyer went into their store to let them know that the MTA wants the Smith Street store cease-and-desist with its various subway memorabilia, not to mention the store's name, or pay the MTA......

It's not spring quite yet, so you could probably still use a little wine to keep you warm. Lucky for all of us, there are some great wine events coming up to do the trick: March 7th through the 11th is National Wine Week. The Smith and Wollensky restaurant group offers ten samples of wine for ten dollars on top of your meal. A percentage of the proceeds benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels. For a full list of......

Because the outer boroughs always need more recognition, Gothamist just loves this LICNYC sign. From the looks of it, the sign can be spotted from the 7 train at Court Square and lets you know just where you are. With all the different areas in Queens, this is especially useful. Now, you can look up and know what to write on the envelope. Then again, if you're living there, you would probably know already. It......

Bluejake has some nice photos of Smith and 9th Street (1, 2) and Gowanus from this weekend. Gothamist didn't realize that the Smith and 9th Street stop on the F line was the highest point on the NYC subway line, but we learn something new everyday.......

The embarrassment of restaurant riches that is Brooklyn continues with the Post's look at a few Brooklyns restaurants of note: Park Slope is all French with Moutarde and Belleville; two Manhattan offshoots are in DUMBO, with Rice and Bubby's Brooklyn; Quench in Cobble Hill; and Williamsburg has Sea and Bonita. The Post also reports on Grocery, the Smith Street restaurant that could. Ever since being named Zagat's seventh best restaurant in the city, the Brooklyn......