Brownstoner has done the math and concluded that there are a ridiculous number of hotels going up near Brooklyn’s lovely Gowanus Canal. The latest new development will be a nine story Fairfield Inn on Third Avenue between Douglass and Butler streets; construction will begin once existing buildings are torn down. So that makes a future grand total of 7 hotels in the Gowanus neighborhood; three already built and four more on the way. With a......

Earlier this morning, a fire started on the ground floor of an apartment building on East 72nd Street and Third Avenue, causing all 34 floor to be evacuated. Two firefighters were seriously hurt, while four others and thirteen civilians suffered minor injuries. The fire was seen in a newsstand and stationery store, according to WNBC. Rusty Pacheco of Grace's Marketplace, located next door, said, "The moment we heard the alarm next door and we saw......

“It’s horrible. I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Arye Lewkowitz, owner of Daniel’s Bagels on Third Avenue, recently told Metro. “We’re going to have to sell a bagel for over $1.” Lewkowitz isn’t alone; bagel and bread prices are soaring nationwide due to the skyrocketing cost of wheat, which more than doubled in the past year in New York, from $5.31 a bushel to $14.22. The main reason for the spike is drought......

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 is a bad trend: Days after an 11-year-old boy was shot in the chest after opening the door of his Queens home and a 3-year-old girl, in a car, was hit by a stray bullet in the Bronx, an 11-year-old girl's head was grazed by a bullet in the Bronx yesterday. Destiny Rosario, who had attended a New Year's party with her family, had been walking home with relatives after their van broke down.......

Good news for old-school New Yorkers: the new 2nd Ave Delicatessen is expected to open sometime next week in its new Murray Hill Location on 33rd Street, near Third Avenue. Lovers of the deli’s famous matzo ball soup and pastrami sandwiches were devastated last year when, after a half-century in business, the 2nd Ave and 10th Street legend was snuffed out. The closure came in the wake of a bitter rent dispute between deli......

This morning, two workers fell from window washing scaffolding set up around a 40-story building at 265 East 66th Street between Second and Third Avenue. It's unclear how high the workers were, but they fell onto the roof of a neighboring 6-story building. WNBC reports one of the workers is dead and one is in critical condition. Another report said the two workers were brothers. Traffic is backed up on Second and Third Avenues......

A crane at One Bryant Park, aka the Bank of America tower on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets, reportedly lost some materials it was carrying. Curbed is reporting that the materials/debris/ garbage bin fell at least 35 floors - and it looks like a cab was hit. A Gothamist reader who works near the building writes:Our windows look out at the construction site and it looks like some beams were dropped right......

A 29-year-old Chinatown resident was charged with murdering his new girlfriend in the apartment he shares with his grandmother. Michael Chin Lenahan allegedly called his brother in NJ to say "I screwed up." His mother later went to the apartment and found a woman's body on her son's bed, under clothes. Police say Lenahan and Lorna Santiago had a date on Saturday night. They started at a restaurant on Third Avenue and then went to......

The taxi driver whose car veered from a Midtown street and fatally pinned a man on a sidewalk Sunday night says his cab was clipped by another vehicle. Mohammed Chowdury, who had been driving his cab for two months and was planning on quitting after picking up just one more fare, says that a black car, possibly a livery cab, made a "wide right turn from a middle lane" on Third Avenue at 40th Street,......

A former Channel 7 helicopter pilot was killed when an out-of-control taxi jumped a curb and hit him last night. Paul Smith and his family had just finished a birthday dinner at Dock's restaurant on Third Avenue at 40th Street. The cab had been speeding up Third Avenue when it suddenly jumped the curb and hit sidewalk planter, just when Smith and his family were leaving, and ended up pinning Smith underneath the cab.......

It's time for the tabloids to make a number of bada-boom puns, as the police confirmed that it was a pipe bomb that was set off yesterday morning outside the West 29th Street building owned by Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli and his wife. The NYPD said there no known threats to the Imperiolis and during a press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said, "While there certainly is no evidence that this was terrorism, we are taking......

In recent years, Third Avenue in Brooklyn has seen three children killed by vehicular traffic. Last year, 4-year-old James Rice was fatally struck by a Hummer at Third Avenue and Baltic Avenue, and in 2004, PS 124 Juan Estrada and Victor Flores were fatally struck by a vehicle as they crossed Third Avenue at Ninth Street, just blocks away. On Tuesday, arts organization Groundswell Community Mural Project unveiled a mural at Third and Butler:......

Flatiron Joe's: In the former home of the short-lived Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Jay Shaffer, who owns Shaffer City Oyster Bar and Grill down the block, has created a casual spot where, for the time being, he's serving up bar snacks like sliders and nachos. He plans on serving lunch and dinner starting in October. 29 West 21st Street, (212) 414-3139. 8th Street Wine Cellar: This long awaited cozy wine bar is a welcome addition......

A man driving a Ford Explorer fatally hit a 77-year-old woman crossing 22nd Street at Fourth Avenue yesterday afternoon. According to the Post, a minivan first clipped Jozefa Dzwiga, "but then, a Ford Explorer swerved around the van and ran over" her. The Explorer was going south on Fourth and dragged Dzwiga 50 feet. The driver only stopped when people ran after him. Yahaira Vazquez who witnessed the incident told the NY Times, "I started......

The city continued clean-up at the site of Wednesday's Midtown steam pipe explosion at East 41st and Lexington Avenue. Vanderbilt Avenue has been reopened, and Third Avenue was scheduled to be reopened today. Clean up of 42nd Street between Third and Park should be done by Monday, while clean up of Lexington between 42nd and 43rd should be done by the end of the weekend. Here's what the city said about the asbestos samples:The......

July 19: Summer Wine Tasting The Village Pourhouse is hosting a tasting tonight featuring select wines from the award winning Anthony Road Wine Company, guided by John Martini, Anthony Wine's owner. While you sip, nibble cheese samplings provided by Heluva Good Cheese and listen to live music provided by Akiva. Tickets cost $25 and are available online. For more information call Cari at 212-228-4200 x8003. 64 Third Avenue at 11th Street. July 22: Top Chef......

During the Wednesday-night rush hour, a steam pipe at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue exploded, sending steam, mud, and pieces of the street hundreds of feet into the air. One person died and at least 20 people were injured. Initially, many people's first reactions were that it was a terrorist attack, what with the loud, thunder-like rumbling that shook buildings and the cloud of smoke and steam. People ran from the area of the......

More updates below, but here's a summary so far (8:20PM): A steam explosion occurred on East 41st and Lexington Avenue (41st between Lex and Third) just before 6PM - right during the evening rush hour. The NYPD does not think it was a terrorist attack. It appears that there is a hole about 25' in diameter with a red tow truck in the center. One person has died (possibly from cardiac arrest) and there......

We're getting reports of a blackout on the Upper East Side, from the East 60s up to Harlem, on Third Avenue (mostly about transit blackouts) and York Avenue in the 80s. Subway service is affected - the 4/5/6 line is down. A reader whose friend was at Randalls Island says a Con Ed station exploded. UPDATE: 4PM WNBC reports that the outages are all along the East Side. OEM says "transformer explosions caused at......

A lot of people pick up abandoned furniture on the street, but apparently there's some good 'ol fashion dumpter diving going on around town, too. Treasures in the trash are hard to come by, and we'd be nervous about bed bugs, but for the fearless - there is free stuff for the taking. The best of which is found at Third Avenue and 12th Street as NYU students depart for the summer. The NY Times......

Was this baby lamb a little too eager for the city's Farm Aid concert? Because she was found wandering around the Bronx yesterday morning. Julio Rivera, who saw her near his car, chased her in order to get a hold of her, but then the lamb chased him back! Newsday reported, "The spectacle lasted half an hour until Rivera got the upper hand and corraled Lucky Lady in a parking lot. Responding police officers......

In just a couple of weeks, the Upper East Side will add another reason to venture north on the 6 train. Accademia di Vino, a multifaceted enoteca, restaurant and pizzeria is getting ready to open its doors to hungry patrons with a thirst for Italian wines. The owner, Anthony Mazzola, is a restaurant and wine industry veteran. Former owner of Sutton Wine Shop and current owner of ‘Cesca on the Upper West Side, Mazzola......

Tomorrow night, Brooklyn's Community Board 6 will discuss the future of 9th Street between Third Avenue and Prospect Park West for a while. The Department of Transportation has proposed a plan that would improve pedestrian safety and create bike lanes along 9th Street; you can see the plan here. Streetsblog says it's "a great plan" "from a Livable Streets perspective," but notes opposition from residents who are worried they won't be able to double......

Chef Don Pintabono's Dani has been revamped with a focus on Southern Italy, and Sicilian cuisine in particular. He's brought in Greg Johnson, formerly of ESCA, Fresco by Scotto and Abboccato. Make sure to stop in on Thursdays -- the rabbit special is excellent. Eater chats with Harold Dieterle, the winner of "Top Chef" Season One, about his long-awaiting restaurant, Perilla, opening "late spring/early summer" at 9 Jones Street. Seafood market Wild Edibles has opened......

This is grim, for a second weekend in a row, three pedestrians were killed in separate incidents with vehicles:- A 71-year-old Queens woman was killed yesterday afternoon while walking around 84th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan; the driver stayed on the scene and was not charged. Ariela Koenigsburg was headed to her daughter's house to celebrate her 71st birthday. The cops suggested Koenigsburg may have been jaywalking, but her daughter says that's impossible.......

The Post's Braden Keil reveals that Madonna has been scoping out townhouses on the Upper East Side. With three children and probably many helpers, the Madonna has probably grown out of her 6,000 square foot duplex at 41 Central Park West's Harperley Hall. A source says she's targeting townhouses so she doesn't have to deal with co-op boards. She saw a 14,700 square foot East 62nd Street that has "grand entertaining rooms with double-height ceilings,......

Yesterday, Transportation Alternatives held a rally at City Hall to draw attention to the recently increasing numbers of pedestrian fatalities on city streets. Last year, 163 pedestrians died, a 4% increase over 2005, and just this past weekend, four pedestrians were killed by vehicles. Relatives and friends of victims joined TA to demand that the city to make streets safer for pedestrians and "strengthen laws against motorists who kill or injure pedestrians" (Metro). Watch......

Not only do rats like gorditas, they like faux French food too! Just after the Health Department announced new restaurant inspection measures in the wake of the rat-infested, yet-Health Department-passed Village Taco Bell-KFC, WNBC found rats at an Au Bon Pain at Third Avenue and 40th Street. Rats like Midtown, too! WNBC spoke to an ABP representative who "expressed surprise over the findings." (The last time the location was inspected was last August.) A......

The intersection of Third Avenue and Baltic Street, where 4 year old James Jacaricce was hit and killed by a Hummer SUV Tuesday afternoon, had actually been recommended for safety measures four years ago. During Tuesday's incident, both the SUV and the child, who was walking with his aunt, had the light; the SUV was making a right turn from Third to Baltic. Streetsblog notes that neckdowns and a raised crosswalk had been recommended:While it......