You’ll recall the big stink surrounding the city’s demolition (pictured) of the 1930s-era Art Deco Purchase building by the base of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO – preservationists fought to save it, then the city tore it down to make way for the oft-delayed Brooklyn Bridge Park. The land the building occupied was supposed to be turned into a beautiful Euro-style piazza and skating rink by fall 2009, according to estimates by the Brooklyn......

The fate of McCarren Park Pool turned around after being landmarked and given a $50 million gift from Bloomberg, yet its future look is still up in the air. Following the February 4th meeting, last night another Community Board meeting was held to discuss The Pool. This time architects Rogers Marvel and The Parks Department were on hand to present conceptual plans. Curbed has the reveal, but they note the renderings are merely "draft images......

Last night the first of two meetings to discuss the future plans of (the recently landmarked) McCarren Park Pool took place. The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and architects Rogers & Marvel unveiled their plans and how they will spend Mayor Bloomberg’s $50 million. The initial press release listed: renovating McCarren Park Pool for swimming, creating a year-round recreation center, and preserving and restoring the historic bathhouse building and entry arch, as top priorities......

Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg speaking at the State of the City address by Mary Altaffer/AP Mayor Bloomberg sounded some broad themes in his seventh State of the City address. Held at the new ice skating rink at Flushing-Meadows Corona Park in Queens, his speech outlined initiatives the city and various city agencies will undertake (digital 911 so you can send the NYPD photos from cell phones by this summer! reforming the Board of Elections!......

Hot chocolate's all the hype these days with Jacques Torres, City Bakery, Cocoa Bar, and MariBelle all pouring decadent brews at their downtown locales. And, while we have to admit that we’re more likely to stop in one of these spots below 14th Street, there are plenty of reasons for heading further uptown during this holiday season—say, for ice skating at Rockefeller Center, a trip to Central Park, or a visit to the Met. The......

Everyone is buzzing about the Brooklyn Bridge Park development today. The latest is that the project (which has been stalled time and time again) could begin next month as a wrecking ball tears down a piece of the area's history. The Daily News reports:If approved today, the $18 million construction phase would include the demolition of the historic Purchase Building [pictured] and the removal of portions of five piers, officials said. "This is the......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Lincoln Center Tree Lighting 2007 (Monday, 5:30 p.m, WABC 7) Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and WABC’s Sade Baderinwa host the first televised tree lighting of the season. There will be some performances by Lincoln Center’s resident companies and some guest’s from channel 7’s owner Disney on hand for entertainment for the 8th annual Lincoln Center Holiday Tree lighting. America at a Crossroads (Monday, 9:00 p.m &......

The New York Post is loving the NJ beauty pageant story, which includes allegations that a fellow contestant may have been behind the blackmail plot to get Miss New Jersey to relinquish her crown. Someone sent pageant winner Amy Polumbo a package of photos that were lifted from Polumbo's Facebook account and doctored to include sexually suggestive captions. The Daily News says that there is no breast-baring or drug-taking in any of the photos, but......

It's that time of the year again: When Hollywood honors its moviemaking the way it knows (and not always in equitable ways, given that Alfred Hitchcock nor Robert Altman, to name a few, have never won Directing Oscars) and America gets to watch hours of pre-show hosted by idiots. Giving commentary for Gothamist this year, Karen Wilson, Margaret Harper, and Jen Chung. 7:06PM First thoughts: Gael Garcia Bernal is so cute. Ryan Seacrest is an......

We were reading New York Magazine's Fashion Week Food Diaries where models, a show producer, and a fashion editor submitted three days of their eating habits. The fashion editor is Elle's fashion news director, Anne Slowey, who we remember very well from Project Runway's season 2 ice skating outfit challenge. And the diary seems to clear up some things. Over the course of three days, Slowey's diet consists mostly of water, an intense vitamin regimen,......

You know how we know it's almost winter, besides feeling the chill in the air? The fact that Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park is opening today. This year happens to be the 20th anniversary of the rink's re-opening, thanks to Donald Trump's chutzpah and swooping in to take over renovations from the city (the city had been "working" on the rink for 6 years). Admission to the rink is $9.50 weekdays/ $12 holidays/weekend......

It's Bryant Park-going plebes versus the fashion plates! The Daily News has an article about how Bryant Park wants the fashion shows out (or auf, if you like) this February, so the park can keep its free skating rink, The Pond, open. Dan Biderman, the head of the Bryant Park, says, "The public hates the [fashion] shows, except the public who goes to them, and they want the ice rink in the winter and......

With the proposed chill coming this weekend, we thought it would be a good to remind everyone that the city's ice skating rinks will be closing on April 2. Yes, the Pond in Bryant Park has been closed since January and Prospect Park's rink closed last weekend, but there's still the Abe Stark Rink at Coney Island, World’s Fair Ice Skating Rink in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Staten Island War Memorial Ice Skating Rink......

Of course, after the storm of '06 hits we suggest snowball fights. Prior to the snowfall, however, we offer up the following... BENEFIT: Just when we were talking about band gear getting stolen from the streets of this city, it's done and happened again. Bravo Silva's guitars were stolen last weekend and this weekend deejay crew Finger on the Pulse will donate the proceeds from their weekly party to raise money for them. Raffles and......

Public space that's privately sponsored? Bryant Park's current operating model is apparently the source of some neighborhood trouble, as some people are aghast that a public park has so many corporate events and charges fees for its use. The NY Times counts there was Olympus Fashion Week, there are summer movies sponsored by HBO, its wireless is sponsored by Google and its ice skating rink, The Pond, is sponsored by Citi, not to mention various......

There's nothing Gothamist likes free movies and a gimmick, and Rockefeller Center has both next week: Rockefeller Center is turning into a drive-in movie theater for screenings of three anticipated independent films. Garden State, directed and starring Zach Braff, co-starring Natalie Portman and Peter Saarsgard, will on Tuesday, June 8th, followed by Napoleon Dynamite (you've seen the trailer with the extremely geeky and/or mildly autistic kid in it) on Wednesday and Danny Deckchair (Rhys Ifans,......

"Splinter Group Announces Plan to Give Skating New Leadership" read the headline of an article in the sports section of the Times. It's a vivid picture, since I don't usually associate splinters or splinter groups with ice skating.......