Last week people started spotting an idea vending machine in the East Village. Turns out it's Road Ruler-turned-prankster Jake Bronstein's latest venture: the Fun-o-meter. The 50 cent price tag may seem like a rip-off when you can get a stale gumball or a dolphin ride for the same amount or less, but check out what you get (and get back!):One fun idea (example: take a ride in the Roosevelt Island tram) A map, in case......

Fellas, if you’re in some sort of relationship and haven’t nailed down the V-Day itinerary yet, it’s about time to start making some quick decisions and, regrettably, commitments. Reservations fill up fast and no matter what she says about ‘not expecting anything special’, we all know that’s a big trap. But it doesn’t mean you have to submit to an overpriced prix fixe dinner at a stuffy, overcrowded restaurant; here are some less predictable ways......

You can see what are the most recommended and most commented posts on the Gothamist Favorites site, but here are the top three for both: Most Recommended 1. Bad Ad Ideas: Pakistan Airlines, 1979: An old ad showing the shadow of an airplane against the World Trade Center brought up some spooky associations as well as questions about whether the ad was real. 2. Breaking: Shots Fired at Police by Man Barricaded in Park Slope......

Two weeks ago, Lord & Taylor unveiled its holiday windows theme "Christmas is the Moment," based on the the five senses and the wonderful things people enjoy during the holidays. The country's oldest department store and also the first retailer to move to Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor was also the first to create Christmas windows for "pure delight." The flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 38th Street has a hydraulic lift system that......

The light, soft buttermilk biscuit has just a touch of almond flavor to it, that comes out more with each bite. It is the sturdy base which supports the other components in this dish. The sour cherry compote just blazes with flavor, tart and sweet and intoxicatingly intense. The pickled ginger barely needs to be candied at all, but the added sugar adds a nice crunch to the already crisp ginger. The pickled ginger......

Last weekend, we took a cooking class taught by Chefs Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot of Ideas in Food. This was a new thing - they just announced their first round of classes last month. We took their class on Pork and Apples, but you still have time to catch their Steak and Eggs class this Saturday, and their Scallops class on October 20th. The Pork and Apples class was wildly freeform -......

The five conceptual proposals for redeveloping Governors Island, "The Park at the Center of the World," have been floating for over a week now. Maybe you saw the technicolor article in last week's New York Magazine. Or maybe you've swooned among the large-scale paradise boards on display at the Center for Architecture. None of these five proposals will necessarily materialize. We're familiar with this type of conceptual process from design competitions at the WTC......

A look at some noteworthy television programs this week: American Experience: The Berlin Airlift (Monday 9:00 p.m., WNET 13) A look at the use of airpower for good when the Allies supplied Berlin with food and other necessities via air to get around a Soviet blockade. The Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman (Monday 10:00 p.m., WNET 13) The life, work and legacy of the Nobel winning economist are looked into.......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a high-rise fire on West 143rd Street, a pedestrian struck and pinned by a car in Brooklyn, and a police car MVA in Central Park. The New York Times Magazine has put out their great "Year in Ideas" special-- it's worth checking out. For instance: The Diplomat-Parking-Violation Corruption Index. The state agency in charge of the Atlantic Yards project has issued its long-expected stamp of approval. Next up: lawsuits......

Back in October, Mayor Bloomberg said, via a conversation he had with the Daily News (which then, of course, wrote about it), that he wanted Larry Silverstein to give up his role in rebuilding the World Trade Center. Silverstein holds the lease down there, and he's been criticized for delaying the start of construction (whereas the Port Authority has been, relatively speaking, zipping along with building their new PATH station and mall). So, today, Silverstein......

Mayor Bloomberg has been very busy since winning reelection last week. He visited a number of places of worship around town to thank voters for their support. He complained about the free-meter parking on Sunday rule that went into effect yesterday. And he wrote an editorial in the Daily News to tell New Yorkers how he wants to change the way judges get elected, saying the current process "bears more of a resemblance to voting......

After his controversial remarks about wanting to get World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein out of the Ground Zero picture, Mayor Bloomberg discussed his ideas for redevelopment at a campagin stop in the Bronx. There should be housing where the Deutsche Bank once stood, and the Port Authority can move to 3 World Trade Center. Obviously he read the Paul Goldberger article in the New Yorker about Ground Zero development earlier this year, too! Of......

Ask Metafilter is trying to get to the bottom of one of the most pressing questions of our time: is it really a bad idea to eat fish in NYC restaurants on Mondays? The quick answer appears to be "maybe"-- it depends on the quality of the restaurant. Some responses: I've worked in four restaurants all in the NY tri-state region. Only one recieved a fish order every single day of the week, and the......

New York magazine's year-end double issue, It Happened This Year, is out. Gothamist thinks the title can only be a tribute to the great Sassy column, It Happened to Me (which can now be seen in Jane). Anyway, the whole issue is chockful of moments in our 2004-ness, but here are a few of the stories caught our interest (and Gothamist's stories on the topic): - The phenomenon of manholia - fear of manholes (Gothamist......

In the past few months, with various rumors and admissions that the MTA would need to raise fares next year and the year after, there's been a lot of outrage from people who commute to and within NYC. Gothamist doesn't pretend to be the authority on transportation issues or knowledgeable about how city agencies need to structure their budgets. But what we can say is that over the past year, we've realized that as much......

Chocolate Bar: Recipes and Entertaining Ideas for Living the Sweet Life , by Matt Lewis & Alison Nelson (Running Press, 2004). The Chocolate Bar's cookbook is a bible for the chocolate-obsessed, or a training manual for the soon-to-be obsessed. Part cookbook, part chocolate-philosophy textbook, and all mouthwatering, the book is a recruiting manual for the "chocolate-centered lifestyle." The authors earn their toaster ovens with recipes for fondues, moles, sundaes, brownies and cookies, as well as......

Steven I. Weiss, Journalist/Blogger...

Gothamist considered a few options for this post, but decided the best we could do was revisit a post from one year ago: Hamish the British Scuba Dog. We hope to make Hamish an April 1 tradition. But here are Gothamist's rejected April Fool's Ideas: - Kidnapping Thompson - Only panda posts all day - Embracing CSI - Folding due to frustration over rabid commenters - Announcing that we were moving to L.A. - Giving......

The International Design Conference in Aspen is holding two panels about 'Critical Ideas in a Time of Need' - discussions about design in New York, other cities, and the world. "The first night, Design for Change , will be a roundtable discussion with community advocates, developers and city representatives. The second evening, Local Voices, Global Issues, will feature renowned architect Michael Sorkin and Lebbeus Woods, will look beyond New York and discuss the boundaries of......

Ambition to Burn: Jayson Blair at The New York Times
The New York Times' mea culpa about disgraced reporter Jayson Blair fascinates Gothamist with all the questions it raises, about journalism, work ethics, youth, and race....