It was only after all this that the officer ended up passing his gun over to the janitor who had unknowingly lent his uniform to the suspect, 51-year-old Placido Contreras. As the cop wrestled with a bloody McNair, he passed his gun to Contreras and told him, "Keep your eyes on him and shoot him if you have to." The janitor told the Post that it was the first time he held a real gun.
Tradition dictates that holiday variety shows be structured around a loose plotline of impending doom; Christmas is about to be canceled, Santa's under indictment, a rabid bear is mauling Elvis Costello. In A Murray Little Christmas, the rollicking and ribald burlesque comedy show now packing them in at The Zipper Factory, Xmas '08 is critically endangered by the multi-headed hydra of recession, Proposition 8, and, naturally, gentrification. Oh, also, there wasn't room in the production budget to install a working chimney in the "illegal gingerbread squatting apartment" that serves as the set, so there's no way for Santa to make his grand entrance.
Prespa: This new bi-level restaurant and lounge is named after two freshwater lakes in southeast Europe shared by Greece, Albania, and the Republic of Macedonia. It's a redesign of what was formerly Prespa Mediterranean Brasserie, and Strong Buzz says Murray Hill gourmands are fervently hoping it'll become a local dining oasis in their mediocre neighborhood. The menu from Executive Chef Richard Farnabe (Jean-Georges, Montrachet) emphasizes Mediterranean tapas, but there are also full size entrees such as Braised Short Ribs with pine nuts, apricot and carrot fritters ($12/$27); Paupiette of John Dory with foie gras, chanterelle and yellow wine sauce ($17); and Broiled Black Cod with jicama and avocado salad ($11/$28). (Officially opening Monday for lunch and dinner.) 184 Lexington Avenue, between 31st and 32nd Street; (212) 810-4335
Angie Pontani and her "world famous sisters" are arguably the brightest stars in the city's booming burlesque scene; or at least the most recognizable to mainstream audiences who don't spend much time at the Slipper Room. Pontani is currently starring in a funny/sexy revue she co-wrote with incorrigible cut-up Murray Hill, who emcees the evening. Called This is Burlesque, the two-act extravaganza tap-dances along a fine line between unrepentantly ribald humor and classy, atavistic burlesque without losing its spontaneous charm. (Read the full review.) We recently spoke with Pontani about the show, her love of grilled cheese and her exercise regimen.
Robert Murray, the 18th century merchant for whom the neighborhood of Murray Hill takes its name, might be troubled to see that his family's legacy has been reduced to a fratastic cluster of post-collegiate, quasi-dorms. But his ghost can also take comfort knowing that for the past decade or so a comic lounge singer in Rat Pack drag has made the name certifiably applause-worthy. Of course, being a Quaker, it might take Robert Murray's ghost a drink or five to warm up to Murray Hill's ribald shtick. His audience at Corio Friday night, on the other hand, was roaring with laughter even as they sipped their first "Pink Tassel" martinis.
Wow, this show is bizarre. But bizarre in a way that carries on P.S. 122’s scintillating legacy as a downtown refuge for freaky, outré performance art. Musician/performer Neal Medlyn’s latest rock "tragic-comedy," Unpronounceable Symbol, pays musical homage to Prince, with a live band led by Kiki & Herb’s Kenny Mellman, who co-wrote the show and rearranged a bunch of Prince B-sides for the score.
Initial reports of Sik-gaek, a Korean restaurant in Flushing's Murray Hill, implied that it’s a buffet-style barbecue spot. After walking from the 7 train to the corner of 149 Pl. and Roosevelt Ave., an entirely different kind of restaurant was encountered.
the details of East Side madam Kristin Davis's black book are revealed, but quite a few are highlighted in the Daily News today. Davis, busted earlier this week for running a prostitution ring in Manhattan apartments, reportedly has the "largest black book in America."
According to its website, Murray Hill's Tonic East “is the most well rounded sports bar in the area, with an attractive scene of locals.” But it seems black was not deemed beautiful by the management: they recently agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the tune of $35,000.
An opening for the new 2nd Avenue Deli is in sight! This week, they've been putting the final touches on the new Murray Hill location, but today Gothamist stopped by for a quick preview of the legendary deli. During the friends and family only preview, they don't have a their full 5-page menu ready yet, but they did have the classic items including matzah ball soup, pastrami and tuna sandwiches. One new item is the "chocolate shot" that will be served to diners at the end of the meal. The original 2nd Avenue Deli closed in March, 2006.
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 owner Jack Lebewohl and the landlord over rent increases; the soul was promptly siphoned from the site and turned into a Chase bank (though the Yiddish theater “Walk of Fame” on the sidewalk remains).
Today, the Daily News put Amarjit Singh on its cover and asks New Yorkers to help him. Who is Singh? He was the cook at the Texas Smokehouse BBQ in Murray Hill until October 6, when a mentally ill man, Lee Coleman, stormed into the kitchen and grabbed four knives. Singh tried to stop Coleman, but Coleman slashed him in the head before heading outside to repeatedly stab pedestrian Susan Barron. Coleman only stopped when...
A few days after showing surveillance video of a robber holding up a number of stores, police have arrested the suspect. Brooklyn resident Herbert Rodriguez was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon in connection to 17 robberies, all below 23rd Street in Manhattan (there's a map at the end of this slideshow) over the past three months. In one video where the suspect robs a Murray Hill ice cream store, the bandana...
Talking Radio reported that Air American Radio host and liberal Randi Rhodes was mugged on Sunday night on 39th Street and Park Avenue while walking her dog. Soon after, fellow AAR host Jon Elliott stated that Rhodes was beaten up pretty badly, lost teeth and insinuated that the attack was part of "the right wing hate machine." And soon after that an AAR blogger, Nancy Scola, posted: "Air America host Randi Rhodes experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting her show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded. Ms. Rhodes looks forward to being back on the air on Thursday."
Transit police officer Gregory Chin is being hailed as a hero for stopping a crazed man who had just stabbed two people in Murray Hill from inflicting more violence. The Post and Daily News interviewed Chin, who was off-duty when he saw Lee Coleman attacking 67-year-old Susan Barron with a variety of knives (knives that Coleman stole from a restaurant) on Saturday morning.
A homeless man was shot in the stomach by an off-duty transit police officer after he stabbed two people randomly in Murray Hill yesterday afternoon. The assailant, identified as 38-year-old Lee Coleman, was wounded and is in serious condition; he was charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
The engines fueling Jane Jacobs' legacy are at full throttle, with the Municipal Art Society's new exhibition, titled "Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York." The show, opening this week at the Urban Center Galleries, delves into how today's (and tomorrow's) city fits into Jacobs' ideas and also examines how the public can draw on her values, given the major developments and rezoning now in progress.
A 21-year-old MIT student was found dead on a Union Square building rooftop on Sunday night. Police believe that James Albrecht fell from the 243 East 14th Street onto the roof of a neighboring building, but it's unclear whether Albrecht fell or was pushed.
This week Bruni goes to P*ong, the dessert/savory restaurant brought to us by pastry chef Pichet Ong (formerly of Perry Street and Spice Market), awards the restaurant one star. Finds the restaurant "tantalizing, often irritating," and says it challenges one's ideas of what should be sweet and what should be savory. But the desserts are the restaurant's strenth, says Bruni, and also it's too crowded and the service is not good enough to make staying for a longer meal worth while. He likes the special cocktails, though.
Virgin Mobile's "You Rule" campaign has been in town for a few weeks, but the confusion still runs high. Ad agency Havas McKinney developed an ambitious outdoor campaign that involves specific posters and billboards to praise residents of various New York neighborhoods, such as Chelsea, Murray Hill, Lower East Side, Upper East Side, and Bed-Stuy.
With yesterday’s innocuous New York Times review of Katz’s Deli and the news last week that the 2nd Avenue Deli will be "recreated" in Murray Hill, it seems that forces of pastrami have won some kind of cosmic victory over the over the forces of real estate; forces that threaten to destroy old-fashioned New York dining institutions.
Photograph by kenyee on Flickr
A new showdown between bird lovers and building owners may be brewing. Apparently the Shelburne Hotel in Murray Hill is taking down some vines that are supposedly eroding the building. But the Post reports that neighbors are concerned because American songbirds nest in the vine.
A Long Island couple is suing a Manhattan fertility clinic for using the wrong sperm during in-vitro fertilization. Nancy and Thomas Andrews were having trouble conceiving a second child, so they went to the New York Medical Services for Reproductive Medicine to have Nancy's eggs fertilized with Thomas's sperm. But when baby Jessica was born in 2004 to the couple, they suspected something was wrong. From the Daily News:
Thomas Andrews is white and his wife is Dominican. But Jessica, who was born Oct. 19, 2004, has darker skin than either of them as well as "characteristics more typical of African or African-American descent," the lawsuit states.Continue reading "Park Avenue Fertility Clinic in Hot Water"
, has become known for his ability to elicit naturalistic acting performances from his handsome young actors and that style expertly employed in this new movie. Visually, the movie strives to also be low-key, though it is beautifully composed. Scenes that might have been played for massive dramatic appeal--like the murdering of four officers in a pub's back room [pictured]--are delivered with little visual or musical preface and as a result have an even more powerful impact. This should be a note to Hollywood, violence doesn't always have to have the fan fair of a video game. (Fun fact about Loach's casting process/attention to real details: Murphy, as well as other some other actors, are from County Cork where the movie was shot and thus have totally authentic accents.)
An embryo uh-oh! A lesbian couple is suing a Murray Hill fertility bank because Repro Lab allegedly lost six of their embryos. Eggs that had been harvested from Adriana Pacheco were to be implanted into Pacheco's partner Cathy Berger last spring, but the company said the embryos were lost. Even after looking twice, the lab couldn't find them!
Whether or not it's the 2nd Avenue Deli, we just hope some favorites from the old menu will return, like the corned beef, mushroom barley soup and incredible tuna fish.
In Blessed Memory of Sean Bell, by Casa de Darnoc.
The Health (and Mental Hygiene) Department released some interesting reports that detail New Yorkers' health by neighborhood. You can check out a profile for where you live, which turns out to be a 16-page PDF listing various stats, like alcoholism, smoking, death rates, and other health issues, as well as giving other interesting demographics (population with age breaks or ethnicity, compared with NYC as a whole).
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