Ah, the Second Avenue subway project—that mythical, subterranean Chimera that mayors and governors have spun tales about since time immemorial—is once again in danger of abandonment. With all the talk of service cutbacks as the MTA stares down the barrel of a $1 billion budged deficit, some are wondering if the transit authority should really be spending an estimated $3,000 every minute of every day to dig under Second Avenue at this particular juncture. Even......

Unless Michel Gondry somehow went missing without it making the news, then this is either a marketing campaign, or some crazy fan trying to make contact with the director. Signs that have popped up in Manhattan (Gondry now lives in Brooklyn) state, "Have you seen French film maker Michel Gondry? Any infos please be kind and send email" (our email to the address has yet to get a response). EV Grieve saw the sign on......

Responding to years of griping (and vigilante sign-making) about the poorly lit, hard-to-locate pedestrian entrances to the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO, the city has finally gotten around to putting up some new signs guiding walkers to the bridge. Spearheaded by the DUMBO Improvement District, the makeover was unveiled today by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and other officials, and coincides with the bridge’s 125th birthday celebration, which kicks off tomorrow at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State......

The city has a new message to spread: "Take the Stairs!" As part of an effort to get people to "Burn Calories, Not Electricity" the city's health officials are putting the posters up everywhere, hoping to get you to think twice before hopping on the elevator. The efforts will benefit both the environment, by reducing energy consumption, and your health, by burning calories -- but will a simple sign work? Officials stated that studies show......

Rangers 4, Flyers 0: Stephen Valiquette didn't really have to work for it, but he got his first career shutout. Even when the Flyers are hot and the Rangers are cold as ice, New York finds a way. Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan all scored. The Rangers hadn't won the road this year. Philadelphia had enjoyed a 12-2-1 streak. The Flyers are in first, but they are only five points ahead......

Yesterday we heard the "8" which will create the "2008" sign that millions will see in person and on screen during the New Years Eve Rockin' Eve extravaganza...was reduced to take mass transit to Times Square. This number is a true New Yorker! The Daily News has some quotes from its fellow straphangers and handlers:"It's not every day you ride with an 8," said the 30-year-old from Rego Park, Queens. "It's going to be......

Riders of the L train gave the line an average grade of "C" according to the NYC Transit Agency's report card. Over 4,000 riders graded the 10.3 mile line (42,000 surveys were handed out; over 2700 were mailed in while over 1200 were submitted via the MTA's website), giving the following marks: B- to "Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way," "Comfortable temperature in subway cars," and "Lack of graffiti in......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shooting and shots fired in west Midtown, bank robbery on the Upper West Side, and a gas main break in Brooklyn Heights. Sent in by NK: "While flying from West Palm Beach (6AM) to JFK, a piece of the plan engine detached from left engine causing an emergency landing. Children cried, people prayed, camera phones came out. As the plane safely landed everyone clapped. Quite the cinematic moment. Image......

This week New York Magazine chose Eric Harvey Brown as their look book subject. We decided to ask him a few questions ourselves, and dig a little deeper - beyond the beard (just a little though). How did NY Mag approach you for the Look Book piece? They found me walking past Times Square. Why do you think they picked you? I have crazy facial hair. Where did they shoot the photo? They shot the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a "boat in distress" at the 79th Street Boat Basin, several shootings in Brooklyn, including one at Brookdale Hospital, and a police officer stabbed at a diner in Queens. The funniest SNL short since Lazy Sunday: "D!ck in a Box". Warning, lyrics are as raunchy as the title. Sometime in the next 30 years, old people will outnumber school children in NYC. "According to police estimates, there are over......

Today is the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As the Times editorial today mentions, it's "time to heal and renew." NYC is trying to do its part. Various city restaurants working with Share our Strength to donate a part of tonight's sales to rebuilding efforts (the Shake Shack is included). And Brooklynite Lori Baker and Jersey Cityzen Eric Harvey Brown have created a book, Signs of Life, a collection of photographs of signs made......

After Wired ran a story documenting the GoogleCenter of the United States a bunch of ists jumped on the opportunity to figure out their own middle. Gothamist, Chicagoist, Bostonist and Seattlest all zoomed in on their creamy GoogleCenters. A crack cartography team is hard at work determining the GoogleCenter of the Ist-a-verse as you read this... Austinist read a book about Olympian Bode Miller and liked it. They also took a few pictures of the......

The New York Times has a nice little gallery of old faded signs in the Bronx, and an article explaining why these signs are slowly disappearing from the city: they aren't protected by any landmark laws. More signs in the city: Frankjump, Forgotten-NY Signs, and SL's famous chicken signs page.......

While there are still 12 more days to the month, today's gorgeous weather is making Gothamist feel optimistic about putting away our layers and being able to walk in the streets without stepping into slush. The NY Times looks at New York Region > Street Signs of Spring" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/nyregion/19spring.html">the NYC signs of spring, including "Park Horses Are Out" and "Friday Night Critical Mass Bicycle Protests Get Crowded." Sigh, we can't wait. And at the Museum......

As we speak, the City Council is meeting with the Department of Education about supplies in city schools, namely how teacher are buying them out of their own pockets. And teachers aren't just buying paper and pencils - they are buying toiletries. Which brings Gothamist to the title of this meeting: "Paper Towels, Soap, and Toilet Paper." What does it mean when the biggest school system in the country can't even keep soap and toilet......

I need clarification as to the purpose of the emergency cords on the subway.  Signs clearly state that they are never, ever to be used in a case of emergency, so I'm curious as to why they're there and why they're called emergency cords. - Jeff According to the MTA, Use the emergency cord only to prevent an accident or injury. For example, if someone gets caught between closing subway car doors and is being......

Kevin Walsh, Forgotten NY...

So The Village was number one at the box office this weekend (box office nerd fact: on the same weekend two years ago, Signs made $60 million). What Gothamist took most comfort in were all the stories or references to "village idiot," from Michael Agger's examination of M. Night Shyamalan's directing style on Slate (Agger's verdict: M. Night ain't all that) to Adrien Brody's actual character in the film, because the Village Idiot (the bar)......

I live about an hour outside the city, and I frequently take the train in on my days off from work. Occasionally, however, I drive, and as much as it humiliates me to admit this, I'm still somewhat confused by all the "no parking" signs and rules. I know about driveways and fire hydrants and all that, but occasionally I'll see a "no parking" sign with cars parked all around it. Or I'll get......

The Times' Tim Weiner, who looked at behavior modification schools for teens a month ago, is back with a feature on a behavior modification school in Jamaica with a harsh reputation. Traquility Bay: They say they spent 13 hours a day, for weeks or months on end, lying on their stomachs in an isolation room, their arms repeatedly twisted to the breaking point. Others say the program took them off a road to hell......

NYC DOT Custom Made Street Signs: Memory Lane I'd really like to get one of the 1970's Manhattan street signs for one of my favorite streets- like Desbrosses or Laight or Division Street.......