Talk about pouring a bitter cup. The Post reports that eight customers inside a Long Island Starbucks were unceremoniously kicked out at the peak of yesterday’s lethal storm. [More]
NEW YORK
NY Lottery Goes After Chase MasterCard Over 'Illegal' Fees
By 9.17.10
A couple weeks back, we brought you the story of a reader who found out that Chase now considers playing the lottery as internet gambling — but only after they nailed him with exorbitant fees and sky-high interest. Now, the New York Lottery has turned the tables on Chase MasterCard, alleging that these extra charges are illegal. [More]
Walmart Robber Swings Newborn Baby At Security To Escape Store
By 9.9.10
Some idiots try to profit off their babies by attempting to sell them outside of Walmart. And now there’s the woman in Syracuse who stands accused of using her baby to ward off Walmart loss prevention officers while she and her two alleged accomplices made off with their purloined loot. [More]
New York's Water Filled With Invisible Shrimp
By 8.31.10
New York’s water is some of the most delicious in the land, and it’s filled with teeny-tiny shrimp. [More]
When Do Chain Stores Become Part Of The 'Neighborhood Fabric'?
By 8.31.10
Two decades ago, when Barnes & Noble stores began popping up in every shopping center, strip mall and vacant lot in America, community advocates and fans of locally owned stores pointed at the chain as another example of a homogenized corporation coming in and erasing part of a neighborhood’s identity. But people still shopped there, and most people have gotten accustomed to the B&N being part of their local landscape. So much so that the NY Times has penned an elegy to one Manhattan Barnes & Noble that is closing its doors. [More]
NYC Slumlords Outed By Public Advocate's Worst Landlord List
By 8.30.10
Not many renters in New York City are in love with their landlords, but only a handful of the city’s landlords deserved to be called out in public for repeated violations and ignored complaints from tenants. Starting this morning, the city’s Public Advocate has decided it’s time that the worst offenders be forced into the spotlight with a public, searchable database. [More]
5 More Homeless Lent Credit Cards To See If They Give Them Back
By 8.30.10
Two weeks ago a homeless person made headlines after a high-powered ad executive lent him her American Express Platinum Card to buy some food and actually got it back from him as promised. But is this behavior really so out of the ordinary? A reporter gave five homeless people pre-paid credit cards to find out. [More]
Does A Sliced Bagel Count As "Prepared Food"?
By 8.25.10
It’s generally understood among bagel buyers in New York that you won’t be charged tax on a sliced, untoasted bagel with no butter, cream cheese or any other sort of spread. But with the state desperately trying to deal with budget shortfalls, it is now expecting bagel sellers to charge taxes on these often-untaxed items. [More]
Mom Sues NYC Chocolate Shop Over Breastfeeding Argument
By 8.17.10
Bringing together two of our favorite topics — lawsuits and chocolate — a new mom in New York City has filed a lawsuit against the chocolate store she says gave her the boot for attempting to nurse her child. [More]
Top 10 States With Highest Closing Costs
By 8.16.10
In terms of closing costs, these little transactional costs needed to process the signing of your new home, how does your state stack up? Bankrate did a survey to find out. [More]
English Professor: I Was Booted From Starbucks Over Bagel Linguistics
By 8.16.10
For some customers, Starbucks’ very particular lexicon is a source of anxiety and possibly even anger. But it wasn’t having to order a “venti” or a “tall” that drove a NYC college professor into an argument at a Manhattan Starbucks over the weekend. Instead, it was her refusal to tell an employee what she didn’t want on her bagel. [More]
Woman Lends Homeless Man Her AmEx Card, Actually Gets It Back
By 8.13.10
Here in New York City, most people have become immune to the frequent requests for spare change from panhandlers. And under no circumstances would a sane person hand over their American Express Platinum Card to a homeless person. But not only does a high-powered ad executive do just that, she also got the card back. [More]
Should There Be More Legalized Gambling?
By 8.11.10
Even though the American Gaming Association recently stated that gambling revenues were down 5.5% last year, a growing number of state and city governments are looking at casinos and gambling as a way to spur economic growth during this not exactly golden age. [More]
Juror In Burglary Trial Accused Of Stealing Fellow Juror's Credit Card
By 8.10.10
By their very nature, courtrooms play host to any number of criminals. They’re just usually sitting at the defendant’s table and not in the jury box. But according to prosecutors in NYC, a woman who had been sitting on a jury in a recent criminal case stole the credit card of one of her fellow jurors and went on a shopping spree. [More]
Pop-Tarts Open Times Square Pop-Up Store With Pop-Tart Sushi
By 8.10.10
In order to satisfy the staggering outcry for Pop-Tart related services, the iconic toaster treat has opened up a store in Times Square. One of the delicacies they serve is “Pop-Tart Sushi,” three kinds of minced Pop-Tarts rolled in fruit roll-up. [More]
JetBlue Flight Attendant Curses Out Passenger, Uses Emergency Slide To Exit Plane And Run Away
By 8.9.10
Imagine this sight: Your JetBlue flight has just touched down at your destination when a flight attendant takes to the public address system, drops the F-bomb, pops the emergency door and exits the plane via the emergency slide. We’re really hoping someone out there has video footage of this incident that went down at JFK Airport today. [More]
Town Catches Pool Permit Dodgers With Google Earth
By 8.2.10
New technology often has unintended consequences. In the case of Google Earth, a popular program that combines various satellite and aerial images to create a navigable 3D globe, it’s being used by one town to catch unpermitted pool owners. [More]
Celeb Chef Mario Batali Sued By Staff For Alleged Tip Skimming
By 7.30.10
We know that tipping is a touchy subject here, but not as touchy as it is to the wait staff at the restaurants owned by celeb chef Mario Batali. The red-headed TV personality is the subject of a class action lawsuit that alleges he’s been screwing his employees over by skimming off the top of the tip pile. [More]
